Society 3.0 as a Wire Strung Harp #23 #cong20

Synopsis:

A reflection on and challenge to Society 3.0 through the lens of Ireland’s treatment of mothers and babies for over 200 years.

Total Words

663

Reading Time in Minutes

3

Key Takeaways:

  1. Society is not a number, it is a creation.
  2. We can create better
  3. Accelerated change needs parallel reflection to let society heal, restore and root..

About Celia Keenaghan

I’m a sociologist committed to inspiring people to work better together so we can create a society that is fun, fair and fantastic! I do this through Mentoring, Facilitation and Training.
I write, sing, dance, play the accordion and the early Irish harp and enjoy a dip in the sea.

Contacting Celia Keenaghan:

You can connect with Celia  via email.

By Celia Keenaghan.

Society is not a number. It is a form, a collective, a creation. It is measured in our survival, our ability to collaborate, to be in community, to thrive.

In August 2020 I visited the memorial site for the 796 babies who died and were irreverently buried in a mother and baby home in Tuam. I went there to connect with the spirit of a family member and to the spirit of his mother and all connected to the pain of injustice experienced by the thousands of women and children cast aside by Irish society. I played a tune that is suggested by Bunting in 1797 to be the first tune taught on the harp, Molly Bhan. Some of the lyrics: ‘”Pretty Molly you have been brought to shame, the doctors tell me you have had a baby, You left the child in Patrick’ s graveyard, with a street flag as a headstone…. “.

Over 200 years after that tune was documented, I took part in an online rally A protest to put pressure on the government to ensure survivors have access to records from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes. Mary Coughlan brought us right to the heart and legacy of the injustices with a powerful rendition of Magdalen Laundry (written by Johnny Mulhern) …”Sunday afternoon while the Lord’s at rest/ It’s off to the prom watch the waves roll by/ We’re chewing on our toffees, hear the seagulls squawk/ There go the Maggies the children talk/ Through our faces they stare at the Magdalen Laundry/ In our eyes see the glare of the Magdalen Laundry”.

Society 1.0, agricultural, industrial and informational developments, society was filled with inequalities fueled by moral and patriarchal judgement, society 2.0 greater developments in knowledge and a more globalized world, still society filled with inequalities fueled by moral and patriarchal judgement. Society 3.0 – innovation, creativity and accelerating change – an opportunity for healing, inclusion and equality.

What if the society we create has the purity of a wire strung harp, steeped in the history, losses, accolades and battles of its existence? What if it has as resilient an identity, offers a range of tunes from a place of harmony, where discordant sounds have an important place, where a thread can be travelled through time and space connecting ancestors to activists, ancestral wisdom to technological advances, personal insights and awareness to collective leadership and positive circulation of power?

What if we are truly brave, where instead of concealing and burying our children we show them bravery is about being able to reveal your self alone and in congregation, It’s how you bring that self into relationship with others, it’s how we manage the collective self – society.

What if to balance the accelerated growth in so many areas, we create a society that slows down, that rests in awareness, that settles from turbulence, that allows the ignition of spring and the flames of summer to rest in the harvest of autumn, to connect, become rooted, to know the power of the earth on which we stand in solidarity, in security, in solidity, in true, honest, replenished, society.

Community Resilience – Fun, Diversity and Connection #28 #cong19

Synopsis:

This paper explores the concept of community resilience as it has developed a number of knowledge areas as diverse as psychology and permaculture. Common factors that build both individual and community resilience include diversity, vulnerability and creativity.

4 Key Takeaways:

  1. Focusing on resilience directs attention towards what assets exist within communities, and how these can be augmented and used to deal with change.
  2. A resilient community takes intentional action to enhance individual and collective capacity
  3. A resilient community proactively responds to, and influences the course of social and economic change.
  4. Diversity, vulnerability and creativity are essential elements of resilience at individual and community level.

About Celia Keenaghan:

I’m a sociologist committed to inspiring people to work better together so that together we develop resilient children, adults and communities who can create a society that is fun fair and fantastic!

In 2011 I set up Keenaghan Collaborative now providing services in Facilitation, Mentoring and Training. I am also working with IT Sligo in setting up a community Education Mentoring programme.

I have worked in business, public health, community development, education and social innovation. I have been a driver of many local and national initiatives including the pioneering youth charity SpunOut.ie. I write, sing, dance, play the accordion and the early Irish harp and enjoy supporting purpose drive enterprise.

Contacting Celia Keenaghan:

You can contact Celia by email.

By Celia Keenaghan

Community resilience is looked at from ecological, economic, social, healthcare and psychological perspectives with subtle differences in definition. I was recently surprised by a community workers definition – something along the lines of ‘they expect us to keep taking a kicking and then they kick us some more’. My interpretation is one that involves agency, power and purpose. I believe community resilience “shifts the focus away from a purely deficit model of deprived communities – the things that they do not have – and directs attention towards what assets do exist within communities, and how these can be amplified and used to cope with change and even thrive” .

An Asset Way of Thinking :

  •  Start with the assets
  • Identify opportunities/ strengths
  • Invest in people, civil society, communities and the common good
  • Help people take control of their lives and see them as co-producers with something to offer
  • Support to develop potential in people

An analysis of definitions of community resilience found that definitions which are most valuable in terms of improving the ability of communities to recover after disasters explicitly or implicitly contain the following five core concepts:

Attribute: resilience is an attribute of the community.
Continuing: a community’s resilience is an inherent and dynamic part of the community.
Adaptation: the community can adapt to adversity.
Trajectory: adaptation leads to a positive outcome for the community relative to its state after the crisis, especially in terms of its functionality.
Comparability: the attribute allows communities to be compared in terms of their ability to positively adapt to adversity.

Looking at personal wellbeing, The New Economics Foundation has set out five things that we can all do to improve our wellbeing.

1. Connect…With the people around you.
2. Take notice…Be curious.
3. Be active.. get out for a walk in nature.
4. Give… Smile. Volunteer your time.
5. Keep learning…Try something new. Rediscover an old interest.

All of these are central to community wellbeing.

Much research has been done to see what makes the difference in how a community ‘bounces back’ from a traumatic event. A University of Queensland Stanhorpe Study
identifies factors most commonly reported to enhance community and individual resilience (psychological wellness). These include
• Social Networks and Support
• Positive Outlook
• Early Experiences
• Infrastructure and Support Services
• Diverse and Innovative Economy
• Sense of belonging, meaning and purpose

So what can we do to enhance community resilience. There are so many doing so much in this area for all walks of life, some I’ve had interaction with include GrowRemote, Men’s Shed,  Havin A Laugh, Geniusu

Does your community promote a sense of determination and an optimistic outlook for the future? Think about sharing stories of success, or what was learned from things not working out. Don’t underestimate the value of fun activities for community gatherings. Learn from nature – value diversity. The core values of permaculture are:
1. Take care of the earth: Provision for all life systems to continue and multiply. This is the first principle, because without a healthy earth, humans cannot flourish.
2. Take care of the people: Provision for people to access those resources necessary for their existence.
3. Share the surplus: Healthy natural systems use outputs from each element to nourish others. We humans can do the same. By governing our own needs, we can set resources aside to further the above principles.

Imagining Ideas and Finding Flow #48 #cong18

Synopsis:

Using psychometric testing can help you build flow in your self, your team and your organisation. Finding your flow is finding your path of least resistance and your path to greatest impact.

4 Key Takeaways:

  1. Imagination is integral to ideas.
  2. The five ancient elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Spirit help us understand flow.
  3. We all have a natural genius.
  4. When you know your natural genius, you can get in your flow and follow your path of least resistance.

About Celia Keenaghan:

I’m a sociologist committed to inspiring people to work better together so that together we develop resilient children, adults and communities who can create a society that is fun fair and fantastic!

In 2011 I set up Keenaghan Collaborative providing services in Facilitation, Mentoring, Training and Guidance.

I have worked in business, public health, community development, education and social innovation. I have been a driver of many local and national initiatives including the pioneering youth charity SpunOut.ie. I write, sing, dance, play the accordion and the early Irish harp and enjoy bringing creativity to enterprise.

Contacting Celia Keenaghan:

You can follow Celia on LinkedIn or contact her by email.

 

By Celia Keenaghan

  • Imagine ideas flow like a river.
  • Imagine the force of multiple ideas.
  • Imagine anyone can shape an idea.
  • Imagine ideas without shame.
  • Imagine ideas honoured with respect and curiosity.
  • Imagine ideas as a currency.
  • Imagine we trust each other with our ideas.
  • Imagine giving ideas as gifts.
  • Imagine my idea and your idea combine into a super-idea.
  • Imagine ideas have fertile ground for landing.
  • Imagine almost-ideas are nurtured.
  • Imagine newly birthed ideas are celebrated.
  • Imagine children love ideas.
  • Imagine children’s ideas are loved.
  • Imagine old ideas are revered, interrogated, regenerated.
  • Imagine dead ideas have somewhere to repose.
  • Imagine ideas inspire ideas.

I love taking ideas from one place and scattering them like seeds in other locations and seeing how the take. Currently I am bringing ideas generated by futurist and social entrepreneur Roger James Hamilton to Ireland (thanks to the inspiration and support of Eileen Forestal).

Hamilton has created a unique personality profiling system – Wealth Dynamics – for entrepreneurs. It goes right back to the roots of modern psychometric testing to the primary purpose outlined in the I Ching i.e. for us to find our flow.

Using the five ancient energies of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Spirit as a way of understanding flow, Hamilton has identified four types of Genius – Dynamo, Blaze, Tempo and Steel.

Wood energy links to Spring, a time of new beginnings, when trees begin to grow new leaves again, fresh buds bloom and animals awaken. This aligns with Dynamo Genius – people who draw their energy from coming up with new ideas, new creations.

Fire energy links to Summer when nature is fruitful and animals and plants reproduce. Summer is warm and bright and full of colour for all to see and enjoy. This aligns with Blaze genius – connectors who draw their energy from connecting; connecting ideas to people and people to each other.

Earth energy links to Autumn, a time of rest and renewal. This aligns with Tempo Genius – people who are ‘senses smart’, who have their ear to the ground, great at timing and are balanced and insightful.

Metal energy links to Winter, a time when lots of activity is going on under the ground and less is visible above ground. This aligns with Steel Genius, who draw their energy from and find their flow in systems and in details.

Linking the four Geniuses is the Spirit energy aligned to water, the source of all the other energies and the key to flow.

So, bringing it all back to IDEAS.

Dynamo generate ideas, asking the question ‘What?’ – what can we do, make, create… Blaze then shines a light on those ideas and creations, to promote and share them. They ask Who? – who needs to hear about this? Who can help? Who can benefit?

Tempo considers the ideas and listens to people’s reactions. They ask ‘When’? When will people be ready for this idea? When is the right time to buy, to sell, to promote, to scale up?

Steel works out the systems needed to roll out the idea. They ask the question ‘How’? How can we multiply this idea/product? How do we measure growth? How do we make it pay?

Connecting all, is Spirit energy which is all about ‘Why’. Why this idea? Asking why, connects us to our purpose, to what really motivates us. Keeping that clear and strong is what really drives us to give an idea life, to bring it to where we are best placed to enable it to have most impact in the world.