complex organizations

Navigating a complex organization is like sailing the sea - so vast, so deep, and one person could never plumb its depths completely or sail everywhere. But overtime, riding the waves, you can get a sense of how the currents work - the forces at play - and you can direct ships along it to serve people. Over time, you can create true utility out of complexity.

two kinds of trust

If you've ever had a dispute around trust, it may help to recognize there are at least two types.

1) Trust in a person's good intentions
2) Trust in a person's ability

You must trust in a person's good intentions before you can love them. This is the traditional notion of trust in relationships.

However, you do not have to trust in someone's ability to do something to love them.

For example, if a child desires to drive your car, you can distrust their ability to drive and just drive for them out of continued love for them (or fear for their safety).

Another example: If someone exclaims in outrage at you, "You're not trusting me!" you could be trusting in that they have good intentions, but not trusting in that what they are doing is best for the circumstances. So you could explain this distinction - that you do trust their good intentions, but simply are doubtful that their methodology is the best avenue available.

Recognizing these two kinds of trust can help resolve disputes around trust issues. Once again, this is all about creating the right vocabulary so people can communicate better.

pals

here are 4 broad dimensions
on which all life challenges and directions
can be molded in a move
to grow the self, improve

problem solving
acquiring rules efficiently
leadership
selflessness

revisiting

all along, the source of information was deluded. the source was not sound.

and revisiting, the writings here are as though by a stranger, when they were once me.

the lesson is learned; let the crate sink

jill and joe fought over opening the crate; they knew all the darkness inside, all the fear and terror, the troubles of the world, the pain

step in, create space, back away and think first; together we sat down and held hands around it and asked, Why open? What lesson is there to be learned?

in front of the crate, we already had the lesson there, on a thin slip of paper:

do not trust genius, narcissism, charm; great accomplishment can give rise to pride, the worst of the seven sins. pride can take a person down, and many others with that person.

so we have the lesson. it is there. there is no need to keep the crate now. let us drop it, let it sink to the bottom.

I command jill and joe to carry the crate to the edge of the ship, no strings attached. It drops into the ocean with a splash, white wash flying up, but then gone. briefly we see its dark brown exterior sink deeper, deeper... into blackness. it'll be at the bottom of the sea, along with probably thousands of other crates, many of which far larger. the sea is ridden with evil crates from the world, horror stories, but we take the slip of paper from it - the lessons - and let these crates fade away to nothingness.

this one is gone.

there may be small bubbles that come from bubble, little slips of paper that look tempting to grab. we should fish them gently, but not dive deeper into the realms below, because only drowning can be found there.

fish carefully; create space, lots of space, at any site of faint bubbles arising; do not rush, do not be overeager; be patient, gentle; this is something jill should not jump in for; just gently notice the bubbles coming up, let them sit at the surface for a while; only later on, will a slip of paper bubble up to join, and that small thing should be snagged gently, barely scraping the surface of the water

may we return to guiding our ship, navigating these waters, finding peaceful views of glaciers, green forests, beautiful land, beautiful sky