The Sense That 'This Is All There Is'

Two summers ago, I ventured to upstate New York for the first ever session of Emerging Leader Labs. The six participants who came were an outlandish crew, coming from across the U.S. to Canada to Mexico. The kind crazy enough to drop everything on no more than two weeks notice I think, for a highly mysterious six-week session that seemed to hold promise for that tireless cliche, changing the world. Some of those people I met that summer I'm still working with today, and one recently got back in touch. I found what he had to say highly striking.

From day 1, Kyle and I shared some common ground that was quite unique: the participation in a vast online network of people interested in systemic transformation, that felt particularly at that time like it held immense promise. Kyle and I were definitely some of the youngest in the group, and we looked up to most everyone there as thought leaders and mentors, part of which was what attracted he and I both to ELL in the first place. It felt to both of us like a real world project that emerged out of the digital one, and we were excited to put faces to names of numerous people whose ideas and work we were enthused about. So I felt with Kyle that we understood each other, which was very exciting, as we were both quite used to feeling misunderstood by our peers.

Kyle leading the way up to the hill top at the onset of the 2012 ELL Seed Project

In Kyle's case, he was even perhaps used to feeling misunderstood by most people, as he constantly battled to communicate his ideas so that they connected with clarity for others. He has been struggling since I first met him with such things as hospitalization and medication, throwing constant wrenches into the gears that are so persistently tuned towards creating positive change. Kyle agreed that I could share some of our recent conversation here.

"I also am dealing with the fact that many of the people I used to network with, are now completely unresponsive to me. I do not hold it against them or blame them. My behavior was high maintenance and unpredictable. Nonetheless, I have learned so much from these turbulent experiences... I need to rebuild my network and I need someone who can vouch for me..."

Well I will vouch for you Kyle, because the situation you're in just won't do.

"It is like being aware of all the value and change I will be able to create, but not having the means to do so... I need to be in an action-learning/intensive/supportive environment."

I asked Kyle to further clarify what sort of people he's hoping to connect with, and what kind of place he'd like to be. He mentioned that something along the lines of Emerging Leader Labs, or Black Mountain SOLE, or the 'learning journeys' with the Mycelium School would be a good fit, but neither of us are sure when the next sessions of any of those three might be. So more generally... 

"I would like to make some kind of arrangement where I can go somewhere and help build new programs exactly for people with needs/contexts as mine. New 21st century institutions/communities/organizations who use different models for value creation (and accreditation.) People working on new education models and paradigms. Also people into intentional/resilient communities and working/living spaces."

This I find incredibly inspiring. I got excited when I read that because I really feel like these are the kinds of things we collectively need to be experimenting with more all the time. And it *is* happening, but we need to connect the people who want to be part of it, into the places that are a good fit for them. I'm putting this out in the hopes that through my network, and my networks networks, we can start connecting up the right people. On a practical note, Kyle lives in the U.S., thus making opportunities located there the easiest to pursue. Please leave comments with your thoughts. 

"I need to get rid of the feeling and sense that 'this is all there is'"

"I need a sense of 'this is what I/we (the collective) can make possible'"