A while ago, I completed my fellowship with Sumedhas. A journey of 5 years of a deep personal enquiry into oneself and the human context: Who am I? Where am I? Where am I going? culminated in becoming a facilitator in a process work group.
We celebrated ‘Crossing the Threshold’ —of knowing and feeling into the arrival of my ‘home’ a space of freedom and creative power. It was a beautiful Sumedhian ritual where we were welcomed by senior role holders of Sumedhas. I was reminded of the words from Blessing the Threshold by Jan Robin Richardson:
And now that
you are here
this blessing
can hardly believe
its good fortune
that you have finally arrived, that it can drop everything at last
to fling its arms wide to you, crying welcome
welcome
welcome.
I found a very apt metaphor used by German philosopher Nietzsche – who had a profound belief in the possibilities of human beings— to describe growth in four stages (which I could say is my story): sheep, camel, lion, and finally child.
The first stage is that of sheep: the concern of being part of the herd, governed by the anxiety of being ‘liked’, of fitting in. A quiet and comfortable life, no surprises, a reliance on the shepherd (authority) to show what is good for us… But there is a restlessness: There is something more to life?
As seekers, we push to the next stage— the camel: to discover we are carrying the burden of what others have told us. These “burdens” are other’s world-views imposed on us. Instead of the difficult questioning of our own meaning and existence, we swallow beliefs about: religion, prejudices, gender norms, even the meaning of success, my self-worth. Even while we go about performing duties and responsibilities, we realize our happiness lies in finding approval from others. There is a suffocation from which we want release.
This yearning leads us to the possibility and search of the lion within. Nietzsche writes in this phase we fight the dragon called ‘should and musts’ we have swallowed; “you must be a doctor”, “you must worship this deity”, “you must work hard but be invisible” and more, telling us how to live and who to be. Becoming alive to these starts a fine attunement to the self— We start listening to the inner voice and feelings, and trusting the impulse to take action— rather than a blind belief I what we have been told. We find a relationship with the larger picture – of being part of something bigger than myself. And because the guidance comes from within, there is a power to that clarity and call to action.
Having acquired active control of its life, the lion then overcomes its attachment to self, metamorphosing into a child, who symbolizes spontaneity, creativity, and playfulness. This is how the human spirit matures. “The child is innocence and forgetfulness, a new beginning, a game, a self-propelling wheel, a first motion, a sacred Yes.” We find our own values, to take the risks to know what we want from life and create it.
(sketch from http://endocentric.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-camel-lion-and-child.html)
This allegorical imagery resonated with me…and while I cannot say that I have reached the stage of the lion and the child, I know of its existence and have tasted it sometimes, and it’s a good feeling. And I owe a good part of it to the journey I undertook with Sumedhas. (click to know more)
It also makes me think:
In organizations, what is the culture that we as leaders are creating?
While we talk of wanting people down the line to take ownership and be accountable, are we really comfortable in growing lions— who exercise self-authorization, confront organizational problems, both within groups and among groups, in contrast to “sweeping problems under the rug”and take initiative in their hands, who take risks and are answerable to the big picture even while finding collaborative solutions to problems.
Or do we prefer camels, who are diligent, obedient and hard workers?
Or better still, sheep who do exactly as told.
In our country in the current conflict, are we capable of seeing through the dogma of the differences between the two religions that is being fed to us for political gain which we are accepting as camels. And find our higher truth based on love of humanity as Lions. Are we capable of differentiating between leadership that is inspiring and uniting instead of pushing and dividing? A leadership that focuses on love and care, concern and compassion, healing and forgiveness, dignity and empathy, service and development of self and others.
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Get in touch with us if you want to create Lions in your organization, who give a mighty battle roar, “I will!” and take initiative in their hands. We are Organization Development change agents who enable growth through coaching and transformative workshops in Emotional Intelligence.