tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-128418392024-03-07T08:17:14.599+00:00Systems Thinking LensesMy thoughts of seeing the world through systems thinking.
The opinions contained in the posts are my responsibility. Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-43158162817037582032023-12-17T17:44:00.009+00:002023-12-17T17:47:54.720+00:00What a year this 2023 has been!<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Finally, some time to write this blog about 2023.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It has been a great year, full of ups and downs. On the up, it is great to have seen my <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Ritual-and-Systems-Thinking-Managing-an-Initial-Encounter/Crdoba-Pachn/p/book/9781032537610" target="_blank">latest book</a> been published. My encounters with ritual and systems thinking, yielding valuable insights that I hope will inspire others.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYaGIYMkS2hszE0p_TKn_5KpsaAN3x5h23bSQxZkNIiTHGyoIXmhkzhs-bptA9SVB1uaUG8gLhgCOEUeUaJgHb9Xc6MTtXMqhtKM_9N_GZvFn1H9SQkiX8mABf1w5s1w8hKJzGPGcRju8BgPffDY8a-sioPhWZvgorAew3xmo-xPYzxhRnxncqQ/s425/Ritual%20and%20systems%20thinking%20image%20December%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="281" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYaGIYMkS2hszE0p_TKn_5KpsaAN3x5h23bSQxZkNIiTHGyoIXmhkzhs-bptA9SVB1uaUG8gLhgCOEUeUaJgHb9Xc6MTtXMqhtKM_9N_GZvFn1H9SQkiX8mABf1w5s1w8hKJzGPGcRju8BgPffDY8a-sioPhWZvgorAew3xmo-xPYzxhRnxncqQ/s320/Ritual%20and%20systems%20thinking%20image%20December%202023.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I found a great creative writing group, in which I have felt at home. At times though it has been my own fear of not fitting in that has stopped me from being fully present there. But overall, this group has helped me value my feelings and ways of expressing them. Together with my other well being groups, I have become more accepting of who I am, something that seems to becoming difficult (or easy?) as years go by. I have been giving myself permission to be more artistry and poetic. Coming from an engineering background, and also an anxious background, it is a daily permission I need to give to myself. No need to replay tapes about the past too much, specially my old anxious reactions. There is always choice. Difficult to believe, more difficult to put in practice! I will try not to control the outcome of what I say or do. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The children are growing up. Accepting that they are becoming independent, and unique persons on their own has also been a challenge. They keep surprising me. Sometimes I wonder if or how I am one of the people who see them grow, guiding them whenever possible. Life gives us unexpected turns and things. Perfectionist by heart, permission accepted not without fear. Creativity can come to the rescue of souls like mine. It won't do the homework for me of having to accept things as they are, but could help me make the best of such things. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Our world is in wars. They look unjust, unfair, as if ruled by pernicious Gods. We are not in ancient Greek times anymore. We are supposed to be rational and just, after all these years since. But we still act as if we want myths to be re-lived. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But hey, we are also more creative, and our creativity is also fuelled by artificial intelligence (AI). Possibly the most searched and discussed topic nowadays. Again, whether we make reasonable or good use of it is up to us. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My book on ritual and systems thinking (again it is me still excited about it!) has helped me to understand a bit more how we need ritual, its features of opaqueness and redundancy, its uncertainty of outcome, how we can use ritual to better feel at home in the face of uncertainties, and how we do not need to rationalise them too much (even if there are now claims about the well-being benefits of ritual). We are part of societies that perpetuate certain rituals. And we are not to take ourselves too seriously. Not even in the face of this or other pandemics. We can be resilient, we just need to unload unnecessary fears I think. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The year 2024 comes in a few days. A friend has just told me how uncertain it looks. Yes it does. I can only wish for one thing: Let us try to just be here and now. Hope is still there, it has been. Maybe this is what our end of year with a very important birth is about. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-83665153759869018072022-09-18T12:48:00.004+01:002022-09-18T12:48:53.663+01:00Catching up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRw9qvxKqhjAnyGDZXpzTcF6-ohzksi0oqabwCc70Nv0JeJ03FC8gwshCnzBnFuPDP6_Rq98Pf-QuAPTSViazSxRMQRlFG6HQ4natjv7In56clJ6mFhwKEox1N_DAlgOi8hZFsVTGroMk0CO_mzHn53kamJX03Y7HHLGIPyNsgLRtak61ijY/s4624/20220820_172547.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnRw9qvxKqhjAnyGDZXpzTcF6-ohzksi0oqabwCc70Nv0JeJ03FC8gwshCnzBnFuPDP6_Rq98Pf-QuAPTSViazSxRMQRlFG6HQ4natjv7In56clJ6mFhwKEox1N_DAlgOi8hZFsVTGroMk0CO_mzHn53kamJX03Y7HHLGIPyNsgLRtak61ijY/s320/20220820_172547.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">I am trying to catch up with life after attending a conference. Am not succeeding much and found myself disoriented. Trying to establish new routines and discarding old ones, like changing seasonal clothing. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Some new routines and resolutions seem to help, at least for the time being. For instance, deciding on being with my son for his new sporting adventures. Let us see if I succeed in protecting my time to do so, and if my energy levels help. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There are systemic factors influencing us all, I think, how we live each day, and somehow inviting us to keep up the pace. I call them systemic because they influence work, family and other stuff in my life. Just to name a few: </p><p><br /></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>National mourning </li><li>The media and the news raising concerns about energy crises and cost of living. </li><li>The new academic term coming soon. </li><li>Emails that normally would not be received another time. </li></ul><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2x0cKmlzmk--_fgLh_fLTAkiVPIRQVFaT9UyvyctyShcNXfXpDzB3o9Tf0LyHT37Tje8crYykygLNdJ-_ukydMvp-S-A3e0UOMysMLFjnwOWHy4FODH-iFDyUDdJoEbzqRvbZvP2opfA5DMA_VKxDla2zQVjCbplsJANIJEA7K2xNhgmKUc/s4624/20220916_172452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2x0cKmlzmk--_fgLh_fLTAkiVPIRQVFaT9UyvyctyShcNXfXpDzB3o9Tf0LyHT37Tje8crYykygLNdJ-_ukydMvp-S-A3e0UOMysMLFjnwOWHy4FODH-iFDyUDdJoEbzqRvbZvP2opfA5DMA_VKxDla2zQVjCbplsJANIJEA7K2xNhgmKUc/s320/20220916_172452.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the midst of preparations for the new academic term, I feel anxious. As in a dream where a race or an event has started and am still trying to find my bearings and not succeeding in being there. I try to join others, only to get lost. Buildings, elevators, roads, I travel. Familiar places look confusing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuHQptCkScwsyXT-0GdC74WEPwdTm-0bwOWEPVElEsOzhCA-2LdKPRnWLJ5ByVssnS2MDb3CDS7YiWWsscA3C4B5q0Sec0eLWCAAhHge3zvpymUOY9SQU4awcwdxfQH47JzyUbiRZ-eQq5cZO7m13YPTH811Vrs4-V2E9aQPsOiuSE38gAu8/s4624/20220914_135555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuHQptCkScwsyXT-0GdC74WEPwdTm-0bwOWEPVElEsOzhCA-2LdKPRnWLJ5ByVssnS2MDb3CDS7YiWWsscA3C4B5q0Sec0eLWCAAhHge3zvpymUOY9SQU4awcwdxfQH47JzyUbiRZ-eQq5cZO7m13YPTH811Vrs4-V2E9aQPsOiuSE38gAu8/s320/20220914_135555.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Not all is lost I think. In the dreams I accept that I have my own pace and style to catch up. I somehow find it satisfying to slow down. Like in a bike race many years ago when I decided that I was not going to win it, but was going to complete it. And so I did. Arrived within the time limit. It felt rewarding, it felt complete. And it was not a dream. </div><div><br /></div><div>So much for catching up. I think I will let life catch up with me instead of the other way round. Like the bike race, will try to pace myself...</div><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-43403655396710546752022-08-20T10:41:00.001+01:002022-08-20T10:41:13.846+01:00Routines and Smells<p style="text-align: justify;">I am now sitting outside in the back garden. A fresh current of air is passing by. Windows and doors are open. Felt the need to have fresh air at home.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Routines for this summer. Waking up, getting ready, enjoying breakfast whilst listening to whatever the others are listening to. And later on, going out to get something to cook. Looking at people, looking at myself. How we all get in an out of places, as if we had a clear plan for the day and with little time to spare. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWke8wu-iNORAgzAPZP7UTltFL3kDW_6-qIOOIbTrMH3I9wCoBCY7vUHW3BIp7vOWMfBJpxDeTAe0BgVk8lApaEXimP3ay5bDlkIN_nhLPBxCzi-YimqFRnVpre5CriQAbxjVuaUSk71cftSoCz8WXY7P7l6V6D8B0aWF1vJrTfZhKuCG6JrM/s4624/20220730_150347.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWke8wu-iNORAgzAPZP7UTltFL3kDW_6-qIOOIbTrMH3I9wCoBCY7vUHW3BIp7vOWMfBJpxDeTAe0BgVk8lApaEXimP3ay5bDlkIN_nhLPBxCzi-YimqFRnVpre5CriQAbxjVuaUSk71cftSoCz8WXY7P7l6V6D8B0aWF1vJrTfZhKuCG6JrM/s320/20220730_150347.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">More routines. Writing and meeting, checking work. Taking twins to parks or sports centres. Answering emails and ensuring bills are paid. Fighting with the delivery people. Trying not to be too absorbed by what I read. Catching up on TV series or movies that were there. Reading a couple of books now and then. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6OFSMpVGvqeTG5DgmRO3hMsxruvWby7l8gM-NLYZmna3fiHJmaqHZDCU5noLOsS-tFGTNDDxiA7xua0F2jbcgdzsRvtolLjWG-6qmNhUuvDdlbmhxiSo1hNsaqZ8M94n8jFUS2ih-I-IUKPVa2NP0dwHwwhf16utokCCHxge7fKN4Ok_hB8/s4624/20220730_150133.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6OFSMpVGvqeTG5DgmRO3hMsxruvWby7l8gM-NLYZmna3fiHJmaqHZDCU5noLOsS-tFGTNDDxiA7xua0F2jbcgdzsRvtolLjWG-6qmNhUuvDdlbmhxiSo1hNsaqZ8M94n8jFUS2ih-I-IUKPVa2NP0dwHwwhf16utokCCHxge7fKN4Ok_hB8/s320/20220730_150133.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Smells of quietness and change. Now thinking that this rest of year things will be different. Not wanting to have much of things outside my control. Accepting perhaps that this is an illusion. Dry air, humid air. Quietness. Noise I do not normally take the time to listen to. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ngzlJMRrhYnV_ObOg3YF1RNNOVCmJvz66nvM1LzfBgBLgJlCeLbvniVFfgTcyNLI_lh074pbQIy-R-0T9ESKJNvYlaZEq2dFDC974s78NxfD-1e-fXLoZ0AVnnIzJyAlRcgHPT6vUMCvvCT7Je3neJTdoZrO8q9Q7GLRubsS-lU-L8HxPvg/s4624/20220730_143950.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ngzlJMRrhYnV_ObOg3YF1RNNOVCmJvz66nvM1LzfBgBLgJlCeLbvniVFfgTcyNLI_lh074pbQIy-R-0T9ESKJNvYlaZEq2dFDC974s78NxfD-1e-fXLoZ0AVnnIzJyAlRcgHPT6vUMCvvCT7Je3neJTdoZrO8q9Q7GLRubsS-lU-L8HxPvg/s320/20220730_143950.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">This summer I have tried to let go of worries and deadlines whenever possible. I have partially succeeded. Different routines and different smells, that seems to have helped. </p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-32839255092415563832022-08-12T20:03:00.003+01:002022-08-12T20:03:32.306+01:00Rhythms of life<p style="text-align: justify;"> What if after all these years, thinking that we know it all, we come to the realisation that we don't? </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">World of wars and droughts now, presenting it as it probably always was. Or has been. Only that we did not want to see it...</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddKA2uzUaHK85ajBDjAiuwxWhbEGT8DVsXpZmevEYZrOInVk58uy6NOAO8q01qswRzElUC5WjvxDzMgeQHcR-R9R_FSbbHONuhoiT3TUx0PDgx5FhaxoCP51tDew6ZRkqQcI2K4WVPuXNnnAWimsEubkiWBUb6mwSm2qdhpeCInbumtqEZdo/s4624/20220806_131653.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddKA2uzUaHK85ajBDjAiuwxWhbEGT8DVsXpZmevEYZrOInVk58uy6NOAO8q01qswRzElUC5WjvxDzMgeQHcR-R9R_FSbbHONuhoiT3TUx0PDgx5FhaxoCP51tDew6ZRkqQcI2K4WVPuXNnnAWimsEubkiWBUb6mwSm2qdhpeCInbumtqEZdo/s320/20220806_131653.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">World of cycles, multitudes and gatherings, isolation and fear. Coming to a foreign country and living for decades. Summer makes me happier. And thoughtful. So I write. And remember, to then forget. The sun shines, the rubbish is there...</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCOlX8SxovGzVg2iPlyhkhuhf93z6Su_uDrVYu5uqILsf9g3TTGm3d80D99rVAHAHsPjzKjsc1o6Y_7nmVE2dfkvgHWdVnRqEXyCC05NprlR34bCRvhe00Cyl6KyIxGtadhJIHmU0_bbobj4zl7aC98rPWlHF4RGTb3YYb0278TvaCd43sgo/s4624/20220806_115515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCOlX8SxovGzVg2iPlyhkhuhf93z6Su_uDrVYu5uqILsf9g3TTGm3d80D99rVAHAHsPjzKjsc1o6Y_7nmVE2dfkvgHWdVnRqEXyCC05NprlR34bCRvhe00Cyl6KyIxGtadhJIHmU0_bbobj4zl7aC98rPWlHF4RGTb3YYb0278TvaCd43sgo/s320/20220806_115515.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There is a rhythm that I can now hear. Less of a timetable and more of an exploration. Days go by and we bathe in the sun, we go places. We buy food and slide downwards in the leisure centre. We walk and think less of work and more of whatever else. You and I read. And you keep reading. The rhythm of long nights and less clothes. Of hope and rediscover. Of pictures and nice meals. Slow rhythms. Rejuvenating. Friends are away, families too. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And there is one I do not want to hear, or maybe I cannot hear enough. That of performance and production. The one that is difficult not to listen to, because there is always something to do. As if I needed to prove myself time and time again. Fifty or so years and still I dance to this rhythm's tune and cadence. One more thing here, another there. Not enough. Not good enough. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfc1joy0Jmj_mgJ3y8e7uO7s7rSBcNhqnlt-CzkYoyKkZk4GPnVYwCYI8wvyQUVdBdoDP9DvZCj6nwqT32bcHw6uowcP0oaUPorS-5C5aRLfmtuOm6jPZG61CYXcsXctLsNhmEt7R2tyMzrfO_CKO6G4KcwcuRlQet5lMtiwJNZ5229cyy7b8/s4624/20220801_160204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfc1joy0Jmj_mgJ3y8e7uO7s7rSBcNhqnlt-CzkYoyKkZk4GPnVYwCYI8wvyQUVdBdoDP9DvZCj6nwqT32bcHw6uowcP0oaUPorS-5C5aRLfmtuOm6jPZG61CYXcsXctLsNhmEt7R2tyMzrfO_CKO6G4KcwcuRlQet5lMtiwJNZ5229cyy7b8/s320/20220801_160204.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Country of constant production. The drumbeats start early. They go unnoticed until an email arrives. Questions and more questions. That dreaded meeting. Commitments and action plans. Delays. Commitments fulfilled and others not so much. The brain remembers. A coffee is needed to spark me into action. Like a train whose sounds one can still remember even after the train passes. Dig, dig, dig.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And subtly the writing comes back. Taking the hand off the keyboard and letting it move freely. No need to know exactly where it is going. Anxious deliberation: What should I write about today? Do I need to? Sparks of life come all at the same time. A rhythm without rhythm. A routine that just emerged. A story to be told, one root and several branches. My rhythm, no need to follow others'. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRGn5zZM6k6cTdpy5iHLGke380c6MtOun3HSTYoxL9dUVVupchMjqFk_LCQwiW1oF30QEl31aUmVAHymA2muTRWOPLL1apbmULwbe8NfiFtOcrd8hRhbpxGVJ6sGiWMARTTjvd9sEd5HQiNAPevic21VhTaf3XYpeqVnNiMp0vWXzn8pztyU/s4624/20220730_143937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRGn5zZM6k6cTdpy5iHLGke380c6MtOun3HSTYoxL9dUVVupchMjqFk_LCQwiW1oF30QEl31aUmVAHymA2muTRWOPLL1apbmULwbe8NfiFtOcrd8hRhbpxGVJ6sGiWMARTTjvd9sEd5HQiNAPevic21VhTaf3XYpeqVnNiMp0vWXzn8pztyU/s320/20220730_143937.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-56947461813264653822022-07-30T11:45:00.004+01:002022-07-30T11:46:30.109+01:00Food and the circular economy<p style="text-align: justify;">Just finished teaching a two week course for students in China. It was a great experience, bit intense for all of us, but rewarding at the same time. Thank you to the university that gave me the opportunity and the students who enrolled. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3UYsMhinvcl0C2oXdT3YSvQqIkfFcBGUKj0CeEmfh_z_5t9jYJuxdwx2IOU2im5EfW6hZctqqb4FlTodVsR9QpBLgRr8K7fQGcnXgkhCIgjuh0TCEBWmVfLBjTrffX2IKfdpR7svKBb1twSXrBLme8pua4aCrgL3pHDK0jaGQ7IKabjmJZ8/s4624/20220721_101326.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja3UYsMhinvcl0C2oXdT3YSvQqIkfFcBGUKj0CeEmfh_z_5t9jYJuxdwx2IOU2im5EfW6hZctqqb4FlTodVsR9QpBLgRr8K7fQGcnXgkhCIgjuh0TCEBWmVfLBjTrffX2IKfdpR7svKBb1twSXrBLme8pua4aCrgL3pHDK0jaGQ7IKabjmJZ8/s320/20220721_101326.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the course, I included some papers about the circular economy in relation to food. What seems to be going on is a rethink of what food is in supply chains. Food could be considered a secondary resource. And this means that it could go back to earlier processes of production and supply. Elements of food that cannot go back could then be decomposed. Food could then be catalogued as edible or non edible, the former also considered as surplus as the following diagram aims to show:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136033" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="500" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLVQbXEQQEL653Getu-UipP62r_fpY1oEEaflPlcE2rDI4JAPdxiLdzcPl5CvxovmHNmt9TgTbtwsataSedDXtFP9bdHs74kpXuMbIRPHCrRLoDugAx5lSOJkUIojyR8dpXJtg_IBZ_qP8_y3Ifb-FDAEtJStf2x3eFVpJdhwB3T323hC8DjI=w449-h164" width="449" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Source: Teigiserova et al, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136033 </p><p style="text-align: justify;">In this context, there is is scope to apply our creativity in making sure that food is not wasted and its overproduction prevented. There are experiences around the world that show this. For instance, my friend <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/grupo-laera">Carmen</a>, a very experienced consultant in ecosystems told me recently about regenerative agriculture, a new 'technology' that aims to protect the soil from damaging practices and renew it more adequately than with intensive agriculture. The downside of this could be that feeding larger populations is not yet possible with this type of agriculture. And there are important costs involved. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2W7sqHSaNyXOUwFs0zRTGJIyPCaNYOqFTa8eoRCznhsEWs37SLGrYuCKHpsZTyfWMwLVfHbERR1nr_1o88F0MOgRhZwGb7TpeqjS9VSVpKK4Sp9qMHQZTEg_PA6XExVKc1NJE7JUCk05MwSxxeqhNwoCkBs-UdOYliTUWznl3iS_y_HnkakM/s4624/20220728_172930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2W7sqHSaNyXOUwFs0zRTGJIyPCaNYOqFTa8eoRCznhsEWs37SLGrYuCKHpsZTyfWMwLVfHbERR1nr_1o88F0MOgRhZwGb7TpeqjS9VSVpKK4Sp9qMHQZTEg_PA6XExVKc1NJE7JUCk05MwSxxeqhNwoCkBs-UdOYliTUWznl3iS_y_HnkakM/s320/20220728_172930.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In terms of the circular economy, food could also be reused with the help of technologies like anaerobic digestion or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjYpibR9CVk">AD</a>. With colleagues from other UK universities and <a href="https://www.madleap.co.uk/">Leap-AD</a>, we are currently looking at the feasibility of implementing this technology in university campuses. As mentioned in a previous post, there is the issue of how decision makers see feasibility in terms of long-term costs and benefits. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">In addition, universities are also subject to league tables like the <a href="https://peopleandplanet.org/university-league" target="_blank">People and Planet.</a> One possible way forward is to collect and show data about our efforts to create awareness in our student populations, using behavioural theories like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudge_theory">nudge</a>. Another is to use other, intelligent technologies (i.e. sensors) to detect changes in food waste and help decision makers react more instantly to them. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My course also included the use of systems techniques like the rich picture and creativity ones to foster divergent and convergent thinking. We also looked at six sigma and lean to improve processes. A quick review of lean in the hospitality, restaurants and catering sector showed that there are important developments to help reduce waste in terms of time and food production. What is less clear is how this sector is moving or could move towards <i>preventing</i> food waste. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps this means that there are big challenges to do so. And in addressing them, one thing that could really help is to consider circular economies as <b>systems, where different elements interact to generate diverse purposes, some of which need to be further studied if not nurtured</b>. Not only<b> </b>economic or regenerative purposes, but those related to improving the quality of life of everyone if possible. There is scope to enrich circular economy food programmes with this idea. And use techniques or methods that could help us align if not revisit purposes. </p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-59651222618789598262022-07-16T12:06:00.005+01:002022-08-12T20:15:21.498+01:00Impact and data - not really a short cut when it comes to (food) waste<p style="text-align: justify;">The last couple of weeks have been somehow surreal. I got in touch again with a good friend and also with a former student of mine.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGi6M5fvWCzJprQdrgzw99jV5wPpoUFE2-h2tOmjnp8wf7XvZG37bblhDTBYbejMIaHclxGFhVOioJOddZJHORNzLQVISYHPJYArJYxF-3puM0ZrFme3Kv8m8_A9_cjhJoXCh_nJyGXiwXL7QcOZ3pVyNIcg_UDxpPr-v6YJDHnHGoq1HrcPc/s4624/20220721_101851.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGi6M5fvWCzJprQdrgzw99jV5wPpoUFE2-h2tOmjnp8wf7XvZG37bblhDTBYbejMIaHclxGFhVOioJOddZJHORNzLQVISYHPJYArJYxF-3puM0ZrFme3Kv8m8_A9_cjhJoXCh_nJyGXiwXL7QcOZ3pVyNIcg_UDxpPr-v6YJDHnHGoq1HrcPc/s320/20220721_101851.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">In both cases there are possibilities for collaboration and further research if not more practical projects. We have met (online, over the phone) and talked things through. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I call the experiences surreal because they came out of the blue. I was not expecting them. It was refreshing to talk to two people I knew and know they are doing very well in their own field. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvu8YfwymdjNYn9K1Jd6rB0qdGspW5yUDO5SbctNakYnsqU_b1EjeXIEEyZREPzjSHAWaOT8TJEemxeesr6wUqOk3v3SiV0L_Uj-nEQZqa5V1exGNjQ66j-ErYgp--hX6siFTuTu1UD4pNUUAdj8ZC3DwfAe-2vO58xpBGIaLpmCRKZSjITWo/s4624/20220730_160140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvu8YfwymdjNYn9K1Jd6rB0qdGspW5yUDO5SbctNakYnsqU_b1EjeXIEEyZREPzjSHAWaOT8TJEemxeesr6wUqOk3v3SiV0L_Uj-nEQZqa5V1exGNjQ66j-ErYgp--hX6siFTuTu1UD4pNUUAdj8ZC3DwfAe-2vO58xpBGIaLpmCRKZSjITWo/s320/20220730_160140.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And my motivation to talk to them is also driven by my work environment. Universities now are to generate more impact. This means whatever we do has to change the life of organisations, communities or other groups in society. We are to finally put our knowledge to the service of others. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The UK government has evaluated us in this regard, and there are talks that this is going to continue and increase. We are to show more impact. More engagement. Perhaps more commitment with those who could benefit from our research or other activities. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Myself, I consider I do practical things with companies (mostly in the social entrepreneurship or innovation domain) and with my students. During these weeks I have also met my group of academics and practitioners with we have been working for about a year. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We meet to discuss how a project is going. We would like to better understand <i>how it is</i> that people behave towards food waste and recycling. We would like to <i>collect more data</i> to better understand such behaviour. And it looks as if we need to spend more time than initially expected doing that. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIbbxhxQ54KUWMlUW3zthtJ_SFIsOGk00sSSiUkjyjjNTlrNl-p3mrycABZ-U9qNPG8kKTZrUy6_iaAKjzws3bWzD6mflHa5bK2WAjkOgNjKt1uY2-dinh0rjzDDg5WeOfmnU9KN3QQOEmawAeABLcK_m2vyGT6fTeYf3zQHxgwHfytfo1Ks/s4624/20220721_100733.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIbbxhxQ54KUWMlUW3zthtJ_SFIsOGk00sSSiUkjyjjNTlrNl-p3mrycABZ-U9qNPG8kKTZrUy6_iaAKjzws3bWzD6mflHa5bK2WAjkOgNjKt1uY2-dinh0rjzDDg5WeOfmnU9KN3QQOEmawAeABLcK_m2vyGT6fTeYf3zQHxgwHfytfo1Ks/s320/20220721_100733.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There seems to be no short cut for this. We need to talk and listen to managers and consumers (students). We also need to assess how it is that organisations like universities are sending recycling messages to their audiences. Do we need to adopt a firm, punishing attitude to those who do not recycle or waste food? </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>Perhaps not.</i> We have this summer to find out what has been going on in this area, what people have done to motivate consumers and others to pay more attention to the (food) waste in campuses, and if possible, design better messages or campaigns which, supported by appropriate data, could give us a better chance to prevent if not reduce waste. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Wish us good luck in this effort!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-31123875687409201822022-07-10T12:58:00.002+01:002022-07-10T12:58:28.368+01:00The Disappearance of Rituals<p> The philosopher Byung-Chun Han provides a telling narrative about rituals in his book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Disappearance-Rituals-Topology-Present/dp/1509542760/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Q2P59KBAQ6C5&keywords=the+disappearance+of+rituals&qid=1656849063&s=books&sprefix=the+disappearance+of+rituals%2Cstripbooks%2C677&sr=1-1">The Disappearance of Rituals.</a></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It is a well written and short account to help us understand when and how rituals have been present in our society. Han argues that they are disappearing, as we have all been swamped by neo-liberalism and its relentless drive for individuality. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7j67pDXe8YzXJ9Dqc2Q2kMpVJjPl69_KTtSXmvWVvMOVoaVE4DH-dfcBcYNftRqMI1A0LM-iN3s09t7xLkMHZmTWyZ9-kcOTTqsr6wr_6nHReomUkagwm_G5SqX1OXyegUVbXRPlljGEIPxefmmlf6a74Z6g0UdaBHwf3vAxG1rODg52-1w/s4624/20220630_104102.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7j67pDXe8YzXJ9Dqc2Q2kMpVJjPl69_KTtSXmvWVvMOVoaVE4DH-dfcBcYNftRqMI1A0LM-iN3s09t7xLkMHZmTWyZ9-kcOTTqsr6wr_6nHReomUkagwm_G5SqX1OXyegUVbXRPlljGEIPxefmmlf6a74Z6g0UdaBHwf3vAxG1rODg52-1w/s320/20220630_104102.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Rituals are needed, according to Han, to maintain the <i>cohesiveness</i> of our communities, and protect us from our excessive attempts of 'being'. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) contribute to this excess. Their 'transparency' and the continuous having to show oneself as news (or as data as Han will argue later in the book) contribute to fragment communities, and also to the fragmentation of our senses of self. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-7DM5Zwu5cDNwxRTnTWecnCyNw7p7yAe41HRVTlculU-2FTCHhVDQ1UvTWOoksFdU4uOXS_UMIas-wXrGVwEdGBKFK5DOujhtnnjC2XWzvOkx8zAO2XExGbCbDK1gqyZ_9rDDoNZ-DZS53UEq-65ndohymXU2Fqz5GLnUohOUACde6kVRqw/s4624/20220629_083025.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-7DM5Zwu5cDNwxRTnTWecnCyNw7p7yAe41HRVTlculU-2FTCHhVDQ1UvTWOoksFdU4uOXS_UMIas-wXrGVwEdGBKFK5DOujhtnnjC2XWzvOkx8zAO2XExGbCbDK1gqyZ_9rDDoNZ-DZS53UEq-65ndohymXU2Fqz5GLnUohOUACde6kVRqw/s320/20220629_083025.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Rituals can provide us with a sense of permanence, place and wonder among other things. We can lose ourselves in rituals, submit our inner wills, abide by the forms and signs that rituals bring. The festival, the village, the silence, the duel, the tea ceremony, the kimono, politeness, these are examples that Han uses to show how we need them as a way to cope with the chaos and fragmentation of our societies. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7hMSW13s8zgQL6khkp8UiJ-G2QkB5Ldcs-94__HpeZs3wts-bGxRG0rxxMuKk793ppmlC8UzFGMhwVzikYghIVK-oZ8oqE1cBvZ9A0BsKykoLr0Up3TJMbgv0x_B1FBpHbf8NPH_tOMzeCdHdC1q7GRGQR3y-il-uITZB7v-zKug5se-Dhk/s4624/20220626_113756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7hMSW13s8zgQL6khkp8UiJ-G2QkB5Ldcs-94__HpeZs3wts-bGxRG0rxxMuKk793ppmlC8UzFGMhwVzikYghIVK-oZ8oqE1cBvZ9A0BsKykoLr0Up3TJMbgv0x_B1FBpHbf8NPH_tOMzeCdHdC1q7GRGQR3y-il-uITZB7v-zKug5se-Dhk/s320/20220626_113756.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Rituals, processes of symbolic embodiment, could help us recreate key features of our social life. What matters is not our individuality but that which we submit too: a narrative, a form, a way of relating to each other which is different from what we are now used to: transactions, short and intentional exchanges where we compete for our own image. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">With his historical analysis of rituals, Han (2020) is inviting us to rediscover them, to re-enchant our world with rituals, to spend time just observing in silence, or finding ways to elevate ourselves to the sacred, that which is timeless and which does not require us to continuously play to the gallery. How we are to do that requires imagination and caution. Imagination because we are to revive things we used to do, or do them in new ways, for example through the internet. And caution because we are to avoid simply creating rituals as events that can be recorded and disseminated. The excessive presence or absence of ritual, according to Han, can lead us to violence. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I found the book very engaging. I spent more time than initially planned, as Han writes short but very powerful sentences that required me to stop and digest what I was reading. I also found that he provides good examples of rituals. The narrative was clear, only that there was a big influence of Han's critique on modern society throughout the whole book. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As an engineer or problem solver, I wish Han could have been a bit more specific on how we can make ritual coexist with practices of self. Perhaps this is my own task now. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Reference:</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Han, B.C (2020). The Disappearance of Rituals. Cambridge (Mass): Polity Press. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p> </p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-42116972001173898912022-06-26T12:59:00.000+01:002022-06-26T12:59:08.780+01:00The power of the assembly<p style="text-align: justify;">Last year, and the year before last, I remember driving to test against COVID-19. A drive through motorways and alleyways. Booked appointments, showing codes, receiving testing kits, performing the test and giving it back. Waiting anxiously for the results, all of them negative at the time. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMgltl3C4GJ_nEVLbrEKnAPNkB9C2nmIeirWn9e9RWyXrz8pTmQQ_cIHoZTdrvPFDoZZlFhEq_CJP_LoF9Bs43Ig9z1Uh4odoMp23Ti21oiZLhPdGC_NfBCjjvzG8iSlIfi_Xua6CIPiaSnoOgaLfDG37UHfBxikv_8x8ZkQtTjFj4TLZeJU/s4624/20220615_212721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMgltl3C4GJ_nEVLbrEKnAPNkB9C2nmIeirWn9e9RWyXrz8pTmQQ_cIHoZTdrvPFDoZZlFhEq_CJP_LoF9Bs43Ig9z1Uh4odoMp23Ti21oiZLhPdGC_NfBCjjvzG8iSlIfi_Xua6CIPiaSnoOgaLfDG37UHfBxikv_8x8ZkQtTjFj4TLZeJU/s320/20220615_212721.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Admiring the sheer infrastructure created for testing. In no time, public venues, mostly car parks, were invaded with trucks and marquees. Volunteers swarmed. And here we were, circulating in queues, faces down, sometimes chatty, some other times silent. Vaccination for me went smoothly. First time, second time, booster time. This last one at a church, where the normal assembly was replaced.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aqLWddvfygRoKJZ9BPn47PcEA8rLbEj43us4HVKqRfEVWUxlUXvedjevf1EzBn1FUrB-EC4fkkfJ5xCZ2G0EyGiSO8Ll0ClBchqsMKJSa7Ey8Bj6PRKsRMTN80WJ8o9HFmPIfTkskvVkYeu8MXP2ixDEqbUq8Kmf33_9I7jXwR17Sopnyos/s4000/20220615_105651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aqLWddvfygRoKJZ9BPn47PcEA8rLbEj43us4HVKqRfEVWUxlUXvedjevf1EzBn1FUrB-EC4fkkfJ5xCZ2G0EyGiSO8Ll0ClBchqsMKJSa7Ey8Bj6PRKsRMTN80WJ8o9HFmPIfTkskvVkYeu8MXP2ixDEqbUq8Kmf33_9I7jXwR17Sopnyos/s320/20220615_105651.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The power of assembly. Our power as communities to come together in times of need. Or in times of festivity. A school fayre, a footie tournament, these last two I have just experienced. At some point in time, if there is any time to bear when the assembly calls us and we are there, things feel quiet. They feel solemn, they feel slow. We get there, we take part, we then leave. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2bw2pq-oNLqaX80jXLdXJCbGlfeWFgaExbv5qH3KvPdHbV2okxBGMAvGtUgradaT9kN04xVQqAfpGAySwD0r9pegPGusUei24fy3l8K33_37fT0lRT--jZ5oNWVOlUg_4ChydmPoZ3zGaWitSQxH28zKfNDgPv28PvUB2qFRwPhvYn0yBoQ/s4624/20220610_124909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2bw2pq-oNLqaX80jXLdXJCbGlfeWFgaExbv5qH3KvPdHbV2okxBGMAvGtUgradaT9kN04xVQqAfpGAySwD0r9pegPGusUei24fy3l8K33_37fT0lRT--jZ5oNWVOlUg_4ChydmPoZ3zGaWitSQxH28zKfNDgPv28PvUB2qFRwPhvYn0yBoQ/s320/20220610_124909.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps we need to cultivate this power bit more. Now that we are together again, it is time to remember what keeps us together, what binds us together. A couple of minutes or a couple of hours. Some sense of communion in between. A ritual enacted perhaps. Remembering, evoking, connecting. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4yMarHDChU7LNuWfxXIRXzIqtke5CM7OBcoEdxx-Gcen1CFa7hH7nnu8AVcoEVUYJ4tO4_fnq5Zq8gWvppfK-x6DuhmRHyAMu1tG7STBibqfiTlcHJjT89tntgU-r4VYjw6uIku58iy_AQuYqW0QdY2TYMsw68vIi5HTwTAEB6gV7kDkNcA/s4624/20220608_110555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4yMarHDChU7LNuWfxXIRXzIqtke5CM7OBcoEdxx-Gcen1CFa7hH7nnu8AVcoEVUYJ4tO4_fnq5Zq8gWvppfK-x6DuhmRHyAMu1tG7STBibqfiTlcHJjT89tntgU-r4VYjw6uIku58iy_AQuYqW0QdY2TYMsw68vIi5HTwTAEB6gV7kDkNcA/s320/20220608_110555.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-63435126955462280782022-06-18T10:40:00.001+01:002022-06-18T10:40:17.012+01:00Before I forget the last two years<p> My workplace is moving on as you may have gathered from previous posts. At a meeting this week I did not recognise half of the people attending. Most of them joined in the last two years. And if felt strange in many ways.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvijIvHNmSK59R9_xAQFsv_A115H6686Sn_Uo5p3ePbeO4gJLjTjx0FfCX_09pUnYPZZMMddOnN-vQc78V-SMYZzpEtqRvmTpDrSKkVWFzpfDYpVbxacn0TkJZKSMfZUEP_0c0wCNemzoTjtIgG_PG37k0cCpG8_CjgYhYIxXCq0Znvo-15Os/s4624/20220615_212517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvijIvHNmSK59R9_xAQFsv_A115H6686Sn_Uo5p3ePbeO4gJLjTjx0FfCX_09pUnYPZZMMddOnN-vQc78V-SMYZzpEtqRvmTpDrSKkVWFzpfDYpVbxacn0TkJZKSMfZUEP_0c0wCNemzoTjtIgG_PG37k0cCpG8_CjgYhYIxXCq0Znvo-15Os/s320/20220615_212517.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>As if I was now one of the oldest people who have been away for two years. Years of rushing to prepare online material in the midst of hot summer and with a view of a pool in the garden, tempting me to jump in and stay and forget about lock downs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Years of teaching with a mask, almost choking in my first session, not sure how far I could be from the audience and aiming to put a smile. Quantitative methods teaching with a mask, a challenge, also because it was the first time being in the big auditorium as a lecturer. And as time went by, I felt more confident. Letting colleagues carry on. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUH1A22OtaxycKwSQoUMIsIrW6SXa8RXqx5l52dLQftxfIDjgWJOHxRWDW4jdykTNNwNxZEog2mj40dg42K2Y9-ZI0EuQh44MZud8s3tVyszvTBNynjtzEE25U6emnC-VDANWmNM2fCTmm8160vt3nm4dao9iScW-gFsP_6IdMjEzeaIgI0g/s4624/20220615_153748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUH1A22OtaxycKwSQoUMIsIrW6SXa8RXqx5l52dLQftxfIDjgWJOHxRWDW4jdykTNNwNxZEog2mj40dg42K2Y9-ZI0EuQh44MZud8s3tVyszvTBNynjtzEE25U6emnC-VDANWmNM2fCTmm8160vt3nm4dao9iScW-gFsP_6IdMjEzeaIgI0g/s320/20220615_153748.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Years of being at home and delivering sessions where it felt I was on a radio program. Not seeing people's faces and assuming they were there. Struggling to get a response and when it came, feeling elated if not scared. People were there. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5c0qIfR02u3MeyPAQgfa73-V8V4uyaCoFFAvNNC2jPHjLmZzaWI74xNSvs_-MGrMpJ5UMLkWPnWSqgNxwzd5LmESCt-0TuRjkfE5_jRUusgSSjPC__150oWuLJyqn8pnuXDkss4Hmev4_gvXW697yNShfovkTou126QpK-CC2L9W5ybRBhY/s4624/20220615_154351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5c0qIfR02u3MeyPAQgfa73-V8V4uyaCoFFAvNNC2jPHjLmZzaWI74xNSvs_-MGrMpJ5UMLkWPnWSqgNxwzd5LmESCt-0TuRjkfE5_jRUusgSSjPC__150oWuLJyqn8pnuXDkss4Hmev4_gvXW697yNShfovkTou126QpK-CC2L9W5ybRBhY/s320/20220615_154351.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Years of juggling, children at home and with home work, one of the least pleasant experiences. How could we replicate their classroom, their teaching methods, whilst attending to other things? Perhaps I did not have what Mary Catherine Bateson calls <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peripheral-Visions-Learning-Along-Way/dp/0060168595/ref=sr_1_10?crid=YCQ8IGMD8V3O&keywords=catherine+bateson&qid=1655544447&sprefix=catherine+bates%2Caps%2C654&sr=8-10" target="_blank">peripheral vision</a>, this communicative capacity to jointly improvise and adapt to situations that has at its core the idea that we are fluid selves. Perhaps as a result I was not self-compassionate enough to lower standards, or if I did, I felt frustration. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCahRxb51XNWErIZGllpdNkNCUFjdllvuQykZD2ctgE0m1kfo9Z76GWD5DJ4-LmFlTsJF_FFBG5uQpW8pEolJdo3EfCwN6XLiKIrxJongxW4Rp5ZN-Jts4Uoeq8wambBQyZqGKEXRCsj-GDOlGzqWHqpwVv9lsQf4VVrR3jms39MobByPoMI/s4624/20220615_112800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCahRxb51XNWErIZGllpdNkNCUFjdllvuQykZD2ctgE0m1kfo9Z76GWD5DJ4-LmFlTsJF_FFBG5uQpW8pEolJdo3EfCwN6XLiKIrxJongxW4Rp5ZN-Jts4Uoeq8wambBQyZqGKEXRCsj-GDOlGzqWHqpwVv9lsQf4VVrR3jms39MobByPoMI/s320/20220615_112800.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Years of asking if I was or am in the right career. Reading Sir Ken Robinson's <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Finding-Your-Element-Discover-Transform/dp/0241952026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1CU15CFYYBQRJ&keywords=finding+your+element&qid=1655544724&sprefix=finding+your+%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1" target="_blank">finding your element</a> helped me realise I am good at connecting people with learning opportunities, and having as well as developing original ideas in my teaching as well as in my writing. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeswpjCpdnNqX9kmTi8g-cWJW7JqnmHk-OufIfX_7mdN9F7cR7jpAARwNUcxIyrqF-LFSfC9mgaGIDJovvF1xkGaOzeXSJlLVj3Qovg53tQa5yjSyPVc1GXrjls8K4k9RHiccAeafTFAX8MQ2km0m4H5bac99dS8A_jsbJkQeotgu8RGMrz4/s4624/20220615_152040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeswpjCpdnNqX9kmTi8g-cWJW7JqnmHk-OufIfX_7mdN9F7cR7jpAARwNUcxIyrqF-LFSfC9mgaGIDJovvF1xkGaOzeXSJlLVj3Qovg53tQa5yjSyPVc1GXrjls8K4k9RHiccAeafTFAX8MQ2km0m4H5bac99dS8A_jsbJkQeotgu8RGMrz4/s320/20220615_152040.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I can, but not fully enjoy writing journal articles, unless I can see how they reflect what I am: someone that likes to promote coexistence even if it often affects me negatively. Someone that enjoys being alone as well as in the company of just a few. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHe_dKsTqBo413hUIZdwdgLUN85IceHW8tzyomqHYnb-9l_nxgcD_x-re_4U7PNAXb1MCtc9xbtIQ7tAL4NaLcrSPGaiwkSjItKhfk7JALotXBNrq4Lv2iKh5KW2lLjTFLkBfpAvpDtSmGooYRbVOXE8DMTYhVA3-GLsJb3m9aO65-y_-Fxg/s4624/20220612_182342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHe_dKsTqBo413hUIZdwdgLUN85IceHW8tzyomqHYnb-9l_nxgcD_x-re_4U7PNAXb1MCtc9xbtIQ7tAL4NaLcrSPGaiwkSjItKhfk7JALotXBNrq4Lv2iKh5KW2lLjTFLkBfpAvpDtSmGooYRbVOXE8DMTYhVA3-GLsJb3m9aO65-y_-Fxg/s320/20220612_182342.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>And someone that still fears disappointing others. But I am better at managing this. The last two years taught me that I can be absent and the world is not going to crumble. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayqaSwk8NN9FvytJLBLfP0WFvjyEWE36aHTyjhOnDKoWA8dIB_MM0DDcHjxD3d4uxzClH4KnHKlmrZClRufstYlFC5pNfU4ZsNbaErAfGT76zeHpDjH695SLAHr_I5RP2-B2vtX-FevMYx5v6-uvYrlkxM3DB1nd_tiaqhEkL-01_pWg_F4c/s4624/20220615_133651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayqaSwk8NN9FvytJLBLfP0WFvjyEWE36aHTyjhOnDKoWA8dIB_MM0DDcHjxD3d4uxzClH4KnHKlmrZClRufstYlFC5pNfU4ZsNbaErAfGT76zeHpDjH695SLAHr_I5RP2-B2vtX-FevMYx5v6-uvYrlkxM3DB1nd_tiaqhEkL-01_pWg_F4c/s320/20220615_133651.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><b>So before I forget: There is no need to be too worried about what comes next. Let us keep the worries in check. And people are there, even if we do not see them. </b></p><p><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-56982480859930779142022-06-11T13:09:00.004+01:002022-06-11T13:16:05.979+01:00It feels like a new job<p> Great writing retreat with colleagues. Two days of solid writing. Day walks, chats, decaf tea, sleep and getting lost when jogging. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOP2hCmbgKFIXuGjoq-g3zSMvVO3TZJQFtBuZUpM9c2VxWPJEFLbud3lUHJgI-tmcZODlO20AOShoKWD8eYJtZD8ZjC6SeFEXevIubPDZ4-ZBGpF-cJi9-38uod-IVI8reTT5WZUub90nshHMyvf2jt7TEbCNHB4LNT0HD9H9Tnl434P2Cn3c/s4624/20220610_155938.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOP2hCmbgKFIXuGjoq-g3zSMvVO3TZJQFtBuZUpM9c2VxWPJEFLbud3lUHJgI-tmcZODlO20AOShoKWD8eYJtZD8ZjC6SeFEXevIubPDZ4-ZBGpF-cJi9-38uod-IVI8reTT5WZUub90nshHMyvf2jt7TEbCNHB4LNT0HD9H9Tnl434P2Cn3c/s320/20220610_155938.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Emotionally pleased with myself, also drained. I wrote in two days what would normally take me a few weeks. Nature and routine together helped. My creativity was there since the beginning I think. Preparing notes, writing them. It emerged bit more strongly with new stories to tell on the last few minutes of the last session. Arriving at home I kept writing notes until my brain just shot down and I had a good night's sleep. Thank you creativity for visiting !</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirESQ8yeAyT6_kndjlJ0fbiRVnmawoX35XcpAAv6SLFbS8X_yfboIgwcfw1O2NDMf5Jwtb524O2eO-EKWi3QTNoeBz-LkNvDQI8853lp0OzqlSk8Pc73LB4jQaVD7LU5cvdrjPZp5Ah6hAyT2qSk-tyAXiUMhEMR4QkfheRU1WIgNHShVTLkY/s4624/20220610_124813.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirESQ8yeAyT6_kndjlJ0fbiRVnmawoX35XcpAAv6SLFbS8X_yfboIgwcfw1O2NDMf5Jwtb524O2eO-EKWi3QTNoeBz-LkNvDQI8853lp0OzqlSk8Pc73LB4jQaVD7LU5cvdrjPZp5Ah6hAyT2qSk-tyAXiUMhEMR4QkfheRU1WIgNHShVTLkY/s320/20220610_124813.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Talking to colleagues during the retreat, I realised this feels like a new job despite being at the same university and somehow feeling part of the furniture. New members of staff, soon to have new line managers and paradoxically we are to return to teach the 'old ways'. We keep thinking we have not changed either individually or collectively. The only things that seem to remain standing are those old and well maintained buildings.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlVOSJb2HjpI_2LHEu-fWTg6-7QHN7m-hBc2WQ7pq7Q9wv0WN4JtCu_1bmZYgG6sTamef1f3YvCPgE6cGcWVcNTqcWB5mGrd9MHzvDcV8w901XqnaHOHLc2uiagK6o8jvx4PouMGRHcascY5tT5xwbcZxd3y-666qHZF2ezhElY7BO6KTogY/s4624/20220609_135703.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlVOSJb2HjpI_2LHEu-fWTg6-7QHN7m-hBc2WQ7pq7Q9wv0WN4JtCu_1bmZYgG6sTamef1f3YvCPgE6cGcWVcNTqcWB5mGrd9MHzvDcV8w901XqnaHOHLc2uiagK6o8jvx4PouMGRHcascY5tT5xwbcZxd3y-666qHZF2ezhElY7BO6KTogY/s320/20220609_135703.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps life sometimes is about staying where you are while other things revolve around. We sit and wait, we stand up, we walk, we return, and then get visited by creativity. And when we do so, we somehow have changed. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhauYp50f5RYu481j_mO69cXZjLVU-twy0nAy0TOrBvAuGcfRo2vuWh8kqExec5QqHAggNoQpjKGdA335-8Sr18XJYJ9iXLTrzucid2ADhpdu5Jud6ZWq1alb3GUWSPI3g0DsaeueZqsWbIgpgR6BEmJ_ta5jY4rMLub_6ADtg6Kq1F8ea0U/s4624/20220609_175631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhauYp50f5RYu481j_mO69cXZjLVU-twy0nAy0TOrBvAuGcfRo2vuWh8kqExec5QqHAggNoQpjKGdA335-8Sr18XJYJ9iXLTrzucid2ADhpdu5Jud6ZWq1alb3GUWSPI3g0DsaeueZqsWbIgpgR6BEmJ_ta5jY4rMLub_6ADtg6Kq1F8ea0U/s320/20220609_175631.jpg" width="180" /></a></p><br /><p>Impermanence as the Buddhists would say. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Inevitably there were times to check email and get frustrated or annoyed. The world out there kept moving and not in the directions I expected. That perhaps is also part of retreats. Back at home now it feels as if it was ok to have gone and come back. Life is what it is. What I wrote is just a tiny bit of what life writes in us all, day by day. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p>Thank you for a great retreat. </p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-36320678269559242162022-06-03T10:41:00.003+01:002022-06-03T10:41:49.390+01:00Where have I been? Well, I honestly don't remember<p style="text-align: justify;">6 months ago I wrote my last blog post. It was a reflection of how 2021 fared. Some hope was also mentioned for this year of 2022.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQla4WColb4Z2bcR_LSCEA_R7QZ_tgILiaBNkXnxYsyjaev8mg5uAnPve2Ttc4XnyPysEl9zPvFQy3w-zbYZZAbE0aZ3yNFxlBhesLrmibcV4RLpPBPw5frFPTdjKLVfIhzTG_iu_FRUGu7I9Goc1UkZTIoEG3yYXyeKzHVmEBTAz5TbzlV8/s4624/20220527_132758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQla4WColb4Z2bcR_LSCEA_R7QZ_tgILiaBNkXnxYsyjaev8mg5uAnPve2Ttc4XnyPysEl9zPvFQy3w-zbYZZAbE0aZ3yNFxlBhesLrmibcV4RLpPBPw5frFPTdjKLVfIhzTG_iu_FRUGu7I9Goc1UkZTIoEG3yYXyeKzHVmEBTAz5TbzlV8/s320/20220527_132758.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Fast forward and this new year has gone very quickly so far. Lots of teaching and dealing with new situations. Students have not returned as expected. Hybrid strategies and models of working have emerged. And institutional rules have remained. We still have deadlines, meetings to attend, panels to run to better understand how academic work has been done. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLsXhQR2I8BC1TnJe80vqmn4ES6-BFJvTBt5pyqhhcTVyeOnoBBXnph0bPGvh54oMjSa5K-646a2mNYdpqKHdjf5TjJNWy5qKg2_UD8akMMoSRwHBW6YyCZUbS6QN4Q0NP_uaYkgw3WZUgSWH3yKSAM3tGVf7zO99Ddus26unsK4PGAu338ss/s4624/20220517_112058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLsXhQR2I8BC1TnJe80vqmn4ES6-BFJvTBt5pyqhhcTVyeOnoBBXnph0bPGvh54oMjSa5K-646a2mNYdpqKHdjf5TjJNWy5qKg2_UD8akMMoSRwHBW6YyCZUbS6QN4Q0NP_uaYkgw3WZUgSWH3yKSAM3tGVf7zO99Ddus26unsK4PGAu338ss/s320/20220517_112058.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This has generated some brain fog. Not only me but peers who also feel that we seem to be busier than ever, as if we had to restart a heavy machinery to catch up with production. Fortunately there are days in which this machinery stops again. Or maybe it is our brains that do so. Sleep and rest, rest and sleep, only to begin again with enthusiasm until the next break. </div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjiDEwqJVHGHTr8m_rA81rsa0EAMHW6FLCyZv40AiSCCxx-6LdaZmaqmAcDLpFzs9heUyQq_jn8B6pjge042tEVO5utxcxRlbBrruYw1A6wB9sjxOpD8nnLD4savm6gobWPTwNmNP7oLJaPStXzYji2yaBgxjPG40TgU0afBbc6FWXuN9J_4/s4624/20220426_111447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjiDEwqJVHGHTr8m_rA81rsa0EAMHW6FLCyZv40AiSCCxx-6LdaZmaqmAcDLpFzs9heUyQq_jn8B6pjge042tEVO5utxcxRlbBrruYw1A6wB9sjxOpD8nnLD4savm6gobWPTwNmNP7oLJaPStXzYji2yaBgxjPG40TgU0afBbc6FWXuN9J_4/s320/20220426_111447.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">There are glimmers of new hope for this year. Many of us are able to go back again to our offices, have coffee, doing writing, walking or just enjoying a nice morning. Lock-down situations seem to be a thing of the past. We need to temper these glimmers of hope with what is going on elsewhere. Wars and conflicts are still there. They affect us indirectly. Our restarting of lives is cautious. No need to fully go back to what we did, who we were or where we have been. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDsNeHRiakFgYJZl629_Rfd9W7pRAKWMFuQJMKjsBf9oFLdKtzTU-G0wdytRpRH0H1pgqTm5Onii-RYzzmTEGmrZouu9rbeJ1oaaz3JHPoyWBzGwexwmewSBqzouqkhz212hdfSXSMQPBMglfZ6MnMm-NTbaRUp4J6oKwAKjAI-MFugtSpK4/s4624/20220421_110932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDsNeHRiakFgYJZl629_Rfd9W7pRAKWMFuQJMKjsBf9oFLdKtzTU-G0wdytRpRH0H1pgqTm5Onii-RYzzmTEGmrZouu9rbeJ1oaaz3JHPoyWBzGwexwmewSBqzouqkhz212hdfSXSMQPBMglfZ6MnMm-NTbaRUp4J6oKwAKjAI-MFugtSpK4/s320/20220421_110932.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">We have ourselves, we have others to join in new journeys. We still have the rest of 2022 to create how we want to live it. For myself I am now accepting that summer is going to be busy. The hope it is there that there will be new things and people ahead, on the roads or paths of new walks. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So if you ask me where I have been, I do not remember much, but does it really matter? Maybe it is more important where I plan to be, hopefully with you. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-1547353801031827152021-12-29T11:18:00.000+00:002021-12-29T11:18:02.188+00:00And so it ends, the year of going back to 'normal'<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another year, thankful for it I think. The year we thought we would go back to normal. And so it was for a while, like when a car engine stutters but keeps running. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1d_1wwGzjbY8XoufsOl5nhjEDzfERj-BlhmKMyh5uRFwkdMGX9pCS7b-h_RbEPcmca373lC4P2TTfg1POj3VoyGRzXGg1Tok83VU-l5-7oylG51EoWVobi7g2NWm3cwTdoHZWMA6n1eyFDbVOz_zxXSvi1PWAd6F5ZMi2aTmzQKuFNWxxg28=s4624" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1d_1wwGzjbY8XoufsOl5nhjEDzfERj-BlhmKMyh5uRFwkdMGX9pCS7b-h_RbEPcmca373lC4P2TTfg1POj3VoyGRzXGg1Tok83VU-l5-7oylG51EoWVobi7g2NWm3cwTdoHZWMA6n1eyFDbVOz_zxXSvi1PWAd6F5ZMi2aTmzQKuFNWxxg28=s320" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Things have definitely changed at work and education, if not in how we relate to each other. We could say, with some evidence, that we are now more careful and understanding. We know that if things do not happen, there might be a reason. And if we still do not understand, then we can all say "because of Covid".</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Normality does not look like it used to be. Even in a classroom with students, I feel that care is now paramount. Our brains might be elsewhere as we are now allowed to check social media more than before. Maybe it is because we are being part of different universes that were supposed to keep us afloat. Or maybe it is because education has also gone hybrid, allowing for face to face and online interactions. Welcome to the physical classroom those who cannot be here but can connect online, for whatever reason. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiheEH3jGX8yfhWrQFopIBqsdndbqcKZlnBAU4ojfJRSHWy61XCxUM1s7rDY0Z8ZtpDqHGLn7ZgXTP__qbxMHp7EiRCLejBTcJuRAh_W_077Tbkxn1M6H9o153Ngd0TI72o0JA-qPrbs0izI9N_ADO6MUhaSc0a5grgR0CaJpu2qvi3QhKQe4w=s4624" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiheEH3jGX8yfhWrQFopIBqsdndbqcKZlnBAU4ojfJRSHWy61XCxUM1s7rDY0Z8ZtpDqHGLn7ZgXTP__qbxMHp7EiRCLejBTcJuRAh_W_077Tbkxn1M6H9o153Ngd0TI72o0JA-qPrbs0izI9N_ADO6MUhaSc0a5grgR0CaJpu2qvi3QhKQe4w=s320" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Welcome also our desire to spend more time elsewhere, dreaming of trips that did not happen, or staying at home with loved ones for more time than before. Welcome busier life in cafes or shopping malls. Welcome a new attic or room in the house, hosting parents and children alike. Welcome those meetings that we still "go" to, welcome the presence that in many cases we can shape, and in others the one we are shaped by. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Welcome to life with viruses and absences, curfews and defiance, standards and values we drop whilst we create new ones. Welcome creativity to a new scenario, where we would need to be valued by just maintaining things we value and not succumbing in the attempt. Perhaps we were asking too much of ourselves, our work and our planet. Perhaps we were deluded thinking that that was what we needed to do in order to prove our worth or just live our lives. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1nowFkn2NtCdm952_ojeU5lqHqhjgvwbyUwukFs9fnR-2tkf6LovQ2MUi2MMy2N0RujzNVgF3W3RUSCMgPlaogV9FQZ6UdvjmqjzF1q7dvyxg0e-AUrhZ5c-GNtbl9STPDJaXTZC8vt4giAE87CuIhVBhrR0Ef0N6NeL8vCiehX90GQzVoqE=s4624" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1nowFkn2NtCdm952_ojeU5lqHqhjgvwbyUwukFs9fnR-2tkf6LovQ2MUi2MMy2N0RujzNVgF3W3RUSCMgPlaogV9FQZ6UdvjmqjzF1q7dvyxg0e-AUrhZ5c-GNtbl9STPDJaXTZC8vt4giAE87CuIhVBhrR0Ef0N6NeL8vCiehX90GQzVoqE=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Our new normal is far from certain, and this is something that perhaps we are not used to accept. We still have some opportunities to shape it. And if that does not motivate us enough for next year, let us think of what we have so far, what we have been able to do despite everything. Let us think of what we can do every day, from waking up to taking a shower or just go out for a walk. Let us think of people who depend on us, and people we depend on. We all deserve a new normal, more humane and caring, less busy or pretentious. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMNZZL35J-J2fL-u22qAOnvfpVNN13BGthuDsByl8UA44o2xUswK-5yv-biCPuOcTsVjpcrZORmk1R4ELCRWiroFGfRqVYx8Ra_ZvH4Z7iQLabuZSBv_SeVmjtDjDeJDM1Vllwte7C27I04ndlhPOI2SS1pY7jitoVB6a7SRJksxgUjAwsJZw=s4624" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMNZZL35J-J2fL-u22qAOnvfpVNN13BGthuDsByl8UA44o2xUswK-5yv-biCPuOcTsVjpcrZORmk1R4ELCRWiroFGfRqVYx8Ra_ZvH4Z7iQLabuZSBv_SeVmjtDjDeJDM1Vllwte7C27I04ndlhPOI2SS1pY7jitoVB6a7SRJksxgUjAwsJZw=s320" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">And so it ends...</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-28880937270559194522021-11-29T13:13:00.002+00:002021-11-29T13:13:53.523+00:00A translation of concerns from and to Colombia<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I have been very fortunate to be part of a short project that was developed in collaboration with Universidad de Ibague, Colombia, and Royal Holloway (my current employer in the UK). </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqV60nxOOAaCX7M1GSHu-kexPhVgoeSeSI5En8OcW24ZfNnLsf7rjZIshwdh_7w1lFq_-hLTIiM0TNGBJDpZtruXtnGvH9Qw6Z2czUrBcF-RcKkyavoi0oCr066XV3_VqaUdstQg/s4000/20211124_115359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="4000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqV60nxOOAaCX7M1GSHu-kexPhVgoeSeSI5En8OcW24ZfNnLsf7rjZIshwdh_7w1lFq_-hLTIiM0TNGBJDpZtruXtnGvH9Qw6Z2czUrBcF-RcKkyavoi0oCr066XV3_VqaUdstQg/s320/20211124_115359.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The project aimed at identifying issues recently experienced by two communities in the region of Tolima, giving them the opportunity to represent and reflect on these issues using photos and videos. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafR3CB17OXhHdqAI6el6ZA_7rybrwNHbS_-KyBW7zTO2T0vTcdVyAFfj-lMC56GBu3PrsuuuAYmA73kIn6RLoKVJGefgnhTFKWGBqMGMshGqaQEGKh9_NBA-D9qP_FbuNrSeRHQ/s4624/20211124_114655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafR3CB17OXhHdqAI6el6ZA_7rybrwNHbS_-KyBW7zTO2T0vTcdVyAFfj-lMC56GBu3PrsuuuAYmA73kIn6RLoKVJGefgnhTFKWGBqMGMshGqaQEGKh9_NBA-D9qP_FbuNrSeRHQ/s320/20211124_114655.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Their testimonials are very moving. With the help of artists and designers, community participants were able to communicate snippets of their daily lives. Presenting these to others in their localities also gave the latter a sense of rediscovering who they are and what they do, something that was also made possible due to their experiences of being in lock-down during the year 2021. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVz0V70oKaWRdY6FPWIfS-yMqMeYWqCiL8JLuwuYf-P1sf2fIRuDWtt_IpXtqtq1GC_wEHFr_7kBdw1BI-Dr7maV8UKEXDSerGQBTAHBUwZ6Ny84QgpRguiMQ-Vf28btI2ZiBaA/s4624/20211124_114526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVz0V70oKaWRdY6FPWIfS-yMqMeYWqCiL8JLuwuYf-P1sf2fIRuDWtt_IpXtqtq1GC_wEHFr_7kBdw1BI-Dr7maV8UKEXDSerGQBTAHBUwZ6Ny84QgpRguiMQ-Vf28btI2ZiBaA/s320/20211124_114526.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was particularly impressed by the amount of work and dedication put by people. One could get the feeling that this project was very important for them, and that they did their best. They taught me how important it is to develop trust between collaborators and how we need to let other ideas inform our projects. I </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrXNvCgmAhqBnAvcRNzQPM5aqqlbP6qrvFfDQkiFGGH9QfFbr47-yPGcP7__OrVtrq2Dgi2-em5yz8WW5SXwL0OwKPE3ZPXj1FASbrx0SU2gWKnFNENFw3YOdMHRQNmpaGQ3V8Q/s4624/20211123_121141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrXNvCgmAhqBnAvcRNzQPM5aqqlbP6qrvFfDQkiFGGH9QfFbr47-yPGcP7__OrVtrq2Dgi2-em5yz8WW5SXwL0OwKPE3ZPXj1FASbrx0SU2gWKnFNENFw3YOdMHRQNmpaGQ3V8Q/s320/20211123_121141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There are several possibilities to move forward and continue helping these communities. From my perspective, as researchers in the developed world we need to be able to translate these and other communities concerns in what we think are global issues. Post-conflict and violence, rural marginalisation and lack of representation could be some of the themes that we could start to translate from and to these communities: some of these happen in the UK, only by different names. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-UCzdyDjlWvNZ_YdVdwjGSEcRSJeAqNA0A0-sAguz2Kr-nbO21zVhCaHfDlblIhRcw0RXMEXbWbAmbIHm3GqBCtjPKN2KA7rXJ0HqQIM7Jib5wYqjskzjSFcKsPxs7BZIsjATg/s4624/20211123_093523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-UCzdyDjlWvNZ_YdVdwjGSEcRSJeAqNA0A0-sAguz2Kr-nbO21zVhCaHfDlblIhRcw0RXMEXbWbAmbIHm3GqBCtjPKN2KA7rXJ0HqQIM7Jib5wYqjskzjSFcKsPxs7BZIsjATg/s320/20211123_093523.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In the developed world, there is concern with climate change and corona viruses. Communities know about these, and have adapted as best as they can to deal with them. Our translations need to include a better understanding of communities' creativity and what has positively emerged. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdGDdngqcFAtAO65BC8CslqBBBBaqTS0n9wMgaNb713ovynvZrCIkXeGZ6NXB29tQAPfkEFzZ-jQSFtyPDQVJDq78Z353VRy-W1C36AI776SdEnp950i9cgffVYwyB2My72duyw/s4624/20211123_093414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKdGDdngqcFAtAO65BC8CslqBBBBaqTS0n9wMgaNb713ovynvZrCIkXeGZ6NXB29tQAPfkEFzZ-jQSFtyPDQVJDq78Z353VRy-W1C36AI776SdEnp950i9cgffVYwyB2My72duyw/s320/20211123_093414.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If we could accept that there is much to learn between all of us, perhaps our world would not be as chaotic as we think it is. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thank you all for being part of this project, and for inviting me. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-85575857495875788792021-11-13T11:00:00.009+00:002021-11-16T13:03:40.365+00:00Messages of and about eco-anxiety<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The <a href="https://ukcop26.org/" target="_blank">Cop26</a> meeting is now about to finish. There are many important lessons that all of us as individuals could grasp, some of them clearer than others. What follows is my own take on what has happened. I present my own messages of and about <a href="https://www.ecoanxiety.com/what-is-eco-anxiety/">eco-anxiety</a>.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0ilBqIEIKV0MrQJsB4nDPkaxYVhd2jJ7ftTk5vbVIQF4Qkza-doRNh5zcr-mWw09wC8A4CnOP7fTChCRrXydzfPndThIWi4AY0Z-hXJOfw2SFCNgD0Jb_2UvKaPszDOM2DhnxQ/s4624/20211116_092646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0ilBqIEIKV0MrQJsB4nDPkaxYVhd2jJ7ftTk5vbVIQF4Qkza-doRNh5zcr-mWw09wC8A4CnOP7fTChCRrXydzfPndThIWi4AY0Z-hXJOfw2SFCNgD0Jb_2UvKaPszDOM2DhnxQ/s320/20211116_092646.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At work, we have been encouraged to present what we have been doing (teaching, research, engagement with the community) to better understand the complexities of climate change. During this summer me and some students decided to explore how our campus is currently dealing with <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/54466096" target="_blank">food waste</a>. We were fortunate to be supported by other academics and a manager of an <a href="https://www.madleap.co.uk/" target="_blank">anaerobic digestion company</a>. It has been a very helpful exercise for learning to talk to them and also to interact with campus managers in different areas like accommodation services and food production. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumJrSQolla2JzxL0tsNKdf2mKwXfJxdyT9tbVW2FuLEWT40_LLVTDjghqnHOWDEJdmiu0bsmantoQ_F7zB0Cj9Mtc3njLe6wbxC0In0nBVLC0bXIrSsvVluxbLuBRk4xzFtr4aA/s4624/20211030_160326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiumJrSQolla2JzxL0tsNKdf2mKwXfJxdyT9tbVW2FuLEWT40_LLVTDjghqnHOWDEJdmiu0bsmantoQ_F7zB0Cj9Mtc3njLe6wbxC0In0nBVLC0bXIrSsvVluxbLuBRk4xzFtr4aA/s320/20211030_160326.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">As a result, students prepared and delivered a great presentation where a key message was that we need to better recycle food as well as prevent its potential waste. How we carry this out could then be divided into two aspects: </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Increase the value that we attribute to food recycling via better messaging, support processes and awareness</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Adopt new technologies like anaerobic digestion or AD. </span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tackling both of the above requires working on promoting a cultural if not <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudge_(book)" target="_blank">behavioural change</a> in our attitudes to waste and specifically to food. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHycO8J4fnOq_TlYjF7cPafE-PmyHNQDpuOrsS8s90GNzyitqjMVO2eqdAwmWumWbnzacXb6j-aUae7ESOZCKYex4yihzXTaeWul2QfmduVHrcRCp79eUzdq5-de2Koy7U_bZgg/s4624/20211027_121934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHycO8J4fnOq_TlYjF7cPafE-PmyHNQDpuOrsS8s90GNzyitqjMVO2eqdAwmWumWbnzacXb6j-aUae7ESOZCKYex4yihzXTaeWul2QfmduVHrcRCp79eUzdq5-de2Koy7U_bZgg/s320/20211027_121934.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">During the presentation the audience was very receptive and open to the ideas we were presenting. One aspect that surfaced to be further considered is that how feedback about the need to generate cultural and behavioural awareness needs to be continuous and at all levels of academic and administrative activity in our campus. Technologies like AD or those to better support better food waste monitoring (weighting, data analytics) as well as recycling are already available. Why is it that </span><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/cb.1581?casa_token=gF1-zTdLjx0AAAAA:t71M9gssol4odQPMsQVngn5klZX8JTZG0uUWBwZ_T7mmKYH5XydnHKGAIsgFlaEe9qejARkuHeIOQDje" style="font-size: large;" target="_blank">only a few</a><span style="font-size: large;"> university campuses in countries like the UK are doing something about food? </span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">It seems to me that the higher level resolutions and agreements of Cop26 by governments need to be both reflected and challenged by local actions from universities, councils and private companies working together. This is something that again requires a cultural mind shift from management of these organisations. </span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN7Ao6qPz2Fx-MJi8FZJwNS56MkA56jpMk95AjIrwEKgNjuM55XWX9FQuIRmdLbF-e4l5-u1drq9AVhY21wcj7dCsIE3N0xr3U7tfzaabXwz6QIC2NGAa-Smbpta_FruCIgIaGg/s4624/20211027_121752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirN7Ao6qPz2Fx-MJi8FZJwNS56MkA56jpMk95AjIrwEKgNjuM55XWX9FQuIRmdLbF-e4l5-u1drq9AVhY21wcj7dCsIE3N0xr3U7tfzaabXwz6QIC2NGAa-Smbpta_FruCIgIaGg/s320/20211027_121752.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Perhaps more importantly we all need to acknowledge that so far the desire to do something about climate change and doing it now is generating more anxiety than awareness. Myself I had to slow down in my work and let students and the company manager carry on because I was feeling overwhelmed with so many messages from the media. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwv3Fwdl1e4-PZcl5G-KQdJHdSmhJmtZNEdcQgZjmMH8X_j_jXdMGU4yE0eYjBF3QWwRgCG2p9vSPPHeZNSMwB76ltOk7p4nVIgoarP9iipY-WrlD821qdMTB3PImTjdLo4U-CDQ/s4624/20211027_115347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwv3Fwdl1e4-PZcl5G-KQdJHdSmhJmtZNEdcQgZjmMH8X_j_jXdMGU4yE0eYjBF3QWwRgCG2p9vSPPHeZNSMwB76ltOk7p4nVIgoarP9iipY-WrlD821qdMTB3PImTjdLo4U-CDQ/s320/20211027_115347.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eco-anxiety is not only an individual but also a collective 'illness'. During summer of 2021 I started to feel that any change about climate change is going to be slow and has to be concerted: it is difficult to mediate between parties that have different views about what needs to be done. Every step has to be reflected upon and negotiated. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYZVZvdvENou-IKk1rVk5aEBeQ2EWXAfI6ov1m5yhHZ9VhMidpLxaiTmYBICOh2k7cFh7ZXVp4n_QoJEv6ExD5xvfaLfGfT2rNl5ZP-xDCQT1OYSjwiSc7hK7A5G4t8t077EehA/s4624/20211030_123413.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYZVZvdvENou-IKk1rVk5aEBeQ2EWXAfI6ov1m5yhHZ9VhMidpLxaiTmYBICOh2k7cFh7ZXVp4n_QoJEv6ExD5xvfaLfGfT2rNl5ZP-xDCQT1OYSjwiSc7hK7A5G4t8t077EehA/s320/20211030_123413.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This despite what many organisations have already in their strategic plans of achieving net-zero by a certain date. It is also true that some actions are going to produce more impacts than others (i.e. not flying is more impactful than buying or using electric transport). So perhaps it would be more important to assess and agree on these actions collectively. And to establish ways of incorporating our conversations about such actions into strategic plans. This could also help us all to deal with our own eco-anxieties. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-24134693617547068072021-11-04T10:35:00.005+00:002021-11-04T14:00:10.520+00:00Creativity and risk taking - Finding your Element by Sir Ken Robinson (RIP)<p style="text-align: justify;">I am about to finish reading Ken Robinson's <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Finding_Your_Element/LqJzF-OSr8cC?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover" target="_blank">"Finding your Element</a>" book.This year of 2021 I have given myself time to think about my vocation. This book has been very helpful to let me understand myself a bit more. It has useful exercises to get the reader to think about talents, aptitudes, attitudes, passions and other aspects of our personality. It encourages reflection and self honesty about things we really want to do and are good at, even if we are to learn them fro scratch. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I studied computer science and systems engineering as it was the right thing to do at the time. During my degree I learned how to program computers, and also to type and write bit more academically. I graduated and went to work on software development, process analyses and software selection. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><b>But something was off</b></i>. I could not really be happy knowing that there were politics when it came to work with technology users, consultants or software providers. I left a technology career behind and studied systems thinking. I found myself telling my research supervisor that I wanted a life change. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Ken Robinson talks about taking risks when we feel that something is off. In his book he gives lots of examples of people who changed careers, went to live in unexpected places, created businesses or simply turned away from what they were supposed to do in life. To many of these people, comfort signalled a need to move on and engage in what they thought was 'next'. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Robinson encourages people to take risks, given that life is uncertain and far from linear. Taking risks promises that we can all start living more genuinely according to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLbXrNGVXfE" target="_blank">Element</a>(s) (where passions and talents meet). In my own case, I took a bit of risk by getting into debt to pay for my systems thinking studies. I got the backing of my twin sister that acted as a financial guarantor of a scholarship loan I was awarded. I will be always thankful to her, to my mum, my sister Clara, my other siblings and people who I encountered throughout. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcOqEasgyO-Is5QSMCcr4D5jnJPJFAZ7vj2QdQavn-BN1UAFBBDU5rhgki3dHENGSmoxeAKOjNINX-v2PwyI13hVbrfd7y16rJm6OvZvWsTiG1PEmbkB2ucnJI9nVPIETVWm-Kg/s4624/20211030_121926.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxcOqEasgyO-Is5QSMCcr4D5jnJPJFAZ7vj2QdQavn-BN1UAFBBDU5rhgki3dHENGSmoxeAKOjNINX-v2PwyI13hVbrfd7y16rJm6OvZvWsTiG1PEmbkB2ucnJI9nVPIETVWm-Kg/s320/20211030_121926.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to life I keep encountering help. My guarantors have helped me to start a new life and to maintain it when things were not going well. Graduating from a PhD with no job on sight and in another country was a challenge I did not foresee: the funny thing was that even getting a funded post-doc was seen as an alien thing by them. This lack of approval affected my mental health and it took some years of counselling to accept that being a researcher was what I wanted to do, despite my previous technology education, my loyalty to loved ones, my anxiety of not being good enough, or my conservative attitude to life (and risk). </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsZuecXBNwJiZQKMrID5A-KpPFV7y5YC1J6vJS1LTEIPoQIhFUZcTe1kQuOlZrnBMvbiXYqL620FBIa6aInSKdLpqY9TP6m3YnG1wINz3gvqhkxQ37vq6p2-QcCqA6EI1kThhjw/s4624/20211027_125443.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrsZuecXBNwJiZQKMrID5A-KpPFV7y5YC1J6vJS1LTEIPoQIhFUZcTe1kQuOlZrnBMvbiXYqL620FBIa6aInSKdLpqY9TP6m3YnG1wINz3gvqhkxQ37vq6p2-QcCqA6EI1kThhjw/s320/20211027_125443.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I agree with Robinson that life is full of risks. But I now find myself questioning if when taking them we are to involve our loved ones to act as 'guarantors' (the ones picking up the bill if things go wrong). It is worth pursuing one's own passions. But at what cost? And for whom And? And if finding one's Element is not a linear process that could also involving 'going back' according to Robinson, <b>why the rush</b>? Why do we have to do things now? Why the 'now or never' attitude? </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjq0K2dLzU3X2astRRvs9aNeMJRc9tochGQcdu0afAaPZieh1IpYmj2nSxzPeeLpKdUooaEzw3nH6qoO3s-PGoNspY8d-AcdUOn02cwuFhOqLcL708ygA4Zg8KmSyGTNYNpogjg/s4624/20211027_115516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIjq0K2dLzU3X2astRRvs9aNeMJRc9tochGQcdu0afAaPZieh1IpYmj2nSxzPeeLpKdUooaEzw3nH6qoO3s-PGoNspY8d-AcdUOn02cwuFhOqLcL708ygA4Zg8KmSyGTNYNpogjg/s320/20211027_115516.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As I pose these questions, maybe I am also learning to accept that in our lives there will be always things that are 'off' and that there will be times when we need to live with such things: I am now living with anxiety and that is OK. I did live with problems as we all do. I cannot fully blame my taking of risks for my anxiety although I would say there is a fine line between taking a risk and becoming a neurotic (my therapist's favourite term). In Robinson's account of finding one's Element, there does not seem to be any choice but to pursue it (with guarantors, debts and anxieties involved). Even of that involves small steps. The issue becomes: "do something!". It reminds me of a wrong thing to say when one is mentally ill:"man up, get over it!". </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">To this choiceless invitation, one my psychotherapists would say something similar: There is no other choice but to be truthful to oneself and professional, so that we measure more carefully what we aim for. There are some anxieties we can live with, and there are others we cannot. And there is no shame in not being able to develop a 'thick skin' about anxieties as Robinson's examples seem to suggest. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Both Robinson and my therapist will acknowledge that some form of 'guarantor' is needed. Lucky if we are able to have them I think. Maybe we need to ask for true help in our lives. Help that tell us what risks are worth taking or when to take them. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKM3KG8Oa7Q4Bem3u4QangepKPYpAz9zGzVNo-bjynIfa4Apa8eeqfxcnxvLLh-XybScIoBgev3XIDOFbSKZQhF2IBG616AeKBlqanZGZ1W7aRZ2OWXUKCDz3DmBjNz6J4xU6J6w/s4624/20211027_115347.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKM3KG8Oa7Q4Bem3u4QangepKPYpAz9zGzVNo-bjynIfa4Apa8eeqfxcnxvLLh-XybScIoBgev3XIDOFbSKZQhF2IBG616AeKBlqanZGZ1W7aRZ2OWXUKCDz3DmBjNz6J4xU6J6w/s320/20211027_115347.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>So what could be next? </b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Out of these ideas and also echoing what <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbR-bYvFwss" target="_blank">Gabor Mate</a> says to his younger self, my creative one would say: "Worry, but not too much. There is no need to pursue perfection. Young or old, time is on your side"</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And as I finish Robinson's book and review some of its ideas, I find myself feeling grateful for this year of 2021. I can say that I am not yet sure what my Element is. It has to do with connecting people to learning opportunities. It also has to do with <b>slowing down</b> and <b>saying no</b> to things I can do but do not really want to. There might not be big risks yet for me on this. And time is still on my side. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Du5sYZZBa7lNJcYd1Z0svjknxoIcALqQmHkRksvo4_0JBqIhZFvRMu7g4l5cU3Gthc6koA6Z_nLkvDwpIHmY8nE0t1idBYaR9RxdmO8KW-4d3Jm4zX3XkSy3v3IW7HOk6Bp8wA/s4624/20211025_115915.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Du5sYZZBa7lNJcYd1Z0svjknxoIcALqQmHkRksvo4_0JBqIhZFvRMu7g4l5cU3Gthc6koA6Z_nLkvDwpIHmY8nE0t1idBYaR9RxdmO8KW-4d3Jm4zX3XkSy3v3IW7HOk6Bp8wA/s320/20211025_115915.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>So what could be next for me? Let people do things bit more, let me do bit more of aside art and writing, let me do more walking or swimming if not cycling. Time is on my side I think! </i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">And for you? </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p> </p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-11670900307045034182021-11-02T11:24:00.001+00:002021-11-02T11:24:33.661+00:00Navigating through a climate change field<p> Our world is now witnessing a global summit to talk about climate change. Some of us have also decided to contribute to it by organising and running local activities. At my workplace, we have a full agenda that involves students and businesses. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshe61JA47po8kl7RLer94TP1ui3C51FmJh7rGyDce8HGrO9utQM9_VUffSRfLOFvts2dl_q5tt09T6x5q8lDA5znvaYs-I7xQMOxL41CZveigR41-7N908-2VQQPvF6iz5oRwfw/s4624/20211031_143059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshe61JA47po8kl7RLer94TP1ui3C51FmJh7rGyDce8HGrO9utQM9_VUffSRfLOFvts2dl_q5tt09T6x5q8lDA5znvaYs-I7xQMOxL41CZveigR41-7N908-2VQQPvF6iz5oRwfw/s320/20211031_143059.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>For me this was going well until I started to feel what some people call eco-anxiety. I do not like big gatherings or feeling that I am out of place. Talking about how we need to do something now and urgently to save our planet got to me in a bad way. Because to my mind I have been doing things.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_TKbioMHfi9eGkR2ra3STCN5R0SKl0SJ47kf_GgWaBqxyDgSaveFN9-KGYR83SoALVLlne5-bEL5CH8As5srgZeKPJ8byCmdEuW6AH82wgQk02X6tQZFED4Oqd0J4oufQSvC0Q/s4624/20211030_123413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_TKbioMHfi9eGkR2ra3STCN5R0SKl0SJ47kf_GgWaBqxyDgSaveFN9-KGYR83SoALVLlne5-bEL5CH8As5srgZeKPJ8byCmdEuW6AH82wgQk02X6tQZFED4Oqd0J4oufQSvC0Q/s320/20211030_123413.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>From buying and using an electric bike to changing our old family car to one that does not emit too much carbon dioxide to refurbishing our house loft with foam insulation to reducing my car travelling to eating less meat to working with students on looking at how campus food can be better managed, I now feel that somehow this is not 'enough'. My perfectionist self has kicked again on the face of so much information. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFvUbaVzM7Tejc7ClAVjJUPxpYKkNi8IQN1aRy-IpyyzT2XgNoa9u-EJDdsG0JrKWo3eOOxV9-9mBspjz9MMs0qCuBY9Oxv2n0ypmudJJVz2LNfalzNO55uRWtB25C3E3-Bl4GQ/s3264/20211030_164825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="1836" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFvUbaVzM7Tejc7ClAVjJUPxpYKkNi8IQN1aRy-IpyyzT2XgNoa9u-EJDdsG0JrKWo3eOOxV9-9mBspjz9MMs0qCuBY9Oxv2n0ypmudJJVz2LNfalzNO55uRWtB25C3E3-Bl4GQ/s320/20211030_164825.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p>Perhaps a better way of framing what I feel and think is to say that climate change is a very complex thing and that we are still learning how to do things. It would be better to be more aware that we are also part of complex systems whose direction(s) are the result of many individual actions. At the moment, there are some parts of such systems which I find difficult to navigate with, possibly because they are entrenched in their own and radical views about what needs to be done now. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCA67OssJESvLvQLzxFctTe1q5LslO1tazzvQ5XjhyphenhyphenI7bQbG2BL2ymM8qdr3oKAks6YrxHnoCQQcMt1T-2Qd7JAQLeosvgwQcBuW74Dbp6Cqa3stfM-QWjPkdswN0Jdj7dTfxKA/s4624/20211030_182254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCA67OssJESvLvQLzxFctTe1q5LslO1tazzvQ5XjhyphenhyphenI7bQbG2BL2ymM8qdr3oKAks6YrxHnoCQQcMt1T-2Qd7JAQLeosvgwQcBuW74Dbp6Cqa3stfM-QWjPkdswN0Jdj7dTfxKA/s320/20211030_182254.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We need to gain more awareness and continue doing things. But for me I need to take a small break from all this talk on climate change and breathe. Maybe take a back seat and let things unfold. It would be good to listen to what goes on and share what we have learned or what we could be doing differently in our lives or work. </p><p><br /></p><p>But not at my own expense. </p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-27446140056020334982021-10-20T18:10:00.001+01:002021-10-20T18:10:29.708+01:00Good to see each other<p> This week I met some work colleagues for the first time in more than 18 months. </p><p><br /></p><p>The atmosphere was great. People chatting with each other, as if it was Christmas! </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhO9PEBr-2j3HkJVufWb3vaf6fq2IXdfPc5nO_ZdL5yUGsLhr41bPJbOQ1SJASTHFUNHiGQ6Tdh9J4iXJpVlVh1Slkx_OSZBciC7onN1od8pHtoc8unNZGL0bvBcVWZGquRBOYqQ/s4624/20211011_100131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhO9PEBr-2j3HkJVufWb3vaf6fq2IXdfPc5nO_ZdL5yUGsLhr41bPJbOQ1SJASTHFUNHiGQ6Tdh9J4iXJpVlVh1Slkx_OSZBciC7onN1od8pHtoc8unNZGL0bvBcVWZGquRBOYqQ/s320/20211011_100131.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The atmosphere felt different. And we went back to old conversations. As if nothing had happened...</p><p><br /></p><p>As human beings we need some sort of social interaction. Just to keep us more tuned with each other at work for example. Or to allow us to catch up with what goes on. It was telling for me how I missed it, and how we make things happen. We have computers, mobile tablets or phones, but there is no substitute for the face-to-face conversation I think. Even if we have got bit older, we still recognise each other by how we speak, look or listen. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt561YefwEfoLfw0YYS_bbmAiEFyOEnFuZ0DlpxDsmFRnNJogLTi4Sh4riLJAPRQTspfiGnqrdtY5ALuG5Wa984WWb8q7o4MEctJt94fTvq6ZGQdnSromazhUGG0f8WSz0qCOQog/s4624/20211011_100217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt561YefwEfoLfw0YYS_bbmAiEFyOEnFuZ0DlpxDsmFRnNJogLTi4Sh4riLJAPRQTspfiGnqrdtY5ALuG5Wa984WWb8q7o4MEctJt94fTvq6ZGQdnSromazhUGG0f8WSz0qCOQog/s320/20211011_100217.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>And I could not help but crack a couple of jokes. I was not the only one! </p><p><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-44287759493366096462021-10-04T10:11:00.001+01:002021-10-20T18:03:33.236+01:00The limits of kindness<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Monday morning in one of my favourite cafes. Writing bits of a new book chapter. A flurry of emails to look at. Some things to do before they become too big to attend. A longing, a desire to be with people. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaphd2rVpH09LiosjwCIDnPn1I0n0Ep0QrpjJSkSNiy8zuTX6Crr0FWwaTbxu89nxiqqIiWFxwafil8fTzR2M39FKBc-FFXeNJomRKhKZQGJA73wYpaJfBaZXqXAhwuYJP771ew/s4624/20211019_124324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaphd2rVpH09LiosjwCIDnPn1I0n0Ep0QrpjJSkSNiy8zuTX6Crr0FWwaTbxu89nxiqqIiWFxwafil8fTzR2M39FKBc-FFXeNJomRKhKZQGJA73wYpaJfBaZXqXAhwuYJP771ew/s320/20211019_124324.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2013. Me and my twins. Trying to survive. Stepping in for a colleague who needed urgent treatment. I cover for him, and another colleague who found it difficult to teach the postgraduates. I was kind at the time. Early waking up. My wife was kind to me and the children. We made it. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2021. One email gets my attention: we need to cover for a colleague; another one does not want to teach software use. Yes, we are all busy. But why is it that some who are in the digital world (or at least they say they are) do not want to learn about new tools, let alone share with others? </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I say no. In my own ways. </span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v_WCU2o2NllP3ZchaZ3lTSaZUMgBA1WZxaWAm5qsd0LMsHy53x9DwmHSRwb0hQeg9ar5x21DwjjZLOmrkm3d-VhJdEqtIgOLd4ybQcRk-jwdQ-P86R0TSK9Xhi3BZw-08WKxOA/s4624/20211003_155647.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9v_WCU2o2NllP3ZchaZ3lTSaZUMgBA1WZxaWAm5qsd0LMsHy53x9DwmHSRwb0hQeg9ar5x21DwjjZLOmrkm3d-VhJdEqtIgOLd4ybQcRk-jwdQ-P86R0TSK9Xhi3BZw-08WKxOA/s320/20211003_155647.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2020-2021. We have all survived lock-downs and challenges in the last few years. Kindness has helped. But the</span><span style="font-size: medium;">re are limits to kindness.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn15UtP6IhabI_J-KrraYD6hC0zhzWC35v09bKgnTNuvyEyt4X9KW-pfj75o_gPwtD0rMWDqLHN8YTpDH0VQG1UxQ42NRCNiug9CWALVUsL41oG9WnOOZqkuZD-cAf58Ed7OVvIw/s320/20210922_110338.jpg" width="180" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If anything, lock-down (s) have taught me that we all need support. But it is not fair to continue relying on the same people who give it and the same people who ask for it. This forces us to be creative, I will give you that. But there are ethical limits to how creative we can be. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It might be good to limit our kindness. Not with a view that we cannot do anything new. But rather to be responsible with our energy and to also teach others what we think is important in our lives. </span></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-20772230058166925452021-08-31T10:39:00.001+01:002021-08-31T10:39:38.510+01:00Rituals for moving on, others are hard to let go of<p><span style="font-size: medium;">My book writing is progressing, slowly. Today I am mixing it up with writing this blog post. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Summer time is now spent with family and preparing for more returns to 'normality'. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One of my bosses recently said that the world has moved and cannot wait for us to take a breath or slow down. In the food chain of education, other institutions or governments decide what needs to happen, and we follow suit. Not much of this has really changed, except perhaps that we are bit more allowed to work remotely. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaakp-MXVljmZdsH0WOX_tuQAXuWy2Kmj80loUSzQLbtvwMcIzkTS0DO3_sVBtzJIUYDRRY1PcjsvrbG7-B5bBqDk6ppvQNFM-yQTRyFnfZdcouK9NaSskBoElCDPvjLSysusrg/s4624/20210830_155103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaakp-MXVljmZdsH0WOX_tuQAXuWy2Kmj80loUSzQLbtvwMcIzkTS0DO3_sVBtzJIUYDRRY1PcjsvrbG7-B5bBqDk6ppvQNFM-yQTRyFnfZdcouK9NaSskBoElCDPvjLSysusrg/s320/20210830_155103.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes, it is time to move on, but also it is hard to let go of other things, I am finding. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Human beings need some sort of structure, I heard recently. We had to set up routines during lock-downs, and we had to start giving them meaning. Some of them have become <b>rituals. </b>Things to keep us afloat, to help us navigate the world. Myself, I am now doing some Pilates and short running. I also have gone back to my cafe writing. And I have planted new flowers in my garden. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">If you ask me why I do these things, well, they help me keep a good mood. And the more I do them, the less I need to explain or justify them to myself or other people. I am preparing for the winter. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Finding hard to let go of driving to work, to email people to express my worries, to become silent or isolated when not feeling very well. My ritual of self-berating or catastrophic thinking is still here: it does not have much more meaning anymore, but I grew up using it to cope with my circumstances. Why is it hard to let go of? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXUhPvAwTZqAHpgMiG4hrp7tZfohGTIrgUWLjKABBiDEb2DKsYmmJO3tzrvuhzxCIB80X7jsaHR5cGZu6bskG7FJ-icBP1p9EpvP9QzhMHV6yqfnb4-94dVkyapvBnvfz63_orw/s4624/20210830_155141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXUhPvAwTZqAHpgMiG4hrp7tZfohGTIrgUWLjKABBiDEb2DKsYmmJO3tzrvuhzxCIB80X7jsaHR5cGZu6bskG7FJ-icBP1p9EpvP9QzhMHV6yqfnb4-94dVkyapvBnvfz63_orw/s320/20210830_155141.jpg" width="180" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Maybe it is because I fear that if I let it go, I will not be appreciated, I will not succeed, I will not be loved. A hard thought I think, A thought that allowed me to survive and to 'move on', a thought that can fuel many of our desires to act, or to live.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But then I will have to disagree with my boss. I do not need to move on, not at least based on fear of approval. My morning ritual has started to include gratitude for just being alive, and for reassuring myself that whatever life throws at us, we will be OK. </span></p><p><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-56262713419588491922021-07-01T09:40:00.001+01:002021-08-31T10:21:35.351+01:00Rituals of authenticity<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My new book project is about the inclusion of <b>ritual</b> iin creativity.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At times it feels as if I am rehearsing previous arguments on the importance of letting creativity take its course in our lives. At other times though, it feels as if something 'magical' is going to happen.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Today I am at a cafe, writing this, and thinking how I need certain rituals to inspire my creativity. This is not my idea. The choreographer Tharp (2006) talks about morning rituals of waking up, taking a taxi and arriving at a studio, warming up and then letting practice take over. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My rituals of writing are now becoming both routinely predictable and unique. I sometimes wake up with the urge to write something (like today). I perform my ritual of arriving at the cafe, setting the computer up, starting to sip an espresso and then opening a document or two. Then the brain takes over. I want to write something that lingers in the mind in abstract form. I want to put it there, make sure that it links somehow with what I wrote before. I stop. I go for a walk or sit on a bench. Tomorrow or the day after I know I will change a bit of this routine. Maybe I still do not see myself as pursuing my own authenticity. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPgK9ESnza0r8Gtn7Xm7pqgHuG81r7xLXBXjvYd4oE4HyUvKd6J3HfRZ_eTySZt3MIiz2YV0tc70S-JS_3I9NRVpJ1RO3kqcourViOyY5Qyvvei_y30A28sYcifaLUIx90SrQFg/s4624/20210629_094715.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPgK9ESnza0r8Gtn7Xm7pqgHuG81r7xLXBXjvYd4oE4HyUvKd6J3HfRZ_eTySZt3MIiz2YV0tc70S-JS_3I9NRVpJ1RO3kqcourViOyY5Qyvvei_y30A28sYcifaLUIx90SrQFg/s320/20210629_094715.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My drawing is taking a similar path. Arriving at a studio, listening to the teacher, and then wanting to put something on paper. Doing so, correcting, and then perfecting. Experiencing anxiety when not seeing at least some clear, understandable or basic form or written ideas. Deleting. Moving. Re-drawing (rewriting). Forgetting to breathe. Starting to think I am a failure. Stopping and breathing. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQP5yfQW2VIhc4uRbfS7QuMSTj6IU1UHZ5rjbLGKXZW8zGOylmuOHoW_ujwwIplfn_1oXlNkQVovrb7MCEmU55dopBzvswl5cc7N-7nIxhsaPZZ5ePeELqCdYgL0SEueyMhfOQVQ/s4624/20210629_200111.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQP5yfQW2VIhc4uRbfS7QuMSTj6IU1UHZ5rjbLGKXZW8zGOylmuOHoW_ujwwIplfn_1oXlNkQVovrb7MCEmU55dopBzvswl5cc7N-7nIxhsaPZZ5ePeELqCdYgL0SEueyMhfOQVQ/s320/20210629_200111.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I think the path goes back to my old days of software coding...long sitting and typing hours, not wanting to give up (there was peer pressure and the belief I was part of an engineering elite). Short bouts of sleeping. Compiling. Running. Detecting bugs. Commenting with peers. Starting again (asking myself: what is the purpose of this piece of code?). Seeing how finally a piece did (not) work. Moving on. The life clock accumulates miles, as my car. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL1Shd7MpechPUS2oI-8aeeskcgDwpRUoHbY0OY6n2cAESOZqVo3VDjduA_OEASqezbGIEv1sMPqQMQvsuTvz-C7uwGiSEaLpi0ANN2Ac1uBjHBZI1CLHMRJAs49otuByuvLu5A/s4624/20210628_092154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRL1Shd7MpechPUS2oI-8aeeskcgDwpRUoHbY0OY6n2cAESOZqVo3VDjduA_OEASqezbGIEv1sMPqQMQvsuTvz-C7uwGiSEaLpi0ANN2Ac1uBjHBZI1CLHMRJAs49otuByuvLu5A/s320/20210628_092154.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Perhaps these activities and thoughts are also unique. We as creative individuals tend to think that what makes us authentic is the final product, rather than the process we go through. We adopt certain patterns or routines. Mixed with thoughts or beliefs about ourselves, we carry on. The rest of life disappears from the view of time. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And we become so used to see our rituals as 'normal'. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-13855910165033111802021-06-23T09:53:00.000+01:002021-06-23T09:53:00.284+01:00The return of coffee mornings<p> So here I am again in one of my favourite cafes. </p><p><br /></p><p>Sitting, typing, listening to what goes on. Trying to fight the desire to write the right sentences or paragraphs for a new book project. </p><p><br /></p><p>Many people including me are now practising the language of 'coffeeing'. We order exciting if not exotic things. And we do it in a louder voice. </p><p><br /></p><p>It is inevitable not to draw comparisons between how we used to come here. Before the world pandemic, myself I rushed to type things that were already on my notes. I could spend hours here. I felt there was not much outside I wanted to do. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOzRDOAwjnh267MggxskXzMXoyqPvA4i-WcJNJsUXYAlSxkXFmOUZkglKX6N2Sdo-cWf_32gv2GUN1RH69rWz8KMP586aWO4OJbuklEACzRhJDpS2wp-wQayCw1MZfdF0Uae3kA/s4624/20210622_115448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOzRDOAwjnh267MggxskXzMXoyqPvA4i-WcJNJsUXYAlSxkXFmOUZkglKX6N2Sdo-cWf_32gv2GUN1RH69rWz8KMP586aWO4OJbuklEACzRhJDpS2wp-wQayCw1MZfdF0Uae3kA/s320/20210622_115448.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Today, I am longing to finish this, to walk around, to breathe, or maybe sit outside and type in a more relaxed manner. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkY_mjJMnx4jMVloB8pRbh8IVarjNc2h8lapjWmF5QioNx1iR1BNFmITAGU_t405KdHpuCowRjxvxyoBD65f_C4gR-mKMRkTdGImTP6vVLfzYLx-2xSXeDyAni72wXvcF-TBAWeg/s4624/20210622_115451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="4624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkY_mjJMnx4jMVloB8pRbh8IVarjNc2h8lapjWmF5QioNx1iR1BNFmITAGU_t405KdHpuCowRjxvxyoBD65f_C4gR-mKMRkTdGImTP6vVLfzYLx-2xSXeDyAni72wXvcF-TBAWeg/s320/20210622_115451.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>People are louder, things are flourishing again, and so am I. </p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-9164803972527920032021-06-23T09:46:00.001+01:002021-06-23T09:46:28.141+01:00The inertia that we do not need<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Last few weeks, many discussions about what is to be the new normal, in management education and elsewhere.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There is no final answer really, but we all take part in these discussions, maybe out of fear of not being listened to in the run to making decisions.</span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The inertia that we do not need is a desire to cling to certain assumptions and ways of doing things that we fear losing, all in a rush. In management education, this includes keeping control of students and classrooms, now via sophisticated systems to monitor attendance and to ensure that whoever does not do what they are supposed to do is noticed.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRWu5DRC44s8gnh7n-VvNS_nCbBGlPh-ddc19o7cmeiKZnKIbCiCQaZ4MfPorQ4iqOeQ0E67Mx2XyxenJFyaVJNY7_doq3fWxj8ThvIZ4aKVo-BVR7T5IyEJCo4g9PTn8dI6yGg/s4624/20210526_104514.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRWu5DRC44s8gnh7n-VvNS_nCbBGlPh-ddc19o7cmeiKZnKIbCiCQaZ4MfPorQ4iqOeQ0E67Mx2XyxenJFyaVJNY7_doq3fWxj8ThvIZ4aKVo-BVR7T5IyEJCo4g9PTn8dI6yGg/s320/20210526_104514.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Elsewhere we still want our children to attend school, to be active and part of sports or arts activities. We cannot see any other way to keep them learning and socialising. The inertia here is to cling to old routines, those that allowed parents to get to work and have some respite. There is also inertia not to cross boundaries. We all know what home schooling has meant. Many of us do not want to go back to it again.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGrfdx5g38JWcllwK4dGCrLmuzQ2wxzuBQ-dR7CEQBPZM645_6uSxrwyMl9Pm85kPvTdr2NSHWQF5tITN67Av6ZvqI0D5BbLhzyQz1niLrluqZBXbae-yNT7emAolsGBI9skoHQ/s4624/20210526_104303.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="2604" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGrfdx5g38JWcllwK4dGCrLmuzQ2wxzuBQ-dR7CEQBPZM645_6uSxrwyMl9Pm85kPvTdr2NSHWQF5tITN67Av6ZvqI0D5BbLhzyQz1niLrluqZBXbae-yNT7emAolsGBI9skoHQ/s320/20210526_104303.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And we still keep some <b>rituals</b> that we have inherited during last year. Some remote working, exercise, small socialising (in my case), online shopping. Better sleep, or at least better attempts. These gives us a sense of security, much needed in the face of new and unknown uncertainties. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In all of this, the question still remains: What inertia do we still need? What don't we? </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Our moral compasses are changing. What used to be our automatic reactions about the right thing to do could become now a moral dilemma. Should we go to work to our offices? Should we go out? Could we sustain online interactions as substitutes of offline ones? For how long? </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We still need some inertia to keep things going, but it would be important to regard it as temporary. And the same could be said about change. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Technologies have given us possibilities to keep things going, but this does not mean that either those things are right in their own way, or that we need to change them completely. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My take for now about inertia? If it starts to feel too heavy, we might need to change it. </span></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-79110794262728180622021-02-27T09:46:00.001+00:002021-02-27T09:46:09.221+00:00As if nothing has happened<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">End of February 2021 in the UK. Spring is at the doorstep and vaccinations are taking place in several countries. There is a general feeling that we are soon getting back to normal. My twins’ school is about to reopen and I am looking forward to this, I also want to have some space to myself! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqy6aTfF2iuudnL4SNb46CwueyeM7gcVDgceIGF4sWR6sabBN74DtVsY_35WYCW11ef2c6ueKfySlOq9_VEkqVxaxcwsZZcVaX1bcjEOAjPpN_ReSeFQH-0G9H5GSVTCQ8WxwuA/s2560/IMG_20210210_080936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqy6aTfF2iuudnL4SNb46CwueyeM7gcVDgceIGF4sWR6sabBN74DtVsY_35WYCW11ef2c6ueKfySlOq9_VEkqVxaxcwsZZcVaX1bcjEOAjPpN_ReSeFQH-0G9H5GSVTCQ8WxwuA/s320/IMG_20210210_080936.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">It would be easy to forget what has happened in the last year and to focus on ‘catching up’ with family, friends, work, holidays or anything else. Myself, have been doing some reading and writing for what I think is going to be my next book. I have tried hard also to seek alternative hobbies or career possibilities. I have now exhausted myself. Luckily I have people around me that keep telling me to slow down. There is no need for the rush. I was supposed to go easy on myself during this new lockdown!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRtVikXeM0hQXGi5mSi1woH239fXchxo1toDT-joxlZlwiUN0lbZ1WPPIze-qO_soMbkXqkWXtchwDMMEstCI6Zf74ToYjd2OylFSIOAY_5hiJLFLJxDqhYFSeflJUXoFExZQpw/s2560/IMG_20210209_083705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRtVikXeM0hQXGi5mSi1woH239fXchxo1toDT-joxlZlwiUN0lbZ1WPPIze-qO_soMbkXqkWXtchwDMMEstCI6Zf74ToYjd2OylFSIOAY_5hiJLFLJxDqhYFSeflJUXoFExZQpw/s320/IMG_20210209_083705.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Anyway, I think that part of my problem is that I somehow want to forget about 2020 and to carry on as if nothing had happened. This is a normal reaction to adverse events. Only that if we take another look at what went on, we could also rescue some positives. And then accept that we are to move on, with this awareness.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some of us would want to cling to helpful habits that we have acquired. Paradoxically in my case, I have learned to do some things slowly. Waking up and having breakfast, getting ready for the day whilst having a nice chat with my wife has been really good. We talk about science fiction or comics, the mangas that she is reading, novelties about our twins or my ideas about how crazy and un predictable creativity is. We also vent out our frustrations and worries. And then we start working or homeschooling. For me it has become a realisation that it is not possible to do everything on a single day, or do it very well. My praise to my twins teachers, they do an amazing job, all things considered. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxv1SE69HCpV2XkTZVAG5xhpaMtDgXcrKF5OMFymq-QyzlqyeZgJap2VLoZKWUkmLqAmrb5iJqrgsGJfIF4RatzpFc5mqkpSsaPZJYP1ddtGHLASdZ4bBIB3Emhpn1ZmvLFKPgA/s2560/IMG_20210206_163036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxv1SE69HCpV2XkTZVAG5xhpaMtDgXcrKF5OMFymq-QyzlqyeZgJap2VLoZKWUkmLqAmrb5iJqrgsGJfIF4RatzpFc5mqkpSsaPZJYP1ddtGHLASdZ4bBIB3Emhpn1ZmvLFKPgA/s320/IMG_20210206_163036.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I would love to get back to my office on campus, with a view to enjoy the physical surroundings. I would love to do less there. I used to spend a great deal of time there, wandering between the office and the cafes or the shop, feeling that I needed to be there and with a fear of wasting my time. Now, I think can still do my work and would love to stop on the way for a coffee in nearby towns, or strolling for a walk as I used to do some times. </div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6ggQ3nwzGEYpG-vWYNvs7sANNMP-82QhdoLixhiOV4vH7Bwx10YRFaPsV8WpEFUO6vqj9sKHsA0ZbkCYQ53WbLoaR9bbCajLg33vEwya12YnqHDJ1LMflcx6ZCr2BO8Tn2k-Hg/s2560/IMG_20210205_081508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6ggQ3nwzGEYpG-vWYNvs7sANNMP-82QhdoLixhiOV4vH7Bwx10YRFaPsV8WpEFUO6vqj9sKHsA0ZbkCYQ53WbLoaR9bbCajLg33vEwya12YnqHDJ1LMflcx6ZCr2BO8Tn2k-Hg/s320/IMG_20210205_081508.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We just have to be grateful to be alive, to have some energy to carry out during our days, to have loved ones. Yes, we are now living differently and more carefully. But we can still live. Slowly but surely. Who wouldn’t want to do that? </div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-54463154749454745772021-01-24T12:05:00.000+00:002021-01-24T12:05:04.457+00:00Pandemic presence<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The lockdowns in our societies have helped bring to the surface how we as human beings think of ourselves as present. </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Virtual and other technologies have helped us to maintain a degree of presence at work and with geographically distant family. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHn_5nbKAOiNKiAiYDzVjVwr_rGUXWPyAaotbm0DraKw96EO1CrQQ92beJxFf448vn-lbA8R3Fsx8SLF-HPyE7IXFwLF6H4B4yOqICUycenQKwx46cONOHRIkD9iVO33ig2DprQ/s2560/IMG_20210123_104426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHn_5nbKAOiNKiAiYDzVjVwr_rGUXWPyAaotbm0DraKw96EO1CrQQ92beJxFf448vn-lbA8R3Fsx8SLF-HPyE7IXFwLF6H4B4yOqICUycenQKwx46cONOHRIkD9iVO33ig2DprQ/s320/IMG_20210123_104426.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I wonder if we have changed our image, what we say or do when being remotely present, and how we have managed our physical presence when it comes to going some places or just talking or doing stuff at home. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Myself I had not thought of the above as I assumed that I was the same individual when interacting with others. I was aware of the (mindful) importance to be fully present (easier said than done). The first lockdown was a retreat to finish writing my latest book and some research articles, and a preparation of educational resources for my job. I think I maintained presence in my circles, showing myself up at times. There were nice conversations with old friends that I had not seen for a good while. And with of course my close relatives. At times I was also absent minded: the writing, the preparations, the anxiety, the frustration. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">After this first lockdown ended, I noticed I was missing my coffee meetings with myself (for writing) and with my friend Adrian. I was also missing meeting my well-being group. We kept the meetings virtual. And when the first opportunity came I socially-distant met with these people. It was good to finally catch up. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">And with second and third lockdowns, I am now thinking that I need their presence somehow, and that I want but often cannot really be present as I would like to. Work and home schooling make busy and draining days. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnw961ZXApjbzIxm5x0DNP7gYjd42GjDOiRUAPxbkPhX6tOsM_ObVDcCyrq3fT0rLlVdE4zFmFdl0reLJ3W4DTWBOW3ubegv3AYeOluwqH7xxzLtux2wAoyL4QpNXU-07HjFn7Q/s2560/IMG_20210122_075944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnw961ZXApjbzIxm5x0DNP7gYjd42GjDOiRUAPxbkPhX6tOsM_ObVDcCyrq3fT0rLlVdE4zFmFdl0reLJ3W4DTWBOW3ubegv3AYeOluwqH7xxzLtux2wAoyL4QpNXU-07HjFn7Q/s320/IMG_20210122_075944.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Presence is now a challenge. Or is it not? Maybe I am still present, but not in the way I would like to. It is one thing to talk or listen to my students online (most of whom do not show themselves and only listen), or to have virtual work meetings (in which we follow an agenda and occasionally we joke). And it is another thing to feel we are ‘there’ in a common space, that we are ‘there’ now, fully engaged, feeding from each other, communing with each other. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBopAAmdKCQtEw6GaQ3n5e2M3oBI-Q2SDPbyq3pgywoVBlTvxU2_NJRF-JVokry-4d93T-D_-zmAXmbub91N25rufX2j26YMsrYKBXSZ0d-axwlvg9_nliI0DPnp-y9mTIhgfyyw/s2560/IMG_20210122_075658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBopAAmdKCQtEw6GaQ3n5e2M3oBI-Q2SDPbyq3pgywoVBlTvxU2_NJRF-JVokry-4d93T-D_-zmAXmbub91N25rufX2j26YMsrYKBXSZ0d-axwlvg9_nliI0DPnp-y9mTIhgfyyw/s320/IMG_20210122_075658.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Maybe we would need to accept that presence means both of these things. That we are and we are not present. That one cannot be with the other. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We are all trying to be present, perhaps we just need to be less demanding of what we want to achieve. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12841839.post-44717346334412745932021-01-22T08:25:00.008+00:002021-01-24T12:08:02.569+00:00A test for other viruses<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">This new year brings more testing, and not necessarily for COVID-19.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Having lived through several lockdowns and uncertainties, it might be time for us to test ourselves on how well aligned are our <b>values</b> to what we do at work and elsewhere.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">It might be that our self-defensive habits have taken over, leading us to strongly protect some imaginaries like our own images of ourselves or others. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Or our 'nostalgic' pictures of what the world was or needs to become ('normal' again?). </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcKZOzIreJBVl7jnZ84VO4HPas1JhkTG8HmpSZSr2sCPGe_b71PVgiKKUJXwBX7u9xoZQEt1SPzg13zXe4Mui-uVVtICDQPJOSiAcstCIjTE7dKjLX7D7eVBTzeeR9W3IfBT-yw/s2560/IMG_20210118_081147.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcKZOzIreJBVl7jnZ84VO4HPas1JhkTG8HmpSZSr2sCPGe_b71PVgiKKUJXwBX7u9xoZQEt1SPzg13zXe4Mui-uVVtICDQPJOSiAcstCIjTE7dKjLX7D7eVBTzeeR9W3IfBT-yw/s320/IMG_20210118_081147.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">And in the process, we might have adopted thoughts or behaviours that keep us ‘safe’ from the scrutiny of others and the world in general. We could also have developed other habits or adopted thoughts which we considered very alien, and are now part of who we think we are. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Myself, I considered that I am now more of a facilitator of learning than a traditional lecturer, although I still keep some habits in and outside the classroom. My values of dedication and commitment remain, for good or bad. I have adopted my teaching material to suit more shorter events and also use of other online resources from publishers. And I still aim to propose creative assignments to my students, teaching face-to-face whenever required. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh085UGxdebX7ZBz5L3fNTuETqZuxCgeUJ9yJKcznA2TpalFB1RY5gpauBPQC9CRRg1cAsqW-to4PMSCaVYlrJ7nbpGrnzCZ7ITg0cl0un0FoBZXjipdSEQf1Jc9VtYIhMtpzxlEA/s2560/IMG_20210102_172610.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh085UGxdebX7ZBz5L3fNTuETqZuxCgeUJ9yJKcznA2TpalFB1RY5gpauBPQC9CRRg1cAsqW-to4PMSCaVYlrJ7nbpGrnzCZ7ITg0cl0un0FoBZXjipdSEQf1Jc9VtYIhMtpzxlEA/s320/IMG_20210102_172610.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">So I do not think I have been afraid of change, only that I have somehow changed at my own pace (not too fast, not too slow). There are costs. I feel drained at the end of the week. Maybe I have tried to hard to instil enthusiasm in myself and my students. Perfection, again. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Perfection, an old habit, and also, I have adopted some unhelpful thoughts: “There is no body else that can do what I do; If I don’t do this the world comes to an end. I am here to right all the wrongs encountered; everyone should be committed to help students, and if not I must intervene. It is the pandemic “. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQjUCQdw4T3fmSbw6GVDFi1QIu_7jaPf-b2cFXLR_x23xUT5LWp5Sr1mMkWpWW5cS9SL65usqO-tfr2KIEe65EyYBRpV9jYj0_2OjyoY_wTKSj6HnOlwuBL_TqrcPb3nZBrKj8g/s2560/IMG_20210117_154108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQjUCQdw4T3fmSbw6GVDFi1QIu_7jaPf-b2cFXLR_x23xUT5LWp5Sr1mMkWpWW5cS9SL65usqO-tfr2KIEe65EyYBRpV9jYj0_2OjyoY_wTKSj6HnOlwuBL_TqrcPb3nZBrKj8g/s320/IMG_20210117_154108.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some of these thoughts align with my values of dedication and commitment. But others don’t. I appointed myself to be a saviour, when colleagues are also paid to do their job. I value time with <b>family</b> and time for <b>thinking</b> too. I cannot right all the wrongs or help everyone that comes my way. It is really not possible. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">What else do I value? </span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Contact with nature</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Health</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Self-care</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Collegiate support</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Curiosity</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Simplicity</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Reflection </span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Honesty</span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Time to do nothing. </span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Time to reshuffle priorities, and test myself again, with compassion. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbDmLB6VwJEKf-vWfjzym-RaYxta0aLLfC_K80y9eciaZ-hLy5NFVFa4AfQw3pZUGgAwDHkTINA0bDvnIrNZs6EmXJZB6v9t0-qjQYfaGxCxXipj3YM5cw8IwSWgdetfFZFAsnA/s2560/IMG_20210117_154101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbDmLB6VwJEKf-vWfjzym-RaYxta0aLLfC_K80y9eciaZ-hLy5NFVFa4AfQw3pZUGgAwDHkTINA0bDvnIrNZs6EmXJZB6v9t0-qjQYfaGxCxXipj3YM5cw8IwSWgdetfFZFAsnA/s320/IMG_20210117_154101.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">And what about you? Is your job misaligning with your values, creating fake thoughts or unhelpful habits? </span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Jose-Rodrigohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12070766874799500220noreply@blogger.com0