Reflection and action are two sides of the same coin; engagement in life. We act out of our thoughts, out of our ideas of what is real, and what should be made real. I am reading a book right now which is about social innovation, about the multle lines of connection which string together people and stories, through which social change comes about.
The following are excerpts from this book, Getting to Maybe, written by Frances Westley, Brenda Zimmerman, and Michael Quinn Patton, p. 61 (references below)
We live, by and large, in a culture that divorces contemplation or reflection from action. We go to school, a time of contemplation, to prepare ourselves for action. Those who never wish to enter the world of action remain in school, as academics, or become monks, writers, artists. Those who spring into action rarely find time for contemplation, for standing still—-except on vacation, when they collapse from overwork..
What do you think of these statements? Are academics existing in exile from the world, or is thinking, studying, and learning actually a form of action?
Deep reflection demands careful observation, not only of the details but also of their relationships to one another….Successful social innovators are thoughtful actors and restless thinkers….
The need for ongoing reflection is shaped by the fact that in complex systems, no pattern stays in place for long, and no intervention has a predictable result. The world is not acted upon, but rather interacts with us in often surprising ways….
As students in GRS we have the privilege of engaging with the world in a unique way- we engage with its history, its present, and its future. We look at it through so many lenses: agriculture, land, food, community, politics, sociology, chemistry… I really believe that this time of learning, contemplation, studying, is a decisive action.
- Westley, F., Zimmerman, B., & Patton M.Q. (2007). Getting to Maybe: How the World is Changed. Toronto, ON: Vintage Canada.