Death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessnes are the four big existential fears of all humans. We have myriad ways of avoiding them and pursuing unckecked power is but one such defensive mechanism.
What is the version of the story that provides a direction forward? What is the way to navigate, orient, take action and make the absolute best on every level...self, teams, community, society and world? I would love to read the possiblity side of things. Thanks for this great piece.
@Tivo far from me to presume having any definitive answers - if anything I'm as lost and trying to make sense of things as anybody else. I do believe that that practicing noticing our triggers, speaking to our fears, openly acknowledging our stuckness, owning our own reactions/behaviours even when we're not proud of them, choosing to ask questions when all we feel like doing is judging/rejecting, - all of these are like "muscles for wisdom" we can train. It's hard, it's painful and it ends up shifting how we show up.
Yes, I like all of those. It's not about the solution but a direction of possiblity, practices and moves that move the needle. I think about the somatic leadership, somatic/generative coaching practices all are about vertical development. All the ontological coaching is about vertical coherence and capacity. Thanks for your writing and work in this important domain.
Thank you, Alis, for bringing up Yalom’s existential framework in our conversation. It’s been years since I last read about those fundamental fears as part of my own ‘growing up’. Revisiting them through your insights was a great reminder and thought-provoking.
I appreciate how you articulated what’s happening in the world today through the lens of existential fears. Your words carry wisdom and depth, making me reflect on how much of human behaviour is driven by the fears we struggle to confront within ourselves.
We’ve seen power-seeking behaviour in politics and business for decades, but lately, it’s been driven by individuals who fall somewhere on a clinical spectrum. That’s what’s truly frightening. They have the time and opportunity to dismantle what’s left of our shared humanity, yet they lack the capacity for self-awareness and reflection, to question their motives, or to take full ownership of their actions.
What is the version of the story that provides a direction forward? What is the way to navigate, orient, take action and make the absolute best on every level...self, teams, community, society and world? I would love to read the possiblity side of things. Thanks for this great piece.
@Tivo far from me to presume having any definitive answers - if anything I'm as lost and trying to make sense of things as anybody else. I do believe that that practicing noticing our triggers, speaking to our fears, openly acknowledging our stuckness, owning our own reactions/behaviours even when we're not proud of them, choosing to ask questions when all we feel like doing is judging/rejecting, - all of these are like "muscles for wisdom" we can train. It's hard, it's painful and it ends up shifting how we show up.
Yes, I like all of those. It's not about the solution but a direction of possiblity, practices and moves that move the needle. I think about the somatic leadership, somatic/generative coaching practices all are about vertical development. All the ontological coaching is about vertical coherence and capacity. Thanks for your writing and work in this important domain.
Thank you, Alis, for bringing up Yalom’s existential framework in our conversation. It’s been years since I last read about those fundamental fears as part of my own ‘growing up’. Revisiting them through your insights was a great reminder and thought-provoking.
I appreciate how you articulated what’s happening in the world today through the lens of existential fears. Your words carry wisdom and depth, making me reflect on how much of human behaviour is driven by the fears we struggle to confront within ourselves.
We’ve seen power-seeking behaviour in politics and business for decades, but lately, it’s been driven by individuals who fall somewhere on a clinical spectrum. That’s what’s truly frightening. They have the time and opportunity to dismantle what’s left of our shared humanity, yet they lack the capacity for self-awareness and reflection, to question their motives, or to take full ownership of their actions.
Very nice. Thank you for writing.