Ruth Whisler, PhD/Assistant Clinical Professor of Social Work
Social Work Program Coordinator, Yuma Branch Campus
Teaching Academy Member
Since Tuesday’s electoral events, the country and the world has been in continuous conversation about what has been, what is, what will be, and how we will fare under all the storms that are still to be weathered. Students are in varying states of euphoria to despair, our families are much the same, and in my neighborhood, for example, there is every communication from honking horns and thumbs up symbols to outright yelling about things not yet having reached conclusion. Clearly, there is need for us to be involved in working with each other and moving the country to a place of global recognition, national unity, and individual productiveness. We have overcome such troubled times in the history of the Republic in the past, and all signs indicate we can do so again.
All of this swirling emotion and behavior serves to keep many people unfocused and not quite able to decide where their own next step will take them. Whatever “side” or worldview we each hold, there can be no argument that we are in a time of significant movement into a chaotic time holding potential for new possibilities, relationships and experiencing the world around us.
I am a social worker by lifestyle and profession and as such, a believer in the power of relationship being the foundation for human interaction. We see change as a constant part of evolutionary development of things – human and environmental. Chaos is opportunity and opportunity opens the paths to potential and life enhancement. So, as I am walking through these last few days, I am reminded of the writing of Margaret J. Wheatley, in her book, Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World, particularly as she writes of her experience with listening to an announcer describing the process of a hurricane along the eastern seaboard of the United States. I am copying it here, as it is well worth the read.
We live in a time of great stirring storms, both natural and human-made. Disruptive elements seem to be afoot, gathering strength in air masses that spiral over oceans or in decisions that swirl through the halls of power. The daily news is filled with powerful changes, and many of us feel buffeted by forces we cannot control. It was from this place of feeling battered and bruised that I listened one night to a radio interview with a geologist whose specialty was beaches and shorelines. The interview was being conducted as a huge hurricane was pounding the Outer Banks of the eastern United States. The geologist had studied the Outer Banks for many years and was speaking fondly about their unique geological features. He was waiting for the storm to abate so he could get out and take a look at the hurricane’s impact. The interviewer asked: “What do you expect to find when you go out there?” Like the interviewer, I assumed he would present a litany of disasters—demolished homes, felled trees, eroded shoreline. But he surprised me. “I expect,” he said calmly, “to find a new beach.” (Wheatley, M. J., 1999, p.137)
What a wonderful way to view chaos. It brings calm to the thought process and opens conversation about movement and building. We all know that building from a new view can provide a stronger, healthier, more-encompassing environment within which to work. My hope is that each of us, wherever we saw the world to be prior to this week, can find the hope and power in that new beach.