A Tuesday Thought ... Thinking about Margins

 This is the ponderings which have come together from a number of sources but which seem to have come semi coherently as I ponder role as leader and also a member of various groups and teams... 

 

On somedays your head is wrecked by thoughts which have the Potential to change how you think about the world … surprising thoughts … that might be just chains of randomness but then again they might just have the potency to change how things are done eternally.

Power in Church (universal), in organisations, in churches (churches), in the community, in the nation is  usually held at the top, in the centre, in the corridors, at the ballot box … sometimes we find ourselves there in the centre, in the room - the people there to make the decisions, to set the vision, to vote. Empowered, heard and responded to.

At other times, well its different, isn’t it? - the decision was made without us, we were silenced, neglected, dis-empowered, marginalised, criticised, misunderstood, overlooked …

In any process … (and it seems to be there are indeed many, countless processes working at the same time) there is a need for those at the top, in the know, in those corridors to PAUSE and THINK … before the decisions are made to hear and include, to empower and understand the ones on the margins of the decisions

The ones on the margins might actually have some answers, insights, possibilities of creative solutions to the problems faced.

It might take time and effort to get these things done but maybe, just maybe there is possibilities for new creative solutions to the intransigence of the past, understanding of the present and then perhaps a new future opens up as a vista before us.

Can those of us in power (no matter how much or little that may be )… and lets be real here … this ain’t easy - let a bit of it go - to include, to reach out, to go beyond the superficial, to hear the stories, to chose not to put ourselves first, to not have our way

When we win, are we prepared to find whats good with the losers
When we are in power, are we prepared to go to the disempowered and discover what life is like for them?

and then again its not about them and us … there is a common humanity that needs love, that needs to be empowered together.

in any process, in any group the stories from the margins needs to be heard

In our world, in my world, where are the margins I need to listen to ?

In my world, where am I on the margins? where could my voice need to be heard?

I used the words ‘potential to change’ … because potential it is … It won’t happen if we wont take the risk.

We need to call out to those whose voice ain’t heard, ain’t represented, ain’t given the opportunity to make a difference.

I suppose there is a bit of radicalness within this that has the potential to change the systems, to set the vision but there might just be a bit of gospel for those on the margins in it … who knows ?? 



There's issues here of conflict resolution, Reconciliation, Wisdom ...