Doing the same thing over and over againand expecting different results borders on insanity,
or so it was first coined by Albert Einstein. Cleverly spoken. More cleverly used as a cash cow
on many a cup, t-shirt, mouse pad or bookmark. Some may argue it to be a chronic cliché,
while, in the background, our world is solemnly slipping away.
A dooming trajectory.
Currently it seems like we all want the world to stop so that we can conveniently get off. The
world’s trajectory is seemingly spinning out of control. Our endeavours aren’t changing
anything, yet we try and try again, without any real change. Ignorantly demanding a different outcome.
If you would just take a moment to observe the world around you, we will all surely agree that
our world isn’t getting healthier. Nature is battling and critically careening out of control.
Topsy Turvy.
As the world is regressively spiralling out of control, we are drowning. Our own
incompetencies are drowning us. We are no custodians of the earth. The only legacy we are
leaving behind is one of chaos.
We are surely not doing this on purpose. We are trying our best – creating systems, taking
control and taking charge. We use buzz words like “innovate”, “mindful”, “holistic”, “natural”,
“whole”, “green”, “conserve”, and so the list continues …
Sadly, the more we strive to “innovate” orto “intervene”, the more things seem to be spinning
out of control. Obesity, depression, broken families and hostile societies are on the rise.
Spinning … and spinning … Chaos intertwined with more chaos trapping us inside.
Broken.
We are broken.
Being a teacher myself and working in an extremely high-performance environment, I started
to realise that we may be asking the wrong questions. “Wrong” is a strong and stern word.
Allow me to rephrase: Maybe the time has come for us to start asking different questions.
Our current questions are clearly not bringing much change. It is instead leading us into
insanity, like a tunnel collapsing inward, crushing the mind long before the body.
The time is now!
We can still make a U-turn.
Let us begin by asking different questions leading us to new pathways.
“New” may also be a deceptively tricky word. Yet, in searching for new pathways, we may
simply stumble upon old, forgotten ones – those that have truly stood the test of time.
Hope!
When we start wandering on these ancient trails, we discover hope. Innovative journeys are
being found. Buzz words become a way of life – being holistic and mindful become a natural
part of conserving this world for future generations.
We discover that less is more. The process becomes a journey where the outcomes don’t
outweigh the pilgrimage. These “new” or rather different questions are starting to renew our
thinking. Mindsets are modified.
Lingering hope.
Renewed mindsets are always a good start, yetit somehow keeps us hesitantly anticipating.
We prefer to linger longer.
Action is necessary, sadly reluctance remains.
Being fearfully apprehensive keeps us from embarking on these pathways. In all honesty,
walking through the veld is much more difficult than taking the highway. I guess the
proverbial road less travelled has always been the unpopular choice. We are creatures of
habit and dislike discomfort.
We detest change. Change will never be our natural and obvious choice.
Ironically, the world around us is changing fast due to our lack of action. Not taking action is
also, in a sense,taking action. It is a conscious decision. We are happy to oblige, “if everyone
else is not doing anything, why should I?”. Thus, we conveniently comply.
Practical Hope.
If our systems are not changing us, or healing our planet, or uniting us, we surely need to find
other solutions.
Solutions are found through asking questions. Different questions. Out of the ordinary,
uncommon, unconventional, unorthodox and unprecedented questions.
These questions will demand answers, and when we start answering these questions, we
are taking action.
As a family we realised that our prestigiously kept systems are not bringing about change. If
we need to change our way of life, we cannot keep staying in our current systems.
That would just be insane.
Action was needed! Taking action shouldn’t be daunting – simplicity is key. Thus, we, as a
family, started engaging in conversations, went down Google rabbit holes, attended open
days … we kept on asking different questions.
One thing always has a way of leading to another. Action brings perspective.
The Waldorf school system stood out. Head and shoulders. A perfect example of finding a
different approach to our pending problem. A fresh perspective to our predicament – a
unique pathway that truly stood the test of time. Unwavering, unshakeable and unrelenting.
If we want to change the world, we need to create out of the ordinary future generations who are
different from the norm. The youth should lead the way through the veld for others to follow.
Moving my children from an elite environment to the “weird school in the bush” gaveus hope
for a better future.
Is it easy? No! Certainly not. Remaining in a superior system myself makes me an alien.
Yet, every time when my daughter says that she finally belongs, or my son laughs so
abundantly, I realise that our world has been changed for the better.
Hope has prevailed!
Sanity is,
after all,
clearly possible.
Disillusioned Dad
18 March 2025