Life as Art

I enjoyed reading this article for it captures the essence of our struggles today. We as a nation did not prepare for the changing times. As we're entering into this era, each of us have a responsibility to learn and grow in ways to help us move forward with a new consciousness.

Both choices are appealing. Choice #1 appeals to my victim ego. Choice #2 appeals to my hero soul. Which one wins will depend on my energy level and mood. Perhaps I could use strategies to inject optimism and creativity into my life and overcome inertia. May the hero win.

The devils of should screamed in my ear
You have the talent of genius my dear

They demanded that I produce some day
To become all that I could and earn my way

I complied like a child and went for the ring
I reached for and solved the impossible thing

The devils screamed and refused to believe
That someone like me could really achieve

The devils drove me to madness and pain
It wasn’t me but they who were insane

I surrendered them and purged them all
Listened to my heart; heard a different call

The angels gave me permission to be
It was they who finally set me free

The angels handed me a new dictum
Don’t be a hero or you’ll end up a victim

They gave me courage for the scorn
I deserve to live because I was born

The world is no longer mine to save
I am no longer its repetitious slave

The sin of the world is not my affair
And its burden is not mine to bear

I can not resist this final thought
It’s the solution for what I sought

When love is present there is no foe
No hero above or victim below

We save the world when we save ourselves.

A Smile can Change the World

When someone’s ego screams in pain
From internalized devils that talked to Cain

Choose not to engage them with yours
For those devils lead to illness and wars

Instead…

May your smile touch the depths of someone’s despair
And restore faith and hope in those found there

Courageous honesty, love, compassion and forgiveness -Pass these on
Paradise, The Garden of Eden, exists and was here all along

Cognitive Consonance
In this solitude You gave me
It feels so strange, unreal and odd
How can I really be worry-free
If I don’t know who I am God

I lost myself to find myself
And I haven’t got a clue
My ego sits on top the shelf
I’m waiting to hear from You

I’ve got this funny feeling though
It’s not a mystery to be solved
And the answer I should know
Because the conflict was resolved

It appears the torment I endured
Was a self-created condition
And now that I have been cured
I’ll choose to break tradition

I won’t define the who of me
And will leave it in the air
Without a me by which to flee
I’ll fly up high and dare

This post will examine Scott Simmerman’s article, “Teaching the Caterpillar to Fly – Some Ideas on Managing Change (1999).” Resistance to change from the viewpoint of a highly resistant caterpillar will be discussed. The value of people as idea generators in discussion type settings will be identified as a benefit of diversity. Including people in the improvement process helps them overcome the natural resistance response to change allowing them to transition from caterpillar to butterfly.

“People will often resist change because they are comfortable with how things are, right now. By identifying Square wheels and Round Wheels, we increase discomfort with the way things are and we make change more likely” (Simmerman, 1999, p. 12). This author can relate to this in the work center that she currently finds herself employed. With the advent of technology, there are many opportunities for improvement. Computers and programs introduce and make round wheels available making the square way of doing things inefficient and obsolete. Unfortunately, people often resist change. This author, a purveyor of change, often encounters it. One coworker confided that “This is the way I have been doing it for 20 or more years. I am comfortable doing it this way and your wanting to change things is a shock to my system” (R. Correa, personal communication, n.d.)

“Two caterpillars are conversing and a beautiful butterfly floats by. One caterpillar turns and says to the other, You’ll never get me up on one of those butterfly things.” (Simmerman, 1999, p. 1) The theme of this story is about resistance to change. It doesn’t matter if the change is beneficial it is still going to meet with resistance. When Simmerman (1999, p. 2) introduced this story to a large group, he received many different responses in a discussion. Some of the observations made were:

Caterpillars have no need to fly. They are well-grounded!
Caterpillars can eat anything green and find food everywhere.
Butterflies are a stage beyond caterpillars.
Butterflies have to fly to get anywhere. Caterpillars can crawl and climb.
It's easier for butterflies to develop perspective than caterpillars.
We can attempt to resist and suffer the stress and difficulties.
You have to stop being a caterpillar in order to become a butterfly.
Change is not always a conscious decision. Change will occur, inevitably.
We can choose to be active participants in change. Or not, maybe.
We go through stages of development and butterflies are one stage closer to death.
Risk avoidance is normal.
Change is often actively resisted.
Change is inevitable.
Caterpillars don't like wings.
Caterpillars must hate flying since they don't try.
There is a need for vision and perspective -- we're all on a journey.
Caterpillars focus only on eating and survival. Butterflies get blown around by the wind and caterpillars can drag their feet!
Metamorphosis is an uncontrollable process with an unclear result.
Metamorphosis is a dark, damp, confined place, so I'm scared!

What this author finds interesting is the diverse responses obtained from a large discussion group. The responses are varied and explore the story from different angles. It is doubtful that one individual would be able to come up with so many different angles by himself or herself. In fact Simmerman also sees the value of diversity, “When people talk about this story of caterpillars and butterflies among themselves, a most remarkable thing usually happens: They discover that they share different perspectives and a diversity of ideas, which is common when people discuss things” (1999, p. 3).

This process reminds this author of the discussion that takes place in an online blog. Contributers hover about their computers to contribute to discussion on different themes and topics. Items and angles that one might never encounter or think about are introduced for consideration and thought. Simmerman says, “The fact that we can generate other ideas is a most interesting outcome. All of us have the capability to generate ideas and possibilities. What we need is a simple tool and shared base of experience and common ground…” (1999, p. 3). In the blogging environment, the simple tools are the computer and Internet. The shared base of experience is that each person is similar yet different. The common ground is the goal to survive and even thrive.

The fact that different people can generate different ideas and possibilities makes them prime candidates for being idea generators for solving problems in team settings. According to Simmerman, change and improvements are globally needed, “Organizationally, the overwhelming global response to Scott Adams' Dilbert cartoons indicates there exists a perception in business today that things do not work smoothly, that lots of mud exists and that few in leadership positions appear to be listening. And change and improvement are paramount needs” (1999, p. 11).

Effective leaders can form employees into teams where discussion can lead to solutions. “A cross-functional team (Simmerman) with a few skills, a mission and vision, and a bit of empowerment from management can generate the objectivity, perspective, collective knowledge and support to make real improvements in systems and processes, the root solution to the quality issue. And by getting people involved in the solution, they become equity owners of the process and we do things with them rather than to them” (1999, p. 14). Change is sometimes needed to turn ineffective processes into effective ones. When a caterpillar is destined to change into a butterfly regardless of preference, resistance seems to be a waste of effort. It is much better for a caterpillar to buy into the change to give the caterpillar a sense of control over it.

This author’s conclusion based on Simmerman’s article and personal experience is that change is inevitable. Some changes are necessary as they can lead to improving broken processes. When people are comfortable with the ways things are, getting them to buy into the change can be a difficult persuasion. The best way to get a caterpillar to become a butterfly is to involve them in the process.

Reference
Simmerman, S. J. (1999). Teaching the Caterpillar to Fly - Some Ideas on Managing Change. Retrieved July 1, 2003, http://www.squarewheels.com/content/teaching.html