The Three Narratives
Las tres narrativas- por Joanna Macy
Cuando nos reunimos para este trabajo, al principio discernimos tres historias o versiones de la realidad que están dando forma a nuestro mundo para que podamos verlas con mayor claridad y elegir cuál queremos dejar atrás. La primera narrativa que identificamos es "Negocios como siempre", por lo que nos referimos a la economía de crecimiento o capitalismo corporativo global. Escuchamos esta orden de marcha de prácticamente todas las voces del gobierno, las corporaciones que cotizan en bolsa, el ejército y los medios de comunicación controlados por las corporaciones.
La segunda se llama "El gran desmoronamiento": una caída continua de las estructuras vivas. Esto es lo que sucede cuando los sistemas ecológicos, biológicos y sociales se mercantilizan a través de una sociedad de crecimiento industrial o un marco de “negocios como siempre”. Me gusta el término "deshacerse", porque los sistemas no caen muertos, se deshilachan y pierden progresivamente su coherencia, integridad y memoria.
La tercera historia es la aventura central de nuestro tiempo: la transición a una sociedad que sustente la vida. La magnitud y el alcance de esta transición, que está muy avanzada cuando sabemos dónde mirar, es comparable a la revolución agrícola de hace unos diez mil años y la revolución industrial de hace unos siglos. Los pensadores sociales contemporáneos tienen varios nombres para ello, como la revolución ecológica o de la sostenibilidad; en el Trabajo que Reconecta lo llamamos el Gran Cambio.
Dicho de forma sencilla, nuestro objetivo con este proceso de nombrar y reconocimiento profundo de lo que está sucediendo en nuestro mundo es sobrevivir a las dos primeras historias y seguir atrayendo a más y más personas y recursos a la tercera historia. A través de este trabajo, podemos elegir alinearnos con los negocios como de costumbre, el desmoronamiento de los sistemas vivos o la creación de una sociedad que sustente la vida.
Preguntas semilla para la reflexión: ¿Cómo te relacionas con las tres narrativas? ¿Puedes compartir una historia personal de alguna vez en la que te encontraste en la tercera historia: la transición a una sociedad que sustenta la vida? ¿Qué te ayuda a darte cuenta de la historia en la que te encuentras?
Joanna Macy, Ph.D., es una eco-filósofa y experta en budismo, teoría general de sistemas y ecología profunda. Extracto de la revista Emergence Magazine.
Joanna Macy, Ph.D., is an eco-philosopher and a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. Excerpt above from Emergence Magazine.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the three narratives? Can you share a personal story of a time you found yourself situated in the third story: the transition to a life-sustaining society? What helps you become aware of the story you are in?
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4 Past Reflections
On Nov 10, 2020 john lee wrote :
This is a great piece that resonates with me and reflect on. For the first narrative, I grow up poor and am able to make my way to a comfortable living, thinking that everyone has equal opportunity to do as well and better. That turns out to be true for many but for reasons that elude me why not the vast majority. As a life learner, my cumulative learning fromworld history, economics, sociology and the leaders around the world led me to conclude on the second narrative while there is a chance for the third narrative. Learning from my years of volunteering in multiple organizations and roles, and the current world situation do not give me high hope of the second narrative would turn to the third in my life time.
The third narrative requires the whole chain of stakeholders in vast majority to take responsible actions instead of playing politics. Climate Change has been a well researched topic for the last forty years. UN SDG framework has been in place since 2015. I am still hopeful, loo... [View Full Comment]
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On Nov 10, 2020 Patrick wrote :
Reminds me greatly of Macy's dear friend Richard Rohr and his Widom Pattern of order, disorder, reorder.
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On Nov 6, 2020 David Doane wrote :
I believe the first two narratives, ie, a time of business as usual and a time of unraveling, are the usual progression of individuals and institutions, and the third narrative, ie, a time of a great turning that is life sustaining, is the evolution of some individuals and institutions. We rigidifyat a level of functioning until the diminishing returns and entropy result in either a great turning or death. My own spirituality went through that progression. I went through a business as usual unquestioning phase in which I took for granted the religious truths I was taught, then went through a phase of unraveling and collapse of my core religious truths, and then went through an inner transition to a life sustaining spirituality that reconnects me to myself, to others, and to all creation. What helps me become aware of this story for myselfis the intolerable emptiness in staying in businessas usual; questioning and letting go of business as usual; openness to learn from outside business ... [View Full Comment]
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On Nov 6, 2020 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
I like the way Joanne Macy narrates the three frames, versions or narratives or stories. The first two narratives have been in the society for a long time. The third narrative is "the central adventure of our time." It is the transitionto a life sustaining society. We are going through this Great Turning, ecological or sustainability revolution. The challenge for us is to survive the first two narratives and keep bringing more people and resources into the third narrative. I strongly believe in deep ecology. It is our sacred duty to save and preserve our eco system. The first two narratives have served us at a big cost. Our environment is polluted, climate is drastically changingaffecting the lives of not only human beings but all beings.
For many years I did not see the negative side of the first two narratives. I have been more aware of the damaging impact of the the first two narratives. Listening to eco-philosophers like Joanne Macy and many eco-scientists has made me mo... [View Full Comment]