#MakeTheCircleBigger - the unepisode episode

06/04/20 • 7 min

They say Nero fiddled while Rome burned. I think it's because he had become so complacent he couldn't react, but also that he had narrowed his ability to "see to care".
These past few weeks have been fraught with heightened emotion, disbelief, empathy, sadness and outrage for me. I have no reaction left in me right now. And it's a conscious choice.
I believe reaction is good as an initial Kickstarter, because it focuses attention and gets things started. But ultimately, it's unhelpful because it has the potential to separate me from my best thinking and true self.
I remain convicted that all lives matter. And it's true that depending on where you are physically located in the world, some lives are more immediately at threat, and this must be highlighted. Even so all lives matter. The fundamental cry is for the intrinsic value in every life and in each life to be seen.
Against the backdrop of all of this, it didn't make sense to bring out a podcast episode last week. It seemed a little trite in the face of all that going on. When I came across this social media movement hashtag The show must be paused on Tuesday it resonated.
We need to stop and we need to think and we need to process.
And yet... because words are how I show care, and it still doesn't quite feel it should be business as usual. I face a conundrum. This post is an attempt to respond to that conundrum.
This is an "UNEPISODE Episode".
I have just one train of thought to share. No guests. Just me, sharing this singular idea with you. Here it goes.
If it is true, that our seeing directs our doing, I believe we all seriously need to question through what lenses we see the world right now. May I invite you today to consider just one of these lenses? Your "universe of obligation".
My invitation to you today is to consider when and how you drew the lines of your own universe of obligation.
And then the question is always of course. "So what are you going to do about it?"

Previous Episode

Reimagining Nigeria's Sovereign Wealth: exploring Agrobusiness

If you and I, and every other person who's really interested in a better Nigeria had the opportunity to reimagine a sovereign wealth fund, in other words leaving to our inheritors, a nation that is healthier, wealthier, and wiser in that we increase our applicable knowledge quotient; what would that look like? I'm looking to speak to all sorts of people who are doing interesting and or different things in Nigeria to get us there.
My first focus is on #food. Food security, agri-food business, farming. Everybody says agriculture is the next big thing in Nigeria. My question is do we know what we are really saying? I have to admit I didn't really. Until my conversation with my guest, Suleiman Dikwa.
Suleiman is many things, businessman, agro and food security activist, avid Africa champion, and long term investor in #projectNigeria. As National Coordinator Officer for the Agric Bureau in Nigeria, Suleiman advocates for a need to synergize the agro value chain in order to avoid looming food supply crises; especially during times of unrest such as with COVID 19.
My conversation with Suleiman was in his capacity as CEO of Green Sahara Farms www.greensaharafarms.com
Green Sahara Farms is driving the Green Sahara Revolution. Actively empowering people and harnessing available resources through a social impact investment that establishes ethical, sustainable solutions which include communities and seeks to optimize agribusiness away from traditional patterns of thinking into more sustainable and profitable systems.
In this episode we explore:
The trap of Rarity: getting sucked into spending on what we don't need 3:29
Captial retention is a key thing 4:47
Unfreezing our mindsets in Africa for change readiness 7:01
Create economies of scale through collaboration 10:07
Economic clusters as a deliberate value chain strategy 13:05
Connect the dots, ...it's a potential $300B industry 20:59
Agro product beneficiation 23:00
A mindset change is probably more important than upgrading infrastructure 24:39
Debunking the myths about localized management of capital 26:52
Mentorship is key 34:54
The challenge when big money ignores the farmer in the equation 42:04

Next Episode

It starts with self: first put on your own mask...

My guest this week is Jaco Fourie. Jaco who is a Coach colleague is possibly the closest type to a mystic I've ever encountered in my life. He is currently traveling on the back roads of South Africa in a tiny van, facilitating a journey of transformation for individuals, teams, and communities.
Equipping and co-creating transformative conversations and coaching with these change agents and pioneers which translate into action in their communities. According to Jaco, along the way, strangers become friends and getting lost means finding a new way.
In this #wellbeing episode we explore the idea that to make any meaningful contributions to any cause or issue, you first have to deal with, and prepare yourself. We discuss:
meaningful contributions require self-care 5:06
closing the gap between intent and practice 9:27
the three foundations to self-care 10:02
our brains and our mental states 14:00
we are all grieving loss right now 16:12
spirituality and connection to purpose 18:44
the importance of comfort 20:03
the movies we watch and out 5-year-old selves 25:00
fear and our need to survive 31:00
sensing and presencing 32:02
agency and choosing 35:34
relatedness with others 37:40
taking on too much responsibility 39:12
taking on too little responsibility 42:50
allowing the future emerge 44:00
the sacredness of silence 46:40
our disclaimer 53:42
THE INVITATION - a wellbeing meditation 57:44