It will be a long time before I forget the image of a sea of faces stretching away from the podium at the inauguration. Roughly two million people gathered to be part of this historic moment. There was joy, there was pride, and there was a sense of great hope. We have come a long way in a generation, and we are justifiably proud. It was a sea of expectation made up of our collective belief in our potential for change. It was awesome and humbling, and at some level I found it to be frightening.

What could possibly be frightening about such a display? As I thought about this I realized that it was the fickle quality that can be set loose when expectations are so high. Expectation can be disconnected from reality if we do not take into consideration the slogging hard work that is necessary to bring it to fruition. We have become a people who gradually developed a new attitude. We want it all, and we want right now. This mindset of instant gratification has been fed in so many ways by life at this time. We have become unwilling to take the time to work toward goals that cannot be achieved instantaneously. Our expectations are in danger of lacking the patience that will bring them to fruition.

The greatest gift we can give this young president is the gift of patience. If he is to have the opportunity that he deserves, we will have to give him time for his ideas to take hold and grow. We, the public, will need to reconnect with the time-honored values that come from the growing cycle. In nature growing into maturity takes time and patience. A seed is planted and must have time to sprout. It grows into a plant, flowers, and finally bears fruit. The process cannot be hurried or bypassed. This is the nature of growth. Expectation itself matures as we wait. We move from demanding what we want to an acceptance of the gifts that are given when a process begun with hope and expectation matures. It is then real and grounded, and the potential has become possible <

We’ve had a lot of heavy and depressing news lately.  Most of us are a bit uncertain about the future.  We are uncertain about jobs, mortgages, and pension plans.  We came to this place quickly, after a long period of good times, and we have forgotten what hardship is like.  We are going through a painful learning process, learning lessons that we have been shielded from for over a generation.  The learning is hard and painful.  When we are in such a place we need to reconnect with our sense of wonder, and to be reminded that we live in a world where the good is as present as the bad.  Sometimes we need a miracle to remind us of this simple fact. 

Miracles come in many extraordinary forms.  Sometimes they are individual and quite hidden.  Other times they blaze across consciousness and jolt us with their improbability.  We have just witnessed one of the latter.  I will never forget the images of a planeload of passengers standing on the wings of the downed US Air flight 1549 as it floated down the frigid Hudson River.  I find this to be miraculous.  I am filled with wonder that pilots and crew were so efficient and well prepared.  I am filled with wonder by images of a plane that stayed afloat, and of ferries steaming at top speed to offer assistance.  I am filled with wonder that it happened in daylight, the weather was clear, and that those in frigid water survived.  I find wonder in stories of people giving their jackets to those who got wet, and how the lone infant was on everyone’s mind. Most of all I find wonder in the miracle that all these people will go on with their lives. 

For me this wonder is a gift, reminding me that we are here to learn to become the best that we might be.  Sometimes the price of learning is high and the lessons are hard.  Yet there are miraculous moments acting as beacons to urge us forward.  These moments point to our goodness, and give us hope that everything will work out as we travel into the future. 

One of the gifts I have received from writing this blog is that I have been paying close attention to current events and what is being reported about them in the media.  The economic meltdown is on everyone’s mind and is receiving very thoughtful attention in editorials and articles everywhere.  This week I have been particularly drawn to a blog in the New York Times by Ewe Reinhart, an economist at Princeton.  The question raised is why so many economists were oblivious to the developing problems and never issued warnings about the possibility of an impending crisis.  The blog suggests that most were involved in a very human tendency called ‘groupthink,’ a term coined by a book written by Irving Janis in 1972.

‘Groupthink’ is all about our vested interest in the status quo.  ‘Groupthink’ has to do with our reluctance to stand out from mainstream thinking and conventional wisdom for fear of being seen as different and therefore marginalized.  ‘Groupthink’ points out how powerful status quo beliefs really are, particularly when times are good.  We don’t want to rock the boat.  We don’t want to cry wolf, and may be lulled into not using critical judgment and analysis in order to maintain our membership in the dominant paradigm of the moment. To a degree we are all instinctively herd animals.  We like being with our own kind and are willing to sacrifice a great deal to be a member in good standing in our community. 

We are also exquisitely unique, and that uniqueness invites us to use all of our faculties in the service of the whole community.  This means that we can be true to our ability to observe and analyze what we actually see occurring even if it means running counter to treasured societal beliefs.  Over time these will change.  History is all about the way worldviews evolve.  The situation that we find ourselves in at this time should remind us that our economic world view is in the process of correction, and that each of us is invited to be part of the process, not just the experts.  We are part of change, and it is our priceless opportunity and responsibility to be involved by using the very best of our experience and wisdom.

Like so many of us I have been watching the new version of an old war unfold during this last week.  This has reminded me of the human condition, for again and again we find ourselves in a place where we destroy others through war.  I can’t help but to wonder how and why war continues to happen in a world where we have mastered so much in the way of healing illness and prolonging life. I understand the answers, and yet they seem so unsatisfactory.  Wars happen because a nation is attacked and needs to defend itself.  Wars happen because belief systems and ideologies are more important than the lives of people.  Wars happen because we need land, power, or natural resources.  Wars happen because we want to keep our traditions in place and want to protect ourselves from those who are ‘different.’  The list goes on and on, and the reasons are as old as our species.  In the end, all we can be sure of is that wars happen because we allow them to happen.  We get away with it.  We initiate, retaliate, do damage, and leave.  Only occasionally do we clean up the mess. 

So, what would make the act of war so offensive to us that we might choose to walk away from the possibility, simply because the price is just too high?  Give some thought to this, because it is here that we may find our only answer.  In thinking about this I suspect that the price might just go up if we had to personally clean up what has been wreaked by each bullet, missile, or bomb.  What if each gunshot carried with it the responsibility for the life at the other end?  What if I had direct responsibility for the human damage I created?  I would have to bind the wounds of the maimed.  I would have to hold the dying and endure their suffering.  I would have to bury the dead and tell the family.  I would witness grief and be forced to share the pain—knowing that I had inflicted it.  I would hear the screams of a burned child and stand beside the sobbing mother.  I would change dressings on the wounded and endure the long slow healing of the body.  It could even be my duty to raise an orphaned child and be responsible for its food, shelter, and education.  Even more importantly, I might raise that child in his or her own tradition, carrying me far beyond the confines of my own beliefs.

Now, I know that this is unlikely to take place any time soon in our world, but I can honestly say that I believe that this level of responsibility would change the face of war, any war.  It would make war very offensive, for the price of human destruction would be so very high.   I might just choose to walk away with a sense of gratitude that the life that I might have taken is still free to unfold in its own way.

At the New Life Institute we understand that most of us would like to become more active in creating a satisfying life. Most of us would like to be happier and more fulfilled as we approach each day. Yet we do not know how to give ourselves this gift, especially when our life is so busy. At the New Life Institute we have carefully designed workshops that will help you to become happier and more effective. We want you to get excited about your life. We want you to discover your special path so that you can appreciate the power and satisfaction that comes from living fully. We want you to experience your true potential, for that will free you to increasingly enjoy each moment, allowing you to create a positive legacy. We help you to understand that your life is truly your most important asset.

On February 7, 2009, we offer an introductory workshop, called Finding Your Path. This is an exciting opportunity to better appreciate your own life journey. We know that will leave this workshop with a better understanding of:

• How your life is special
• What is right about you and your life
• A sense of the direction of your own path
• That you are constantly in the process of growing.

Come and join us for this exciting workshop. Come experience your potential for new life.

FINDING YOUR PATH – Saturday, February 7, 2009

Agenda:              

8:30 a.m.        Coffee and meet Dr. Jeanne Weikert

9:00                Workshop

12:00              Luncheon

12:45              Workshop 

3:30                Close

Location:            

Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies

Fairleigh Dickinson University

285 Madison Avenue

Madison, NJ 07940

Fee:                    

New Life Institute workshops are $295 …but for first-time attendees,you save $100 and pay only $195.  Bring a friend and pay just one rate,$295 for both of you.  This offer is good until ten days before the event.

Reserve:              

Seating is limited and reservations are required.  Call 212-202-3259 or email for payment details.

Email: jweikert@drjeanneweikert.com