## Resilient Koan 17 - Orientation and Determination ### _Koan_: How do you introduce apithological concepts to affect a change in orientation, when that orientation is non-apithological. ### _Discussion_: It is interesting when you see a new phenomenon and introduce it to a closed consciousness, because unsurprisingly, you get the reaction that is the very reason you wanted to introduce the idea. If something is not seen, you can't show it within a blind spot. What then is the practice? ### _Inquiry_: In sustainability thinking and change management we are constantly taking the opportunity to introduce new ideas in increasing layers of complexity and enable their integration. Receptivity is key to success. What we haven't acknowledged is the role of phase specific receptivity to these scenarios.  ### _Insight_: A proof of a theory is if it proves itself in its application to itself. For example, if levels of consciousness are not perceivable by certain levels of consciousness, their proof is in their dismissal from those frames of knowledge. Similarly, one of the most significant and often overlooked implications of panarchy theory is that a system once it goes into decline and collapse will not be psychologically receptive to generative outcomes. It will go into a different coping orientation. ### _Resolution_: If we are right about this, pre\-transition is the management activity to engage in, either in mitigation or generation for the new alpha. ### _Practice_: To open systems to new potentials they must have that orientation. To enable that orientation involves inquiry and providing the formative conditions. If the conditions were not present at the time of formation of the system of perception .... - good luck with the offering. The image is one of throwing the drowning person a bright orange life buoy which they cannot see because they have their eyes closed to protect themselves from the splashing water that is hitting their eyes ... coming from their own flailing arms.  In this situation, the aware life-saver knows that they must approach the drowning person, see the rationality in their irrationality, calm them, gin their acceptance, and contribution - and then together head to safety.  To do otherwise risks both their lives - in a sea of turmoil and fatigue.  The formative conditions can be changed. But until there is an inquiry into the reason for the orientation, there is no work that can be done.  --- This is one in a series of 25 'Resilient Koans' documenting "an apithologue into the koans of practice discovered while creating resilient sustainable communities", in 2010.