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Mud Cookies — Systems Thinking Story

I read an article in the Salt Lake Tribune recently. It was a tender story of a 16 year-old mother in Haiti that had no food. She was eating mud cookies.
The story was a systems thinking story. It began with increase oil prices. At this point I feel the core question — what does increased oil prices have to do with a 16 year-old mother in Haiti eating mud cakes and mud cookies?
Oil prices go up. Among other things, this increases the cost of food production — machinery. Increased cost of production increases the cost of the food, including staples such as rice. This mother can’t afford the increased price of such a staple. She eats cookies made of mud with some salt and shortening. And what might be the impact of this? Disease. Malnourished babies. A pattern of physical suffering.
What does rising oil prices have to do with a poor mother in Haiti? Lots from the systems view.
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The Tao of Open Space

I first read this in Chris Corrigan’s book, The Tao of of Holding Space. Read all of this book many times. I immediately used it to help invite people into an Open Space session. It comes from the Tao Teh Ching, by Lao Tzu — the edition I have is translated by John C. H. Wu.

And as I think of it now, and a design proposal I am working on with some university faculty, staff, and an advisory committee, I think I might use this again to invite the opening to conversation with each other. The release of the managed presentation agenda.

Thirty spokes converge upon a single hub;
It is on the hole in the center that the use of the cart hinges.

We make a vessel from a lump of clay;
It is the empty space within the vessel that makes it useful.

We make doors and windows for a room;
But it is these empty spaces that make the room livable.

Thus, while the tangible has advantages,
It is the intangible that makes it useful.

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Appreciative Inquiry Story with Family

Zoe, my daughter, now 12, enjoying her first bra, email, cell phone, text messages in abundance, and a bunch of other things that just challenge me as dad, has really turned to her friends. Yes, they are all 12-13. I was looking for an in with Zoe – “When do you find yourself most happy?” She responded quickly – “when I’m shopping.” I hid my interior groan and frown. “Tell me about one of your favorite shopping times.” We proceeded. I just listened. Despite wishing that “shopping” was not the central feature of bliss for her – ever heard of a walk! – I was really happy to see her light up. And, it wasn’t too hard to notice that in her story, she was saying she liked the freedom, to which I could very easily agree that I like it too.