The Rite Way Blog

Organizing For A Change – Part 1, Shifting Your Attention

I arrived at England’s Heathrow airport early the other morning after an all night flight across the pond. Disoriented and half asleep the baggage carousel looked like a giant swiftly moving river. My bag floated by and I lunged to save it, dragging it over to the long line where I waited to clear customs. The stoic custom official’s inquisition into my country of origin jarred me into thinking about where I was from. Going from a sleepy trance to an official inquiry shifted my attention. Abruptly. I felt uncertain saying; “America.”

Paradigm Change
But, nothing shifts attention more than the English driving paradigm, where the gearshift and everything else is opposite from the American experience. Driving on the left side of the road would be disorienting enough without those “roundabouts!”

Disorientation leads to confusion, which breeds anxiety. That’s the way it is when the rules (of the road) are changed. It drives home the point of a paradigm shift. Shifting into the British driving paradigm is a matter of life and death. Literally!

What if raising our children was a matter of life and death for the future of Mother Earth and all life? Are we ready and able to shift the paradigm of youth development?

Paradigm shift is one of the first elements in the architectural structure for youth and community development through rites of passage.

Next Week: Organizing For A Change – Part 2 – Design & Installation Principals