The Big Spill, Business, and Grief
Kate’s on a retreat this week, so it’s me, Mark, filling in for her.
What’s been heaviest on my heart these last couple of weeks has been the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What’s been notable for me is that I haven’t gone into rage around it, it’s just been a lot of grief.
Grief for the hubris that would make decisions like putting a pipeline in 5000 feet under the ocean without thinking something might go horribly wrong. Grief for the untold pain, suffering and death that the ecosystems will be feeling for years.
And grief for the way our society runs, and the decisions that are so hard to make. It’s virtually impossible to live in the U.S. without a car, without plastic, without using petroleum in some form every day. I see the cause of the destruction all around my home. The keyboard I’m typing on right now is plastic made from petroleum.
I can easily get in a loop of despair around it. What my heart helps me do is find and express the grief, which has included tears and prayer.
And my heart has also strengthened my resolve for the work that we all are engaged in.
All of us here in the Oasis are working to care for our families and do good work in the world. What we’re also doing, although we’re not always conscious of it, is bringing healing into business.
We may think that our little bitty solo businesses don’t have an effect in a world run by global corporations, but we do. Not individually so much, but as a collective.
By choosing to make visible choices of integrity and heart, and standing in the world for that, we make it easier and easier for others to do the same. By being effective in the marketplace, more and more resources and money are spent on the fantastic work you are doing, instead of on useless diversions that feed the dysfunction in our economy.
It may seem like a drop in the bucket, but there are so many of us. This Oasis is just one place where we’re doing it. There are many other communities like this.
I want to ask you to help make this community as vibrant as possible, to support one another to do the good work, to make the good choices, to be effective in the marketplace. Together we can create a tipping point in our economy, and the healing we so desperately need.
The world has a lot of pain and suffering in it. We can be burdened by that pain, and seek to escape it. Or we can allow ourselves to grieve, and with the lightness and spaciousness that comes after grief, to continue doing the work.
Help your business to thrive, do the work that’s necessary. Be courageous in showing up, learning, and getting out there. For your clients, for your families, and for the world.
It’s not the entire answer, but it’s part of the answer.
See you in the Tent,
Mark
What’s New Friday, May 28th
Article: How to Organize Sales Pages to Avoid Overwhelm
Sales pages, oy! You need to get a lot of information to potential buyers, but you don’t want to overwhelm or bore them. Thankfully, there are some very creative ways to organize information to avoid overwhelm. Check out these three examples. Please read this article and then come to the Tent to discuss.
Article: When the Speed of Business Has Left You In the Dust
Have you ever been pulled by a dog on a leash whose just seen a squirrel? These days, business technology can feel an awful lot like that bolting dog that’s tethered to us. Imagine the feeling of dropping the leash . . . Please read this article and then come to the Tent to discuss.
Article: Money’s Starring Role in the Creative Process
Okay, have you ever wondered what makes Mark “all gitchy-wah-wah”? How about the difference between Frederich, who needs cash, and Alberta, who also needs cash
but . . . Please read this article and then come to the Tent to discuss.
Tutorial/FAQ
We are in the process of creating the Tutorial/FAQ section, so please ask your questions about how this new-fangled thing works here. Questions about this new Oasis and Tent?
Plus, there are a number of discussions already starting up in the Tent:
Blog response from…the Mayor!
I’m new here and feeling a bit vulnerable
Coming out of hiding & looking for a Mastermind buddy to support me with my CFS
How do You Use Your Business Cards
You can see a list of all the most recent discussions here.
We have lots more planned coming up, see keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks. And, if you need something, give a holler! We’re here to help and make it easy for you.
Until next Friday, see you in The Tent.
