Home
December Musing from Rebecca Crichton: Polarized
I’m declaring Polarized the Word of the Year. We don’t need to look far to see how it plays out in our world. We are in the most heightened state of Us vs. Them and Either-Or many of us can ever remember. It doesn’t even matter which topic or issue it is about. Black and White. Right and Wrong. Duality is the only way things get presented or explained.
When I facilitated leadership development at Boeing, we taught the Polarity Model, created by Barry Johnson in his book, Polarity Management, Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems. Two major takeaways remain with me:
- Polarities can’t be solved, they have to managed. The poles themselves are neutral (such as Personal and Collective, Freedom and Control), yet our attachment to one side represents our belief system. Clinging to one end of a polarity will eventually devolve into its downside.
- The more articulate we are about why our side is the right side, the more pushback and resistance we receive from those on the other side.
Click here to get on our mailing list and receive our monthly bulletin.
Your contribution to NWCCA ensures our future.
Click here to donate to this 501(c)(3) organization.
Visit our Events page for a list of virtual and in-person offerings in our community.
NWCCA’s Collaboration with Town Hall
The Medhi Reading Room, Town Hall Seattle
1119 8th Avenue, Seattle
Here’s to the Future!
An Intergenerational Conversation about Aging with
Erika Crichton and Rebecca Crichton
Monday, January 13, 7:30 PM
Mother and daughter Rebecca and Erika Crichton discuss how Gen X and Boomer-aged people can learn more about one another by openly sharing perspectives on the joys and challenges of aging well in our modern world.
Music for the Ages — Learning & Playing at Any Stage of Life
Chas Arnold with Debra Revere
Monday, February 10, 7:30 PM
Join Chas Arnold, Executive Director of the Music Center of the Northwest, and Debra Revere, a passionate cello learner, as they share their experiences and insights on picking up an instrument as an adult. Discover the joys and challenges of learning music later in life, connect with local amateur musicians, and enjoy live performances from adult students of MCNW.Mondau
Discussions facilitated by Rebecca Crichton around death and dying, grief and loss, discussions that honor and acknowledge the discomfort, judgments, confusion and other emotions that these topics can engender.