Being on Auto-Drive

Several weeks ago, Darcy -- a Dialogue colleague -- and I were talking about the technology behind the newest auto-drive cars.  We were wondering how the cars would be programmed:  that is, how strictly would the current driving laws and practices be programmed?  Think:  speed limits; when and how to pass another car; the distance required for turn signals to be used; watching out for motorcycles and bicycles...

Observing my current driving practices and those of others, there are countless assumptions we make as we anticipate what others might do... and we may have become sloppy in not using turn signals in every situation and (occasionally) driving above the speed limit!

When are you on autopilot?
(Photo credit:  Self-driving Cars - The Technology,
Risks and Possibilities - Harvard Science in the News)

What "common assumptions" do you think should be programmed?  Do you assume that others would agree with your list?  What happens if the automated car is programmed a way that you might disagree?  When will you use auto-drive, and how often will you take control to do it your way?

In a similar fashion, we are relying more on technology to help us navigate through our daily lives.  Think: smart devices that remind us of appointments; direct us to our next destination; turn on our lights, heat or air conditioning before we arrive at our homes.

In what ways do we cause chaos?
(Photo credit:  If You Look at Your Phone While
Walking, You're an Agent of Chaos - New York Times)

There are studies that show our reliance on these devices isn't necessarily simplifying our lives.  In fact, sometimes while using advanced technology, we go on autopilot... which creates chaos.  Think: the number of times you drive or walk while using your phones (texting, reading emails, looking up directions, listening to podcasts).

So, what do we do about our assumptions and being on autopilot or using technology that is pre-programmed with common assumptions that may not be common?

How are you present to others?
(Photo credit:  Top 10 Networking and
Conversation Tips - Shepa Learning Company)

You may have other ideas, but maybe we can:

• Pay attention to our assumptions.
  
• Notice when we are distracted.
• Become more present to the people around us.

If we slow down and signal what we are thinking, feeling, assuming, or concluding, we may find that others have differing ideas.  Coming off of autopilot provides choices in how to interact.

What do you think?

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)

Clouds and Water: This Too Shall Pass

Have you  ever noticed how beautiful and varied clouds are: bright and fluffy; wispy and misty; dark and menacing?  Clouds and our atmosphere seem to share or reflect our moods!

As children, we would look for shapes of animals or people that we recognized.  Time passed... and we paid less attention: the shapes changed; our experiences diversified; and we focused on other interests.

What do you see in today's clouds?
(Photo:  Sunset at Sea - Larry Gardepie)

Now, years later, we look at clouds and weather much differently:  harbingers of a storm on the horizon; forecasts of what tomorrow will bring; tools to plan trips and outings.  Rather than seeing what the clouds are revealing to us in the moment, we are attempting to adjust our schedules or events around good or bad weather patterns.  We have placed values or made judgements and decisions on how we read the situation.

Moving from clouds to water, I wonder about the nurturing cycle of droplets that amass in clouds and rivers... that passage of time when thoughts are condensed and held suspended or rained down and gathered in movement and change.

Do you hold onto the past or worry about the future?
(Photo:  Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland - Larry Gardepie)

I have learned that the passing of time is conveyed by both.  "Get your head out of the clouds" or "Much water has passed under that bridge," my friends would tell me, as I would reflect on, relive or try to understand something that happened in the past.

As I grow older and return to cloud-watching, I notice a calmness as I slip back into the present:

• The beauty of our world;
• The mystery of other people; and,
  
• The awe of life and the diversity of ideas and ways of being

 

When did you last look at the world or
a person in wonder and awe?
(Photo:  Sunrise at Sea - Larry Gardepie)

Maybe we can take a portion of each day and recapture the wonder of childhood... by staying in the present... seeking wisps of Ideas Shared... and pausing for a movement into Presence Changed.  Rather than live in rivers of energy that move us through anxiety rapids or emotions flooded and out of control, maybe we can see life for what it is... beautiful creations of imagination, wonder, and change.

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)