Steve Brett, co-founder of 3rd Space and Executive Director of Emergence Foundation, reflects on his experience of the most recent Prefigurative Social Action Inquiry, in November 2024 – a powerful few days of connection, reflection, and shared inquiry into the future of social action; what it means to understand oneself, show solidarity and come together in dark and difficult times.
I just came back from a few days gathering in the north of England with a wonderful group of people, only one of whom I had met before. The theme of the event was to imagine the future of social action, as all were involved in some form of social action.
It was a rich few days. One of the amazing features of an event like this, is that in a space of 48 hours people can go from being complete strangers, one-dimensional as you look askance at them across the room to, as we gradually move closer to each other, real four-dimensional human beings. And there is something inherently appealing and lovable about anyone when they become a complete person to you, and you to them.
What does this tell me? Well for one thing, it tells me how important it is to connect with each other when we have the opportunity to do so. Because when we ‘realise’ another person and touch each other’s personhood across space, then we also get to realise how much we have to learn from each other. And the more we are able to be who we are, which in itself takes a lot, the more we are able to offer something unique both to the world, and to each other.
This is what humanistic psychology really understood. And even if it might have contributed to the hyper-individualism and narcissism of our culture, its gift should not be taken for granted, because most of us never even get the chance to encounter the freedom it bestows on us. And even if we do, then we have to go back into the world…
For those of us working in the field of social action in particular, right up every day against the stark inequity, violence, and ravages of our society, it’s impossible to miss what an extraordinarily privileged experience it is to be able to spend a few days together like this and be able to make use of the opportunity.
I think we were all very aware of this over those 48 hours, and the corresponding shadow we carry within us that comes with the power inherent in privilege. But, as someone pointed out in the group, it’s what we choose to do with it.
As we all know, we are living in dark times. We are all inevitably contaminated in all kinds of ways by the world we live in. But I think Carl Rogers was completely right that as human beings we all want to develop, given the opportunity and the conditions to do so.
What makes it really hard about the way the system is set up, is that most don’t have the opportunity find out who they are, and what their place is in the world. This is painful, especially for those working in the field of social action, who witness and live with the reality of this fact every day.
So then for me, I am left with the importance of solidarity. Of coming together with others as much as we have the privilege to do so, so that we are able to find the strength and the unity that connection, relationship and community provide. Thankfully this is happening in small pockets all over the world, because it’s the only place where the seeds of a different world can be born.
