the passing of an era

Monday 19 September will be a sombre day for many, not least of which the Royal Family, as the Queen’s funeral takes place.  There have been plenty of words said about her reign, her position in society, the role she played as ambassador, her personal attributes.  Whilst many grieve, and maybe not know why they feel such sorrow for someone they have never met, there will be others who only see the tragedy of a colonial empire, of conquest and racism, of which she was titulary the head.
 
Now is not the time to have these conversations.  Now is the time for reflection.  Now we should give ourselves time to think.

For me the grief is because it has triggered a deeper sorrow, that of my mother's death many years ago.  Once I thought about it and recognised the grief, acknowledged it then I could move on.  In the Thinking Environment we talk about inhibitors and enhancers and emotions, grief is one of them.  By observing the emotion I could then think more clearly.

For me, the conversations about Queen Elizabeth's role has triggered thoughts about how she, as the First Woman in the country, the head of state, forged her path in a world dominated by men.  The reflections then are about how the country appears to have changed, how women's roles are increasingly defined by the women themselves.  And yet, there are still enormous deep seated, covert barriers to overcome.  For me, the thoughts are around how do we as leaders, as influencers continue to promote equality in the workplace.

Which brings me to the issue of race and racism.  For me, driven as I am through Nancy Kline's work to treat everyone as equal, everyone's thinking as equal, I am consciously aware of the difficulties within our society that hinder such progress in others.  Racism is deeply ingrained in so many of our social structures and organisations.  Conscious and unconscious biases block acceptance of true equality and the beauty that comes from diversity of background, experience, of thought.

So let us respect those who mourn the Queen's passing.  Let us respect too those for whom this has no meaning as well as those who might celebrate.  Let this respect allow us to have honest conversations, to first understand and then, hopefully, resolve the conflict that is around.