Across
- 2. People often forget that catalyzing sustainable change will not happen immediately. In a society that values constant output, there is often the temptation to opt for a —— ——. Using solutions with rapid payoffs, however, can result in more complex long term issues even if they alleviate the immediate symptoms of a systemic problem.
- 4. All these clues have been prompting you to find specific answers that relate back to what I find fundamental in addressing complex issues. What if there aren’t specific answers? Is there anything missing from this crossword? What would be your missing piece? One of the assumptions in systems change that may go unaddressed is that sometimes there is no one right answer, or no answer at all. Our attempt to fix problems, solve issues, or save people may in fact perpetuate existing power hierarchies or systems instead of prompting a paradigm shift. What do you think is missing here? Or is it best to leave the crossword unsolved, as complex issues don’t always have solutions?
- 5. What if we conceptualize ———— not as nouns, but as verbs that are actively moving, shifting, and changing perpetually?
- 7. How would our society function differently if we encouraged ———— for the sake of ————, and not as a means to an end? What institutions would radically change?
- 8. I hope you take your —— with this crossword because sustainable systems change takes ——!
Down
- 1. Too often, people tend to place different motivations, approaches, or knowledge systems in opposition to one another rather than taking the merits of both outlooks. Instead of pitting alternative approaches against one another, highlighting ——— and recognizing the values that each perspective brings may lead to stronger relationships between different stakeholders and inspire new viewpoints.
- 3. Hospicing modernity to its death instead of abandoning it because it is no longer useful is an example of caring for and nurturing an outlook that you may feel fundamentally opposed to or hurt by. Even while you disagree with a way of thinking, approaching opposing frameworks or stakeholders with ——— instead of animosity can build relationships and trust between groups that were previously at odds with one another and foster cooperation.
- 6. Before attempting to transform a system, it is necessary to think about your own and others’ positionality within the current structure. Who is motivated to act in what way, and how do these motivations clash with one another? Why might the system be working exactly how it is intended to despite appearing to be broken? Whose voices are heard within the existing paradigm, and whose voices are missing? Is it necessary, to build off of Olufemi Taiwo’s ideas, to restructure — ——— to uplift voices that have previously been silenced or forgotten?