Freedom shock
These sea lions are afraid to be in the ocean, because a small family of orcas are nearby, and they hunt sea-lions for food.
Years ago I was facilitating an Open Space meeting for people working in philanthropy, several of which were self-identified libertarians. They were unfamiliar with the process, and had the common misgivings about it seeming “unstructured.” People often confuse an empty container with a lack of structure, but in truth, Open Space meetings are highly structured. They offer a form and a process to help a group self-organize around issues of importance to the participants themselves. The process invites a radical blending of passion for a subject and responsibility for doing something about it.
Witnessing the empty agenda wall and the circle of chairs, one of the libertarian participants complained that the lack of structure was making him nervous and he needed to be told what we were going to talk about, what the outcomes were going to be and what would be done on the day. I teased him a little about being uncomfortable with freedom, to which he responded “well yes, THIS kind of freedom.”
That was interesting.
Harrison Owen has called this common experience “freedom shock” and it is what happens when people who are used to be told what to do suddenly get the freedom to take responsibility for their own actions. The way to deal with it is to keep asking people what they care about and what they would like to do about it. Fortunately, Open Space provides a mechanism for others who feel the same way to find each other, so that you are not alone, and can connect your ideas to other people’s.
As the restrictions on our societies are lifted gradually, I am seeing examples of “freedom shock.” Although many of us bristle at being contained and constrained, for many of us, the orderliness of structure and rules he’s us to cope with uncertainty and fear. When those rules are loosened, the become principles, and it is up to each person to interpret those principles according to context and need. We go from being confined in our homes with only sanctioned reasons and times for leaving, to being allowed to get out into public while “maintaining social distance and being aware of others.”
Everyone will interpret these new principles differently, and there is conflict and anxiety around whether one is interpreting the order more broadly that another person.
My friend Ciaran Camman observed this morning that we are comfortable when we can feel the boundary. That seems true for me too. When I know what is allowed and what isn’t, I can relax into being in a small space. When the boundary is more permeable and less clear I can get anxious about what is allowed, what I am supposed to be doing and whether others are doing right. And in these times, the consequences of doing it wrong can be devastating, so there is no amount of risk and pressure in doing this.
Whether it’s COVID or working with containers in facilitated sessions or workplaces, the halting anxiety of freedom shock is a natural reaction to loosening constraints. As you become a skillful complexity practitioner and realize that loosening constraints is one way to influence a system, be aware of this emotional rebound.
And on a personal level, remember that you can always shrink your own constraints inside a larger system if you need more comfort and security. The way we handle too much freedom is by choosing limitations that help us make order of all the possibilities. I wear a mask in public, and although I am allowed to be out and about more, I’m choosing to stay home as much as possible, still treating myself as an asymptomatic carrier of COVID, despite not knowing if I have had it. These personal heuristics allow me to be comfortable, confident and live by my principles. I’m glad things are opening up, but aware too that I have come to be comfortable functioning in a small bubble and a part of me is nervous at this moment.
Chris, you really nailed this one and I appreciate it so much in the context of COVID-19. I’m curious about using these technologies in this COVID-19 era. Are people now arriving more triggered in ways that make using open space feel less safe for them? Are they able to swim in this space despite having exhaustion from navigating the “unknown and constantly changing” for such a prolonged window in time?
I ask this having recently worked with a group where the feedback after the meeting reflected the exact language you used (but where is the agenda? Who is leading this meeting? Well, what is the objective?) I’m left wondering how we better prepare people to arrive in this space? We did explain several important functions in advance but perhaps did not use specific language that evoked confidence that what was happening was beautiful, useful, and organic. As a witness, all the things we thought would happen did, but for those who were uncomfortable, their take away was that that no one led and it felt like a free for all. That concerns me because fear is both illogical and contagious. Are there ways to approach this work that acknowledge the fear and discomfort some may experience, while simultaneously encouraging them to give it a try?
What concerns me from your observation is that the pendulum swings and society tends to go from one extreme to the other. If we don’t get comfortable with the looseness we are experiencing, if we don’t unpack for people that some “figuring it out” is ok, will the next chapter reflect that discomfort by becoming excessively rigid to compensate for our need to feel safe?
Great piece Chris
My old home PEI is locked into Freedom shock – outrage that summer residents are now allowed to return – underneath this is maybe a hope that the lockdown will do on and on – I think it was Viktor Frankl who observed that when the prisoners were freed in the camp, most were bewildered. All they knew was the camp – the world beyond where once they had families and homes and communities was gone. What will the post lockdown world be like – we can’t know – does this make it scary? I think so
Very true ! Too much freedom makes me nervous too. In NB we went into our Yellow phase which allows for much more freedom – in the last few days, someone crossed the border from Quebec and infected 6 people in 3 days (and probably much more). Much of Newbrunswickers are now finding it very difficult.. we are blaming and pointing fingers, and downright angry. The zone affected of the province has regressed a deconfinement phase, marking everyone else even more nervous. Going back to our new “normal” is going to be difficult.. continually testing to see what we can or can’t do.