The Past is a Limitation

If you have not read Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block I would highly recommend it for those who desire to innovate and create new narratives for their communities. I wanted to share this brief quote with you.

"Conversations that focus on stories about the past become a limitation to community; ones that are teaching parables and focus on the future restore community."

It is very easy to limit an organization, family, ministry, therapy, leadership, or simply the "water cooler" conversations to what life was like in the past. Often times it is difficult to shift the conversation to the future because we are trapped by fear or paralyzed that change may occur if we ask the right questions. The future is based upon the questions one is willing to ask. Peter lays out a plan on how to move the conversation from the past to the future. His premise is that we are stuck on problem solving and not creating new and engaging stories.

What conversations about the past are you having that is limiting the future?