#1436 - Two feet
Yesterday, a comment on LinkedIn about choices, responsibility and sustainability reminded me of the "Law of Two Feet."
This law is the sole law of Open Space Technology, a simple yet effective method for facilitating community meetings and conferences.
The Law of Two Feet states that if you feel that you are neither learning nor contributing at any time during a meeting or an event, you have the responsibility to yourself and others to use your two feet and move somewhere else more interesting or when you can contribute.
The "two feet" in the law are symbolic, meaning it's your sole responsibility to be in a context where you can make a difference.
Since the first time I read about this law, I felt its incredible power in the context of a meeting. But also in general. As they say, we are not trees, so we can move if we don't like where we are. We can use our two feet to go where we need to go and do what we need to do.
It can be challenging, I know. Sometimes the price of exercising this law can be excruciating.
Yet, there is always a choice.
And if you can't move, you can always change yourself.
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. — Viktor Frankl