Currently I’m staying with a friend/colleague and her family in Palmerston North, New Zealand. I’ve been learning about the history of NZ, the local culture, the indigenous Maori people, trying local NZ fruit and wine, and seeing a bit of the countryside. I’ve very much enjoyed my time here. The most interesting bit I’ve learned is that NZ sits a top a major fault line where the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates converge (see map..click on it to enlarge).
Upon hearing about the “occasional” NZ earthquake and learning more about the geographic history of NZ at Te Papa Museum of New Zealand, I’ve been thinking about fault lines–a topic I’ve always found fascinating.
Figuratively, how often are we on top of fault lines and remain completely unaware until the ground beneath us cracks and disaster follows? We all have fault lines we are sitting upon--professional, relational, economic, political, environmental, familial, health, and spiritual fractures, for example. Sometimes we are caught completely unaware, other faults we may sense of feel tremors of larger, life-altering damaging quakes ahead, and sometimes we choose to ignore the fractures and hope the earth doesn’t open up beneath us because it is easier to maintain the status quo than to confront the inevitable, sometimes painful truth.
The earth’s tectonic plates are constantly shifting, as are the dimensions of our lives. How do we stay apprised of shifting plates, remain true to ourselves, try to make a difference in the world, and not become paranoid or despondent that certain doom and destruction may prevail as nature takes her course? How much agency do we have and how much should fatalism be embraced? I realize this blog is a departure from a sport-oriented theme, but is related to my post-IWG 5th World Congress on Women in Sport thinking on how to create change in the number of females in positions of power in sport. In this sense I think females have to take control, be active and proactive agents in creating fault lines that challenge and change the status quo, rather than wait for the very slow moving plates of existing power regimes to collide and change with time…which may never happen in our life time! We all should all think about how we can affect positive change in our own way, real change that improves the health and well being of people, not just change that improves company profit margins.
What are you doing?
Nicole M LaVoi.com 