Compassionate Integrity Training CIT-Faciltator-Guide-2.1-Final | Page 130

C OMPASSIONATE I NTEGRITY T RAINING
A S ECULAR E THICS A PPROACH TO C ULTIVATING P ERSONAL , S OCIAL AND E NVIRONMENTAL F LOURISHING
S KILL 9: A PPRECIATING I NTERDEPENDENCE
E XPLORING THE N ATURE OF S YSTEMS P ART I: W HAT IS A S YSTEM ?*
Goal: To help participants understand how a system is defined within the context of CIT and how
interdependent and dynamic these systems are.
Materials: Large poster paper or large poster-sized Post-it Paper (one for each breakout group), and at least
one marker for each participant (preferably multiple colors)
Time: 20 to 30 Minutes
Instructions:
1.
Begin by asking participants, “Please name some different types of ‘systems.’” Write down what
participants say on a whiteboard or pad on an easel. If they do not name human systems, such as
education, justice, political, etc., you should mention one or two of these to get them thinking in
that direction.
2.
Next, ask, “What makes these systems? What are their characteristics? Why do we have systems?”
As they answer the question write these on the whiteboard or pad. Based on what they answer, try
and tease out the fact that systems are dynamic, have inputs and outputs, and are originally created
and operated by people and institutions to achieve a collective good, even if the system causes harm
to some people.
3.
Ask the participants, “Which of these systems, or others not mentioned yet, would you like to
explore in detail in this activity? Try and narrow your scope, so you can examine this system in the
time we have. For example, you don’t want to choose the justice system in the abstract, but the
justice system in a particular town or city or a particular prison system.” It is very important that
you ensure they are choosing systems and not specific issues they have already identified within a
system or a particular solution they already imagine for a broken system. If they start with the
problem or the solution, they will not be able to objectively map the system. You will be splitting
the participants into groups of four or five, so the number of systems you choose will depend on the
C ENTER FOR C OMPASSION , I NTEGRITY AND S ECULAR E THICS | L IFE U NIVERSITY | M ARIETTA , G EORGIA
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