Dr. Manhattan, The Passage of Time, & Associations
The other day I was talking with my friend Michael Butera (who is one of our Rogue Tulips Expert Partners) about the overall state of the world, and we talked about the state of the nonprofit management profession. It seems to be stuck in a rut and holding onto the past rather than living in the world we are in now.
One of the things we discussed was the fact we were born in the 20th century and are now embracing life in the 21st century. The key word is “embracing” because despite being born in a pre-internet world where we remember trying to line up carbon paper to make copies, and the patience required to dial a rotary phone, we have adapted to this wonderful new world of technology and possibility.
Despite adopting technology, I often see nonprofit organizations, specifically associations, hanging on to the past and trying to force an old mindset on a new world. Using modern tools with a past mindset does not bring us into the present and definitely doesn’t set us up for the future.
Thinking about the passage of time is an exercise in opening your mind, because if you really think about it, all time exists concurrently and in parallel. This is similar to the scientific theories of the multiverse, alternate dimensions, and the Theory of Relativity.
Now, how does Dr. Manhattan fit into this discussion, the name mentioned in our headline? He is a character from the “Watchmen” graphic novel and movie. Dr. Manhattan was a scientist who was trapped in a chamber during an experiment and his atoms were scattered. Through sheer force of will, he reconstituted himself as a being that can control the subatomic level. He is a being of pure consciousness rather than a physical creature; because of his new form, he exists in the past, present, and future all at the same time.
In “Watchmen,” Dr. Manhattan has a line that has always resonated with me: “There is no future. There is no past. Do you see? Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one edge at a time, when the whole design is visible in every facet.”
The past, present, and future exist simultaneously and concurrently. Dr. Manhattan embodies this concept of seeing the world around us as an interconnected system where all parts influence each other because they are existing in the same space at the same time – this is why past is prologue, to quote William Shakespeare’s Antonio from “The Tempest.” The past is part of the story, but it’s just the beginning.
We can predict the future because it already exists; we are creating it as we move through time and space. Now, what does this have to do with nonprofit organization management? And wouldn’t this be an argument in favor of “That’s the way we’ve always done it”?
The nonprofit organization we have today was created by the actions of those who came before us whether members, volunteer leaders, or staff. Their actions exist simultaneously with ours in this moment, and our actions in this moment become the past that those in the future will build on as they move through time.
While the past of the organization exists, it is not the driver for the present. It is one of the atomic particles that create the organization and gives it form, but it is not the place where we live in this moment. Moving forward is hard because we don’t always feel comfortable in “The Undiscovered Country” which is another name for the future. We prefer the well-trod lanes of the past because we think it’s safe. It’s why we like Strategic Plans because they give us some semblance of order and control. It’s like an organizational security blanket.
But the future already exists. Our plans are the maps we use to find our way to the world that is waiting for us. On this February 29, in this Leap Year, I encourage you to take a Leap of Faith into that future where your organization is walking boldly towards its goals and not looking backwards wondering if you should turn back. The way you’ve always done it doesn’t work next week.
