The last group discussion was held informally in the airport waiting lounge over a crafty beer. Optimism and excitement had prevailed over the prior emotions apprehension and uncertainty following a full four days of honest and open discourse. It would likely be the last time we would see each other face to face, but we were confident that we would keep in touch one assignment and share our stories.

Although the briefing was serious business, it felt like a holiday from the 9 to 5. Staying in a big hotel room, meeting lots of new people, conversations about matters other than productivity and profit.

The diversity of the bunch gathered for the briefing fostered discussion that often twisted unexpectedly and trumped the developing perceptions. This lent itself to truly critical discussions, which did not end with conclusions, rather developing an awareness of intricate situations that may arise. Each person is at their liberty to decide how to act in these situations, but the consequences of risky actions were duly noted.

A key point that stuck with me was to ask the question ‘Why are you doing this?’. What is your intention and what do you want to get out of it. This is something that will change throughout the assignment, and should be a haven to return to in the tough times. When you lose the way, craft a new why; return to some meaning. This can be whatever you want, but you need something.

Who are we to tell someone else how to be? We are not. What have we done to our world that we have so well developed? I intend to share mutually to enrich each others knowledge of another way. I don’t intend to tell you where you have gone wrong, I am eager to learn where we have lost our way. Why do we so eagerly eliminate the inconvenience of the natural environment from our lives in the name of efficiency?

Many questions answered, and many more yet to come, but looking forward to them all. Now to bottle up the excitement and return to the day job until the green light is given to deploy.