Losing the plot …

by Louise Deeley

Ever get the feeling that you’re losing the plot?  That what you thought was happening, wasn’t?  Or that what wasn’t happening, was? I think we’ve all been there at some point in our lives, and this comes down to not only how we look at things and our map of the world, but also those unconscious drivers that we have in our lives and that shape how we think and feel, and our beliefs and values about what’s really important to us in our lives.

Unless you’ve been on Mars for the last few weeks, it’s unlikely that you’ve missed some of the things going on in English cricket in recent times: poor performances on field, Peter Moores sacked, Kevin Pietersen out … in … out … and a whole range of comments, (welcome or otherwise) from a range of people (Piers Morgan … seriously??) putting their view on what should be happening … and how ‘The ECB’ are making bad decisions (… and who exactly are ‘The ECB’?) ….

And then you’ve got events such as the Thomas Cook ….‘we weren’t at fault’ comments which has bought about a huge back lash (not surprisingly) on how inappropriate and lacking in empathy the company was  … what was their focus on when they made that statement – clearly not the parents and family of the children that died…..

Or the Myanmar refugees drifting around the oceans … it’s a travesty …. ‘but we don’t want them’ ….

What’s the worst? An unwillingness to help human suffering because they’re not us? An economic culture whereby a company focuses on emphasizing their ‘innocence’ from the letter of the law, rather than acknowledging the loss of life? Or the very public decisions made about people’s lives in Sport that gets played out in the media?

We’ll all have our ideas on that, but what it boils down to how we deal with the environment we are in (Sport … Business … Life), and whether our thinking, and all that entails, is appropriate for the issues we face.

If you’re wondering what I mean by that, consider this. What are the reasons Peter Moores is no longer in his role? Or that no country is willing to take responsibility for human beings clearly desperate enough to risk all for a better life. Why was it deemed more important, at the time, to deny responsibility rather than express regret? And how can one player generate so much wordage (of which I’m adding to, I know!) over whether he (or she – Caster Semenya coming to mind) should play/run again for their country?

Values. Without which we wouldn’t care.

Might be easier for sure, but it would make the world a damn sight more boring …

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