The tale about the circle and the square

Since university
I’ve been feeling like a circle.
There, during four years of explorations
of the human experience
this circle took form
and grew larger
and larger.

I was gifted with
a systemic view
of these complex creatures
called human beings.
I was gifted with
a human-centred
holistic
perspective.
I was gifted with
an interdisciplinary foundation
and a collaborative skillset.
It created a circle
with creative power,
a deep love
for humanity
and respect
for the complexity
of both humans
and systems.

A circle had been born,
ready to
ravish the world.

But then
the circle met with
the square society.
”Well, either you need to
cut parts of yourself off
or make yourself smaller
to fit into our square.
Because you see,
the system
you want to be part of,
and reap the benefits of,
is square,
not round.”

The circle yelled
”Hell, no!
I can’t work
like a square.
I will die
doing something
I don’t believe in!
It must be
possible to live
and act
like a circle!”
So the circle
started her own business.
”I’ll show you,”
she grunted.
And got to work.

She managed
to feed herself
and her family
as well as work with
what she found meaningful,
for many years.
She found other circles
to work with
and grow their common circle.
But it was rough.
A tough job
with many setbacks.

It took a lot of energy
to be a circle in a square world.

The circle felt like she was never really allowed
or appreciated for her talents
and gifts.
Even though the circles contributed
with so much value
to the square system.
But the square
was too square
to see it itself.

When you cut parts of yourself off
or make yourself smaller to fit in
for too long,
It is easy to lose faith
and become cynical
and bitter.
It happened to this circle too.
From time to time.

In those moments she felt lost.
”How am I to live in this square world
that I don’t believe is good
for any human being?
Do I really need to fit
into the square
to be able to put food on
the table?”

She was good at creating
Trojan horses
that managed to remind the square
that it might also
have been a circle
once upon a time.
Or at least that other shapes
come with different gifts
and we would be wise
to enlarge the system
for more shapes to fit in.
It was always reaffirming
to see the square
get lighter,
warm-up
and get a little bit rounder
in the corners.
If only for a bit.
But when it got home
it always put on the
square suit again.

”GAH, is it ever gonna change?!”
The bitterness grew.
Until one day
when the circle
with the help of another circle
was confronted with a mirror.

In the mirror
she could see
how big she was.
She had not realized,
as she had been so busy
with making herself smaller
and cutting parts of herself off,
that she was in fact HUGE!

She looked herself in the mirror
and laughed to herself,
”Oh geez.
This circle
that I am
is so big
that it can Hold
the square!
I don’t need to fit in
to something I am not.
I can hold space
for all of these squares,
embrace
and welcome them
into the circle
whenever they are ready.
Because here,
there is enough space
for both circles
and squares
and all other shapes!”

From that day
she promised herself
to never try to fit into a square again.
Instead, she would
embrace the square
and mirror it
its squareness
and welcome it
to explore and create
from
a rounder world.
If only for a bit.
One step at a time.

And so
life expanded.
And came back
into its roundness.