EMCAPP Journal 2

29 Comment on Agnes May “The living rhythm of healthy abilities” Trevor Griffith I found this short article highly informative. In 2,500 words Agnes May has explained a valuable and practical conversational tool, such that anyone could immediately include the technology both within their daily under- standing of people’s behaviour, and within their profes- sional therapy work. The notion of ‘Polarity models’ is first explained by re- ference to three examples of polarities from which the ‘Abilities Model’ differs. The ‘To everything turn...’ pas- sage in Ecclesiastes is a celebration of action appropri- ate to different life settings, poetically presented as op- posite poles. The philosopher and theologian Romano Guardini presents life as a series of antitheses, of active change set in connection with an opposing necessary pole of fixed structures. The tension between these poles introduces the notion of life as a healthy rhythm of flux between them. By contrast with these celebrations of di- versity, Aristotle’s search for the good life, at an ethical mid-point for behaviour somewhere between two emoti- onally-charged extremes, seems guilt-laden and agitated as a way to live. Although reasoning and self-control are proposed as the relaxed virtues that achieve this success, the dispassionate final goal seems to miss something fully human, and may be impossible to sustain. The Abilities Model then introduced takes a large step for- ward from all of these examples, into the realm where it can practically guide interventions that enhance people’s self-respect, and energise their capacity to explore new ways of living. The model describes a series of ‘ranges of abilities’ between two poles, both of which are valid and creative features of sustainable living, and beyond each pole an extreme that has moved beyond sustainability and creativity. The model lacks the guilt-driven intensity of Aristotle’s, saying that God has created a cosmos for us to explore together, and explore and name it we must! This series of di-poles has been most fully developed into a practical tool for reflective learning by Hanne Baar, building on work by others going back to 1951. The table of polarities creaks with the weight of years of experience crammed into a small space! Decades of thought hang like a fringe over the edges, showing the unwary the ex- tremes where they may slip into problems, while giving everyone the freedom within to explore and compare and develop as each uniquely feels called. The Abilities Model is not guilt-driven or compulsive, but it enables personal empowerment by choice and reflec- tive feedback, so that renewed living order can emerge from adaptive living systems, such as families, organi- Dr Trevor Griffiths, Great Bri- tain, was a General Medical Practitioner for 25 years, with a particular interest in men- tal health and systemic family therapy. He trained at Oxford University and Westminster Hospital medical School. He now runs the Emotional Logic Centre, and provides training to promote health and personal development. He works with churches and various commu- nity organisations. sations and churches. Hanna Baar is right to emphasise the importance of the attentiveness needed to explore a feature of life wisely, by knowing that there is a healthy range so that inattention to its shadow ability does not pre-dispose to addictive narrowness, nor allow the coun- terfeit temptation of deathly extremes to spoil the joy of widely exploring life. Congratulations to Agnes for such a clear description of this valuable way to think about God’s calling for huma- nity, to ‘get a life’! Christian Anthropology

EMCAPP Journal 2

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