TED Community » Linda Hesthag Ellwein

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Constructive dialogue, kindness, listening, civility, walking in your shoes, a-ha! moments, laughing, capturing images, coming up with more questions.

An idea worth spreading

We might be wrong. Just because something feels or looks right doesn't mean it is right. The answers to our greatest challenges may lie in the last place we'd think to look.

Talk to me about

...anything that allows us to blow our existing paradigms apart ...and really dumb jokes.

People don't know that I'm good at

putting on makeup while driving, gardening, breaking up fights, holistic management, driving in mud. Wish there was a 'People don't know I'm bad at.'

Comments

• TEDCred score: +89.30 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 13 2013: Hi Colleen... I'm sorry I didn't come back and chat with you! I had a family emergency this week, and was not online until a brief moment now. It was comforting to see you here after being gone these past months. I look forward to more engaging conversation again soon. :)

• A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 13 2013: I can't say I've always done that Don, but I do know ilife is much more interesting now that I prefer living the questions!

• A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 13 2013: Allan - that's what happened to me 20 years ago when I first learned of Savory's work. The filter not only didn't budge, but something resonated very deeply. It simultaneously confused me because it was far outside my urban and idealistic paradigm. Over the years, as I've practiced and continued to let it unfold, my experience tells me it is a sound and effective solution to some of the challenges we face. It is generally human behavior, the unintended entropy of organizations or bureaucracy, and inflexible world views that prevent us from finding out if it is a real answer....

• A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 13 2013: Hi Ed :) Your mixed bag comment made me laugh. I needed a laugh today - it's moving day for me! I suppose I threw it in because the idea of cows restoring grasslands shocked me years ago - when I moved from NYC to Idaho. It changed how I looked at the world and my paradigms from that day forward. I began looking for solutions, instead of causes.
  
  As an old range rider (or should I say 'former range rider' ;), you're aware how large these expanses of land are! Many ranchers practice Holistic Management around the world with success, and a problem lies in how we define success. Success in this process dictates working toward your goal which generally includes healthier land - in addition to goals for the people, finances, even quality of life. When working towards something as complex as natural systems and human behavior, the results vary. Obviously, it is not a controlled environment.
  
  A great barrier to making large scale change on America's public rangelands has been our bureaucratic process which limits flexibility as it relates to grazing and livestock. Regulations prohibiting flexibility and numbers was the result of logical decision making based on traditional grazing practices in the past that resulted in severe over grazing. This remains an issue on western lands, particularly when riparian health is also an important consideration and a public concern. In the end, the bottom line will be society's willingness to explore all possibilities to reverse global climate change - and this might be another important and feasible solution towards that end.

• A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 13 2013: Hi Steve :) It's great to see you here at TED Conversations! Agreed on everything you say above. The 'natural' fire trend has been devastating, but not nearly as devastating as our decision making and the entropy of our bureaucratic processes. An old friend once said, "You can measure the entropy of an organization by the weight of its manual." So true. The inability to practice sustainable and creative decision making, so often driven by 'popular opinion' has been the most devastating of all. We have the tools we need for restoration..."the pieces are laying around in plain sight." Quote: Steve Rich :)

• A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 13 2013: I love this post Margriet. You're so right about epiphanies and how people respond to them. I particularly appreciated your comment about the failure of an intervention when the subject's 'psychic garden soil' is not fertile. So true.
  
  I don't know if people experience the type of 'epiphany' you describe at Savory's Institute. I know I didn't. It was interesting, but not for the reason one might think. The realization solutions might look different than those within my neatly defined, urban, environmental worldview were most fascinating. I took the challenge and pursued the actual practice of it. My actions did lead to epiphanies but not the type we have at a personal growth seminar, or even a TED conference. Instead, the process opened me up to the idea of using more tools than I had imagined to achieve my goal. I accredit these experiences to a more open worldview in general towards humanity and a much deeper appreciation for the wonder of our natural world as a whole. I'm grateful for that.
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  A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 13 2013: Thank you for your honest post Robin. I can most definitely appreciate your feeling, particularly knowing how much love and investment you have for these magnificent creatures! It's my guess others will respond to your post but I simply want to say that a mistake doesn't translate to a barbarian. I have worked with Allan in various situations over the last couple of decades, and your description is inconsistent with his character. That said, I understand why you would see it this way when your life is dedicated to their survival!
  
  I cannot speak for Savory, but I know his commitment is to sustaining all life. The unfortunate, unintended consequences of man's decision making can be devastating. It is for this very reason Savory developed the holistic decision making model. His intent was to prevent as many unintended consequences as possible, by addressing root causes and working towards the best possible outcome for the whole - including every elephant. In our quest for answers, or a job responsibility to a single cause (i.e. endangered specie,rangeland, deserts, etc.) , we have traditionally addressed one symptom or problem leaving us wide open for massive error to the system as a whole.
  
  Savory learned from his mistakes, rather than cow-towing (no pun intended) to those seeking to further their own agendas. Over the years, I've witnessed him repeatedly choosing blunt honesty and transparency, over popularity and sentimentality. I can only imagine the horror it was for a wildlife biologist like Savory to know elephants suffered at all. Isn't it how we address our mistakes - if we're paying enough attention to notice them - that matters? Making decisions holistically with vigilant attention to the results in the process will limit many unintended consequences. Savory's model has deeply influenced land management across the globe. He is rarely given credit for his monumental influence towards global sustainability - and there is still a long way to go.

• A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 7 2013: So wonderful to see you Shannon! This thread is in TED Conversations which is a different venue than the discussion on the Talk itself.
  
  I recall his work from early days...sounds like an interesting re-visit! Thank you!

• A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 5 2013: Hi Colleen! So nice to see you! I'll be back to chat later :)

• A reply on Conversation: How attached are you to your deeply held beliefs? If solutions to global problems challenge your worldview, how do you react?

  Mar 5 2013: Exactly, Seth. It is only effective by mimicking nature and sound decision making towards that end. I'm always amazed at the resistance to change, even among those who will benefit the most. That said, it is effective and important.