A Virtual Experience
My Belonging
Knowing Your Place in an Age of Extraordinary Technological Transformation
with
Dr. Annalee C. Babb
Expressions Of Belonging
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1. Introductions
Preface | Explanation
“Know yuh place!” That’s how Bajans warn people to stay in their lane. While it usually signals someone has overstepped or is in danger of breaching an invisible line, on the flip side, there’s value in understanding where we belong. There’s power in knowing our purpose. As the world faces upheaval triggered by countless existential crises, I’m launching this 14-part series My Belonging to encourage virtual conversations and empowering action around civic decay, national reconstruction and the idea of digital transformation. This notion of transformation has been so misused, abused and misunderstood in recent years, it is now almost a joke. One thing I know: as human beings, we can effect change only if we, ourselves, have been transformed … and there is a structure, a process, a discipline, and principles that govern such transformations. As we say in Barbados, “It doan just happen so!” The tiny islands of the Caribbean can become test beds for new approaches to solving difficult global challenges … but they have to first realise their own internal transformations. Introductions, the first Episode of My Belonging, sets the stage for a virtual exploration of these issues. At its core is my evolving understanding of what it means to be an Afro-Caribbean woman of faith specialising in technology policy, innovation and development at this global changing of the seasons.
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2. Contemplations
The Time of My Remembering
The Time of My Remembering is a poetic piece I began years ago that continues to speak to the moment. Its theme is understanding who we are, what we were born to do and how who we are and what we were born to do has the potential to connect us to each other in empowering communities of purpose that anchor us in the world.
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3. Invocations
The Idea of Belonging
Nothing stays the same. Change is an inevitable by-product of the human condition. But as time seems to accelerate in a 21st century reality driven by the technologies and global crises of the moment, what imprint has Barbados’ history as a plantation economy had on its development and its perception of what it means to belong to today? How does a tiny nation preserve its distinctiveness in an interconnected world being overtaken by the mass movement of people, money, information, knowledge, and cultural content? How does it make the transition from a consumer society shaped by the remnants of the plantation to an economy fuelled by home-grown innovation, where its people have a safe space to belong?
Welcome to the "My Belonging" podcast
Introductions
A Virtual Experience
“Know yuh place!” That’s how Bajans warn people to stay in their lane. While it usually signals someone has overstepped or is in danger of breaching an invisible line, on the flip side, there’s value in understanding where we belong. There’s power in knowing our purpose. As the world faces upheaval triggered by countless existential crises, this 17-part podcast series My Belonging encourages virtual conversations and empowering action around civic decay, national reconstruction and the idea of digital transformation. This notion of transformation has been so misused, abused and misunderstood in recent years, it’s now almost a joke. One thing I know: as human beings, we can effect change only if we, ourselves, have been transformed … and there is a structure, a process, a discipline, and principles that govern such transformations. As we say in Barbados, “It doan just happen so!” The tiny islands of the Caribbean can become test beds for new approaches to solving difficult global challenges … but they first have to realise their own internal transformations. At the core of this series is my evolving understanding of what it means to be an Afro-Caribbean woman of faith specialising in technology policy, innovation and development at this global changing of the seasons.
The Motivation Behind My Belonging
My Belonging comes from my sense that people are feeling alienated, left out, and left behind by the rapid technological and other transformations taking place in the world. This is being compounded by existential crises that are causing those in positions of power to careen from one emergency to the next, leaving them almost completely disconnected from the people they’re supposed to be leading. Add in disruption from the evolution of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain, and it’s difficult for people to feel a sense of balance and belonging.
In truth, I’ve found a simple formula that unlocks transformation … seeing people, valuing people, inspiring people, empowering people to become the change they desire for themselves and their communities. In many ways it’s simple, but it’s not easy. It takes time, and requires patient engagement.
As the revolution in digital technologies gives way to a 4th Industrial Revolution driven by emerging cyber-physical systems, My Belonging explores what it means to be present, to be found, to be seen, to be heard, to be appreciated, to be connected, to be valued, to create value, and to occupy a safe space within a human collective consciously deploying technological solutions that support freedom and genuine human empowerment.
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