“All of this (current world situation) is very familiar to anybody who's lived in a country that has experienced the takeover by a… we used to call them Big Men in Africa.
“There was this post-colonial, post-liberation period when these figures, very Trump-like figures, came in. And it served a purpose, which was to give people a sense of comfort that in this rapidly changing world they (The Big Men) would control it and turn things back to the way they'd always been. So in Zimbabwe, you know, very similar rhetoric, very similar playbook.
“It's interesting to be in Africa as all this happens, because there's a there's a little bit of a sense of relief. You know, everybody used to say, ‘Oh, this continent was a basket case. And how does it always elect these terrible people? And why do people not do better in terms of resisting it?’ And people here, now, are sort of saying, ‘You see, it happens.’ And, unfortunately, once it happens, it’s very hard to undo it.”
— Jillian Reilly
In this interview Jillian and I introduce ourselves and what we’re working on. Me on issues of facilitating personal change and how people’s thinking is shaped by groups. Jillian on social change and how group thinking is held back or moved forward by the thinking of individuals.
I begin the conversation by dividing my clients into two groups. Those who have known the feelings they aspire to and are trying to reconstruct those feelings in their present circumstances, and those who have never experienced the feelings they aspire to.
The people in the first group have a vision, and are organized, and tolerant. They’re generally honest and committed. We see them as functional achievers.
The people in the second group are unsure, less clear, and less committed. They have difficulty recognizing pros and cons and often cannot tell what effect they’re having. They are manipulative, tend to sabotage themselves, and can be seen as dysfunctional. They may be good a disguising themselves, but their issues have deep implications and a long history.
Jillian picked up on and re-expressed this distinction from her point of view, saying:
“I think the idea of people who’ve never tapped in, realized, or experienced their own desires—don’t know what they want or never had it, as you say—I think that’s sort of the root of misery.
“My first permission is Be Willful, connect to your want, connect to your desire. I think for anybody who has never had any, and has no access to it, either can’t feel it, can’t name it, can’t say it, can’t act on it is fundamentally not able to go out into the world and contribute in a way that will make them feel satisfied.”
The Ten Permissions is scheduled for release in September of 2025 and can be preordered on Amazon.
Vain Aid: Jillian Reilly at TEDxCapeTown
The Ten Permissions, with Jillian Reilly (YouTube)
https://www.australasianchangedays.com/project/jill-reilly/
thetenpermissions (Instagram)
Share this post