La Poesia
And something ignited in my soul
Fever or unremembered wings,
And I went on my way,
Deciphering
That burning fire
And I wrote the first bare line,
Bare, without substance, pure
Foolishness
Pure wisdom
Of one who knows nothing,
And suddenly I saw
The heavens
Unfastened
And open.
Pablo Neruda
I turned 75 in 2023 and began to plan for a quiet ‘exit stage right’ from teaching. I was surprised to face an immediate pushback from clients and students. They spoke of the uniqueness of my contribution to their programmes and lives and tried to insist that it was my responsibility to identify and train people who would continue my work.
I have learned the importance of paying attention to what comes towards me, and so I put my resistance to this demand on hold. I posted a reflective blog on legacy and succession planning on social media and received a wide range of humbling comment. I retreated to a quiet place and read old documents, looked at old photos, kayaked and listened to the gods while I inched my way towards action.
This revised and focused website is my first major response.
Instead of burdening anyone into trying to ‘continue my work’(!), I have set myself the task of attempting to capture some of the key insights, methodology, topic priorities and flow that have brought me to my current teaching contributions.
My invitation to you, as reader, is to create your own unique exploration of the hidden pages on this website by choosing to click on the blue links that interest you. If anything captures your imagination and urges you to go deeper, I invite you to make contact with me at chris.breen@uct.ac.za to begin a conversation.
Over the next few years, I plan on making myself available to teach, speak, supervise, or converse with individuals or groups through a variety of Offerings.
And then I will quietly exit stage right (or maybe left!).