The symbols above make up the Chinese ideogram wei ji (pronounced “way gee”). In English, this ideogram translates as the word “crisis”. But the traditional or common interpretation of the wei ji is: danger + opportunity.

Wei – the image of a tree - means dangerous, precarious or high – as in “wei shi” (time of danger).
Ji – the image of a bridge - means moment, chance or opportunity – as in “shi ji” (time of opportunity).
The character drawn between the two, a line with a circle or box around its middle, means center and is pronounced “drong”.
This is the paradox of a crisis.These precarious moments in our lives present us with great opportunity in the midst of danger.

A crisis is one of the experiences in our lives that evokes change. A crisis gets our attention. We are suddenly awakened from the routine of everyday life to a sudden awareness of ourselves and the world around us. A crisis can be momentous or minor, and assessing the weight of its impact is a deeply personal experience.

Change is a constant and universal companion to life from birth until death. We can’t escape. Changes continue to evolve whether or not we intervene. Crisis is also a universal experience – each one offering the possiblity of new choices, to create change. Out of our sadness, fear, anger, pain, regret or loss can come renewal, new decisions, even excitement about our lives and our relationships.

The ideogram for crisis suggests an important question: Do I want to be only the sum of all that has happened to me, or do I want to shape my experience and the evolution of my self? Do I want to “change for life” and become all that it is
possible for me to be in this lifetime?