Friends,
My first attempt at facilitating a harmonization session was
reasonably successful. We only had one hour, so we only got
into the very early stages of the process. But I could see
that the potential was there for some useful dialog. Dynamic
Facilitation is not easy, and I've got a lot more to learn,
but I think I will be able to do OK with more practice. I'm
now looking for more opportunities to give it another try.
If you've got any ideas in that regard, let me know.
I haven't reported back earlier because a friend was visiting
from France, and she took me on a tour around the West of
Ireland. We were blessed with excellent weather and that part
of Ireland is truly gorgeous. It was a welcome holiday, but
now I'm eager to get back to work and finish the book. There
has been some good feedback which needs to be incorporated,
and the footnotes and bibliography will take a bit of time.
I've got a list of folks who want to pre-order copies and
you'll be hearing from me when we are closer to publication.
Below are comments from subscribers that have been piling up
over the past few weeks.
all the best,
rkm
--------------------------------------------------------
From: "Tom Paine Cronin" <•••@••.•••>
To: <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Re: Speech of Cuban Minister for Foreign Affairs
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 09:30:47 -0500
Thank you!
Thomas Paine Cronin
--------------------------------------------------------
From: •••@••.•••
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:59:04 EST
Subject: Re: Speech of Cuban Minister for Foreign Affairs
To: •••@••.•••
Richard,
powerful stuff and the very reason why you are correct to
include the example of Cuba in your book. The Bush junta are,
more than ever, very, very keen to throttle this "dangerous
example" - this "symbol" - where people are prepared to speak
the truth about fascism in America.
jim
------
Hi Jim,
With mixed feelings, I've decided to take out the material on
third-world movements. I think it was a distraction from the
main focus of the book. I may still include a section on
Argentina, however, as it provides good examples of people
empowering themselves outside of government channels.
cheers,
rkm
--------------------------------------------------------
From: "Michelle Syverson" <•••@••.•••>
To: <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Re: ENVISIONING A TRANSFORMATIONAL MOVEMENT
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 18:25:42 -0800
Dear Richard,
This is really wonderful; many thanks. I think your ideas
could, in fact, change the world and we must begin
immediately. How? Where are the initial facilitators?
In peace and hope,
Michelle
----------
Hi Michelle,
I welcome your enthusiasm. I am in contact with a few
facilitators, and I could track down on-line networks of
others. Their availability is not really a limiting factor.
They do need to make a living and, particularly if travel is
required, finding funds for facilitation would be a necessary
part of "beginning immediately".
I believe that the energy for getting the movement started
will need to come from activists, or concerned citizens, who
take the initiative to organize Wisdom-Council style events in
their own communities. Such events have more democratic
legitimacy if they arise from local initiative, and who else
but local people have a natural self-interest in improving
their communities? Retaining facilitators is simply one of the
organizing tasks involved.
If you do indeed feel energized to "begin", then my advice
would be to seek out a few friends and contacts (four or so)
in your own area who would be willing to work with you on such
a local project. There's work involved, but not an
overwhelming amount, particularly if there are a few people
who share the load and support one another. And there isn't
the stress that comes from confrontational-style activism. I
can get you copies of a DVD or two, including portions of the
Rogue Valley event, which might serve as good tools for
communicating to people what you have in mind, and for opening
up discussion. I wouldn't worry about contacting facilitators
until after you've got a support group and an agreed project
vision.
Thanks again for your message,
Richard
--------------------------------------------------------
From: "ecopilgrim" <•••@••.•••>
To: <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Re: ENVISIONING A TRANSFORMATIONAL MOVEMENT
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2005 16:24:38 -0800
Dear Richard, I know you don't want to hear me because you are
so engrossed in Jim Rough and Tom Atlee's methods that you
can't see the forest for the trees, but having worked with
NLP, which is exactly what this is about, it makes me so sick
at my stomach I want to vomit and run around tearing my hair
because it is so evil. And you can't see it -- have no idea
what you are doing.
And, perhaps neither do Rough and Atlee. I really don't know
how to make you understand, but I am sending you an article
which may wake you up, but then I think sent it once before.
with love and in peace,
Eco
------
Hi Marguerite,
Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
Step outta line, the men come, and take you away
- Buffalo Springfield, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH
rkm
--------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 12:47:36 +1200
To: •••@••.•••
From: Robert Gregory <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Re: Ch 6: ENVISIONING A TRANSFORMATIONAL MOVEMENT
Hi Richard
Looking good!
Seeing another way - the cultural transformation - I like your
1960's example - that era was a turning point and certainly
LSD and other drugs transformed many individuals and groups
too, as existing society could not explain, could not address,
could not deal with these new differences. The shift in
worldview is a good way of putting it - and that made me think
of the time my wife and I spent in Vanuatu, living as the
Melanesians did, and then, after a year plus, coming back to
western society - the shift going was profound and deep and
the shift back was even more profound and deep and the changes
continue to this day. Another of the shifts for us then was
going from tv to no electricity whatsoever and then back to tv
and electricity etc - what a profound shift that was! We
learned to talk and relate without the dominance of
television!
Harmonization is the experience that can make a shift - a move
from one culture to another. In a sense, it seems that we may
have shifted from a culture very gradually with the advent of
radio, then television, then the plethora of
communication/entertainment systems we have today. What if we
were to give up television, for example? I would think that
we could then appreciate each other much more, interact much
more, and enjoy simple talking with other people. Television
has robbed us of meaningful relationships with each other.
The dynamics of the nuclear fusion bit did not work well for
me as I read through - it needs to be spelled out in greater
detail or expanded upon. Yes, I understand the metaphor, it
just did not come across clearly for me as you have written
it.
Along the way, I would like to see a bit about Solidarity as
developed in Poland - that transformation might serve as a
good example or explanation. It was profound, and it
resulted in significant changes.
I really liked the bit about achieve victory, create new
arrangements and transform, and then, the reversal of such.
The means, if they can be set appropriately, will become the
ends and that is what it is all about.
Thank you for sharing and keep going! bob g
Robert J. Gregory
School of Psychology - Te Kura Hinengaro Tangata
Massey University, Palmerston North, NEW ZEALAND
----------------------------
Hi Robert,
You make a good point about Poland, and I may find a way to
include a reference. But to do it justice would exceed the scope
of the book.
can't say everything!
rkm
--------------------------------------------------------
From: •••@••.•••
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 10:17:54 EST
Subject: Re: Ch 6: ENVISIONING A TRANSFORMATIONAL MOVEMENT
To: •••@••.•••
Dear Richard,
This is why transformation will seem to take so long as
"watching grass grow." WeThePeople must change internally and
glow from the inside before we can light the rest of the
world.
We first must walk our own talk.
I remember the frustration of my own baggage and have been
working for over a decade upon my own personal values and
relationships (being honest)--and not to role-play what I felt
others expected from me.
From where I am sitting, Richard, I witness a bubbling
cauldron of dissent. It has yet to yield a true leader, but
citizens are becoming angry. After the election on April 5,
we will organize (again) to print a newsletter. There may
even be an interesting article I may submit to you in future
(after the legal process is over here).
Regards,
Diana Skipworth
-----------------
Diana,
You could be right, but here's what I say in my final chapter:
Many social visionaries today believe that personal
transformation on a massive scale is necessary before social
transformation can be attempted. I suggest that this is a
disempowering myth, a means of subjugation just like our other
myths. It inhibits us from pursuing social transformation and
it blames us, the victims, for a society that has in fact been
fashioned by elites for their own benefit. This necessity of
personal transformation myth can be seen as a vestige of the
religious myth of original sin. The myth fails to recognize
that the deficiencies in our current level of personal
consciousness are due not to our inherent natures, but are
largely the result of systematic conditioning. If the
conditioning is removed, the path to personal transformation
will be a far easier one. The conditioning can be removed by
appropriate social transformation. If we insist that personal
transformation occur first, we are prevented from moving
forward. The teachings of Buddha and Christ have been known
for thousands of years, and yet massive personal
transformation-of the kind they themselves personified-has
never occurred. How can we expect that it will suddenly happen
in our own time?
rkm
--------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 14:58:29 -0800
From: Janet McFarland <•••@••.•••>
X-Accept-Language: en-us, en
To: •••@••.•••
Subject: Re: Hooray - book manuscript complete!
Congratulations! You've done a great job. The world needs
your book. I think the pre-order idea is a good one.
Janet
--------------------------------------------------------
From: "Lola" <•••@••.•••>
To: <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Re: Hooray - book manuscript complete!
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2005 17:11:15 -0800
Congratulations! I'd be interested in your writing process
sometime if you care to share it. Such as how many hours a
day do you write, how long did it take you to do your book
from start to finish, how do you protect yourself from
distractions etc?
ldv
------
Hi Lola,
The book has taken about 9 months, which I've found to be a
standard unit of measure for significant projects. There seems
to be something in our genes about "gestation periods".
Software projects, for example, often take either 9 or 18
months to complete.
I don't really protect myself from distractions, and
discipline is not something I subscribe to. I depend on my
compulsiveness: once I start writing I don't want to stop.
If I get compulsive about something else, I go with it.
Writing itself for me is a process of discovery. I never know
what I'm going to say in advance and I can never make
outlines. One sentence leads to the next all by itself, as
in this response.
cheers,
rkm
--------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 16:44:45 -0700
From: Janet McFarland <•••@••.•••>
To: •••@••.•••
Subject: Re: Ch 6: ENVISIONING A TRANSFORMATIONAL MOVEMENT
Great chapter. Does it want to be two chapters? A natural
stopping place is when you are done describing the power of
the vision and start speaking about the potential repressive
responses. Just a thought. I wonder if the video from the
Rogue Valley Wisdom council you refer to could be posted on
the web so people could watch it on their computer anywhere in
the world? I would be interested in seeing it.
Also, the kind of non-hierarchical organization you are
describing has thrived for 50+ years among the 12 step
programs, alcoholics anonymous being the founder. I suggest
you look at the 12 traditions of aa - they describe guidelines
to keep an organization disorganized yet functioning to serve
its purpose brillliantly and in perpetuity, without leaders.
the other great thing about this is that millions of people
the world over have already experienced the harmonization and
community that occurs in the meetings! Basically, you don't
go into one of those programs until you've been beaten by our
competitive society in some aspect of its controlled
dysfunction and can't hide from that fact any more. You're
ready to try something new. It's really incredible stuff,
speaking strictly from my personal experience. One feature is
aa etc can't be used to do anything but what it does, but
still we're talking millions of people who have experienced
it. that's got to be good for something...
take care,
janet
--------------------------------------------------------
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Richard Moore (rkm)
Wexford, Ireland
"Escaping The Matrix -
Global Transformation:
WHY WE NEED IT, AND HOW WE CAN ACHIEVE IT ", somewhat current draft:
http://www.ratical.org/co-globalize/rkmGlblTrans.html
_____________________________
"...the Patriot Act followed 9-11 as smoothly as the
suspension of the Weimar constitution followed the
Reichstag fire."
- Srdja Trifkovic
There is not a problem with the system.
The system is the problem.
Faith in ourselves - not gods, ideologies, leaders, or programs.
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