this morning i feasted on the wisdom and direction that chris (from the north) corrigan shares about Living in truth, emergence and giving. of course, i can’t resist some cut and paste…
I want to pick up on this idea that living in truth is about looking around you and doing what needs to be done.
My friend Harrison Owen, the man who created OST says that the essence of empowerment is figuring out what you want to do and then going and taking care of it. Focusing on this takes us out of the traps we create for ourselves when we say “someone should do something.” Complaining is perhaps the most powerful way to disembark oneself because it puts you in a position of arguing with reality. Anytime we use the word “should” we are saying that reality is wrong.
For individuals, arguing with reality also creates a state where everything lives in the external world. We look outside of ourselves for both the source of problems and the solutions (“somebody should do something”). We abandon our own resources and skills and desires and give away our power to change anything. The antidote to this is hurricanes moment of introspection. Simply stop and say:
*What do I really care about?
*What can I do to take care of it?
Kurt Hahn, the man that founded Outward Bound says:
There are three ways of trying to win the young. There is persuasion. There is compulsion and there is attraction. You can preach at them; that is a hook without a worm. You can say “you must volunteer.” That is the devil. And you can tell them, “you are needed” that hardly ever fails.
This is not to say that it is always easy. It is rather to acknowledge that living in truth need not be daunting. You don’t need to have the big picture in your head. In fact doing so will probably lay you out in a catatonic state, unable to contribute anything. Small actions influence neighbor’s who provide feedback that can keep these activities going.
This finally points to one other characteristic of living in truth that I feel is important. To make an impact in human society, whether it is overthrowing a dictatorship or simply launching an initiative to improve things, the answers to hurricanes two questions must be true both for the individual and the larger society. Citizen engagement, democratic empowering and living in truth works if you subscribe to the worldview that the self and the community are connected and that what is good for one is good for the other. In other words, you undertake personal responsibility for change because you know that it improves life for others as well.
don’t you think it’s time to stop giving away our power? take a moment to look inside and feel all of that power radiating from within. imagine the possibilities and potential of intimately bonding with that power and sharing it with the rest of the world. this, to me, is part of living in truth, living in love… connected to our individual and collective power… connected to one another. and remember, the key is starting small, one step at a time, and inviting in support from those around you.
chris (from the south) weaver and i have been dreaming about and envisioning the grid of connection, potential and possibility that evolves within a community of people living in truth and love. the local context that we speak of is a therapeutic camp setting, the global context is… the connections between you and me and and and and ….
lets say that each individual living in truth is like a crystal, radiant in our unfathomable power of simply honoring WHAT IS and accepting ourselves and others AS IS. we are proud of and own our talents, gifts, resources, skills, and desires… along with our weaknesses, longings, fears, and promising areas of growth.
when all of these people living in truth are linked up it becomes a grid of shining lights, an electric net through which healing energy gathers and dances, a field generated by living in-love in which potential and possibilities turn into action and reality. one of the keys to generating this net is having each individual living in truth, living in love, tuned to one another, and tuned to the total field. it is also imperative that the individuals and the group remain available. there is an open invitation that others who are following their truth and passion can join in the giving, dreaming, and creating. the space remains open.
some questions:
how do we clean off our dirty crystals buried in the ground?
how do we link up with other radiating people living in truth?
how do we tune in with one another and maintain that frequency?
how do tune the field so that it is fully available for others to join and add to?
how do we work with & invite healing energy into this field?
how do we encourage dreaming… and believing in our dreams?
and in pondering these questions, i’m left with an ear to ear grin as i notice that there’s no end to any of this…
these are some questions on my mind as i get ready to head out to chicago (again) for the giving conference that begins friday morning. i’d imagine that you can follow what is happening there through the wiki… or stay tuned to this easily amazed network of folks!!
if you have comments, thoughts to share that you would like to travel with me to the conference, do so today because i leave tomorrow!