 Summer 2007 e-Newsletter - Social Justice Edition |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Contents
Awake to this Moment:
Pre-registration and non-refundable pre-payment required.
Reflections on Keeping Hope Alive Unquestionably, these are challenging political times, making it easy for social justice workers to move easily into despair and hopelessness. The reflections that follow might help you maintain a sense of patience and optimism. Howard Zinn, in his essay “The Optimism of Uncertainty," writes "To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places — and there are so many — where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory." Legends and mythologies often provide excellent stories that help us stay uplifted in tough times. There is an Ethiopian legend about the incredible nature of hope. We read it in Joyce Rupp’s "Dear Heart, Come Home." A shepherd boy, Alemayu, was forced to spend the night on a bitterly cold mountain. He only had a flimsy piece of clothing to wear. But to the surprise of the villagers, he survived the ordeal and returned alive and well. When asked how he made it through the night, he answered: "The night was bitter. When all the sky was dark, I thought I would die. Then, far off in the distance, I saw a shepherd's fire on another mountain. I kept my eyes on the red glow and I dreamed of being warm. And that is how I found the strength to survive."
Here are some practical things you might consider doing with regularity to strengthen your sense of hope. 1. Create a collage of inspiring and hopeful images.
A New Publication from the Center: The Activist Ally
Visit http://contemplativemind.org/publications/#socialjustice for more information and a preview!
Upcoming Retreats, Events, and Workshops ******************** There is a growing need for increased engagement and action in service of the critical challenges facing our world. Yet many hesitate, arrested by questions such as: * How we can be present to what is happening in our world without becoming overwhelmed? Sponsored by The Concord Institute, Easton Mountain, The Growing Edge for Sustainable Peace and Healing, and The Uniterra Foundation. For more information, visit ******************** What are the knowledge and skills necessary to create thriving, high-impact, diverse environmental and social change organizations and movements in the 21st century? The Diversity for Environmental and Social Change Leadership Series is a 5-part program designed to foster knowledgeable and skilled leadership to make diversity a hallmark and fundamental asset of environmental and social change efforts.
SESSION 1 is a two-day workshop that provides foundational concepts and experiential learning * Demystify diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence and OUR TRAINING TEAM – Mark Kaplan, Amber Mayes, and Angela Park -- brings decades of collective experience in diversity training and consultation, organizational development, and leadership skills. They have worked with a wide range of nonprofits, companies, foundations, and educational institutions and know and understand the needs and histories of environmental and social change organizations and movements. For more information contact: ******************** Led by Carla Goldstein, J.D. and Bonnie Singman, B.A. For more information visit www.tinyurl.com/2768cl ******************** Come together to learn and practice the joy of meditation as nourishment. For more information contact: ******************** stone circles is excited to offer a 5-day retreat for activists across the country. This retreat is an opportunity to gather together for dedicated spiritual practice in an atmosphere that explicitly honors the complexity of our work for justice and the larger social realities of the world. The retreat provides abundant time in silence, in structured and unstructured reflection, awareness practices, discussion, and workshops on change theory, group dynamics, and spiritual/political strategy. Visit www.stonecircles.org for more information and to register. ******************** At Vallecitos, we meet in a new way. We convene deep in the deep woods and mountain wilderness, with no computers or cell phones, and we turn inward. We use a set of time tested awareness and contemplative practices drawn from the great wisdom traditions that are simple, direct and undogmatic. We spend time in the woods, hiking in the majestic old growth forest of the magical and legendary La Manga wilderness that borders the ranch. The format cultivates creative dialogue, critical thinking and strategic problem solving. We explore important issues from different points of view, discover insights and formulate creative actions to systemic problems. Visit www.vallecitos.org for more information and to register.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society top image by Lisa Berry |
Saturday July 28th - 10am-7pm
