FootprintsintheWind.com

Instead of trying to persuade folks in the face of intransigent political divisiveness and ideologies we could simply demonstrate a series of truth statements by reasonable people. All will be true but eventually it becomes clear—they conflict! And we start to see not that many views ought to be accepted, but that truth is more nuanced and subtle than they or we would have us believe.

:- Doug.

The course we need to offer ourselves is far from candy-sweet: it is searing hot, it is kick in your butt, it asks you questions you do not want to be asked.

:- Doug.

This notion of tension has me this morning: conversation stretches us. It is a necessary stretching, a pulling us out of our little sphere, a heating us to get work done. So the conversation is a crucible, heat high enough to get us flowing, bubbling.

:- Doug.

When we seek invulnerability
it comes from our fear
When we are comfortable in our vulnerability
it comes from our love
Which is strength?

:- Doug.

Higher tension, stretching, heating: these are the work of conversing. It has heated is said of the bud on the bough.

:- Doug.

These are the faces of the grandchildren
These the holy
These the beloved

:- Doug.

Listen to your grief, share your despair, converse over our common vulnerability. It is a way to come together out beyond the short and quick “It’s all abouts.”

:- Doug.

There is a tension in eldering between living our life and living for the grandchildren. My own needs vs the good of the human project. When we stay in this tension, they rise to a higher more fruitful tension.

:- Doug.

Transactional learning: I pay, give me. Transformational learning: Learning takes me.

:- Doug.

Conversing, meeting, vulnerability
—Dancing—
Which is leading?

:- Doug.

Break open the nut
find protected inside
softness ready to grow

:- Doug.

Vulnerability seems to be holy.

:- Doug.

All learning is one.

:- Doug.

A game does not have to fit with any particular lesson for every lesson is part of every other.

:- Doug.

I present to you a series of doors to open and pass through. Doors beyond and beside doors, ever. Turning wheels comprising wheels, whirls within rivers within oceans. Open, pass through, ever.

:- Doug.

Share humankindness.

:- Doug.

Mass disorders like alcoholism, the opioid crisis, racial and political hatred, distrust, divisiveness, cannot be addressed solely on the individual level. It is a mismatch. Together problems call out to be engaged together.

:- Doug.

Our course of learning needs to find shared human vulnerability among participants to see it in the world. Games would be good.

:- Doug.

We have become diverse. Pulled and tugged. Yet within our grouping there are things to call us together. Let us look here. One strong pull is to come together. Let us look here.

:- Doug.

Picture circles of elders opening eyes minds hearts. To a larger. Not simply including all we can see smell taste but what we cannot yet. Open doors. Light nudges in.

:- Doug.

Forgive them, for I know not what will happen.

:- Doug.

Into the not knowing inviting, and the not knowing freeing, and the not knowing hugging.

:- Doug.

Unknown Friend, into I don’t know.

:- Doug.