Tod shares some of his reflections on working with diverse groups working toward a common goal, and postures necessary to make the most of such situations…
Tod and I go into more detail about the term “Institutionalized Rasism” and talk about a few concrete examples of how it looks and what effects it has.
Questions that come to mind are:
Who sets policy and guidelines for content for educational materials? How could that person being aware of the implications of the content that they are producing make a difference in this process?
Think about the prison system; the educational system; political system; the economic system: What positions and roles can contribute to positive change regarding the postures and attitudes that these systems assume in how they develop and implement policy?
I am thoroughly appreciative to allow you who have been readers, commenters and sharers of the Reflection Phase of this blog. We will have a few more posts of that kind over the next couple weeks, and again in the future, but for the next while it has become apparent that the most timely thing is for us to now engage in an Action Phase.
What that means is that what will be most valuable for those of us here looking to see the world become a better place in this phase is learning WHAT YOU ARE PREPARED TO DO. There are iterative processes of theory and action going on here. Without some theory, we have little to focus on and test…without action, we don’t get to see if any of it is practical. It is time to do something.
The challenge of the team at Steady Flow will be to develop and craft content that asks good questions about the systems that exist in our neighborhoods, towns, cities and countries. The challenge that we pose to you is to consider and share your learning about questions such as these:
1. What do you need to see change most about your life or where you live?
2. WHAT ARE YOU PREPARED TO DO to improve those things?
3. What concrete support do you need to improve conditions in your environment?
4. What can you do to shake off the shackles of passivity and voyeuristic patterns, and rather plug in to the people around you and start building something truly just and connected?
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This is just an intro to where we are going for a while. I will understand if some folks don’t feel prepared yet to engage in action, but I encourage you to participate in discussions and share your concrete learning as you feel ready. This phase is not about being comfortable. It is about flexing muscles that you may not have worked in a while, if at all. I am willing to give my all throughout this phase, and it would be very encouraging if you “builders” out there would join me in this growth process. You will likely begin to hear some other voices arise in this space, and if you’d like to join the creative team, please comment saying so, and you will be contacted by email.
Regardless of your race, gender, economic bracket or education level, I believe that all of you are noble, and capable of amazing things if you stand up to do something.
Listening to National Public Radio while you're driving can be hazardous. Once again I almost drove off the road. The reporter was talking about a fourteen year old girl in Pakistan, hunted down and shot by the Pakistani Taliban for the offense of going to school. I was enraged. In spite of myself, all manner of hostile thoughts filled my mind.
Yes, Fam!
This is a solid comment on some serious reflection that many of us need to make that I couldn't help but repost this! I'm very interested to hear what emotions and thoughts run through your mind as you consider the points here:
And now, the moment that many of you thought would never come!!! Oak, covering the Presidential Debate!!!
Seriously, never thought it would happen, but I did want to hear what folks on the ground are thinking about our present processes, and enough encouragement to deliver it was offered that I figured I should try this at least once, no?
Aaron and I conclude our conversation on Storytelling, Dichotomies and Complexity with some reflections of character development and archetypes used in stories. Hope you’ve enjoyed this series, and more to come soon! Enjoy!
This post can also be viewed along with other marvelous content at Nineteen Months!
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“O SON OF SPIRIT! Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created.”
- Bahá’ú’lláh
As I interact with my human family in this very fascinating world, I am faced with the dilemma that the above quote seems to encapsulate perfectly…that we are all created noble, but have to learn to arise from the abasement that we’ve gotten ourselves into. That abasement comes in all forms from abuse to oppression to negligence and all kinds of hurtful experiences that we may put ourselves and each other through.
So the burning question stands: How do we arise out of this lost sense of nobility? What behaviors, systems and practices are we collectively consenting to or engaging in that keep us from our noble destiny? What are our associations with even the word “noble”? How many names have we called ourselves and each other; how many judgements (more…)
This post concludes this part of the conversation with Colby on finance. It was a fun and informative subject to talk about, and I look forward to learning more about this arena of responsibility. Please send feedback and share thoughts that we can think about as well!
Colby and I continue our conversation on money and various ways to navigate finances. We now get into approaches to banking and other financial institutions…Enjoy!
In a continuation from our last Finance post, Colby talks a little about finding one’s path, and ways that one can approach career and education…Enjoy!
