From preference arises sorrow, from preference arises fear, but he who is freed from preference has no sorrow and certainly no fear.
By detachment is not meant giving away and depleting all one’s wealth. Rather, it denotes turning unto God and supplicating Him. This plane can be attained in every precinct and is manifest and visible from everything.
The voices of China’s workers, talk by Leslie Chang
This Friday, September 21st: Going back to globalization
This word was a buzz word when I was in middle school, but it’s still so relevant today (I mean, it hasn’t been THAT long really, right?) So, this week’s topic will focus on what the realities of globalization are, and look at the issue from the slant of the people involved in the creation of the goods that are consumed around the world. Our discussion will springboard from Leslie Chang’s recently released TED talk. Here are some questions for discussion:
1) What are positive impacts of Globalization? Do they out weigh any negative impacts?
2) What are the underlying assumptions of Globalizaton?
3) What are the spiritual implications of Globalization? Are there any?
Defining Solution Journalism: It's about real news, not feel-good stories
A good news story explaining some of the goals of solution journalism, and what it is and is not.
A must see talk on Solution Journalism by David Bornstein, a main proponent of solutions journalism.
All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Say: O friends! Drink your fill from this crystal stream that floweth through the heavenly grace of Him Who is the Lord of Names. Let others partake of its waters in My name, that the leaders of men in every land may fully recognize the purpose for which the Eternal Truth hath been revealed, and the reason for which they themselves have been created.
Looking for more than ‘bad news’
Together we read and discussed some news articles, a TED talk by David Bornstein, and writings from the Baha’i Faith. Other than medicine, journalism is the only profession addressed directly in the Baha’i Faith’s writings. It seems significant, right? The conversation included reflections on how the framing of the news does, in fact, contribute to a less trustworthy and unhappy society. We agreed that we’d like to see a more thoughtful kind of journalism—one that avoids uncritical endorsement of any particular solution while also giving us information and perspective on the approaches organizations are indeed taking to address problems. We are, after all, part of an “ever advancing civilization,” and bleak as many problems in society are, there are more (or less) effective efforts being made to address them. That’s also newsworthy, don’t you agree?
In this Day the secrets of the earth are laid bare before the eyes of men. The pages of swiftly-appearing newspapers are indeed the mirror of the world. They reflect the deeds and the pursuits of divers peoples and kindreds. They both reflect them and make them known. They are a mirror endowed with hearing, sight and speech. This is an amazing and potent phenomenon. However, it behoveth the writers thereof to be purged from the promptings of evil passions and desires and to be attired with the raiment of justice and equity. They should enquire into situations as much as possible and ascertain the facts, then set them down in writing.
This Friday, Sept 14th: Solution Journalism
You’re invited to a refreshing, laidback discussion and devotional centered around the topic of “solution journalism”, and its accompanying spiritual principles of consultation, trust, integrity and so on.
The idea of solution journalism is that it’s time to push beyond reporting (and on the other end of things, reading) facts about ‘bad’ news. A critical but constructive reporting of the ways people are addressing our problems is needed in today’s society. As David Bornstein writes in a piece we’ll look at, “Solution stories are about how people adapt to changing conditions. That’s not ‘good’ news; that’s knowledge that is necessary to understand, anticipate and shape the future.”
Looking forward to seeing you @8pm!
This Friday, Aug 31st: Open Collaboration
This week at the Missing Piece Series we will look at ways that open collaboration and sharing has been transforming our world. The discussion will focus around how we can take some of these ideas / principles and apply them to our lives.
Some of the questions we’ll look at:
1) What is one thing that you are proud of having worked on? What did you learn? How would you share that with others?
2) How can we collaborate together to improve our spiritual awareness? What would that look like?
3) What causes us to shy away from collaboration / openness? What can be done to overcome this or is this useful / needed?
Facilitated by our amazing co-host, Scott.
We wrapped up the night with this exercise: “How would you tackle rampant corruption in your country?” Most people suggest various (mostly unimaginative) approaches. Then we ask, “How would you tackle corruption without a budget to do it?” * crickets * Well, some creative activists in India have a solution—check out the video. I’ve also heard government workers will display this zero rupee note in their offices to send a message/get behind a movement/show their status in fighting corruption.
[What’s needed is] an explosion of creativity into areas of life where it has been largely excluded. Looking at international politics, looming multiple ecological and economic catastrophes, resurgences of fundamentalist fanaticisms and racisms, it is fair to say that conventional logic and conventional ideas have brought us to an impasse. What can pull us out is the fresh perception fostered by a creative attitude, as well as openness to the free play of possibilities.
What changes in the world can come from simply changing perception? Rory Sutherland takes us through a very humorous journey of what lateral thinking or playful thinking can do to accomplish just that. Personally, we’re torn between the potato example and the Shreddies example as the funniest.
Oh the possibilities!
This excerpt from Paul Lample’s book, Creating a New Mind, points out that our perception directly affects our reality. Opening up perception=beginning of change in our selves, our communities, and the world at large.
Human reality is bounded by the limits set in the mind. When the Manifestation of God appears, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains, “human intellects themselves must change.” The “antiquated forms of belief and ancestral imitations which are at variance with the foundations of divine reality” must “pass away and be reformed.” The Universal House of Justice states that the Manifestation “is of a higher realm and has a perception far above that of any human being. He has the task of raising humankind to a new level of knowledge and behavior.” Change in mind becomes change in deed and change in the world. When consciousness is expanded, so is the potentiality for action. A simple example illustrates the point. One group of believers may envision the local community as a congregation, another as a chapter of a progressive social movement. Each perception gives rise to a specific pattern of activity. Each community evolves differently, manifesting distinct powers and exerting particular influences. Yet, inevitably, each reaches the limitations inherent in its perspective, since both fail to fully reflect what it means to be a Bahá’í community. Certainly Bahá’u’lláh has not appeared and suffered innumerable afflictions in order to secure the same limited results already realized by countless religious communities and social organizations. It is only natural in the early stages of the evolution of the Faith for us to fashion our communities after the models with which we are familiar. Such an approach, however, soon proves to be insufficient. “No man putteth new wine into old bottles,” Jesus states, “else the new wine doth burst the bottles.” Our efforts in the current period of history must be framed by “a new state of mind.”
