June 10th Zoom Call

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89722654958?pwd=SmluY2sxaExnVEFhN25mMGwzanp1UT09

Meeting ID: 897 2265 4958 Password: 537351

Why Are We Here: To build connection with diverse people and learn something new balancing a need for some structure that also allows emergence to occur.

How Will We Connect: We will respect one another always. We will publicly or privately let others know if we feel disrespected. We will be kind. We will be open to new ideas. We will actively listen. We will contribute only what we think or feel will be of benefit to others in our dance.

What Will We Connect On: Our weekly dance card will consist of the following 7 dances:

Early arrivals if desired call opens at 6:15

1. Welcome, Mindful Moment & Breakout Check Ins (6:30-6:40) In your breakout, share with each other whatever you’d like.

2. Open Forum (6:40-6:55) What ideas, themes or intuitions showed up during the check-in that might be nice to dance a little with?

3. Stretching With Brian (6:55-7:05) Let’s stretch while we reflect on joy, abundance, challenge and empathy.

4. Focused Learning (7:05-7:15) Let’s draw and discuss something from our Dialogue Wisdom Well (where we aggregate great ideas and exercises)

This week’s topic builds on our discussion of empathy.

On June 3, we discusses definitions of empathy as the art of stepping imaginatively into the shoes of another person, understanding their feelings and perspectives, and then using that understanding to guide our actions. We also considered empathy as seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another. In our June 3 conversation, we added a number of additional thoughts: (1) empathy is a pathway of harnessing both the heart and the mind to heal trauma both in ourselves and others – a way to shift ourselves and others; (2) it is important to ask good questions (e.g., three whys); (3) one can simply hold space and connect with another person; (4) what others feel is what matters most; (5) ask yourself “What would love do?” when connecting with another person; (6) one must be aware of both external and internal triggers and filter those through an aware heart and mind to prevent reactions that we might regret.

This week, we’ll discuss Roman Krznaric’s Six Habits of Highly Empathic People:

(1) Switch On Your Empathic Brain: Shift your mental framework to recognize that empathy is at the core of human nature and that it can be expanded as a skill that we can continually improve throughout our lives.

(2) Make the Imaginative Leap: Make a conscious effort to step into other people’s shoes including those of our enemies with a view to acknowledging their humanity, their individuality, their perspectives, their life journey and what from their past may have shaped them into what you see today.

(3) Seek Experiential Adventures: With curiosity, explore the lives and cultures that contrast with your own through direct immersion, empathic journeying and social interaction and cooperation.

(4) Practice the Craft of Conversation: Take off your own mask and with great authenticity and genuine creativity, ask questions of others – even complete strangers and radically listening to what they share.

(5) Travel in Your Armchair: Transporting yourself into other people’s minds and lives with the help of literature, film, online social networks and art.

(6) Inspire a Revolution: Generate empathy on a mass scale to create social change and extending our empathy skills to embrace the natural world.

What do you think of these six habits of empathy? Is there a seventh habit you use that you could share?

5. Learning Exercise Breakout: (7:20-7:30) Let’s try our build some new muscles or try out a new dance move.

Building on our topic of empathy, and in breakouts, do each of the following:

Each participant shares a story of how they practiced one of the six habits of empathy or another empathy practice and how they felt when they did so?

6. Learning Exercise Debrief: (7:30-7:40)

Any big ah-has from our breakout exercise?

7. Singing With Leila (7:40-7:50) Let’s sing while we reflect on joy, abundance, challenge and empathy.

Rise Again by the Rankin Family

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hffAItzLj2A

When the waves roll on over the waters And the ocean cries We look to our sons and daughters To explain our lives As if a child could tell us why That as sure as the sunrise As sure as the sea As sure as the wind in the trees We rise again in the faces Of our children We rise again in the voices of our song We rise again in the waves out on the ocean And then we rise again

When the light goes dark with the forces of creation Across a stormy sky We look to reincarnation to explain our lives As if a child could tell us why That as sure as the sunrise As sure as the sea As sure as the wind in the trees We rise again in the faces Of our children We rise again in the voices of our song We rise again in the waves out on the ocean And then we rise again We rise again in the faces Of our children We rise again in the voices of our song We rise again in the waves out on the ocean And then we rise again

And then we rise again

8. Key Learnings & Insights (7:50-8:00) Did we have any other big ah-ha moments tonight?

Participants are welcome to visit online after the dance ends for as long as they like.