Let the Games Begin

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." —Winston Churchill

With the pandemic we have a golden opportunity. Many people worldwide have become more aware of human mortality; of global connectedness; and of historical change as a process inherent in each moment and in each of us. It’s a shared consciousness that can help us make Calgary a moveable feast and a microcosm of healthy global community. Our weekly dialogues are a dance in time, a dance perfect for a moveable feast.

There is also a game in the changes taking place. There will always be pessimists who have no vision and therefore no interest in a healthy global community. A few will actively oppose any such transformation. That’s the other team. Our skill at the game will influence the outcome.

We might even compose a pre-game song - call it “We Are Calgarians” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v22SPtCFck8 - for our game-changing events in Calgary. The Seekers probably won’t mind if we use their music, so all we need would be the lyrics.

Just a thought.

At the dialogue by Zoom tomorrow (Wednesday) beginning 6:30 PM (or 6:15 if you want to check in early) I very much look forward to hearing your response to that question: What would you like your legacy, your gift to the world, to be? A big Thank You to everyone who has participated in these dialogues, which have enriched my life each week for several years now.

Greg has circulated the link to the Zoom meeting for tomorrow

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88108777912?pwd=RGh3bXMvVmJsSXl0SFpDWTBNRjV1dz09

Meeting ID: 881 0877 7912 Password: 466830

and a structured list of topics as well.

Why Are We Here: To build connection. To value our diversity. To learn something new.

How Will We Connect: We believe that wisdom emerges from learning new ideas through dialogue. Our dialogue dances will be a balance of focused/structured and emergent/unstructured dialogue. In our dialogue dances we will be: (a) kind to one another; (b) open to new ideas; (c) actively listen; and (d) contribute judiciously in light of the limited time we have to connect being mindful to sharing what we think or feel will be of benefit others in our dance.

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

Early arrivals if desired call opens at 6:15

1. Welcome & Quick Review of Our Why, How & What (6:30-6:35)

2. Breakout Check-Ins (6:35-6:45) In breakout conversations, share with each other whatever you’d like to share.

3. Open Forum (6:45-6:55) What ideas or themes or intuitions emerged during your breakouts that might be nice for all of us to dance with?

4. Brian’s Corner (6:55-7:05) Let’s stretch while reflecting on joy, abundance, challenge and empathy.

5. Greg’s Corner Greg will draw something from our Dialogue Wisdom Well (where we collect great ideas)

(a) Introduction to Empathy (7:05-7:10)

Previous Weeks:

We have discussed definitions of empathy as (a) 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; (b) seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feeling with the heart of another; (c) a pathway of harnessing both the heart and the mind to heal trauma both in ourselves and others; (d) a way to shift ourselves and others; and (e) a way to explore what others feel matters most when connecting with another person. We also explored some empathy skills: (a) asking good questions helps to build empathy (e.g., Ask the person you are holding space for “Whys is that important to you?” three times or ask yourself “What would love do?” in connecting with this person); (b) we must always be aware of both external and internal triggers and filter those through an aware heart and mind to prevent reactions that we might regret. We explored 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.

This Week:

We will explore Roman’s invitation to “make an imaginative leap” past four barriers to empathy: (1) prejudice (the negative assumptions we often make about people we’ve never met and the stereotypes we have about groups that we’re not part of); (2) authority (we tend to obey authority whether we are Germans obeying the 19030s Nazi government or Americans in going to war); (3) distance (we don’t connect to devastation that takes place far away); and (4) denial (it’s not our problem even if what we’ve done or failed to do may have prevented or mitigated others’ suffering).

(b) Learning Exercise (Breakout Conversation or Plenary Dialogue)? (7:10-7:25) Let’s try our build some new muscles or try out a new dance move.

Each participant shares a story of how they faced and overcame one of Roman’s four barriers to empathy.

(c) Learning Exercise Debrief: (7:25-7:35)

Any big ah-has from your breakout conversation exercise that you feel would benefit of our entire group dialogue?

6. Lelia’s Corner (7:35-7:45) Let’s sing while we reflect on joy, abundance, challenge and empathy.

7. Arthur’s Corner (7:45-7:55) Let’s together, through dialogue, answer a BIG question posed by Dr. Arthur Clark.

8. BIG Insights & Adjourn (7:55-8:00) 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.

Arthur