When looking at photos of the oil spill in the Gulf, I felt flooded with despair, sadness and hopelessness; the well-being of the Earth, the water, the people and animals are so deeply precious to me. When I consider the quantity of oil pouring out, I fear sometimes that the gulf between our actions and what we value is too wide. Yet today, connecting continually with the Earth, I feel more peaceful, calm, trusting.
Deep breath... Changing cycles, changing flows... On Wednesday, at another camp, we TRANSFORMED A SMALL PATCH OF MOUNTAINSIDE COVERED IN GARBAGE INTO A COMPOST AND VEGETABLE GARDEN IN ABOUT THREE HOURS. We were about 20-30 people. MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK!
In French, the verbs for crying (pleurer) and raining (pleuvoir) seem pretty close - je pleure (I'm crying) and il pleut (it's raining). I've also often wondered why the weather is preceded by "il" (he) and not "elle" (she). A few weeks before our trip, I started using the verb pleuvoir, saying "je pleut", when I cry. I thought this was kind of a quirky thing to say, the kind of mistake an anglophone would make - I'm raining :) - and I found it fun and silly, turning my tears into smiles.
by Bonita Ford. Creative Commons - Attribution, 2010.
I started this blog entry at the request of a friend. We were talking about the roles of "shadow" or "darkness", and "lightness" in bringing about social and personal transformation.
by Bonita Ford. Creative Commons - Attribution, 2010.
by Bonita Ford. Creative Commons - Attribution 2010.
Since much of what I write is informed by my personal practice in Nonviolent-Compassionate Communication (NVC), I feel compelled to share about my understanding of NVC and why it is so powerful and enriching for me.
At its simplest, I would describe Nonviolent-Compassionate Communication as a practice where we are trying to connect deeply with another person and trying to find ways to meet both of our needs.
I think abundance is a way of thinking and a way of rethinking about our lives and the world. What would the world look like if people everywhere caught onto these kinds of ideas? I have learned from practicing Nonviolent Communication that it is very possible - and often so enriching - to approach our relationships and conflicts with an intention of meeting everyone's needs. Yes, we really can. If we let go of our specific ideas of the way we want things to happen, and we focus on what's ultimately most important for all parties, we can, with practice and patience, find a way that works.
As someone with a desire to enrich life, which is intertwined with my permaculture ethics to "care for people" and "care for the Earth", sometimes I ask myself "What can I do to make more of a difference?" With frustration sometimes, my inner critic, the "jackal voices" as we call them in Nonviolent Communication, tell me that I'm not doing enough. My need to contribute is not being fully met! However, after a day like today, I'm reminded that we really CAN have an impact.
I was reminded in a workshop I gave last week, called "Inner Peace and Outer Nature", that observation is as much about paying attention to details as it is about opening our attention and allowing information to come in. I think meditation is a great example of effective, thoughtful observation in both permaculture and Nonviolent Communication. In meditation and observation, we focus on one object (an element) or our field of awareness (patterns in a whole system), open our attention and notice whatever is there, all without grasping at a certain solution.
