The Compassion Games

In an earlier post (here) I mentioned the Charter for Compassion - an organization set up by Karen Armstrong after her TED talk on her wish for the world to be a more compassionate place. Today's newsletter has some very inspiring stories about The Compassion Games. Here's one excerpt:

"Love wins in the most unsuspecting places. When Rev. Shayna Lester, a volunteer chaplain at the CA Institution for Women, women’s prison heard about the Games, she knew she had to bring it to the inmates.

Immediately the women responded and self organized. They appointed leadership, created “games” and agreed on how they would account for their points. They agreed to play in housing units and identified their teams by color.  They coined the term “Compassionistas” and came up with games like; walk away from gossip, do a kind deed for another, let another go ahead of you in line, share magazines, food, personal items. And because they understand that everyone wins, it was requested that the Compassionistas who played would celebrate on the final day with a thickly frosted cake; a delicacy. And out of respect for the unit with the highest points, the frosting was in the color of that unit. In the history of this (and likely any) prison, during the 11 days of the Compassion Games there were no recorded incidents of violence."

Mr Penumbra's 24 hour Bookshop

I haven't commented on a book for a while so here's a novel I randomly picked up at the library and have enjoyed:

I really liked this quirky book! What drew me in was the mix of an "old world" book shop somehow forming an alliance with the latest digital technology.

Since I still love real books and also enjoy keeping up with the convenience of e-reader, Kindle books etc  this sounded like a book for me. The added touch of mystery, a puzzle to solve and who really would crack the code made it a light hearted but intriguing book. After finishing it I Googled (!) the name of a couple of the key historical characters to see if they were "real" and somewhat to my surprise they were!

Not as calm as I appear

I've borrowed the title of this post from another Blog I read regularly. It struck me because I identify strongly! We are in the process of putting our house on the market to downsize to a one level home - which we have not yet found! We'd love to stay in the same area but so far there are not a lot of options. So the "sell before you buy" process is extremely stressful and I am definitely not as calm as I (apparently) appear!

Then the Prodigal Kiwi Blog I read today reminded me of one of David Whyte's poems which I have always loved:

Start close in,

don't take the second step or the third,

start with the first thing close in,

the step you don't want to take.

So thanks to two fellow Bloggers for encouraging me this morning to continue "taking the first step" even when I am in a whirlpool of emotions like grief, anxiety and stress - with the occasional glimpse of excitement breaking through!

Erosion

Morning walk…

sun shining, sky blue

but

evidence of a power

that sandy banks and man made 

barriers

can not withstand.

Tree roots protruding

tomorrow

tree falling?

Once a walkway

now

No access!

Even the sign 

announcing a marine reserve

will soon fall in.

What else erodes

less visibly

less tangibly?

Freedom

I've recently read Like Colour to the Blind by Donna Williams. It is an amazing insight into the world of two autistic people who find each other and together explore relationship, connection and love. Their courage and determination to push through compulsions, obsessions, automatic responses and perceptual distortions is inspiring.

I was struck by the fact that one of the things Donna had to learn was how to know what she, herself, truly liked and wanted as opposed to the "stored responses" of what others seemed to like so "that must be the best choice". Her life operated to a large extent on "stored responses" rather than truly free personal choice. In a much more mild and manageable way I recognize that I sometimes choose on the basis of "stored responses" or automatic pilot. For example I often look at my watch to decide if it is time to eat! I'm discovering that if I listen to whether I am actually hungry I eat at slightly different times. I often eat whatever is easily available in the fridge or cupboard rather then stopping to think what my body most wants. … I'm sure there are other examples too. I'm on the watch for them now!

Then this morning thanks to the Prodigal Kiwi Blog was this quote about freedom from a spiritual perspective:
Dr. Thomas A. Bausch & Dr. James J. Spillane, S.J: “…People who are spiritually free are tantalizingly alive. They take bold initiatives, do interesting things, have a taste for adventure, are not threatened by other strong personalities and can hold fast to their convictions even in the face of criticism and disapproval… They know who they are and what they want to do, and are fully engaged in living it. Such persons are interiorly free…” They have, they note, “the ability to think and act without external or internal compulsions”.
...
Finally they highlight that “the spiritual life leads to freedom. The important question is not "Am I happy?" but "Am I free?” Free to choose what I most deeply want to do. If I am really free to choose, I will do the things God wants me to do. Freedom is both from and for. Freedom from the net of many strings and expectations that the false self has created. Freedom from the fear that if I step out of a particular role, I will disappoint someone. Freedom from the fear that if I do not espouse a certain position [or act in a particular way] I will not be accepted. Freedom for relates to positive and collaborative action in working with God to concretize His dream for the world and its inhabitants. Love of God that does not show itself in service to humankind is a snare and a delusion…”

So fascinating when the same theme pops up in totally un-related sources! I am taking note!

 

Hidden Treasures

I'm in the process of a big "de-cluttering". I'm having great fun throwing out mountains of old files from my filing cabinet. Good stuff a lot of it - but long forgotten and hardly ever referred to. But in my cursory glancing at things I have carefully filed I came across one thin folder of pages written by former students - not assignments - more like personal notes to me. Some triggered lovely memories, others I couldn't quite place. But this one stood out as worthy of publishing. I remember this student well and followed her progress for several years after she left BCNZ (Bible College of NZ) where I was one of her lecturers. If I knew where she was now I would love her to know her words and truth are still valued. I won't name her but here's what she wanted to tell me in 1987:

Mid-term Exams '87

Exams
make me feel
small and ashamed
shallow and dumb
I want you to know I'm not slow,
that I love my classes
I do learn and soak up so much of what you teach
In my mind and heart - deep inside … many secrets unfold -
it's neat
the discoveries I make…
I love learning.
If I could let you take a peek inside of me, just see and understand that within I hold lots of interesting precious things…
But…
My vocabulary is so small that it hasn't a chance of covering everything I "feel",
and I don't know how to use our English language to express
everything I've learned, to write out what I've come up with
so
I sit here in this exam after working so hard to learn
feeling small and ashamed
you will read my paper and think I'm shallow…
and the spelling! … she must be slow… and look at the way the 
ideas and thoughts are so disjointed…
you will think that I haven't grasped all the wonderful truths in the lessons 
you've been teaching.
Please
don't treat me like I'm slow
don't talk to me as if I can't reach your level
you'd be surprised
I'm not slow… well not in the sense of intellectually slow
don't judge me by what I put on paper in exams
Exams are good I know,
they help to crystalize all your many thoughts and new discoveries
they help you get your mind sorting through and registering
all the many things you've been storing away
they are good
I'm glad we have to sit down and study really hard
I just don't want to be misjudged as a person
by how well
I can write out my thoughts and what I've been learning
on a piece of paper.

I wrestle with words and sentences to fit my ideas.
Sometimes my head seems to buzz with the weight of too many
problems that seem to have no solution.
I read once that the older one grew, the more complicated and
involved one's feelings became, and sometimes they were quite 
opposed to one another.

So dear R.G. I remember you with warmth and respect. I never thought of you as dumb or slow and I'm sure you would be surprised to know that something you wrote 27 years ago counts as a treasure. What's more I think you have expressed something many others would identify with - and expressed it beautifully.

Greatest enemy…?

I was struck by one sentence in an article on leadership I was reading this morning (thanks to Prodigal Kiwi Blog):


"When Nelson Mandela was liberated after 25 years of imprisonment by apartheid regimes, he made this confession: “My greatest enemy was not those who put or kept me in prison. It was myself. I was afraid to be who I am.”"

"I was afraid to be who I am" is the phrase that is ringing in my ears… and when that happens (i.e. a phrase really strikes me) it is time for some reflection in the time honored  Lectio Divina style of asking: Why did that phrase strike me? How does it relate to my life and growth? What might God be asking/inviting me into? Lectio Divina is certainly not a process limited to reading the Bible.

Alphabet for World Peace

I've mentioned the Charter for Compassion before in this Blog. This poster was featured in the newsletter I received today.

"As a mixed-media artist, Debi Strong has created works with the intention of encouraging kindness, connection, compassion, and peace for our world. Most of her art includes a significant percentage of recycled materials in the form of magazine papers, re-purposed fibers, and found objects."

Click here to see other great examples of Compassion around the world - including a NZ example!

Science and religion

If this topic interests you and you have 18 minutes to spare watch this YouTube of a TEDx talk by Michael Dowd. It is entitled Reality Reconciles Science and Religion. I have heard talks by Michael Dowd and his wife previously and appreciated their perspectives and the intelligent way they present them. The Wikipedia article on Dowd gives very interesting background to who he is and the journey he has travelled to his current enthusiasm. One of his best known books is Thank God for Evolution which has received acclaim from several  Nobel Laureates.

Samoa holiday

We decided to visit one of our Pacific neighbours for a week's holiday recently. Samoa was a place we had never been to so off we went. We had a wonderful week relaxing at Le Vasa resort (as you will see from photos below!) It was fairly remote from Apia and we didn't have a car so were limited to one half day tour with a driver from the resort. Obviously we didn't do any kind of justice to the whole of Samoa or even the island of Upolu but the local area outside the resort and a trip to the small island of Manono in a local boat gave a taste of village life in Samoa. Of course village life and "resort life" are like two different worlds. However, the resorts and other tourist attractions give much needed work to local people. Our boat driver said that only one family in five in Samoa has someone with a "proper job". That's a very sad statistic if he has his facts right. So - a few photos (of the hundred I took!)

View from our Fale on first morning. (We arrived in the dark the night before.)

Our Fale is the first one on the right.

The open air restaurant

One way to relax!

We spent a lot time in, or by, the pool!

The grounds in the resort

Drinks on the verandah of our Fale

Samoan Pak ' Save!! 

Local shop