"Life Affirming Communities"

"It is possible that the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing understanding and loving kindness, a community practicing mindful living. This may be the most important thing we can do for the survival of the earth."
- Thich Nhat Hahn

Dear Friends,

In preparation for this New Year’s Community Celebration I have been grappling with the question, "What constitutes a healthy community?" Webster defines community as "a unified body of individuals with common characteristics or interests." But, I am not interested in just any community. I want to discover the underlying principles of building and maintaining a community that incorporates the elements in Thich Nhat Hahn’s quote above. What are the attributes of what we could call a Life Affirming Community committed to the evolution of consciousness and the preservation of the planet?

Most communities distinguish themselves, not only as who they are, what they stand for and what they have in common, but also how they differ from other groups. This can intentionally or unintentionally give rise to separation, exclusion and alienation. Group members can become private and exclusive rather than open and inclusive. Complaints and gossip about others become ways of further defining themselves. Community members can become closed, shut down and exclusive without vigilant awareness. This kind of group tends to build on a foundation of right vs. wrong, likes vs. dislikes, and differences between group members. Of course this is not true of all communities. I am mainly talking about groups I would call Life Alienating Communities, such as hate groups and gangs. Organizations that intentionally or unintentionally pollute, destroy or cause harm to the natural world and society, including "special influence" groups that dominate the policies of countries, geographic regions, and some organized religious groups are Life Alienating Communities.

"Now, on the verge of environmental and social collapse, we face an imperative to bring the world of our dreams into being by cultivating our long-suppressed, even denied, capacity for sharing and compassion."
- David Korten

We are on the verge of recognizing that we will not survive if we don’t learn to make peace, love and understanding a priority on our planet. This is a huge evolutionary possibility and quantum jump in what it means to be human... How can we create Life Affirming Communities? I suggest that we open to the innate wisdom of our bodies, clear our minds of our petty personal concerns and share our collective dreams of a world that works for all sentient beings. A Life Affirming Community would be open, authentic, compassionate, mindful, show respect for all life, and want to contribute to the evolution of life itself. The sacred in others would be honored and celebrated. The community would stand for peace and its members would practice peace in their lives. Members would operate in the moment and not be distracted by trivialities or the influence of past disappointments and experiences... A positive vision would be held of a life affirming future for all species for all time... It would be a force for social, spiritual and evolutionary change. The guiding principles would be love and inclusion. While this may seem idealistic, Paul Hawken has found that these kinds of communities are already operating around the world and constitute the largest social movement in the history of humankind. (see video link) This movement may not be on the forefront of mainstream media, but includes millions of global Life Affirming Communities around the planet.

"The cure for despair is not hope. It’s discovering what we want to do about something we care about."
- Margaret Wheatley

It is easy to assume that we are alone in this movement towards a more life affirming way of being in the world. The work at hand can seem overwhelming, even impossible, but don’t despair. The key is discovering what we really care about and taking action towards what we want rather than focusing and stressing on what we don’t want. If we really get to the heart of what we want, we see that we have more in common with all humans than we first realize. We want peace, justice, cooperation, health, safety, shelter, clothing, and a voice in the decisions that affect our lives.

We have the to capacity to choose our destiny... We must first become informed, not only by studying the issues that are threatening the life support systems of our planet, but to go inward and tap the innate cellular and instinctual knowledge that has been passed down to us since the beginning of time. As we become informed, we can begin to act by becoming involved in our communities and influencing and implementing Life Affirming activities. In this way we will help to co-create a new cultural story that honors all life and leads to conscious, collective choices that create an evolutionary shift towards a more positive, healthy and fulfilling future. The outcome lies in the moment to moment, daily choices we make in the way we live our lives...

I hope you will join us for this New Year celebration as we consciously co-create a new Life Affirming Community. If you are unable to join us please know we support your ideas, commitments and actions that contribute to the evolution of these mutually interactive communities...

Blessings,
michael

"In every community there is work to be done. In every nation,
there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it. "
- Marianne Williamson

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