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INSIDE STORY — |
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Letters and articles that show the proof of the latihan working inside our work — for this can be how our 'true human culture' begins. How I backed into the World Wisdom Project |
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Reynold Feldman |
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by Reynold Feldman, Hawaii INSPIRE noted Reynold Feldman's exciting new website for his WORLD WISDOM PROJECT (listed below) and promptly included his new book, WISDOM, on its PUBLISH PUBLISH pages. We also asked Reynold if he'd like to send us an article about how the project came about. As it's very much directed to Subud people, we've included the letter here in our new INSIDE STORY section of the website. Bapak has a great phrase he liked to use: "diluar dugaan". The literal translation is: "beyond expectation." As an American, I gave the translation a culturally derived spin: "Out of left field." Major events in my life, changes, significant decisions or people have always seemed to have come out of left field — like client checks on the days I forget to look in the mail box. Diluar dugaan. And so it has been with the World Wisdom Project. I had no intention to do such a project. None. In fact, my goal in life was to become a college or university president. I was on the right track. Years as an English professor. Involvement in lots of national projects. Publications. Nine years as an academic dean at an urban university of 10,000. Three more as academic VP, the number-two position, at another urban university, this one with 7,000 students. It seemed a done deal. Then I got fired at age 50 and couldn't find another administrative job. It's an example of what my friend Parker Palmer calls "way closing behind you." The door seemed to slam shut, in fact, and I heard the dead-bolt click into place. And so ended my 30-year academic career — or almost. Actually, during the mandatory one year the state of Minnesota gave me to find a new job, I had the chance to work with my wonderful old boss and to help establish a binational community college in Akita, Japan. I did three other things too. I created Blue Sky Associations: Catalysts for Educational Change, a tax-exempt nonprofit to assist innovative educators do interesting things in consort. I started teaching an evening college course called "The Literature of Wisdom: A Cross-Cultural Exploration." And, from that course, one of my students and I put together an anthology of international proverbs which HarperCollins published in 1992. Its title: A World Treasury of Folk Wisdom. It contains 1000 sayings, in inclusive language, from 135 cultures. We featured lots of funny ones like — • When a thief kisses you, count your teeth. (Yiddish) • Love is blind, but not the neighbors. (Mexican) • Don't call the alligator big-mouth till you have crossed the river. (Belizean) I can tell you how the World Wisdom Project developed from Blue Sky Associates. What I can't tell you is why, in my grief for having been fired from my VP job, I suddenly and spontaneously created a course called "The Literature of Wisdom." It just happened. My computer did it. I don't have a clue. In July, 1996, Blue Sky Associates held a three-day conference on education and spirituality. The title, given by our keynote speaker, Parker Palmer, was Teaching from Within: Vocation, Practice, and Transformatin. The conference attracted 144 participants from around the country. Afterwards 22 of us did a three-day follow-on retreat at an Ursaline retreat house. Evaluations confirmed that both were outstanding experiences for those who attended. Two months later Simone and I moved to Hawaii. There were calls for a reprise of the conference, this time with participants from around the world. One thing led to another. And one day, as I was sitting in the UCLA Med. School Library, minding my own business, I took out a legal pad and spontaneously wrote a letter to friends requesting support for an international summit of sages in Hawaii. Soon I had collected $10,000 to help me to craft what had meantime become something like a World Gathering of Wisdom Seekers. The idea was, we live in a democratic age. Forget the gurus and the honchos. In other words, let's have a Subud-style gathering, with that level of interaction and sharing, except with all kinds of people, not just Subud members. And let the theme be — sharing our wisdom on wisdom. What is it? How do you tap and enhance it? How do you put it into practice? What impact does or might it have on the world? In August, 1998, with support from the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation we had a gathering of 36 at Reed College, Portland, Oregon. About one-third were Subud members, including Tuti, Sharif, and Simon Guerrand-Hermes. The meetings took place in the context of the Society for Values in Higher Education's annual fellows meeting. (I am a fellow of this wonderful organization.) Out of that meeting and a subsequent small follow-up meeting on Hawaii in February, 1999, attended by people from Minnesota, California, Hawaii, Canada, and New Zealand (Jan and Jola Duniewicz, Salamah Pope, Sjarifuddin Harris, and the Rev. Rohana Laing, among them), the World Wisdom Project emerged. A chief figure in the developments since that meeting has been Jessica Woodrow, a successful young businesswoman with strong spiritual commitments, who has invested time and money into the realization of our website, other marketing initiatives, and the creation of two additional meetings: the first in late-May, 2000, on beautiful Salt Spring Island, B.C., Canada; the second in January, 2001, near Diamond Head in Honolulu. An earlier plan was to have a huge international gathering in Honolulu in 2001 to launch the Project to the general public. It soon became clear, however, that we did not (and do not) yet have the financial or organizational strength to plan or pull off anything this ambitious. We are hoping for 80 in Canada and perhaps 250 in Honolulu. Meantime, in conjunction with the project, I have written Wisdom: Daily Reflections for a New Era which Saint Mary's Press (Christian Brothers Publications) published in March, 2000. It is a daily meditation book, with each entry beginning with a quotation from international wisdom sources and ending with a little optional exercise for enhacing one's personal wisdom. My intention is that the book will help build up the Project even as the Project helps to sell books. So far Wisdom is selling well and, with good promotion and some luck, could become a very good seller. I have also conducted a workshop on community wisdom at last year's Society for Values in Higher Education Fellows Meeting and shall do so again this year. In addition, I am doing book tours as I can afford them and am contemplating a little Weekly Wisdom column for newspapers, which I would love to syndicate. So, what's the future of the World Wisdom Project? Who knows? Not me. I'll be the last to know. But my vision is this. "God," the bumpsticker tells us, "don't make no junk." Wisdom resources abound. In each of us and all around us. Even bad news within the proper perspective can be understood as good news. Like my getting knocked out of my traditional academic career when I got fired back in 1990. I feel my mission is to help gather and inter-relate different approaches to the fostering of wisdom — different traditions, different representatives, different seekers — on the basis that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I have long been discouraged by our exclusivist approach in Subud. I was born into a people who have developed exclusiveness into a fine art. Although there are some virtues in separation, I am convinced that it is time for us Subud members — and us Jews — to affirm their highest commitment to the Creator of all humankind, to jettison in theory and practice the concept of Gentilism and to make common cause with all our sisters and brothers who are our roommates on the Planet. To do so, I am convinced, is the beginning of wisdom. And it is to this proposition that I hope to devote whatever time and energy are left me as I approach my 61st birthday With Aloha from Hawaii, Reynold Feldman SEE REYNOLD'S NEW BOOK ON WISDOM ON THE PUBLISH PUBLISH PAGE OF INSPIRE Serving the Disadvantaged An outgrowth of SICA's Conference on Education last summer (reported in our last Inspire) is a new listserver: where Subud educators are sharing experiences and expertise. "The following article." writes Elizabeth Flanders, "is meant to give you a glimpse into the kinds of conversations we're having and to invite you to join us if you're a Subud educator or member vitally interested in education. And I would like to dedicate this article to Louise Edwards, who spent many, many hours getting our listserver up and running and to Leonard Dixon, Melinda Wallis and Leonard Kater who have agreed to help with its maintenance. by Elizabeth Flanders, USA Every day individual Subud members go to work in their roles as teacher or coach, to live and learn with young people whose lives lack economic and social stability. Hamilton Manley goes to his job as a coach in an economically depressed area of Hawaii. He states, " 60% of the families are on some kind of government aid." In Maryland, Myriam Ramsey goes to her elementary school which serves families from a variety of socio-economic levels. In Vancouver, British Columbia, Illene Pevec goes to the community garden she started at an elementary school where half the families are first nations and half are refugees from Asia and the Balkans. Melinda Wallis takes her art education business to an Indian Reservation in Washington State. Here is a glimpse of the fertile conversation that resulted from these educators, on the front lines, talking to one another. Hamilton has been coaching in an economically depressed area of Hawaii for four years. He states, "Our students are not used to success on any level. There are, of course, some exceptions. Building a program in this environment has been very difficult. The first year I was only able to inject a wish to succeed. The second year, we (my coaching staff) was able to initiate the idea of working to succeed and some self- esteem. By year three, we had improved skills and were able to think more as a team. And this year, we almost had some leaders, which seem particularly hard to develop in this environment. This year, even though we figured our talent level was 8th or 9th in our eleven-team league, we came in third. We had improved throughout the season and had won our first tournament game. The difficult part came as we were facing our biggest step, to advance to the state tournament. Several of my boys showed tremendous self- doubt and had their worst performance of the year. This came totally unexpected to me, as I had not seen that side in the progression throughout our season. For several of the boys, it was their last game since they graduate in June. I certainly don't equate wins and losses to the only success derived, but do believe that some successes (wins) are necessary to build teamwork and self- esteem. We coach that fun is in achieving, improving, dreaming, learning, losing and winning and not only in participating." Myriam responds, "Thank you, Hamilton, for your comments. I have the same kind of experience teaching poor kids. I can give a puzzle to my middle class students and if it's hard, they love it and don't want to quit. If I give the same puzzle to my troubled students, they will throw it on the table and become very aggressive. They feel their self-esteem is at risk. I have to teach things like not quitting, solving problems, impulse control etc. One year I spent all year teaching my second graders that if their paper ripped, they didn't have to crumple it up and start all over. I felt so happy when they could continue on even though the paper had a hole in it. You are doing a great thing with your coaching, Hamilton." Melinda Wallis chimed in with the following: "I have seen the same behavior (of being afraid to even try something) in the Indian reservation kids where I've gone to do art a few times a year. It's a small school on the reservation where the teachers are very aware of each child's individuality. I learned early on that I had to simplify the art projects that I took there. The boys particularly would: (1) Refuse to even start; and (2) Give up really quickly. I learned that I had to catch them in time to work with them individually. The other problem I'd see is the lack in their creative development. If I give the middle class kids in my town a hunk of clay, most of them would go for it. I could say, 'Let's make clay chickens!' and give them a few basic clues, and off they'd go. If I'd say the same thing to the kids on the reservation, many of the kids would just sit there, or say, 'I don't know how to do that'. We'd have to then do individual, step by step, instruction. But they would be very happy and proud when they'd accomplished it!" Illene Pevec sums up this conversation by stating, "When Myriam talks about the frustration of her students when they tear up their paper because they've made a mistake, or when Hamilton shares his experience with his team or Melinda shares what it takes for children to make a clay chicken, we are all talking about the children's ability to see many possibilities instead of the right one." This comment makes perfect sense to me. If children have limited resources and experiences, it's only natural that they will bring limited resources and experiences to a task. Part of our task in living and learning with disadvantaged children is to expand their possibilities, to show them what is possible within themselves. Emmy E. Werner summarized the research on resilient children in her November1984 article, "Resilient Children," in Young Children magazine. What factors give disadvantaged young people resilience in the face of daily hardship? Her article cited beloved teachers as an important factor. Teachers who: "1. Accept children's temperamental idiosyncrasies and allow them some experiences that challenge, but do not overwhelm, their coping abilities; 2. Convey to children a sense of responsibility and caring, and in turn, reward them for helpfulness and cooperation; 3.Encourage a child to develop a special interest, hobby, or activity that can serve as a source of gratification and self-esteem; 4. Model, by example, a conviction that life makes sense despite the inevitable adversities that each of us encounters." (op.cit. p. 71) This is exactly what our Subud educators are doing on a daily basis. The rewards are those unexpected surprises from the children. Illene recounts this response to her efforts to bring hands on learning to life through the planting of school gardens. "One of the best moments this fall was when I arrived at the door of a grade 4-5 class and one of the little boys saw me and broke into a huge smile and said, 'Are we going flowering?'" I say yes! Let's all go flowering!
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As Illene Pevec of Canada went through the process of conceiving this community garden cum educational and cultural project, applying for funding for the project, and getting the grant for the project, she kept in touch with her fellow Subud educators on the educator's listserver. When an enormous grant finally came through and the project was a "go" she shared the following Press Release about it with this note: I just want to share with you all the enormous sense of gratitude I have for the guidance I have received through the latihan that led me to do this and to find such fabulous people to create this project with me here in Vancouver. If anyone can come who lives up here I would love to have you share this day with me. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE COMMUNITY GARDENS WILL GROW MORE THAN FOOD There's something growing at the Grandview/?uuqinak'uuh Elementary School and Grandview Terrace Childcare. It is excitement. It is anticipation. It is a garden that will grow food and more. On Thursday March 9 at 1:30 p.m. a Ground Breaking Ceremony will take place at 2055 Woodland Drive in Vancouver for a project that will see the building of a Longhouse Community Gathering Centre, a Community Public Art Project and a series of gardens. Students, parents, staff, community members and dignitaries will come together to bless the ground and give thanks for a project that will cultivate family literacy, organically grown food, and First Nations medicinal plants in a growing environment that brings together people of all ages and walks of life. This spring we will create a Community Garden, Butterfly and Humming bird gardens, First Nations Ethnobotanical gardens and a First Nations Medicine Wheel. The Art Project will include the carving of welcoming poles for the Longhouse. The Real Estate Foundation of BC has provided funding for the Longhouse and the City of Vancouver Office of Cultural Affairs Public Arts Program has given our welcoming poles the largest funding of any public art project in the city this year. The Mennonite Central Committee, Canada Trust Friends of the Environment, Britannia Community Services Association, The Vancouver Parks Board, Vancouver City Savings Credit Union, Trees for Kids, the Hamber Foundation and HSBC Bank have provided grants to build and plant the gardens for the pleasure and education of the whole community. The Groundbreaking Ceremony will include drumming, dancing, tree planting and speeches. Dignitaries include MP Libby Davies, MLA Jenny Kwan, Mayor Philip Owen, VBS Chair Barbara Buchanan, and Parks Board Chair Donald Goodridge. All are welcome to celebrate the support of a community project that will provide a model of sustainable living for now and the future. MAY 2000 POST SCRIPT: More grants have come in, the seeds are growing, and the culture of the community is returning as a result of their working together on this project. Here is a second letter from Illen: I want to share with you our great good fortune. Yesterday I learned that the grant I had written to the Vancouver Foundation was awarded $50,000. to plant our ethnobotanical garden at the school for the whole community to use. $40K is for the garden itself, and $10K is for developing native plant curriculum with its accompanying ethnobotanical uses for the elementary schools of BC. I feel, as one of the native teachers said, "this project wasn't planned by us, we are just the instruments to allow it to unfold because it is meant The same day we learned we got another $3000. from our local utility company for the community garden which will be built in the next few weeks. It is quite gratifying. This week all the kids planted flower and herb seeds to raise in the classroom window and a salad garden outside in their raised beds that will be harvested before school is over. The community garden shareholders also got their first seeds started in a 4 hour workshop on Saturday and their gardens planned on paper. We hope the community garden will be built in time for planting on Earth Day, April 22. The mothers and grandmothers at school are busy making many items for a potlatch to celebrate the longhouse, the totem poles and the ethnobotanical gardens. They have planned this event themselves and are carrying it out on their own--I am so gratified because culture really is having a rebirth in this community now. |
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