Sunday, June 15, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
The Gathering Is Free!
The rainbow gathering is a 100% free event. There is no charge to park (if someone offers to take you're money, please say no thank you)! Admission is totally free. Food is lovingly prepared by all the kitchens and is severed free either at dinner circle in main meadow or "off the rails" at the kitchens.
All on-site medical care is free. Need to see a doctor or a nurse? Totally free. Prefer holistic practitioners that may include acupuncture, massage, Reiki, etc. Again totally free!
Filtered drinking water is free, free, free (although be forewarned, sometimes lines form at the filtration stations).
Have a problem with anything at all, head over to INFO where you guessed it, the information is totally free (although sometimes we throw in jokes at no extra charge).
Basically, once you are home there is no need for credit cards, US dollars, checks, etc. except for two small basic exceptions: Supplies you bring and The Magic Hat
Are you wondering how we create a temporary city in the woods that is totally free to everyone on the planet?
Well, I'm here to explain it to you.
Everything we eat, bandage ourselves with, all our medications, printed handouts, etc. is paid for by anyone and everyone. There are two ways that you can be part of anyone and everyone.
Method 1 - You buy it and bring it. You go to a store on your way to the gathering and buy the necessary supplies. Then you bring them with you and distribute them appropriately.
Method 2 - You donate US dollars to a Magic Hat, all the dollars are combined, and then people focalizing that effort use all donations to buy in bulk.
If you can buy in bulk or get discount rates, go for it and bring the supplies. If you have food stamps/food card, then you're only option is Method 1 as The Magic Hat does not accept food stamps.
Method 2 can include giving cash to the Magic Hat via the Magic Hat Parade as shown in the video below, it can include donating cash ahead of time for CALM (first aid) supplies or a food, or it can be given to a kitchen's Magic Hat at the gathering. (Note: kitchen's that feed off the rails may ask for donations but you are not required to donate to eat).
Now there are a lot of areas that need cash before the gathering. Since this year, I'm doing one blog post on begging for dollars, I will be linking to prior year's posts for the donation information. Please note I already verified the information hasn't changed. And yes, for the ahead of time cash donations, one can do it on-line using a credit or debit card. Please note, every donate ahead of time PayPal link is managed by a friend of mine and I trust them 100%.
CALM / MASH / FIRST AID - These are the folks who help us heal when we are not feeling well. Click here to see the needed supplies to bring or to make a cash donation on-line. If you want to bring supplies, it's best to email now for the up to date list of what is needed.
Food - Cooking is hard work at the gathering. Click here to see the process by which your cash or food donations become dinner. Remember to donate $$ early as it takes 1/2 week or longer for dollars to become a meal.
Organic Valley Food. Organic Valley is a brand you may recognize from your local co-op or health food store. What you may not know is that Organic Valley usually sends us multiple pallets of food - free of charge and delivered to the gathering. Organic Valley rocks! This year, some folks are trying to provide some funding for Organic Valley to help them in recovering from last year's fire. Unfortunately, we didn't get organized last year, but if you want to help us provide matching funds for our food order this year, a friend of mine with Rough and Ready Kitchen has a PayPal site set up for the matching funds. Click here to donate. Just an FYI, the food is distributed throughout the gathering.
Drinking Water. Team Hydration creates hydration stations that provide safe, filtered drinking water to keep you hydrated and healthy. They are looking for a few hundred dollars to round out their equipment purchase. To donate via Go Fund Me, click here. If you would like to donate via PayPal, click here. If you want to bring equipment,check out the FaceBook Page where folks are discussing sanitation options including drinking water. Make sure to check out the files for a DIY drip filtration system. Remember only .2 micron and below is what we are after.
Just a quick reminder, anyone who asks your for money on the way into the gathering is doing so to line his or her own pocket.
Filtered drinking water is free, free, free (although be forewarned, sometimes lines form at the filtration stations).
Have a problem with anything at all, head over to INFO where you guessed it, the information is totally free (although sometimes we throw in jokes at no extra charge).
Basically, once you are home there is no need for credit cards, US dollars, checks, etc. except for two small basic exceptions: Supplies you bring and The Magic Hat
Are you wondering how we create a temporary city in the woods that is totally free to everyone on the planet?
Well, I'm here to explain it to you.
Everything we eat, bandage ourselves with, all our medications, printed handouts, etc. is paid for by anyone and everyone. There are two ways that you can be part of anyone and everyone.
Method 1 - You buy it and bring it. You go to a store on your way to the gathering and buy the necessary supplies. Then you bring them with you and distribute them appropriately.
Method 2 - You donate US dollars to a Magic Hat, all the dollars are combined, and then people focalizing that effort use all donations to buy in bulk.
If you can buy in bulk or get discount rates, go for it and bring the supplies. If you have food stamps/food card, then you're only option is Method 1 as The Magic Hat does not accept food stamps.
Method 2 can include giving cash to the Magic Hat via the Magic Hat Parade as shown in the video below, it can include donating cash ahead of time for CALM (first aid) supplies or a food, or it can be given to a kitchen's Magic Hat at the gathering. (Note: kitchen's that feed off the rails may ask for donations but you are not required to donate to eat).
Now there are a lot of areas that need cash before the gathering. Since this year, I'm doing one blog post on begging for dollars, I will be linking to prior year's posts for the donation information. Please note I already verified the information hasn't changed. And yes, for the ahead of time cash donations, one can do it on-line using a credit or debit card. Please note, every donate ahead of time PayPal link is managed by a friend of mine and I trust them 100%.
CALM / MASH / FIRST AID - These are the folks who help us heal when we are not feeling well. Click here to see the needed supplies to bring or to make a cash donation on-line. If you want to bring supplies, it's best to email now for the up to date list of what is needed.
Food - Cooking is hard work at the gathering. Click here to see the process by which your cash or food donations become dinner. Remember to donate $$ early as it takes 1/2 week or longer for dollars to become a meal.
Organic Valley Food. Organic Valley is a brand you may recognize from your local co-op or health food store. What you may not know is that Organic Valley usually sends us multiple pallets of food - free of charge and delivered to the gathering. Organic Valley rocks! This year, some folks are trying to provide some funding for Organic Valley to help them in recovering from last year's fire. Unfortunately, we didn't get organized last year, but if you want to help us provide matching funds for our food order this year, a friend of mine with Rough and Ready Kitchen has a PayPal site set up for the matching funds. Click here to donate. Just an FYI, the food is distributed throughout the gathering.
Drinking Water. Team Hydration creates hydration stations that provide safe, filtered drinking water to keep you hydrated and healthy. They are looking for a few hundred dollars to round out their equipment purchase. To donate via Go Fund Me, click here. If you would like to donate via PayPal, click here. If you want to bring equipment,check out the FaceBook Page where folks are discussing sanitation options including drinking water. Make sure to check out the files for a DIY drip filtration system. Remember only .2 micron and below is what we are after.
Just a quick reminder, anyone who asks your for money on the way into the gathering is doing so to line his or her own pocket.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
What is Peace? (Part 4 of Creating Peace)
A common point of discussion when working towards peace is defining what peace is and isn't, what it looks like, which activities are considered "peaceful" and which are not.
I think at the extreme ends of the spectrum, most people can agree on what peace is and isn't. For example, most people would consider dropping bombs on other people to be the opposite of peace. Most people would consider the silent prayer/meditation for world peace and the om to be examples of peace.
That's the easy stuff. In fact trying to define peace can cause even the most peaceful among us to be less than peaceful. So what do we do if we say we want peace, but we can't even agree on what peace looks like, feels like, acts like or talks like?
I'll throw out a couple of high level ideas, but even these are subject to much discussion. I hope you continue these discussions in the circles in which you find yourself. If all goes as planned, I will be doing a few workshops at the gathering on "What is Peace and How do We Create Peace?" -- hopefully I won't be the only one.
In Creating Peace, Parts 1 to 3, we looked at some of the foundational aspects of peace (click on the topic "Creating Peace" under Gathering Topics on the right hand side of this blog).
First graders have a very good concept of peace (image from Miss Krug's Our Grade One blog):
Some people view peace as the absence of war or violence. Perhaps this view comes to us from Ancient Greece in the goddess Eirene the goddess of peace, who also celebrates decisive battles that end wars. If we subscribe to this paradigm, we probably are following the axiom "the ends justify the means."
Another high level view of peace is one that focuses on harmony and tranquility that can take the form of an inner state or a state between people. We can say she is always tranquil and peaceful or they have a harmonious marriage.
Peace can be considered as cooperation between people in a social group or culture to maintain a certain level of social order. Keep in mind that slavery existed in the USA during times of peace and for me, slavery does not equal peace.
The Global Peace Index (GPI) attempts to identify countries by their level of peacefulness focusing on various formal military measures, prisoners per capita, refugees, wars, etc.
In the last hundred years, peace has been tightly coupled with the idea of non-violence. So now we have to define what non-violence is and how non-violence methods contribute towards creating peace. Now I'm sure most of you are familiar with the teaching of the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. -- all of which emphasis non-violence --another problematic concepts. Defining non-violence is just as hard as defining peace (but I think by now you know how to approach this issue.)
The Dalai Lama offers these words, "Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free." Of course now we have to figure out what "free" really means. For example, do we include the freedom to harm others in free? Or are your freedoms curtailed when they impact my freedoms? How does your pollution impact my freedom?
Peace is often negotiated between groups of people. For example, a family, school, city or state negotiate what they see as peace.
International Alerts writes, "
I think at the extreme ends of the spectrum, most people can agree on what peace is and isn't. For example, most people would consider dropping bombs on other people to be the opposite of peace. Most people would consider the silent prayer/meditation for world peace and the om to be examples of peace.
That's the easy stuff. In fact trying to define peace can cause even the most peaceful among us to be less than peaceful. So what do we do if we say we want peace, but we can't even agree on what peace looks like, feels like, acts like or talks like?
I'll throw out a couple of high level ideas, but even these are subject to much discussion. I hope you continue these discussions in the circles in which you find yourself. If all goes as planned, I will be doing a few workshops at the gathering on "What is Peace and How do We Create Peace?" -- hopefully I won't be the only one.
In Creating Peace, Parts 1 to 3, we looked at some of the foundational aspects of peace (click on the topic "Creating Peace" under Gathering Topics on the right hand side of this blog).
What is Peace?
First graders have a very good concept of peace (image from Miss Krug's Our Grade One blog):
Some people view peace as the absence of war or violence. Perhaps this view comes to us from Ancient Greece in the goddess Eirene the goddess of peace, who also celebrates decisive battles that end wars. If we subscribe to this paradigm, we probably are following the axiom "the ends justify the means."
Another high level view of peace is one that focuses on harmony and tranquility that can take the form of an inner state or a state between people. We can say she is always tranquil and peaceful or they have a harmonious marriage.
Peace can be considered as cooperation between people in a social group or culture to maintain a certain level of social order. Keep in mind that slavery existed in the USA during times of peace and for me, slavery does not equal peace.
 |
| Liberian Women for Peace |
The Global Peace Index (GPI) attempts to identify countries by their level of peacefulness focusing on various formal military measures, prisoners per capita, refugees, wars, etc.
In the last hundred years, peace has been tightly coupled with the idea of non-violence. So now we have to define what non-violence is and how non-violence methods contribute towards creating peace. Now I'm sure most of you are familiar with the teaching of the Dalai Lama, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. -- all of which emphasis non-violence --another problematic concepts. Defining non-violence is just as hard as defining peace (but I think by now you know how to approach this issue.)
The Dalai Lama offers these words, "Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free." Of course now we have to figure out what "free" really means. For example, do we include the freedom to harm others in free? Or are your freedoms curtailed when they impact my freedoms? How does your pollution impact my freedom?
Peace is often negotiated between groups of people. For example, a family, school, city or state negotiate what they see as peace.
 |
Friday, June 6, 2014
Getting Into the Gathering
Getting into the gathering without getting a mandatory court appearance ticket!!!
Every year the United States Forest Service Law Enforcement (USFS) Incident Management Team (the cops) attempts to write as many tickets to family coming home as they possibly can to justify their presence. They give out tickets for broken tail lights, failure to use a turn signal in a deserted parking lot at 2 AM, lack of seat belts, controlled substances (even just a trace amount), beads hanging from your rear view mirrors, lack of insurance, prescription medications if the label doesn't clearly have your name on it and you can't prove who you are, dogs off leash, a vehicle missing a front license plate even if you live in a state that does not issue a front license plate and a lot more violations of the letter of the law.
However, these tickets are not the type of citation you would probably receive for any of these issues in your hometown. These are mandatory court appearance tickets. There will be special court dates set up just for us, so we can go to the local courthouse, fire station or visitors center and go before a magistrate. In the past, charges have been reduced, fines were often minimal and the court has allowed people to make payment plans ranging from 90 days to pay $75 to 18 months to pay $25 depending on the hardship cases people have expressed.
If you do not show up for your mandatory court appearance on the date indicated on your ticket, a Federal Bench Warrant will be issued for your arrest. Then the USFS LEOs will come into the gathering looking for you. If they find you they will arrest you and put you in jail until the next court date. If this happens on a Friday afternoon, you will be in jail until Monday. If they do not find you at the gathering, the next time a law enforcement officer for any reason stops you, your ID will be run through the database and you will go directly to jail.
Of course, everyone is free to manage this situation as they wish but I strongly recommend you go to your court date. I have seen people charged with crimes that could potentially result in a six years sentence walk out with a $500 fine and three years’ probation. Keep in mind that every year the dynamic is different and these results may not always be available. There are lawyers at the gathering (I am not a legal expert) who attend the court dates and will assist as best they can although I recommend you catch up with them before your court date to gain a better understanding of your specific charges and strategies to get the charges dropped or reduced. If you do not know these people personally, go to INFO and let them know you received one of the magic tickets and you need legal assistance.
Every year the United States Forest Service Law Enforcement (USFS) Incident Management Team (the cops) attempts to write as many tickets to family coming home as they possibly can to justify their presence. They give out tickets for broken tail lights, failure to use a turn signal in a deserted parking lot at 2 AM, lack of seat belts, controlled substances (even just a trace amount), beads hanging from your rear view mirrors, lack of insurance, prescription medications if the label doesn't clearly have your name on it and you can't prove who you are, dogs off leash, a vehicle missing a front license plate even if you live in a state that does not issue a front license plate and a lot more violations of the letter of the law.
However, these tickets are not the type of citation you would probably receive for any of these issues in your hometown. These are mandatory court appearance tickets. There will be special court dates set up just for us, so we can go to the local courthouse, fire station or visitors center and go before a magistrate. In the past, charges have been reduced, fines were often minimal and the court has allowed people to make payment plans ranging from 90 days to pay $75 to 18 months to pay $25 depending on the hardship cases people have expressed.
If you do not show up for your mandatory court appearance on the date indicated on your ticket, a Federal Bench Warrant will be issued for your arrest. Then the USFS LEOs will come into the gathering looking for you. If they find you they will arrest you and put you in jail until the next court date. If this happens on a Friday afternoon, you will be in jail until Monday. If they do not find you at the gathering, the next time a law enforcement officer for any reason stops you, your ID will be run through the database and you will go directly to jail.
Of course, everyone is free to manage this situation as they wish but I strongly recommend you go to your court date. I have seen people charged with crimes that could potentially result in a six years sentence walk out with a $500 fine and three years’ probation. Keep in mind that every year the dynamic is different and these results may not always be available. There are lawyers at the gathering (I am not a legal expert) who attend the court dates and will assist as best they can although I recommend you catch up with them before your court date to gain a better understanding of your specific charges and strategies to get the charges dropped or reduced. If you do not know these people personally, go to INFO and let them know you received one of the magic tickets and you need legal assistance.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Spring Council
Updated June 18 @ 5:30 PM California Time
Spring Council is over. Click here for directions to the gathering.
A sister has passed on at spring council. Awaiting positive identification, but information indicates she died at spring council in the nighttime of what they think was a heart attack
Spring Council is when all potential sites for the gathering are brought to any people who want to be involved in selecting a site. The council usually takes one to seven days and normally ends with either a consensus by silence among people at the council or an exodus of the majority of people heading to the preferred site. The council starts Saturday, June 14 @ rainbow noon.
Anyone who is planning on heading to spring council or to the gathering on or before the solstice should be prepared for snow. In 2003 in Utah, the night of the solstice it started snowing and did so for 3 days. Beautiful and magical but not fun for the folks who don't have the gear or don't know how to pitch a tent to it doesn't suffer snow related collapse. TIP: don't put your tent under a branch that will pile up with snow and at some point come crashing down on your tent. String a tarp at a steep diagonal so the snow slides off the tarp and away from your tent.
TIP! Provo is having a marathon on June 14 - details here.
Once a decision is reached by foot or by consensus, people who are involved with Spring Council usually make the information freely available. Word of warning: Sometimes the first set of directions and/or other information is incomplete, so check your sources before you head out to make sure you have the "updated directions."
If you have not already connected up with the scouting process, the time has passed to do so. But please connect up with the spring council process.
TIP! Usually, but not always, Spring Council is within 100 miles of the best available sites. However, I've seen it be further away.
If you plan on coming to Spring Council, be prepared for cold weather and rough conditions. Have your own methods to boil or filter water. Bring food. This is not a gathering so all the support systems normally in place won't be up until sometime during seed camp.
That being said, people generally help each other out, seeing the gathering start from nothing and turn into a small town is an amazing experience, and the friendships you make with other people can be long lasting.
Spring Council is over. Click here for directions to the gathering.
A sister has passed on at spring council. Awaiting positive identification, but information indicates she died at spring council in the nighttime of what they think was a heart attack
Spring Council is when all potential sites for the gathering are brought to any people who want to be involved in selecting a site. The council usually takes one to seven days and normally ends with either a consensus by silence among people at the council or an exodus of the majority of people heading to the preferred site. The council starts Saturday, June 14 @ rainbow noon.
Anyone who is planning on heading to spring council or to the gathering on or before the solstice should be prepared for snow. In 2003 in Utah, the night of the solstice it started snowing and did so for 3 days. Beautiful and magical but not fun for the folks who don't have the gear or don't know how to pitch a tent to it doesn't suffer snow related collapse. TIP: don't put your tent under a branch that will pile up with snow and at some point come crashing down on your tent. String a tarp at a steep diagonal so the snow slides off the tarp and away from your tent.
~~~ DIRECTIONS ~~~
N 40.35783 W 111.13902
Coordinates for spring council/counsel!
Directions to spring council/counsel:
Uinta National Forest –
All roads are of good quality, wide and gravel but very busy - BE AWARE. There
are many other recreational users such as trucks pulling heavy trailers, many off
road vehicles and local traffic. The
gravel roads are very, very DUSTY making visibility difficult. Please be safe, take it slow, watch for
traffic and wildlife.
From Heber City,
Utah via Route 40 and Center Street/Lake Creek Road:
Head east at intersection of Main St. (State Road 40) and Center
Street/Lake Creek Road. Travel east for 15 miles on a paved road until you
reach the Uinta Forest Service boundary.
At the FS boundary, the road turns to gravel and becomes Forest Service
Road 083 (FS 83). Follow FS
83 about 5 miles to an intersection (the T) where FS 83 and FS 54
meet. Stay on FS 83 (bear right) and go approx. 8 miles (LOOK FOR ROCKS!!) to a
sharp right hand turn into the council/counsel location. This unnumbered road is short and the first
bit is rocky. (If you come to the intersection of FS 82 and FS 83, you have gone too far, go back six tenths of a mile.) Welcome to
Spring Council/Counsel!
From Salt Lake
City via Interstate 80 and State
Road 32 (Kamas, UT) and State Road 35 (Hanna, UT) – less congestion:
Route 35 comes in
from the north and is good for drivers that don‘t need to shop and want to
avoid traffic.
From 80: Head towards Kamas
on SR 32. Pick up SR
35 in Frances, UT and go about
14 miles on SR 35 East. Look for
Forest Service Road 054 (FS 54) on
the right towards Mill Hollow Reservoir.
This gravel road around the reservoir and
campground can be congested and dusty.
Drive about 10.5 miles to the intersection of FS 54 and FS 83, bear left onto FS 83 continue on FS 83
and go approx. 8 miles (LOOK FOR ROCKS!!) to a sharp right hand turn into the
council/counsel location. This
unnumbered road is short and the first bit is rocky. (If you come to the
intersection of FS 82 and FS 83, you
have gone too far, go back just about six
tenths of a mile.) Welcome to Spring Council/Counsel!
From Fruitland, UT
(just west of Fruitland 4 miles or so) via State
Road 40 -probably most congested route into gathering:
At mile marker 58 on
Route 40, head north onto Currant
Creek Road. Be aware of this road, it is a sharp turn and there is often heavy
traffic and it is known for wrecks. Follow Currant Creek Road through state wildlife and private land to the
Uinta National Forest boundary about 8 miles where it becomes Forest Service Road 471 (FS 471).
BE AWARE can be very dusty. Stay on FS 471 about 14 miles around the Currant Creek Reservoir but not into the campground pass by the campground fork and bear right onto FS 82. Go up the hill to the intersection, bear right at the “T” and take a right onto FS 83; go six tenths of a miles (LOOK FOR ROCKS!) to a left hand turn. This unnumbered road is short and the first bit is rocky. Welcome to Spring Council/Counsel!
BE AWARE can be very dusty. Stay on FS 471 about 14 miles around the Currant Creek Reservoir but not into the campground pass by the campground fork and bear right onto FS 82. Go up the hill to the intersection, bear right at the “T” and take a right onto FS 83; go six tenths of a miles (LOOK FOR ROCKS!) to a left hand turn. This unnumbered road is short and the first bit is rocky. Welcome to Spring Council/Counsel!
TIP! Provo is having a marathon on June 14 - details here.
Once a decision is reached by foot or by consensus, people who are involved with Spring Council usually make the information freely available. Word of warning: Sometimes the first set of directions and/or other information is incomplete, so check your sources before you head out to make sure you have the "updated directions."
If you have not already connected up with the scouting process, the time has passed to do so. But please connect up with the spring council process.
TIP! Usually, but not always, Spring Council is within 100 miles of the best available sites. However, I've seen it be further away.
If you plan on coming to Spring Council, be prepared for cold weather and rough conditions. Have your own methods to boil or filter water. Bring food. This is not a gathering so all the support systems normally in place won't be up until sometime during seed camp.
That being said, people generally help each other out, seeing the gathering start from nothing and turn into a small town is an amazing experience, and the friendships you make with other people can be long lasting.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Sustenance and Safety (Part 3 of Creating Peace)
One of the foundations of creating peace is making sure people are prepared, in the right mindset, and able to do the hard work that creating peace entails. Sustenance and Safety are the building blocks of peace.
Sustenance takes care of our bodily needs. We can't think well when our blood sugar is crashing or when we are dehydrated. Adequate food and water is a must for all in order to be able to even discuss peace (stay tuned for part 4 of Creating Peace).
One of the most important actions a person can take at a gathering is making sure everyone is eating and drinking plenty of water. This year we will be in the west and that generally means higher elevation gatherings so that we can be in a place that has shade and water. At higher elevations we need to drink more water. One gallon a day of water that has been boiled for 20 minutes or filtered with a 0.2 micron or smaller filter is a must.
When people haven't eaten or are dehydrated they act out. When they are in these conditions for too long, they get sick. When you combine these issues with over-indulgences, we have a recipe for problems that can impact the entire gathering.
Prevent the problems by making sure your and your vicinity is eating and staying hydrated. Be on the look out for people who look like they aren't getting food and/or water and help them before they start breaking the peace.
Now for the tough topic: safety.
Safety is a bit harder to come by because what constitutes a feeling of safety is a very subjective and emotional feeling. To explain what I mean, we'll talk about the estuary by my house. The salt marsh and estuary have been channelized to prevent flooding and on either bank is a trail. The east side is a paved path that hooks up with bike paths to the north and south. The west side is a dirt road with trees providing shade on a warm day as shown in the image.
People in my neighborhood have very different perspectives on the estuary. Some people view it as a haven for criminals and are afraid to go down there especially after dark. Other people loving taking their kids down to watch the Great Blue Herons and Osprey trying to rustle up a meal.
Now you would think there is some logic as to who feels safe at our estuary and who is scared, but so far I haven't observed any patterns. I see people with small kids down there watching the sunset and in the early morning many seniors walk their dogs. Then I meet other people in their thirties and forties who are scared to go down without a large group of people because once upon a time someone had a bike stolen (maybe 10 or 15 years ago).
In addition to the herons and hawks at the estuary, one finds the differentially housed: people who live in tents or throw down a sleeping bag under a bush for the night. Some people are scared of people with different lifestyles then their own, others exchange pleasantries with everyone. Some people who live in non-portable houses are sacred of the differentially housed. Others make friends.
Every time I speak at a community meeting, some people go off the deep end on how dangerous the estuary is and others talk about how it's an asset to the community. I know that I can't change people's opinions about which is which. Plus trying to address how people feel is tough. Your feelings are neither right nor wrong, they just are.
Low crime rates do not make people feel safe. Community makes us feel safe.
So having said all this, how do we help everyone feel safe at the gathering?
One way we can do this is to treat others the way they would like to be treated -- not the way you would like to be treated. Try finding gentler voices. Look out for each other in peaceful ways and make sure the people in your vicinity seem comfortable. We all have different levels of tolerance, sensitivity, and fear. Honor that.
If someone looks uncomfortable, they probably are. Introduce yourself. Smile at someone you do not know. We all feel more comfortable when we are around friends. Share your gathering wisdom. Pay more attention to body language. Learn to pick up vibes from the people around you. If you sense that someone is afraid of a situation, help them to feel comfortable by either staying with them, removing both yourselves from the situation, or trying talking to the other person about their fears in a supportive way. Just because the situation is comfortable for you, doesn't mean it's comfortable for everyone.
Honor our differences and our need to be treated accordingly. Help each other on this journey.
Please pay special attention to law enforcement officers. A scared cop is a dangerous cop (remember Wyoming 2008?). Turn down the volume on negative energy by oming instead of cussing when you do not like a situation.
Think about how you would like others to act around your three year-old child and your ninety year-old grandmother and act accordingly.
Sustenance takes care of our bodily needs. We can't think well when our blood sugar is crashing or when we are dehydrated. Adequate food and water is a must for all in order to be able to even discuss peace (stay tuned for part 4 of Creating Peace).
One of the most important actions a person can take at a gathering is making sure everyone is eating and drinking plenty of water. This year we will be in the west and that generally means higher elevation gatherings so that we can be in a place that has shade and water. At higher elevations we need to drink more water. One gallon a day of water that has been boiled for 20 minutes or filtered with a 0.2 micron or smaller filter is a must.
When people haven't eaten or are dehydrated they act out. When they are in these conditions for too long, they get sick. When you combine these issues with over-indulgences, we have a recipe for problems that can impact the entire gathering.
Prevent the problems by making sure your and your vicinity is eating and staying hydrated. Be on the look out for people who look like they aren't getting food and/or water and help them before they start breaking the peace.
Now for the tough topic: safety.
Safety is a bit harder to come by because what constitutes a feeling of safety is a very subjective and emotional feeling. To explain what I mean, we'll talk about the estuary by my house. The salt marsh and estuary have been channelized to prevent flooding and on either bank is a trail. The east side is a paved path that hooks up with bike paths to the north and south. The west side is a dirt road with trees providing shade on a warm day as shown in the image.
 |
| The Estuary |
People in my neighborhood have very different perspectives on the estuary. Some people view it as a haven for criminals and are afraid to go down there especially after dark. Other people loving taking their kids down to watch the Great Blue Herons and Osprey trying to rustle up a meal.
Now you would think there is some logic as to who feels safe at our estuary and who is scared, but so far I haven't observed any patterns. I see people with small kids down there watching the sunset and in the early morning many seniors walk their dogs. Then I meet other people in their thirties and forties who are scared to go down without a large group of people because once upon a time someone had a bike stolen (maybe 10 or 15 years ago).
In addition to the herons and hawks at the estuary, one finds the differentially housed: people who live in tents or throw down a sleeping bag under a bush for the night. Some people are scared of people with different lifestyles then their own, others exchange pleasantries with everyone. Some people who live in non-portable houses are sacred of the differentially housed. Others make friends.
Every time I speak at a community meeting, some people go off the deep end on how dangerous the estuary is and others talk about how it's an asset to the community. I know that I can't change people's opinions about which is which. Plus trying to address how people feel is tough. Your feelings are neither right nor wrong, they just are.
Low crime rates do not make people feel safe. Community makes us feel safe.
So having said all this, how do we help everyone feel safe at the gathering?
One way we can do this is to treat others the way they would like to be treated -- not the way you would like to be treated. Try finding gentler voices. Look out for each other in peaceful ways and make sure the people in your vicinity seem comfortable. We all have different levels of tolerance, sensitivity, and fear. Honor that.
If someone looks uncomfortable, they probably are. Introduce yourself. Smile at someone you do not know. We all feel more comfortable when we are around friends. Share your gathering wisdom. Pay more attention to body language. Learn to pick up vibes from the people around you. If you sense that someone is afraid of a situation, help them to feel comfortable by either staying with them, removing both yourselves from the situation, or trying talking to the other person about their fears in a supportive way. Just because the situation is comfortable for you, doesn't mean it's comfortable for everyone.
Honor our differences and our need to be treated accordingly. Help each other on this journey.
Please pay special attention to law enforcement officers. A scared cop is a dangerous cop (remember Wyoming 2008?). Turn down the volume on negative energy by oming instead of cussing when you do not like a situation.
Think about how you would like others to act around your three year-old child and your ninety year-old grandmother and act accordingly.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Love (Part 2 of Creating Peace)
The rainbow family is full of love. We shout "we love you" to the sky, to other gathers, to the earth upon which we gently walk. I have many friends whose children were conceived at the gathering. We shower love as best we can on people who are unhappy about our presence in their neighborhood. We love all our siblings (brothers, sisters and transgenders), even the ones we do not like all that much. We love the person who didn't pick up their dog shit, but we want to talk to them about it as well.
We even have a somewhat sarcastic phrase "loven you" to indicate our concern without being too mushy. With all these types of love floating around, how does love contribute to creating peace? Does the manner in which we love matter or does it matter more how we express our love?
In English we are limited as we have one word for love. The ancient Greeks had four separate words for love:
Spanish has many words for love:
For the romantics among us, love is what creates beautiful art, amazing music, and sleepless nights.
For the biologists among us, love is a biological function like hunger or thirst that creates attachments between people, thereby insuring their survival in a dangerous and hostile world.
For the psychologists among us, love is not only a feeling, but a series of actions.
Unconditional love is a common theme of most of the major belief systems and is one of the often unspoken foundations of participating in the phenomenon commonly called the Rainbow Gathering.
So what does all this have to do with creating a culture of peace?
Well besides being a slogan from the 1960s, using love as a way to create connections strengthens our interpersonal relationships. If we love someone with whom we disagree, we are highly motivated to find a solution that meets the needs of everyone. If we have no personal attachment to other living beings, then we can more easily ignore their perspective and we often do not care about their happiness.
Yet loving each of our siblings all the time is challenging. Some of our siblings act out, behave poorly, don't clean up after themselves, steal, fight, or are just downright mean. What then?
Then we muster our agape and our caridad and try to make that connection. We try to befriend our siblings. By finding a connection, we are creating a relationship. It may be storage it may be afición, but if we can love another person in the worst situation, then maybe we can use that relationship to work towards peace.
But to be clear, loving someone does not mean you accept all their actions.
True love is being able to love your siblings person while calling them on their bullshit (in a loving manner).
True love is being able to communicate in a loving way why specific actions are hurting you, the planet, or other living creature.
True love is a meditative practice we undertake as we deal with the frustrations, interruptions, disappointments and annoyances that fill our lives.
Let your mantra for this year's gathering be I love all my siblings and this beautiful planet we call home.
Love is the path towards peace.
We even have a somewhat sarcastic phrase "loven you" to indicate our concern without being too mushy. With all these types of love floating around, how does love contribute to creating peace? Does the manner in which we love matter or does it matter more how we express our love?
In English we are limited as we have one word for love. The ancient Greeks had four separate words for love:
- storge - kinship or familiarity
- philia - friendship
- eros - romantic and or sexual feelings
- agape - self-emptying or divine love
Spanish has many words for love:
- encantar - indicating strong like
- gustar mucho - indicating strong like
- querer - to love romantically, to want
- afición - enthusiasm
- amado - sweetheart
- amor - pure love, romantic love
- caridad - charity
For the romantics among us, love is what creates beautiful art, amazing music, and sleepless nights.
For the biologists among us, love is a biological function like hunger or thirst that creates attachments between people, thereby insuring their survival in a dangerous and hostile world.
For the psychologists among us, love is not only a feeling, but a series of actions.
Unconditional love is a common theme of most of the major belief systems and is one of the often unspoken foundations of participating in the phenomenon commonly called the Rainbow Gathering.
So what does all this have to do with creating a culture of peace?
Well besides being a slogan from the 1960s, using love as a way to create connections strengthens our interpersonal relationships. If we love someone with whom we disagree, we are highly motivated to find a solution that meets the needs of everyone. If we have no personal attachment to other living beings, then we can more easily ignore their perspective and we often do not care about their happiness.
Yet loving each of our siblings all the time is challenging. Some of our siblings act out, behave poorly, don't clean up after themselves, steal, fight, or are just downright mean. What then?
Then we muster our agape and our caridad and try to make that connection. We try to befriend our siblings. By finding a connection, we are creating a relationship. It may be storage it may be afición, but if we can love another person in the worst situation, then maybe we can use that relationship to work towards peace.
But to be clear, loving someone does not mean you accept all their actions.
True love is being able to love your siblings person while calling them on their bullshit (in a loving manner).
True love is being able to communicate in a loving way why specific actions are hurting you, the planet, or other living creature.
True love is a meditative practice we undertake as we deal with the frustrations, interruptions, disappointments and annoyances that fill our lives.
Let your mantra for this year's gathering be I love all my siblings and this beautiful planet we call home.
Love is the path towards peace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)