Kairos Europa Spirituality Workshop: A Brief Summary

Dear Friends!

We are hoping that these few pages find you well in every way. Our attempt with this summary is to give to you at least a partial reflection of all the wonderful thoughts and enlightening ideas that were expressed during our time together in Pécs. We have tried to be faithful to the ideas that were expressed while at the same time remaining brief. To those whose contributions have been omitted or misrepresented, we sincerely apologize!

We hope that this summary will stimulate further dialog amongst us! You are welcome to send to us any responses, additions, or corrections – or even something entirely new – that you would like to contribute to the group. We can bundle these together with the workshop feedback previously requested, and mail the result to all those who attended the workshop. This can be a part of our keeping in touch and ongoing dialogue.

Love,

Melinda, James & Tatijana.

 

We live in the age of plural communities and of global problems. Our workshop considered spirituality of plural communities and several problems that communities face: violence; depression, cynicism, and intolerance (especially amongst youth); poverty; and care of our Earth. These problems, although expressed in tangible ways, seem to have roots in spiritual issues borne in the heart of each individual. So, the solutions begin with each of us.

The Earth has provided for us a rich abundance of resources and foods. There has flourished here a broad diversity of peoples who have developed not only different languages and cultures, but also different expressions of spirituality. These spiritual differences are often barriers to acceptance and understanding, and are sometimes tragically involved in bitter conflict. In this age of global plural community, how can people of different cultures and faiths share their lives and enjoy together the Feast of Life?

The Earth provides nourishment for our bodies – Through food recipes, each culture has developed its own ideals and practices of Feast – So too people of all cultures and times have sensed that our souls need nourishment – Each in their own way has searched for The Real Source which truly nourishes, and has developed its own ideal of the Feast of Life.

Sacred Books record for us the experiences of people in their search for meaning, truth, The Real Source – We can view such books as different aspects of the same immense story of Human struggle, discovery, and interaction with the Divine – Each life (each personal experience) is a page in this same epic story.

To the Feast of Life, we all bring different gifts, experiences, and insights – When we share these, and when we receive them from others, we enrich our feast and deepen our spirituality – Just as meals are best shared, so too life is best shared– Our individual experience and viewpoint are limited – To grow in our faith we must listen – Silence is important! –- Experiences and insights of others can be translated into the language of our own life experience (e.g. Community Bible)

Life is a struggle and our spirituality is shaped by that struggle – Without struggle, our spirituality is weaker – Spiritual diversity should not be a source of strife and misunderstanding – Instead, through sharing and listening, it could be a source of strength in our struggles, and a key to together discovering The Real Source and together enjoying the Feast of Life.

Violence surrounds the Earth. It is expressed globally and in every level of society. What is it, what is its origin, and what can we do in response?

Violence is: Any abusive or disrespectful use of power which can injure people – It seems to be a cycle: violence causes more violence – It is not necessarily physical or even deliberately hostile: we are also injured when knowledge or authority is used to manipulate or control us; we are injured by threats to our emotional selves such as anger, disrespect, indifference, insecurity – It is not necessarily inter-personal: we can be violent to ourselves – Violence seems universal: our cultures, our communities, and even we ourselves are infected by it – We are all agents of violence.

Some Causes: Selfish, egocentric, behavior plus a disrespect or misunderstanding of people – Feeling discontent, powerless, helpless, insecure, unloved, worthless, etc. – Spiritual emptiness – Rapid social change – Insensitivity after seeing too much violence (e.g. news, movies, TV) – Inexperience with personal responsibility (because government, church, family, etc. carry too much)

Some Solutions: Ask ourselves how much violence we bring to our world! – Break the cycle of violence within ourselves – Nurture the antidotes of violence: love, forgiveness, humility, respect, compassion, etc – Use force only very carefully in response to violence – Create relationships, groups, and communities in which a non-violent way of living is nurtured, in which people work for the benefit of each other, and which bridge boundaries and differences between people – These nurturing communities, these cells, will grow, divide, multiply and spread a non-violent way of living – Remember violence is everywhere; we cannot eradicate it, only respond to it and limit it, especially within our own thoughts and actions.

As youths perceive and experience the deep problems common to Humanity, often they respond with depression and cynicism. These can lead to good if they motivate positive action. Trough positive action, intolerance can also be addressed.

Some Causes of Depression & Cynicism: Awareness of deep global, societal, and personal problems which don't have obvious solutions – Feeling too small to affect these large problems – Few examples of faithful friendships or of lasting and devoted marriages – Families that do not provide nurturing love or demonstrate a workable moral framework – Dysfunctional relationships and groups – Confusion about life purpose; lack of meaningful goals – Idolization of unreachable standards and heroes – of Intolerance: Disrespect, fear, or lack of compassion towards those who are different – Scapegoat seeking; our tendency to blame others (especially those who are different) for problems.

Some Solutions: Provide stable and nurturing environments (families, groups, communities) – Work together with youth to discover meaningful values – Provide good relational examples – Identify positive heroes – Help them to recognize their gifts and their ability to contribute positively – Offer opportunities for service; the gratification of giving even small things and of contributing (even in a small way) to positive changes – Work together with them to develop groups in which they can find faithful friendships and meaningful activity – Work together in group projects which involve a diversity of peoples, cultures, religions – Practice developing respect and understanding despite differences, identifying shared goals, and together changing the world for the better.

Fact: The Earth, with its limited resources, cannot sustain the present average rate of global consumption, much less support all people living the way the richest countries now do – Disaster is inevitable unless patterns of consumption change.

Fact: Global distributions of income, wealth, and resource consumption are all grossly unequal – These facts are well documented – e.g.: 60% of humanity gets only 5% of global income – Gross inequality is a problem of Central vs. Peripheral peoples in all places, and not just a problem of East vs. West, etc

Fact: The present methods of "assistance" from wealthy nations (e.g. trade, money lending, technology transfer) tends to give developing nations crippling debt while taking from them the freedom to develop their own natural resources and industries for their own best benefit. The best interest of the wealthy and powerful is served first, at the expense of the others.

What can I do personally? Do not despair! – Be optimistic, be active – Remind each other of reasons for hope – Unmask lies and deceptions – Point out of modes of manipulation and structures of modern slavery – Learn to resist and to find alternative ways – Alternative deeds come only with alternative thinking; this requires education – Don't be afraid to try new ways – Make cooperation – Increase autonomy of local economies – Develop local exchange systems (for financial transactions) – Promote small local aims – Find allies amongst policy makers – Do not support companies which abuse – Do not support unethical banks – Mobilize people; the big structures may respond positively.

How can we help rich and poor find a common solution? Perhaps both rich and poor have a common problem: Selfishness, Greed, and Discontentment – Rich tells poor they need much more to be happy – No one should believe this – Poor could show rich that happiness does not require so much – Both must learn contentment and together find the source of true happiness – This learning must begin with ourselves – Be examples of simple, generous, content lives.

We are all personally responsible; "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem." No contribution is too small!

Begin with ourselves – Be content and consume less – Live simply – Enjoy nature – Proclaim the consequences of not living in harmony with nature – Share used goods – Recycle waste – Use public transportation – Support bio-production – Eat organic – Save water and energy – Do not support companies which pollute – Join boycotts – Use "alternative" healing and fewer pharmaceuticals

We seemed to agree that our attempts to change our world should begin with changing ourselves. Our own experiences of Feast of Life, when spread within nurturing communities (family, youth programs, faith communities, networks, etc.), can grow and multiply there in individual lives, and from there propagate into the world around.

Within ourselves

Draw deeply from wells of spirituality and community – Seek spiritual strength and inspiration from Nature – Become a part a different story (in contrast to the world around); the Feast of Life – Proclaim this different story – See people and our world around with new eyes; "Listen with Love, Gaze with Love, Speak with Love, and Smile" – Remember we have only one life! – See society as a family – Encourage and nurture good in every person (rich, poor, criminals, etc.) – Value the giftedness of every person, including yourself – Recognize the importance of personal attractiveness and face to face encounters – Remember that you are the message, the good news – Be creative and positive – Beware of resisting too much because you might turn negative –

Within our communities and into the world around

Be active together – Without alliances and cooperation we will fail – Through community solidarity comes the strength and tools to resist, and the ability to overcome – Build networks – Be willing to experiment and take risks: don't fear failure! – Develop rich friendships: common ideas are not enough! – Respect differences within plurality: move past mere tolerance to understanding and appreciation – Utilize diversity of personal experience: help others by sharing your experience; be helped by listening to theirs – Focus on the young: provide nurturing environments, lead by example, and give opportunity for service and involvement – Give special care to those who are at the edges of society – Share what gives us life and hope because there are so many things that destroy life and hope – Be humble, but also tell of your successes to encourage and stimulate each other – Influence those who are willing – Lead by personal transformation and example – Become politically active.

Within Kairos

Kairos Europa should remember to include countries of the former Soviet Block – Organize a spirituality seminar for children & youths – Communicate more during the year – Use the spirituality page at the Kairos web-site – Share our success stories with Kairos Europa – Publicize Kairos Europa more.