Those Who
First Listen -- then learn, for sharing life successfully
15 August 2017
"From the
place where we are right
flowers will never
grow
in the Spring.
---
The place where we
are right
is hard and
trampled
like a yard.
---
But doubts and loves
dig up the world
like a mole, a
plough.
And a whisper will
be heard in the place
where the ruined
house once
stood."
~Yehuda Amichai
in The Place Where We Are Right
"Vulnerability
is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity.
It is the source
of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity."
Brené
Brown
in Daring Greatly: How the Courage
to Be Vulnerable
Transforms the Way We Live, Love,
Parent, and Lead (2015)
"You have to listen
better than the person youre communicating with,
(then)
the other person
becomes your communicating partner,
not the target of
your communication.
Theres a big difference.
Its ping pong
instead of
archery,
where Im trying to
shoot arrows of knowledge
into your head."
~ Alan Alda
(actor, educator)
from To Talk Better, Listen
National Public Radio - Science Friday - 28 July 2017
17-min video
https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/alan-alda-talk-better-listen/
Today -- about those who listen and
succeed
1. Commencement Address on Listening, Citizen Participation, and Creating
Community
2. Bereaved Palestinians, Israelis Listening & Creating Community
3. Divided, Diverse American Strangers Un-boxing One Another
4. Muslims, Jews, Christians Together
5. Becoming Our Stronger, Excellent Selves and Peoples
= = 1 = =
University Commencement Address on
Listening and Citizen Participation in
Creating Community
May 2017, Notre
Dame de Namur University -- the third oldest college in California --
transcended expected tradition of selecting commencement speakers from among
titled, credentialed, high-profile celebrities.
The institution opted for a nearly-unknown, local pair whose story is
identified with needed civil discourse and citizen-to-citizen, international
public relationship-building initiatives that comprise the public peace process
around Earth.
The 5,000 attendees heard: "Everyone has a story that needs, even cries,
to be listened to.
As the first one in the room to listen, you have the power to change the
relationship."
Perhaps this foretells of a next-step toward experiential education that
gives power to participatory citizenship for creating a new culture of
connection -- a real communication renaissance.
STORIES
OF CHANGE: Creating a Culture of Connection in The Citizens Century
Notre Dame de Namur
University - May 2017 -- Libby & Len Traubman
29-min full video & text
http://traubman.igc.org/ndnu2017address.pdf
= = 2 = =
Bereaved Palestinians, Israelis
Listening & Creating Community
The Parents
Circle - Families Forum (PCFF) -- http://www.theparentscircle.com -- is over 600 Palestinian
and Israeli families with relatives who have died from violence.
Yet they choose to reject violence and create face-to-face relationships.
By Taking Steps -- http://steps4peace.org
-- their creativity grows, and the culture of connection widens and deepens.
They say:
"If bereaved Israelis and Palestinians can
walk the path of peace,
then surely you can, too."
TAKING
STEPS
Parents Circle - Bereaved
Families Forum
1-min video
= = 3 = =
Divided, Diverse American Strangers
Listening to Questions, then Un-boxing to
Seeing Each Other Anew
Unnecessarily
divided, it
is important to appreciate our many differences yet experience and embrace that
we are all one.
Now, more than ever, we must meet and help one another to stand strong as a
human community united.
Let us fully live and celebrate life by stepping out of the boxes of fear
and hate, and stepping into one circle of empathy and global community.
40
Strangers, 50 Questions
Brave New Films - 28 June
2017
7-1/2 min video
= = 4 = =
Muslims, Jews, Christians Together
Humanizing, Dignifying One Another
February
2017, alone, reflected a powerful new reality across North America as Jews and Muslims reacted publicly
in support of one another.
The take-away: We need each other.
Jewish-Muslim
Relations: A Work in Progress
New Outlook -- May 2017
http://wlcj.org/2017/05/jewish-muslim-relations-a-work-in-progress/
In the Holy
Land, 220
Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Druze, including male and female religious
leaders and community members from each of these faiths, came to the Galilee
village of Ilut on June 8, 2014, to share a Multi-Faith
Ramadan Iftar Dinner for Peace.
The dinner has been held annually for more than a decade as the signature
event of the Abrahamic Reunion -- http://www.abrahamicreunion.org
-- a network of peacebuilders, religious and
spiritual leaders, and citizens from across Israel and the Palestinian
Authority territories.
Iftar is the break-fast meal ending each day of
fasting during the Muslim month of Ramadan.
This event helps bring down the walls of separation and fear between our
people, the shared family of Abraham, says Abrahamic
Reunion Executive Director in Israel, Eliyahu McLean,
48, an Orthodox Hasidic Jew from Netivot.
Multi-faith
Ramadan peace dinner
Abrahamic Reunion group promotes love,
peace, communication, cooperation and dialogue among the people of the Holy
Land.
Israel 21c - 15 June 2017
https://www.israel21c.org/multi-faith-ramadan-peace-dinner-held-in-israel/
In New
Jersey, USA,
an interfaith iftar on June 19, 2017, brought more
than 100 people Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and agnostic to The Woodland event
space in Maplewood.
For some it was their first iftar, which takes
place every evening during the month-long fast.
For others, it was their first with non-Muslims.
"It's a good thing when people get to learn about each other meeting in
person instead of in the news," said Omar Elshorbagy,
16, who came with his family from Bayonne.
His mother, Walaa Elshorbagy,
knew she would come with her children as soon as she heard about the event.
"I want to show goodness to everybody," said the Egyptian native who
has lived in New Jersey for about 12 years.
It was the first time she had shared the meal with non-Muslims. '
I love this. Its different, you know.
The evening was co-sponsored by the South Orange Maplewood (SOMA) Refugee
Resettlement Project, a joint initiative among three South Orange synagogues to
resettle Syrian refugees, and Ibtihaj Muhammad, a
Maplewood native.
The three synagogues, who are partnering with the World Church Service, include
Congregation Beth El, Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, and Oheb Shalom
Congregation.
Interfaith
iftar
Muslim break
fast sponsored by synagogues and Olympic fencer
New Jersey Jewish News -- 21
June 2017
http://njjewishnews.com/article/34629/interfaith-iftar#.WU73CusrK71
= = 5 = =
Becoming Our Stronger, Excellent Selves,
Beyond What We'd Imagined
Amy Purdy
reminds us that traumatic, handicapping life reversals need not inhibit,
restrict, or stop us from realizing our --and humankind's -- most
impossible dreams.
She insists and models that life is "not about breaking down
borders."
"It's about pushing off of them" to reach impossible places our
imagination, creativity, and courage can take us.
Living
Beyond Limits
Amy Purdy -- TedX -- 9-1/2 min video
https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_purdy_living_beyond_limits
and
-
- -
This message is on the Web at http://traubman.igc.org/messages/706.htm
Hundreds of other success stories are preserved at http://traubman.igc.org/messages.htm