…we all own flashlights | Upcoming Events
We cannot turn the light switch on for anyone. But we all own flashlights. With any luck, on any given day, we know where to aim them for each other. We do not rescue anyone at the margins. But go figure, if we stand at the margins, we are all rescued. No mistake about it.
– Father Greg Boyle: I thought I could “save” gang members. I was wrong.
Hi everyone,
In addition to my great appreciation for Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries and the sentiments he expressed in the above article, it reminded me of a poem by Mary Oliver called, The Journey. We save the only life we can, yet in so doing, sometimes we save one another.
We feel stronger, more secure and have more enjoyment when we feel well-connected with others. When we feel part of a group that we feel safe being in, then we allow our vulnerability to surface, and only then can we genuinely love one another. By contrast, when we feel threatened, our defenses go up. We begin to also fear our own vulnerability, sometimes projecting onto it that it is in and of itself the enemy. Vulnerability is not the enemy. It is where life lives. Our greatest strength is when the many come together as one in shared vulnerability.
“…we all own flashlights. With any luck, on any given day, we know where to aim them for each other.”
April brings together Earth Month, Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month, Animal Cruelty Prevention Month and much more. We offer a very full calendar of Upcoming Events with many opportunities to join us. This week includes the OC for Climate Action planning meeting, a super-fun Spring Garden Veggie Workshop, and a TRE Group Shake, followed by next week’s truly amazing April 12 Critical Conversations at Soka Performing Arts Center – Vegan Meat-Up: A Safe Space for the Curious Carnivore (scroll down for more info).
Hope to see you soon.
In the spirit of Ubuntu,
Barbara English, LMFT, CBT, TRE® Certification Trainer
Co-founder and Executive Director, Living Ubuntu
livingubuntu.org | facebook | donate »
living vegan (facebook) | plant powered oc (facebook)
occlimateaction.org | facebook
(949) 891-2005
[Ubuntu] n. We belong to the greater whole.
:::UPCOMING EVENTS:::
Orange County for Climate Action (OCCA) Meeting
Tuesday, April 4, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Newport Beach
Spring Veggie Garden Workshop! (Plant Powered OC)
Wednesday, April 5, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Costa Mesa
Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) – Group Shake
Thursday, April 6, 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Newport Beach
Vegan Meat-Up: A Safe Space for the Curious Carnivore
With Moby, Gene Baur, Allison Argo (Soka PAC)
Wednesday, April 12, 7:00pm – 9:45pm
Aliso Viejo
A Screening of Speciesism
With Filmmaker, Mark Devries — a Pre-Conference Event (GWC)
Thursday, April 20, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Huntington Beach
Socially Accepted Practices and Traumatic Impact on Adolescents’ Development
With Special Guest, Gene Baur, Co-founder, Farm Sanctuary
Thursday, April 27, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Fullerton
11th Annual Golden West College Peace Conference:
“A Sustainable Peace: Equity, Equality, and Environmental Interdependence in the 21st Century”
Friday, April 28, 8:30am – 5:00pm
Huntington Beach
Crises in the Ocean: How Compassionate Action Benefits Us All & People’s Climate March – Orange County
Saturday, April 29, 9:00am – 4:00pm
Irvine
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