Victor Lewis

A few days ago, as I was sitting with a group along with BayNVC board member Victor Lewis, he spoke of the imperative to tap into joy as often as possible as an integral part of our awakening to the world, even while suffering and destruction are daily occurrences. I was reminded of Emma Goldman's famous line: "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution."

 

In honor of her, of Victor, and of the untold number of people who manage to live joyously against all odds and in dire circumstances, I decided to share in this entry of the newsletter some uplifting tidbits.

 

Rojava 

	Rovaja: administered in green, claimed in orange

Have you heard of the extraordinary social and real-life experiment in self-governance and feminism going on in Syria? It's hard to believe, and it's true: the Rojava region, made up primarily though not only of Kurds, has gone through an internal revolution after their leader, while arrested, read anarchist literature. Now they are run entirely on participatory democracy and feminist principles, and they have an entire army of women. Overall, they are doing as well as could imagine. Sadly, they are still embroiled in war, and they do better than any in fighting off ISIS.

 

Life after Hate

I am rarely speechless, and yet I am challenged to find words to speak of this organization. All the founders are former members of extreme right wing organizations, and are now dedicated to supporting others in making the journey out. I talked to their executive director a few months ago as part of a now dormant project, and was deeply touched by his stories about others' journeys and by the fierce uncompromising faith in the possibility of redemption that the entire organization exudes. In this time of growing polarization and the politics of hatred and shaming, this is a shining star for me. And if you are in the Bay Area, you might want to come to a screening of the movie Accidental Courtesy, "a documentary about Daryl Davis, an African American man who has spent over 20 years befriending members of the Ku Klux Klan, an effort that has resulted in over 200 members leaving the KKK."

 

Ayeish

	Still from an Ayeish movie

This organization has taken on bringing the spirit and practices of NVC to bear on high-tension political issues. Right now Leah Wolfthal, the founder of Ayeish, is working with an informal group in Syria to bring together multiple groups to potentially create a shared vision for a future Syria. In this case, I've had conversations with Leah and the source of magic and passion in this project on the US side. We've talked about Convergent Facilitation and her own approach to the intricate task lying ahead of her. Based on what I've seen and heard, I have utter confidence that Leah and whoever else she brings along for this project possess enough vision, skill, and commitment to make it happen. This is an experiment, clearly, and we all know that the "tried and true" is only making things worse. Leah has a crowdfunding campaign going to support this project, and I hope you will join me in supporting her work.

 

Transformative parenting

Last week marked the third anniversary of Inbal's death, my sister and partner in thought and action. She knew, early on, to focus on two key areas: leadership development, so we could replicate what we do, and parenting, so a new generation of children will be free from the brutal effects of patriarchal socialization. One of her projects, the Parent Peer Leadership Program, combines the two areas of focus, and has continued beyond her life led by two former students of hers, Ingrid Bauer and Stephanie Mattei. Please read about it below and follow the link, even if you're not a parent. You can get a glimpse of a different world, and perhaps inspire other parents to at least sign up for the informational call coming up in a few days.

 

The work ahead of us continues and deepens. In my recent blog post I grapple with an aspect of the recent events of Charlottesville: reflecting on what we can do in response to the growing polarization instead of demonizing anyone. Extreme weather, being on the brink of a scary war in Asia, unprecedented disparities in access to resources, and a growing malaise everywhere are with us and escalating. If we are honest and committed, we know we will be called upon to step into new territories of discomfort and to question everything we've been told about what life is about and what it means to be human. Being inspired and nurtured along the way is a vital source of energy. I hope the snippets I included here have inspired you and will sustain you on your journey towards courage, truth, and love. As one of my students, Melanie Gold, has said: instead of "unite the right", the slogan of the Charlottesville marchers, let's go for "unite the light".