It's Already Happening

I came across Paul Hawken's synthesis in an article by David Loy on Huffington Post.  This is something I've thought about for a long time - How to define a counter-culture movement in order to inspire and educate others that change is happening, and there are so many ways to be involved. Paul seems to do that.

How will you contribute?

Many Voices and Concerns on Kashmir Solution

Peace conference called by two separatist leaders of J & K at the Indian International Center seem to speak about the 'real' issues here.  Ethnic group rights in the process need to be heard - many people are greatly affected by the stalemate in the northern areas.  Neither is willing to give an inch to the other and the 'dialogue' process is at a standstill because credibility of this technique has been lost through eruptions of violence in the past 15 years. 

One of the leaders, Sajjad Lone, proposes trade as a means to build trust and build the economy of the region.  Through this, the region can be unburdened by "the monotony of sovereignty."  He released a document called "Achievable Nationhood," the first of its kind since violence in 1989, at the beginning of Jan 2010.  Is this just the type of leadership that the region is needing to emerge from protracted conflict?

The paper calls for tax-free movement of goods between a united J & K. "Lone's peace formula comes a month after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said Islamabad would abandon its claim to Kashmir if India agreed to give the territory autonomy under joint supervision by both countries," says Reuters. 

Bon

Tonpa Shenrab
Lopon Tenzin Namdrak - KTM Triten Norbutse
Zhang-Zhung - Where is it? Mythical?

Subduing protector deities - they were Bon deities.  Guru Rinpoche subdued.  Where did the teaching of present-day Bon tradition come from? 

Dzogchen teachings of Bon different than in Nyingma?

More than One Story

Power, stereotypes, and seeing them and others as more than one dimension.

What other examples are there - personal?

Good for - FSS session about perspectives, facilitation (in English) about stereotypes, unpacking assumptions, looking at others in a new light.

Climate Change on Mt. Everest

Nepal Government meets near Everest Base Camp in order to bring attention to issues of climate change and its affect on the Himalayan Region.  AP article Here.

An effective form of political activism on the part of government officials prior to Copenhaggen?
OR
A waste of precious resources to fly the entire cabinet up to 18,000 ft for a meeting?

Elinor Ostrom

The first woman to win the Nobel Prize - CNN Article

Elinor Ostrom's research on how humans interact with ecosystems, unpacking the concept of the "commons," seems to prove that local communities managing resources from the inside seems to work more efficiently than when an outside authority tries to manage resources for the community. 

I can think of so many examples of the truth to this statement - anyone who is living, working, interacting, engaging with one's own community will not only have knowledge, but experience, of how things will work to serve one's own community.  Someone outside of that dynamic will NOT.  Thus, (logical conclusion) the people who are living, working, struggling, rejoicing, in that community are the most well-informed decisionmakers about that particular community. 

Particular relevance: Her work in western Nepal looking at conflict and resource management. 

Resources:
Governing the Commons (book)
Rules, Games, and common-pool resources (book)
Polycentric Games and Institutions: Chapter 16

There's much more, but I need some online research training.  (I just don't get these online databases, yet.  Back in my day.....        we went to the card catologue.  I don't feel that old :/)

How to Win an Argument

When comparing yourself with others, do you usually find that you compare favorably or unfavorably? If you compare favorably, do you feel proud? If you compare unfavorably, do you feel devastated? Either of these reactions will keep you from seeing things as they are. If you are feeling competitive, the real question is, Who is it who compares? Don’t repress this feeling or tell yourself how bad it is, but study it as a foolish trait for which you have some affection.

Master Dogen, the thirteenth-century founder of Soto Zen in Japan, was asked by a student, “What should you do if you find yourself in an argument? Should you try to win the argument or should you concede, even though you feel you’re right?” Dogen advised neither path. Become disinterested, he told the student, and the argument will lose its energy. The same advice can be applied to feelings of competitiveness in practice: Let go of your attachment to appearances of one who wins or has “got it right.”

-Dairyu Michael Wenger, "Competing with the Incomparable," Tricycle, Winter 2004

The Nonverbal Advantage by Carol Kinsey Goman

Non Verbal Communication can build trust.

Within seven seconds of meeting people, they have already formed their first impression of you.

93 % of the messages people receive have nothing to do with what you actually say.

Four Points -

1. The Gaze - two types of eye contact. Business gaze - apex at the forehead. signals no-nonsense approach. Social gaze - apex at the mouth. Social gaze signals interest. Can be misinterpreted as flirting. Can be confusing to mix them. Women need to be aware that to be taken seriously in business encounters, don't use social gaze.

2. Head Tilt - signal of interest and involvement. positive cues, but feminine gesture indicating submission. also can indicate interest.

3. Body Orientation - degree of face, shoulders, and feet facing a person indicates the status or level of like of that person. Toward you = positive attitude about you. Direct orientation is offputting for men; It's confrontational. Men position themselves on oblique angles. Women are comfortable facing each other. When approaching a male colleague, do so from the side.

4. Mirroring - we subconsiously mirror each other signaling connection or engaged. signals 'like' or 'agreement.' goes both ways - when someone's mirroring you, they like/agree with you. when you use mirroring, you're making others more comfortable through positive relation with the other person.

Miss Thang also talks about the eyebrow lift upon meeting someone - like when you're walking down a busy street full of people and you happen to recognize someone in the crowd.  This gesture tells them that they are important or interesting.  What happens when you do this to someone in the first seven seconds... ??  Positive impression, methinks.

Either you're With Us, or you're With Us

John Marks - founder and president of Search for Common Ground is a hero of mine.

Amidst the debate of President Obama's international diplomacy, many different voices emerge - hatred, frustration, lack of understanding, support, vehement support, and admiration. John and Susan's article falls in the 'support' category, in my opinion.

Existential Debate:
How is it possible that every president/leader/boss has the same amount of aversion/attraction to them? I would say the same statement above while inserting George W. Bush's name for Obama's. Does that make anyone else think?