Every year I look back on all the work I have been a part of, and I like to publically thanks everyone who has invited me to be a part of their lives this year. It has been a busy one, with trips to New Zealand, the United States, and every Canadian province from British Columbia to Quebec. So thanks are due to the following groups who invited me to come work with them:
- Office of the Dean of Medicine, University of British Columbia
- Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Familiy Services
- Office for Accesa and Diversity, University of British Columbia
- The Joint Working Group on Long Term Care for First Nations and Inuit communities
- Greater Vancouver Urban Aboriginal Strategy
- First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Pacific Region, Health Canada
- Urban Multipurpose Aboriginal Youth Centres programs in Prince Albert and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
- Aboriginal Business Development Centre, Prince George
- New Economy Development Group and the Economic Development Directorate of Indian and Northern Affairs, BC Region.
- Karyo and the City of Kelowna Transportation Division
- Aboriginal Education Branch, BC Ministry of Advanced Education
- Ngati Koata, Ngati Tama, Wakatu Incorporated and the Community Employment Group of the New Zealand Department of Labour
- Assembly of First Nations Renewal Commission
- Building our Legacy Together Initiative, BC ASsembly of First Nations
- Native Economic Development Advisory Board, BC Minstry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services
- Intergovernmental Affairs Directorate, Indian and Northn Affairs Canada, BC Region
- Vancouver Island Aboriginal Transition Team
- Sijitus project, Sliammon First Nations, Treaty Office
- Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Society and the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement Holders in BC
- Aboriginal Education Program, Vancouver School Board
- Musqueam First Nation
- Provincial Aboriginal Social and Economic Strategy, Aboriginal Directorate, BC Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services
- MBA Core Team, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
- experian, Learning and Organizational Effectiveness Team
- First Citizen’s Forum, Aboriginal Directorate, BC Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services
- Victoria Native Friendship Centre
- Coast Salish Employment and Training Society
- Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of BC
I would also like to thank my associates and partners who have worked with me over this past year, including Chris Robertson, Michael Herman, Crystal Sutherland, Cheryl Matthew, Sienna MacMillian, Brenna Latimer, David Stevenson, Stan Bear, April Bosshard, Brian Creswick, Kathryn Thompson, Mere Wetere and Michael Elkington.
And a happy new year to all the readers of Parking Lot. There is much going wrong in the world, from war to tsunamis to the smaller personal losses in all our lives, but your reading and contributions to this weblog are gifts that shimmer in the dross and keep me focused on what matters.
See you in 2005.
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From a conversation with Krishnamurti, on the art of listening:
Sir, what is seeing, and what is listening, and what is learning? I think the three are related to each other: learning, hearing and seeing. What is seeing, perceiving? Do we actually see, or do we see through a screen darkly? A screen of prejudice, a screen of our idiosyncracies, experiences, our wishes, pleasures, fears, and obviously our images about that which we see and about ourselves? So we have this screen after screen between us and the object of perception. So do we ever see the thing at all? Or is it the seeing is coloured by our knowledge, mechanical, experience, and so on and so on, or our images which we have about that thing, or the beliefs in which the mind is conditioned, and therefore prevents the seeing, or the memories which the mind has cultivated prevents the seeing? So seeing may not take place at all. And is it possible for the mind not to have these images, conclusions, beliefs, memories, prejudices, fears, and without having those screens just to look? I think this becomes very important because when there is a seeing of the thing which I am talking about, when there is a seeing you can’t help but acting.
David Bohm, after many conversations with Krishnamurti, developed the concept of Dialogue in which seeing and suspending were intimately related. Krishnamurti here points to suspending biases and conditioning that allow us to both see to the root of things and listen deeply to one another.
I’m curious about how people might do this is daily life. It’s one thing to enter a deeply relfective state in a retreat and practice seeing and listening, but in daily life, when these practices are critical, how do we quickly enter that state where real seeing is possible? What do you do to set aside your biases, prejudices, assumptions and conclusions? How do you suspend in the moment?
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Rob Paterson is leading a charge for a new movement, taking Martin Luther for his inspiration:
“The great wheel of time has come full circle. Once again a small group of people have given up their attempts of internal reform. Once again, they look to how business can serve mankind and not a few men. Once again they seek to replace the institution with direct relationships between men and women. Once again, they seek to replace dogma with the observed design and ways of nature.
Once again a new technology for communication has arrived to aid this group to spread the word. Once again, the voice of people is being heard around the world and those that control the media, like those that controlled the pulpits and the church lists of approved texts, tremble.”
Nailing the theses to the door, I’d say. Even though the 95 Theses meme was used by Cluetrain, you can’t have too much 21st century protestantism. Stay tuned…
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The fact that externalizing a thing makes it disappear is usually a bad thing. Describing rather than experiencing…
This reminds of me of how to make a headache disappear. I�m not making this up. You describe the headache�its shape, color, and location�then you estimate how much water it can hold. You answer each question in turn, looking carefully. Then you return to the first question.
What happens is, your answers change each time through. I think this is because your headache changes. Or maybe it�s the other way around: your headache changes because your answers change. In any case there comes a point at which there�s nothing left to change because at that point the headache is gone, you�ve described it out of existence.
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Here is a message that came by way of Phil Lane, the director of Four Worlds International. William Commanda is an Elder from Maniwaki, Quebec who holds a number of wampum belts which he uses for teaching. He sent this message to a conference recently held in Vancouver:
I am sorry that I am unable to be with you for this important Conference. I have just turned ninety one, and at this age, it is not always easy to do everything one would like to. I see that you have many interesting presentations and workshops for the next few days, and I am sure that this gathering will be a very meaningful experience for you all.
As you may know, I have been keeper of three sacred Wampum Belts for over thirty years; they are not mine, I carry them for the people. The Seven Fires Prophecy Belt is speaking loudly now. It comes from the fourteen hundreds, and its prophecy foretold the coming of the light skinned race and the great and devastating changes that were to come into our lives. We are now living at the time of the seventh fire, where the crucial choice of respect for Mother Earth and all humanity is being presented with great urgency. But it seems like we are scarcely heeding the messages of Mother Earth, and her process of cleansing is taking on greater strength. In the last century, we have managed to inflict ninety percent of the damage to Mother Earth, altering climate and weather patterns, and as she grows sick, so do all her children. We all experience this in physical and emotional turmoil, as new diseases invade our environment and our lives and we look in vain for peace.
It is desperately important that we find ways to heal ourselves and learn again to walk in balance with the beat of Mother Earth. It is only then that we will be able to light the Eighth Fire of Peace. This Gathering offers opportunities to find that path to healing and hope. I hope you will all benefit richly from this experience.
The Three Figure Wampum Belt that I also carry dates back to 1700. This Belt signifies the sacred agreement my ancestors made with the newcomers, the French and the English, to share the grand natural resources of the continent of North America, Turtle Island, together with our values and culture, in three equal shares. Our people stand at the centre of this agreement. Our people were a generous people, and they could not have imagined the extent of the invasion of our lands that would follow. We never did receive our fair share of the resources of the land, and today, the indigenous peoples are the poorest and most powerless. And because our values were not reflected in the development of this country, Mother Earth is suffering and we are no longer peoples living in harmony and balance.
It is of vital importance that we learn to heal ourselves and reclaim our strength and our rightful place. As we learn to forgive and love again, we will grow in strength and lead the path to peace and healing for all humanity.
William is an amazing teacher. When I lived in Ottawa, I often heard him teach using the belts.