I agree with you Dan. Here in the UK we have been responsible for all kinds
of atrocities in the past and whilst I could claim that I personally am not
responsible for any of it, that perpetrator dynamic exists in our culture
and it feels important to own it as part of who we are as a Nation.
Otherwise, it just goes underground and gets acted out in all kinds of
repetitive ways. Many British people and other European countries with a
colonial history) still have a colonialist attitude about buying up land
cheaply in poor countries, setting up fancy hotels, villas etc. destroying
beautiful landscapes and then think they are doing the country a favour by
offering menial jobs to the locals without even bothering about to find out
about their culture, learn their language etc.
There is a difference between taking responsibility and hiding our heads in
shame.
Barbara
On 27 December 2012 17:00, Dan Booth Cohen, PhD <danboothcohen@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
**
Dear Judy, Deborah and all
For me, in casting criticism on nation and culture, there is a distinction
between having a Motherland and an adopted homeland or living in the
country of ones birth. A person who transplants to a new nation forfeits
certain rights in leaving and does not immediately re-acquire them.
Whereas, the native has a responsibility to be an agent of change that may
demand challenging the prevailing good conscience of the nation.
The field of the United States is characterized by an arrogant,
self-justified good conscience and a fiercely denied history of conquest
and destruction. No other nation approaches the United States in having
bombed foreign lands. While our citizens benefit economically from these
military actions, the peoples of the bombed lands suffer greatly.
To my understanding, acknowledging or agreeing to what is means to
accurately distinguish what is physical reality (a wall in a room) and what
is an inner projection (an emotional wall). Agreeing to What is does not
mean being in favor of the actions and policies of ones government.
There is a balance point where all emotions and perspectives can be
accommodated. I can celebrate Christmas with my family and see what is good
and hopeful in what we co-create. And I can mourn on Christmas for the
little town of Bethlehem and be angry over what my country and my people
have made of it.
Dan
From: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:
ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of JUDY SMITH
Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2012 5:01 AM
To: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ConstellationTalk] Digest Number 2168
Hi all,
I seldom comment but enjoy what I read. I had a lot to say about creating
professionalism and how this was felt as exclusion but decided to keep
quiet and just do what I do. It seems to be more peaceful that way. With
this, I'd like to offer a different thought for consideration.
In every country we have these same victims and perpetrators. Perhaps they
are teachers and perhaps they offer a chance for something kinder and
stronger when we look at it with eyes wide open and do something
differently.
Perhaps...just for me...I am not fully persuaded that looking at the 'bad
stuff and condemning countries and cultures helps me at all. When I can
look at all with a wider view and see more of the system, I seem to find a
way that respects all and offers me hope and joy, the potential for
strength and change, while understanding that those who came before all
took steps to begin the process. Then I can see that it's my turn to add a
page consciously and offer what I can with joy and hope.
I find for myself that putting myself, my group and my country down, links
me to a feeling of guilt and sadness and senseless perpetuation. However
agreeing to what is and then looking ahead equips me with eyes that see the
beauty in all, the fact that we are learning and the opportunity to
celebrate what is good and hopeful.
Now for the US.....I am not originally from the US but now live and make
my home here and I am thankful to both my country of origin and this one
for the the opportunities it affords me.Yes ....like most countries there
are problems and yet the US is the first to asked for help and resources.
It feels for me sometimes like we want to dismiss all the good it has and
focus on where it struggles.
Seeing any system with a slant or a bias means we have a very narrow band
with from which to operate and it also seems a little unkind and a touch
blind.
I will share a quick case I had recently which put things into a different
light for me. I work with many African American groups. One lady told me
she went to Africa and stood on the shores and sobbed for her ancestors,
the slaves. She had recently attended one of my workshops.
After a while, she stopped and began to look at the whole system and then
she said there was a shift for her. She looked at her ancestors and said
"Thanks to you all and the hardships you endured, I am a free woman." She
took a large stone and placed it near the token she had set up for
ancestors and said "I thank you too. You had a part in my life. You took my
people away from here to there and now many enjoy what the US has to offer.
We have done well with the gifts from both."
For me this work is about moving from what is...to what's possible...with
respect and inclusion, it's the best way I know how to grow.
Warm regards
Judy Wilkins-Smithjmsmit21@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:
Wilkins-Smithjmsmit21%40gmail.comwww.beyond-thebox.com> (903)
312-5196(903) 534-6263
--- On Sat, 12/22/12, Meera Finnigan <meera.finnigan@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:
meera.finnigan%40iinet.net.au> > wrote:
From: Meera Finnigan <meera.finnigan@xxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:
meera.finnigan%40iinet.net.au> >
Subject: Re: [ConstellationTalk] Digest Number 2168
To: "No Reply" <notify-dg-ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:
notify-dg-ConstellationTalk%40yahoogroups.com> >
Cc: ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:
ConstellationTalk%40yahoogroups.com>
Date: Saturday, December 22, 2012, 4:24 PM
Dear Deborah,
Thank you for this informative and heartfelt piece highlighting some of
the political and systemic features of the US.
It feels quite profound to read such a succinct analysis. I have two
sisters living in the US.
They are very grateful for the many benefits they have enjoyed since
living there, but I wonder sometimes what it will
take for them to realise some of the points that you have made. I guess
they are representative of many millions of Americans.
I live in Australia where crimes against humanity also occur, especially
towards our indigenous people and more recently against
asylum seekers from the Middle East, Shri Lanka and other places. Yes, we
had the apology from Kevin Rudd, which generated
much hope, but unfortunately there isn't enough political will to progress
very far as yet.
Australia is closely aligned with the US especially militarily. We have
numerous bases all over the country for US troops, we rarely question the
policies
of the US, and we join your military in war. It's clear that we are
entangled with your country's violence and we will not see our own
part in it. Not only that, but our heritage from Great Britain which has
an imperialist past, many atrocities, genocide, robbing
peoples of their land and so forth. Of course there are always good people
who struggle to raise consciousness and we are blessed
to be able to raise our own and contribute where we can.
Thanks again Deborah for your insightful and boldly generous comments.
Season's greeting to all, and happy upcoming 10th anniversary to
Constellation Talk.
Meera
Meera Finnigan JP MA
Inner Management Ethics Consultancy
Fremantle
Western Australia
On 23/12/2012, at 12:50 AM, ConstellationTalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:
ConstellationTalk%40yahoogroups.com> wrote:
1aRe: Sandy Hook Massacre - systemic aspects
Fri Dec 21, 2012 11:56 am (PST) . Posted by:"Deborah Gavrin Frangquist"deborahgfDear friends, especially those outside the United States,
I have been thinking this last week about the systemic aspects of
violence in this country, and I hope that Anngwyn is right that we are
seeing a tipping point in terms of more Americans and their
organizations seeing and acknowledging the violence as it is. Some of
the news is encouraging, including the possibility that the National
Association of Evangelicals (a conservative Christian group with a lot
of political clout - another aspect of U.S. society) will take a new
look at gun control. Yet, as I know you all would expect, the field is
complicated and complex.
For those of you who did not grow up with the indoctrination of American
schooling, the roots of violence and perpetration here are old and deep;
they often appear to be deeper than the roots of peace, generosity, and
neighborliness. This country was colonized, organized, and expanded by
an odd combination of adventurers, idealists, refugees, and profiteers,
and it continues to be inhabited and governed by a similar mix of people.
We Americans, whenever we arrived here, are part of a lineage of
genocide toward indigenous peoples, brutal kidnap and enslavement of
Africans and their descendents, devastating exploitation of the natural
world, and self-righteous religiosity and its attendant belief that God
is on our side simply because we are Americans. We are also part of a
lineage of welcome - sometimes grudging - to an extraordinary range of
humans seeking peace and prosperity which was unavailable where they
came from. And we are in a lineage of millions of people attempting with
dignity and generosity to care for themselves, their families, their
neighbors, and the natural world. All these forces are evident in any
mental constellation I perceive for this country - and they are very
often present in family and organizational constellations here.
The United States is now the largest and most heavily armed empire in
human history. A shocking percentage of our economy depends on the
production and sale of weapons, from "ladies' pistols" to WMDs. Our
civic culture idolizes profit and strength. Even more troubling is that
the "obvious solution" to any problem we encounter is to beat it into
submission: witness our multiple undeclared wars and the so-called "War
on Drugs" which has led to our imprisoning a larger percentage of our
population than any nation on earth.
The "common wisdom" has been that it is political suicide for any
national leader in this country to question either profit or might as
"ideals" we all should strive for. It's hard to imagine a political
leader in the United States making a political move as powerful as the
"Sorry" speech several years ago by Australian PM Kevin Rudd, although
certainly we have much to be sorry for. We're not yet collectively at
the "I see you now" stage of our political life - or if we are, it is at
the price of those 28 lives last week. There are still many people in
this country, some of them very well respected and/or well funded, who
continue to urge us to arm, to conquer, to exclude, to punish those who
are weak and exalt those who are powerful.
So to those of you in the constellation community who are outside the
United States, thank you for helping us to see, to acknowledge, and to
turn toward each other. Please keep your awareness of the field alive
when you hear and see news from here - the good and the ugly. Don't
believe our propaganda, but do help us remember that we are both
perpetrators and victims. Give us a big place in your hearts - and do
anything you can to help us remember that we are not as big as we often
think we are.
Happy Solstice to all. In this hemisphere, the light is returning.
Deborah Frangquist
*Deborah Gavrin Frangquist
Career & Life Design for Professionals, Artists & Executives
**415-346-6121; mobile 415-642-0225*
www.ChosenFutures.com <http://www.chosenfutures.com/>
._,___
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