thinkoutword eNews

GIVING UP

spring/summer 2012

What does it mean to "give up"? We all know the feeling - it's sad and disheartening as hell to see someone give up their dreams, there's nothing redeeming about it. But we've also been told to "give it up" for an artist who we've just seen perform, and in that, maybe we can sense the origin of the term. Does it perhaps point to that original gift - the offering at the temple - a self-sacrifice and surrender to that which is higher? If so, then our understanding has fallen pretty low... No matter, and no cause for concern, Think OutWord isn't "giving up." We have given up some things though, and there's a lot of new things to report on, so hold on. 

This past winter we decided we needed a change. The core group work has been super-rewarding, but also super-demanding, which we worried might be holding some people back. We're not too attached any one form, we simply want to see the work prosper ("the work" simply being the creation of a healthy society). So at our January Meeting we dissolved the core group and met with a larger group of about 30 people to design Think OutWord anew. The basic question: what is it we want to do together, and how can we best achieve it? There was a lot of lively conversation and new seeds planted, but it's still too early to speculate on that harvest, so... more on that later.

Our February Conference this year was on the social mission of Waldorf education. It was fantastic - a lot of energy and a really good mix of people from all walks of life. Participant Robert McKay wrote: 

"The thrust of the conference, to me, was toward a re-imagining of Waldorf in the context of a radical social as well as spiritual vision. The "freedom" in which Waldorf so assiduously strives to leave its graduates is severely curtailed by the structural constraints of modern politics and economics. Waldorf tries to develop students capable not only of the thin conception of personal freedom amenable to capitalist society, but of an expansive freedom for all to participate fully in a humanizing politics, culture and economics. This means that Waldorf schools must renew their emphasis on creating students capable of fighting for this kind of expansive human freedom."

You can find the whole article here. 

But that's the only conference we've done this year. Instead of organizing conferences we've been meeting every Monday night for five hours... It's not actually a meeting at all, more like a Social Marathon (it's not in any way grueling, though it can get a bit loopy towards the end). It starts with a meal, moves into singing, then study, and finally action group. The different parts of the evening are open, so different people join us at different times. All told, we usually get between 20 and 30 people regularly coming through on a Monday night.  This has become the main body of our work together so it's worth sharing a little more about...

FUTURE EVENTS

Right now, Think OutWord is thinking about two possible events in the fall - one on biography work and the other on threefolding. More on that to come...