From: 6:11 PM Subject: 911 Study Circle and the Stories We Tell OurselvesTo: cii@igc.org (undisclosed list) Dear friends, Below is an announcement of a very interesting study circle on the September 11 terrorist attacks, which is now available to every group and community in the country to carry on informed dialogues about how to deal with the problems presented by this crisis. Since the designers have asked for comments, I've included my primary critique below, which I think you'll find informative. Feel free to give them your own feedback. This could be a very valuable resource for all of us. Coheartedly, Tom >Announcement: > >Dear Friends, > >As many of you know, the Study Circles Resource Center developed a new >discussion guide in response to the Sept.11 terrorist attacks. Facing the >Future: How Should We Respond to the Attacks on Our Nation? is available >on our web site at http://www.studycircles.com/pages/americaresponds.html. >Please see this web page for two new resources: a guide for a single >2-hour session, and an outline for 1-day, multi-session community summit. > >We have provided these resources so that you can lay the groundwork for >dialogue in your organization, school, or community. Bookmark the site, >and check back for revisions and additions as events unfold. Several >communities have already begun to plan for their dialogue in anticipation >of this guide. We look forward to hearing from you with your comments, >suggestions and experiences. > >Warmly, >Martha McCoy >and the Staff of the Study Circles Resource Center _ _ _ _ MY RESPONSE TO: carrie@congex.org,scrc@studycircles.org Dear Carrie and Martha: I like this study circle booklet a lot. It is very sensitive to the diversity of mainstream approaches to the issue and will help people hear each other and be thoughtful about this emotionally charged and potentially devastating issue. My primary concern is its lack of history and/or the stories and myths that people tell themselves about why this tragedy happened. It might be very interesting to offer study circle participants, not only competing policy options, but competing stories. Among them, I'd include the following dominant themes I see in the materials that cross my desk: a) The US spreads freedom and economic opportunity around the world, and helps other countries in many ways, and always has. Evil people (or regressive ideologies) try to stop America's good influence -- and those evil people and ideologies must be eradicated for the benefit of the whole world. b) The US arrogantly manipulates other countries' economics, politics and cultures for America's own geopolitical and economic benefit (e.g., CIA's extensive involvement in Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan) at the expense of Third World countries and communities, so it's understandable that powerless people who have been hurt by the US would react violently. Perhaps (but not likely) the US -- now as vulnerable as the rest of the world -- will stop acting so arrogantly. c) The US is the evil vanguard of materialism and technology that is everywhere seducing and destroying traditional cultures and beliefs -- especially Islam and tribal cultures -- and must be stopped by any means necessary. (This is the terrorists' perspective.) d) Powerful people and groups in government, corporations, militaries, and criminal and religious organizations are battling each other for global and regional dominance, manipulating and harming ordinary people all over the world in the process. This whole crisis is actually a battle between those powerholders, at the expense of the rest of us. We ignorantly do our part by cheering for whatever powerholder is manipulating us. e) This is a powerful stimulus for us to grow up. We are falling short spiritually and as human beings. We don't understand, love, or care for each other as we should. We have not developed societies that adequately meet human needs, or that serve life well. This tragedy is a global wake-up call to transform ourselves and our societies to be more enlightened and compassionate. Above all, we need to listen to each other and to Spirit, and to support those who are suffering. f) It's all about oil. If we'd just cure our addiction to oil -- through conservation and sustainable energy technologies -- this whole problem would just go away. We'd leave these Muslims and Middle Eastern folks alone at last, and they could sort out their own affairs. We'd all be better off -- not just us people, but the environment, too. g) Problems like this will continue happening to us as long as political and cultural institutions impede, rather than help, people working through their differences creatively. When we use war rather than systems of international justice, we're being as uncivilized as the Wild West. When we use power politics and manipulated public opinion instead of well-facilitated and well-informed citizen deliberations to guide our public policies, we get solutions that generate more problems. We need national and international institutions guided by dialogue, truth and human welfare rather than by power, manipulation and reactivity. People who believe in these perspectives have amassed extensive data to support their stories, and have articulate spokespeople who have written articles voicing their views -- and challenging the views of others. These (or summaries of them) could be studied by participants in the study circles on terrorism. Ultimately, I think the deepest understanding in public life comes from understanding the stories (histories, worldviews, myths, explanations) that give rise to people's behaviors and to their reactions to the policies and actions of others. We need to understand both our own stories AND the stories of others. I know you know this, since the study circle guide on your website explores the experiences and values that underlie the beliefs of the study circle participants. I think that this insight can be applied, as well, to the big picture(s) that we each inhabit and use to make sense of the world we live in. Thank you so much for your ongoing remarkable work. Coheartedly, Tom ________________________________ Tom Atlee * The Co-Intelligence Institute * PO Box 493 * Eugene, OR 97440 http://www.co-intelligence.org * http://www.democracyinnovations.org Please support our work. * Your donations are fully tax-deductible.