urgency & philosophy

Fri Dec 28 15:40:42 CST 2007

Well spoken Rebecca..there is saying that says we all want to sit around the table with brie and wine and discuss and solve the world problems. I agree, taking action in whatever way we can is what will make a difference.l For me right now it is about helping people develop their spiritual intelligence to become good spiritual leaders at home and in business. This involves moving past the rational IQ. Blessings for the New Year, Connie

-----Original Message-----
From: HV Psychodrama [mailto:hvpi at hvc.rr.com]
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2007 01:30 PM
To: edwschreiber at earthlink.net
Cc: list at grouptalkweb.org
Subject: Re: urgency & philosophy

One question is where do we choose to put our energy. Most everyone I know 
is concerned about the environment. (Of course, everyone I know voted for 
McGovern and we all know how that played out!)
One person may choose to work directly for environmental causes. Others 
may choose to work towards election of specific people. Others of us are 
busy dealing with what Patty refers to as micro issues..I know that after 
working with the abused children and teenagers with whom I work, my 
political and social energies go towards issues that effect them today. 
Clean elections independent of lobbyists and special interests are my 
current focus because I believe that this is the root of many, many social 
and environmental ills.
But as this is a listserve for psychodrama and other action oriented 
therapies, my question, which I have asked before, is what are people doing 
in our field? I don't want grouptalk to become one more forum for people to 
write about various political and social issues. There are plenty of other 
listserves for that. I do want to know what people are doing specifically to 
use action methods to address these issues, to inspire action.
Clare Daniellsson once said that sociodrama is only valuable if it leads 
to action. I am not totally in agreement with her about that, but I am 
curious to know what actions our work has led us and others to take.
Ed, you write with much passion about these concerns of yours. What 
actions are you taking? How are you using your knowledge of Moreno to make 
change? Others....????
Rebecca Walters
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <edwschreiber at earthlink.net>
To: "PATRICIA DESERT" <honeybwomn at msn.com>; "Adam Blatner" 
<adam at blatner.com>
Cc: <list at grouptalkweb.org>
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2007 1:12 PM
Subject: Re: urgency & philosophy

> PS: This is not about guilt or shame.
> It is about Who Shall Survive, not as a theme-book
> but a dilemma Global Warming means to many.
>
> As a Moreanean, I must respond, it's in my bones.
> Patty is doing what is right for her, I am calling the
> question to the floor about it all.
>
> Adam is doing what he wants and can - but we have to read
> the writing on the wall about the collapse (yes, collapse)
> of the earth's ecology. If we feel immune, we are not, I from
> what I read. And I don't want to see suffering if we can address it.
>
> How? For me it's all about sociatry, the parts of Moreno's work that we 
> can
> bring forth - it was, after all, his vision to address the human 
> condition,
> worldwide. Thanks for listening and responding Patty and Adam.
>
> Ed
>
> -----Original Message-----
>>From: PATRICIA DESERT <honeybwomn at msn.com>
>>Sent: Dec 28, 2007 12:57 PM
>>To: Adam Blatner <adam at blatner.com>, Edward Schreiber 
>><edwschreiber at earthlink.net>
>>Cc: list at grouptalkweb.org
>>Subject: Re: urgency & philosophy
>>
>>Actually, Adam, I have similar thoughts about this. I have a low 
>>threshold
>>for being around those who consistently and intensely exhort me to rally 
>>to
>>action around a particular issue. Part of it has to do with 
>>clairsentience
>>whereby I easily take in other's energy and can only do that for limited
>>periods of time without then needing time alone to recharge. Partly it 
>>has
>>to do with my interests. Global warming is an interest but it is 
>>secondary
>>to some other social issues that present right in my own community. And a
>>big part of it relates to my work as a therapist.
>>
>>I deal with deeply painful and potentially destructive issues every day 
>>with
>>clients who come in angry, depressed, anxious, traumatized. I am fully
>>present with my clients and at the end of the day I have little energy 
>>left
>>to become actively involved in the larger issues in the world.
>>
>>I believe that we all can choose how best can make a difference. I only
>>have so much energy, time, and monetary resources. So I have chosen my
>>life's work as a therapist to address the larger social ills at the micro
>>level. After all, our world is a mirror of who we are. As each person
>>heals so heals the world. Others much more able I leave to address the
>>world's problems on a macro level.
>>
>>And like you, I used to feel shame that I wasn't more involved in 
>>politics,
>>social activism, fund-raising, etc. Fortunately I have made peace with
>>myself around this and feel the world is blessed to have people like Ed 
>>who
>>obviously is interested and does engage in the larger issues facing our
>>world.
>>
>>Peace to all in the new year.
>>
>>Patti
>>
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "Adam Blatner" <adam at blatner.com>
>>To: "Edward Schreiber" <edwschreiber at earthlink.net>
>>Cc: <list at grouptalkweb.org>
>>Sent: Friday, December 28, 2007 11:25 AM
>>Subject: urgency & philosophy
>>
>>
>>> Dear Ed and others,
>>> This email leaves the issue of the source of a quote, and speaks
>>> rather to your
>>> perspective of urgency of ecological work.
>>> First, of course you're right about the time theme.
>>> (I'm even reminded of Al Gore's interview in the recent time Magazine as
>>> the 2nd place
>>> person-of-the-year).
>>>
>>> Yet, to shift the perspective a little, your urgency and passion,
>>> while noble, also
>>> brings up some issues that deal with sociometry: How much worry is
>>> optimal? And might
>>> people choose others who share similar tolerances for the degrees of 
>>> worry
>>> they "vibrate
>>> with"?
>>>
>>> From other recent issues, I've become more aware that when it comes 
>>> to
>>> worry, too much
>>> makes me crazy, arouses my limbic system so that I can't think straight.
>>> I remember a funny mantra: When in trouble or in doubt, run in
>>> circles, scream
>>> and shout!
>>>
>>> Yes, a little edge, a little worry, is needed for arousing the nervous
>>> system to optimal
>>> engagement.
>>> Too little and I become complacent, drugged, un-engaged. (This is 
>>> one
>>> of the pitfalls
>>> of drugs, alcohol, and for many, television and other pseudo-addictions
>>> and escapes.)
>>> There is a range that seems just right---I do my work with my 
>>> skills
>>> in my area of
>>> interest and ability. I may stretch a bit, give a bit to this or that
>>> political cause.
>>> But I find myself becoming wary about associating with
>>> acquaintances or groups who
>>> engage in levels of worry that I find abrasive, upsetting.
>>>
>>> This is important, because we are exhorted by thousands of
>>> sources to do more and
>>> more. And there's always more to do! politically, socially, etc.
>>> Worse, it's often quite unclear what must be done.
>>> Meeting and talking about it with no particular 
>>> suggestions
>>> to consider
>>> rarely generates truly useful solutions unless it's dealing with 
>>> something
>>> very local,
>>> such as is one's own business (i.e., brainstorming)---and even then, no
>>> guarantee that the
>>> improvisations and ideas will be fruitful. Even harder if the challenge
>>> requires the
>>> cooperation and collaboration of scores or hundreds or thousands of
>>> groups, becomes
>>> national and international in scope.
>>> How about giving money to a cause? Which cause? How do we know
>>> they're more
>>> efficient than many organizations who are strikingly inefficient? And in
>>> many cases,
>>> throwing money at a problem may go into the hands of corrupt 
>>> politicians.
>>>
>>> There's also the problem of recognizing and responding to how much
>>> worry can be
>>> tolerable. (Here's where an issue of tele comes in.) There are some 
>>> social
>>> and religious
>>> groups that carry a higher degree of urgency--- social action oriented,
>>> missionary
>>> oriented, this or that cause about homosexuality, abortion, women 
>>> wanting
>>> to be
>>> priests---whatever the issue, however you may agree or disagree with a
>>> given position, the
>>> point is that for some groups these concerns are accompanied by a sense 
>>> of
>>> urgency and
>>> worry.
>>> Often these groups perceive other groups or people who seek more
>>> comfort and peace
>>> of mind to be, well, complacent, and morally deficient, worthy of being
>>> judged and
>>> scolded: "Stop living in denial!"
>>> . And perhaps for some there's more than a germ of truth: There are
>>> folks who are
>>> indeed complacent.
>>> And others are in-between:
>>> (I remember a blessing that goes:
>>> May the Holy Spirit forever continue to comfort... 
>>> and
>>> disturb...
>>> u. )
>>>
>>> The sociometric theme is that some folks feel vulnerable for not
>>> being more noble,
>>> but can't handle with any comfort the degrees of worry and urgency 
>>> claimed
>>> by other folks.
>>> It then depends on who seems to be the great majority. (Scott Adams, the
>>> Dilbert
>>> cartoonist, notes that in any encounter the one who is more insane tends
>>> to dominate.) So
>>> in a group in which the more worried ones represent maybe 30%, that will
>>> end up seeming
>>> like a majority to the quieter, lower-key others.
>>>
>>> I haven't known how to talk about this because, on reflection, I
>>> used to feel
>>> guilty, ashamed, vulnerable for not wanting to get too het up about
>>> certain political
>>> issues. I realized gradually that worrying carries a threshold---some
>>> folks find it to be
>>> painful when done at 40% (at 80% it's called agitated depression and it
>>> can be one of the
>>> worst, hellish feelings. I tasted this once in early 2002 following a 
>>> flu
>>> syndrome.
>>> Cleared up with SSRIs.).
>>> Some folks like that edge and become accustomed to and even
>>> desirous of
>>> entertaining worry, stress---for them it's optimal challenge. Generally
>>> that may be at,
>>> say, 14-20% Others really suffer when they are preached at to worry 
>>> about
>>> things at a
>>> level of more than 10%
>>> My hunch is that kids at play, really engaged, spontaneous, trying
>>> out different
>>> solutions, are vibrating at a level of excitement, making mistakes,
>>> feeling just an edge
>>> of shame and fear that their mistakes may become too much, but this 
>>> keeps
>>> them alert. They
>>> don't want the game to be any less challenging. I put this at around 5%
>>>
>>> I know I feel very engaged and am quite active within my own range. But
>>> 10% starts to
>>> mentally, emotionally "hurt."
>>> So I just don't get heroic in certain ways. I can't justify not
>>> wanting to do more---I
>>> wonder if even saying "it hurts" makes me seem like a wuss.
>>>
>>> But I've come to a point of reflection where I can not only accept 
>>> my
>>> limits, but
>>> affirm them. This applies also to some other roles in my life. I'm not
>>> going to go much
>>> past what Vygotsky the Russian developmental psychologist calls the ZPD,
>>> the zone of
>>> proximal development, the region where I can stretch a little, but not 
>>> get
>>> overloaded.
>>> (That's the aforementioned 5%)
>>>
>>> Thanks for helping me look at this dynamic. I wonder if anyone 
>>> else
>>> senses this
>>> edge of when are certain issues "too much" and when do I want to address
>>> them. I also note
>>> that the variable of "what precisely can I do" is a factor here. My 
>>> angle
>>> is to promote
>>> psychological literacy in my corner of the world, and on my website, 
>>> etc.
>>>
>>> warmly, Adam
>>>
>>>
>>> Grouptalk mailing list
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>>>
>
>
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