[Springboard] Preparation for next Springboard

Tue Apr 8 18:59:41 EDT 2008

Two stories: The TRAG and the Chicken Coop store
The TRAG:
    One story of economic development is the gift of the TRAG given by the United Methodist Men in the states to missionary projects around the world.
    Someday I'll tell the story of getting this little farm implement through Korean customs on JeJu. It was as difficult as getting bull semen on the island. (No bull!)
    The TRAG was a small tricycle-like machine that could be useful in plowing around the fruit trees that belonged to "the village." We decided to use it to plow a vegeatable garden spot for the demonstration. Invitations to the men of the village were sent. 
    On the day of demonstration, we talked about the TRAG and its maintanence. And then someone hopped on to plow. The machine went round and round, with little success. 
    Finally, one of the villagers came to us and said, "Tomorrow I bring my bullock and do it right." That was the end of the day's demo.
    After we left JeJu, the village finally embraced the TRAG and used it for its intended purpose. 
    Those were the days my friend. Economic expertise? Hell, not much, but we sure fell in love with our Korean counterparts and the rural environment. 

The Chicken Coop Store:
    At the Bus Stop at the top of the hill in Kwang Yung Il, an old chicken coop was an unsightly and discouraging building; just a wind break while waiting for the bus. 
    The Village Plan was to turn the coop into the Village Store so that people would not bus to JeJu City to shop every day. 
    One volunteer was from the states whose job was buying and selling major industries, he handled billion dollar transactions. He voluteered to turn the chicken coop into the store. 
    With the help of some village women, they cleaned out the building, painted it, built shelves, and prepared for business. He wait to the City and bought a cash register, taught the women how to use it, then the crew went to town and bought groceries and made arrangements for deliveries. 
    They had a "Grand Opening," and the place did a land office business. As far as I know it is still going. 
    Before I left the island, the ICA staff received a letter from our volunteer asking after "his store." He confessed that the Kwan Yung Il store meant more to him than any other business transaction he ever completed. 
    I wonder why we called our work, "Developing the Human Factors in Human Development?"

    Economist Salmon?

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Marianna Bailey 
  To: Springboard Dialogue 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 4:01 PM
  Subject: Re: [Springboard] Preparation for next Springboard

  Joe,

  Thanks for insights on the Eckhart Tolle book. Bill and I have both read the book and go to class each week. We look forward to reading 2012.

  Good to hear from you!
  Marianna

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Joseph A. Slicker 
    To: Springboard Dialogue 
    Sent: Sunday, April 06, 2008 10:11 PM
    Subject: [Springboard] Preparation for next Springboard

    Dear Colleagues:
        We have a wonderful heritage.  Without the 20th Contrary theologians like Bultmann, Tillich, the two Niebuhrs, and Bonhoeffer with their context along with Joe Mathews and others we would not in all probably be spiritually alive today.  We should celebrate their gifts and keep them stored in our memories for periodic checking if and when needed.
        However, that is not the edge today and constant hovering over them keep us from expending our energy on today's edge.  The 20th Century is gone.  Its enclosure is 'old wine skins'.  Our zooming technology, zeitgeist of modernism-post modernism, and increasing awareness of a 'one-like Gaia', in all of which we and our society swim---however you want to describe it--- is here and now. It is also here to celebrate and self-consciously live in.  
        We have to get ourselves into the 21st Century to devise our theology, our kerygma, practical applications and solitudes.  It is in this context that I humbly and respectfully urge us to continue to prepare for this by taking two very necessary baby steps.  

        1.  Each of us begin immediately, and get our house church, guild, sanga, or whoever else you run with, to participate in the Monday night Oprah website presentation of "A New Earth Online Class"  It is a study of Eckhart Tolle's book, "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose."  It is a real gem.  
        Tolle's book presents nothing but highest spiritual value, and the dialogue of the program is all about authentic being.  I found it overcame the 'Greek' in me that thought it was to mundane or 'foolishness' for me to participate, or the 'Jew' in me which found it a 'stumbling block' to my culture, or sloppy thinking, theologizing or wanting to reduce it to an intellectual argument.  Incidentally, Tolle claims no specific heritage, but certainly is privy to the great tradition of both the East and West.
        Oprah is no slouch herself.  She should be acknowledged for taking a stand for authenticity of being in herself, but should also be acknowledged for taking the same stand for her audience.  She guides the dialogue of the program as MC.  Sometimes she answers with her own history and wisdom which always seems to be on target, or clarifies the conversation as Tolle answers the incoming questions.
        I had read the book in 2005 when it first came out.  I was so struck with it that I sent each member of my family a copy.  In addition, my sister and I had extended conversations on sections of it.  So I was originally reluctant to participate in the program--hadn't I read it already.  How wrong I was.  I follow the dialogue as it goes on, and get caught up in it.  I see myself in each person even though my external situation is different.  My interior awareness is in the dialogue and requires me to respond to the choice that is in question. 
        The program is on www.oprah.com on Monday nights at 8 PM central time.  There are several questions each week to help our study for the follow week.  It also has exercises for each session.  If you miss a program they are available in video, audio, and transcript, or can be downloaded to your ipod for ongoing use.  There were more than 11 million participants at the end of session three.  It grows in number each session. 
        Join the online show for its next program, April 7, 2008, beginning the last five chapters of the book.  If you aren't able to get your group together now, then start the process of their deciding to act and get whatever past lessons necessary for their ability to continue the dialogue.  Then setup how this or something like this can be utilized or recreated in the future.

        2. The Tolle dialogue is an outstanding, but just one of many types of examples of the consciousness revolution that is going on today.  Don't underestimate this revolution.  It hasn't happened in this magnitude in written history before.  It includes both the spiritual and material, intellectual and practical life.  We all can see the externals such as awareness of global interaction, technology expansion that include the internet and cell phones. Small groups can spring up and talk to each other everywhere.  New possibilities have expanded beyond imagination.  On the other hand, the world seems in many respects to have gone crazy.  Hate, and hate and denial groups, expand and destroy peoples' bodies, their hopes and dreams.  
        What is going on that allows people to become aware of transcendence beyond our immediate hopes and dreams?  Enter the Consciousness Revolution.  I think it is imperative that those who are aware of this transcendence read the recent book, "2012".  My initial reaction was, Naw!  I don't want to get caught up in such mythologies that some groups use as a vehicle for their use of distorted eschatology to fuel their hatred.  Again, I was so wrong.  The book 2012 describes the signs of the consciousness revolution today.  It explains how many great traditions held both the spiritual and material together as they expand toward gathering fullness.  The greatness is that they see how nature---the earth---the galaxy---are part of the spiritual/material in the revolution's movement to an apex.
        The book is made up of series of essays of around 25 different people and many traditions. Thumb through and get a picture of the whole.  Read the first few chapters and then jump to the last one, and then go through and read as your interest guides your selection.  You won't be disappointed.  And remember this is just a tip of the iceberg of this revolution.  Every discipline is breaking loose in some dimension.  It's seeing that whatever you touch is like a fountain bursting loose in its flow.  Enjoy it all.

                                                                         Joe Slicker
                                                                         April 2008

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