[Oe List ...] Our Legacy: Next Steps?

Sun Dec 19 20:10:56 CST 2010

Nancy, Thank you so much for your words.  I agree.  I think community was the 
key to our intellectual power, our comprehensiveness and our ability to move 
into new realms and new lands.  Thanks so much.
Charles Hahn

________________________________
From: Nancy Lanphear <nancy at songaia.com>
To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>
Sent: Sun, December 19, 2010 10:52:04 AM
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Our Legacy: Next Steps?

Dear Ones, 

In the fog and wonder over the past couple of years of Fred's life, I thought I 
had sent in my reflections on the Legacy question.  I guess I had voiced them to 
our small Lunch Bunch when Gordon was thinking about raising this question.  
However, I do have thoughts to share for the record.

I can speak for both Fred and myself when I write my reflection as we had the 
conversation many times in our years together, even just recently before Fred's 
death.  Although living together in community was not a primary intent as an 
Order, but a strategy; for us it became a major piece of the Legacy.  Knowing 
the challenges and the learnings that have come from living in community for 
nearly 40 years, we understand that imagining a world at peace can only come 
from the discoveries of being community.  Residential community adds a few more 
layers of daily encounter with the OTHER than in other forms of community. We 
could not imagine living any other way.  With Fred's illness and need for 
intense support, we realized anew that "it takes a community to raise and care 
for their elders".  

Most of you are aware that we, along with Stan and Carol Crow and other friends, 
envisioned, designed and developed a multi-generational, intentional cohousing 
community called Songaia, built in 2000.  The development process took 10 years, 
and we are now celebrating the 10 years of living together as a lively and 
spirit-filled community. A true legacy of the Order.

Another significant piece of the Legacy was the use of mantras within the larger 
context of, "The Way LIFE Is".  My neighbor, suffering with depression and 
anger, asked a few years ago, "how is it that you can be happy?" My immediate 
response was ,"Life is good".  I realized the power of symbol, story and song - 
hearing over and over again in so many forms, that "Life is Good!" 

Legacy:

1) living in intentional community

2) story, song and symbol - ways of rehearing the way life is

3) accountability and absolution - 

4)  attachment and detachment - learning the process of taking in and letting 
go.

Thank you for beginning and continuing this conversation.  It is one of the many 
that have called forth my memories and gratitude for our lives together as the 
Order:Ecumenical.  I am grateful for each of you as part of my Spirit Community.

Nancy

2010/12/18 Gordon Harper <top-nw at clear.net>

Many thanks to all of you who contributed your lists of what our community's 
legacy has to include.  These are gathered now on the Repository 
(http://wiki.wedgeblade.net/bin/view/Main/BrainStorm), and we'll add others to 
the page as they appear.  That your thoughts had a role in sparking the 
wonderful "Yes" initiative of the Cocks and Holcombes, as well as all the yesses 
that generated, makes for a delightful Christmas combination.
>
>Perhaps it's time to see if we can carry this one step further yet.  The 
>marvelous listing we've generated, however meaningful to those of us who were 
>there, wouldn't mean much to one who wasn't.  We're currently hoping to pass on 
>or at least make available some of these pieces of our legacy to another 
>generation in the ICA / Oklahoma City University OIKOS partnership.  What would 
>most help us do that?
>
>I find myself looking for two things now that could build on what we've 
>started.  
>
>
>
>	* First, an intuitive gestalt.  If some of us would take a shot at saying now 
>what the three, four or six major aspects of our legacy consist of, I'd find 
>that rather thrilling--and some of these might form the basis for future 
>conversations with that Oklahoma crowd.  These key elements or components would 
>again be an individual, very personal take or witness on our heritage, none 
>complete or perfect, but they could catalyze another level of great dialogue.  
>Can we still "go snake eyes" on such a list?
>
>Maybe we could think of this as akin to what Randy Williams did so beautifully 
>this past summer at the OIKOS gathering, when he, along with David Dunn's help I 
>believe on the Power Point, presented a succinct and intelligible depiction of 
>our life and work to the assembled faculty and students.  What if each of us had 
>just been tapped to sum up and explain who we are and what our community might 
>have of value to share with future members of the League?  What would our 4 x 4 
>look like?
>
>These wouldn't have to be as terse as most items on our brainstorm list (skip 
>the three-to-five words requirement, as many of you helpfully did in your 
>brainstorms).  Each could be a sentence or even a paragraph, as we prefer.
>
>
>	* Second, some expanded explanation, preferably in generally accepted English, 
>of items we listed in the brainstorm.  "Imaginal Education" requires a paragraph 
>or two just to give others a fleeting glimpse or whispery taste of what those 
>words point to.  Same with "religious houses" or "two suitcases."  One of us 
>might start on one of these, and others chime in with additional detail, which 
>would be great.   Again, as these are generated, Len and I will try to add them 
>to the Repository (or you of course could do that yourself).    
>
>
>(This makes me think of that old ICA Glossary that some of the young interns 
>initiated and their successors continued to add to over the years, that 
>circulated in the old Phoenix office.  It was their explanation to each other of 
>commonly used terms that newbies would hear in the course of their daily work.  
>Be fun to see it, if someone from down there still has it on a computer.)  
>
>
>
>So, those are my two suggestions for ways to pursue the conversation and 
>contribute further to the legacy discussion.  I'm going to kick it off with my 
>own four points for the proposed talk.  The foundational things about our legacy 
>that I'd want to hit (at least at this moment) would be:
>
>---------------------
>
>	1. Our Methods.  The amazing set of intellectual, social and spirit 
>methodologies that we developed, tested on ourselves and then took to the 
>world.  These of course include but go way beyond ToP.
>
>
>	2.  Building a Movement.  Our understanding of what made for authentic 
>community, our attempt to demonstrate a form of missional and disciplined 
>intentional community and to build that outward in the symbolic, movemental and 
>extended order and in the local and organizational communities with which we 
>worked.
>
>
>	3. Our Foundational Assumptions.  The core beliefs about the way life is that 
>we operated out of, that held us together, that we sought to embody and 
>communicate in things like RS-I, our singing and rituals and our projects.
>
>
>	4. Our Historical Journey.  The stories of how we began and what happened to us 
>along the way.  The programs we developed, modified and in some cases discarded 
>over the years.  What we sought to awaken or put in place as we tried to discern 
>and respond to the call and claim on our lives.------------------------
>
>Well, there's my first run at a talk I have no intention of ever giving.  Ask me 
>tomorrow, and it will almost certainly be different.  I can't imagine even 
>lightly brushing all of this in as succinct a fashion as Randy managed in his 
>presentation.  Still, as we all know,in the lecture methodyou start with lots 
>more than you'll finally use.    
>
>
>OK, have a great holiday, everyone, and as facilitators as fond of saying, 
>"Someone else . . . !"
>
>Gordon
>
>
>
>
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>
>
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