OUR COMMON HUMANITY

A new book is coming out soon called “A new Body, A New Mind.” It will tell about the work of Orland Bishop working with ShadeTree. Bishop coaches young men in the art of listening deeply from the heart, without being critical or judgmental, to the deepest truth of who they are and what they dream of. During this deep sharing the pull of wholeness builds trust and loosens their attachments to entrenched positions, establishing new alliances and a larger vision for the future. “Sharing meaning,” says Bishop, “allows for different perceptions – or realities to exist together.”

An example is going on with a number of young men in rival gangs who are now working together. Nelsa Cora, a peace worker in Guayaquil, Ecuador, teaches young people in street gangs to transform this need for connection into “the power of service, life and love” for a struggling community. Gang members have learned to channel their impulses for creativity and need for recognition away from violence and into small businesses: printers, music studios, pizzerias as Barrio de Paz, Peace Town. Even the most ruthless of gang members have laid down their guns. There can be pure and immediate resonance with the other.

After traveling extensively through western and southern Africa, Bishop chose a Zulu greeting, Sawubona as a new expression that translates as “I see you” made famous in the film Avatar. The literal translation means “we see you” and the correct response is Yabo sawubona, “Yes, we see you too.” The plural is important says Bishop because “seeing is a dialogue, an act of bearing witness and an obligation to participate. You bear witness to something that includes your own presence and that of the other. Shared meaning allows for different perceptions – or realities – to exist together.”
The essence of this bond relates to an act of bearing witness and an obligation to participate with another, baring witness and an obligation to participate. In a sense it is a contract to enter the space in between, the space of pure connection – regardless of any superficial differences. The crises we face today have occurred precisely because the lives we've chosen to lead are not consistent with our truest nature as givers and sharers. New discoveries in physics and biology demonstrate that all living things succeed and prosper only when they see themselves as part of a greater whole. The essential impulse of all of life is a will to connect.This Zulu greeting, Sawubona can help lead to peace among many peoples and nations. More information can be obtained at l-888-273-0020.