Belva Davis Promotes Fellowship Church (plus more)

Belva Davis Promotes Fellowship Church

During the Announcements period of the July 20 service, long-term attendee, illustrious and now-retired TV news personality Belva Davis proposed a “Social Media Project” as a way to increase attendance at the historic Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples. Following the service she distributed a one-page statement that elaborated on her proposal.

Commenting “we are fortunate in so many ways,” she declared:

We have two world class ministers who write and preach timely, visionary and compassionate sermons. 

We have a congregation sprinkled with artistically talented individuals. 

Finally, we are blessed with the legacy and brilliance of Howard Thurman.

Given this foundation, she suggested: [...] [Read more]

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A Meditation on Deep Community

Earlier today, during the Meditation segment of the Sunday morning worship service at the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, I presented the following:

Fellow members of the priesthood of all believers, good morning.

Writing my autobiography led me to reflect on what I really want. I concluded that what I really want is deep community. So I titled the book, My Search for Deep Community.

My first experience with deep community was the civil rights movement, which was committed to reforming national policy from a holistic attitude that affirmed the whole person. As Gandhi’s movement was rooted in a spiritual community dedicated to the self-development of its members, the civil rights movement was rooted in the Black Church whose members supported one another in a joyous, profound celebration of life. Us white folks weren’t merely fighting for the rights of African-Americans. We were fighting to help one another save our souls by attacking a major root cause of injustice: the government in Washington. [...] [Read more]

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Faith & Feet Reflections

After participating in a 12-hour training with Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, a nationally-known trainer, organizer, and author of a new book titled Faith-rooted Organizing, I sent the following email to Rev. Deborah Lee, who works with Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, a co-sponsor of the training.

“Faith-rooted” activists are out front about their faith, whereas “faith-based” organizing merely uses traditional secular methods to organize members of spiritual communities.

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Dear Deborah,

Thanks again for a wonderful training in faith-rooted organizing. I found the twelve hours to be very beneficial. Because I deeply appreciate the direction you, Alexia, and the others are taking, I asked Alexia to inform me about how I can keep in touch with future developments concerning with her “un-network network.”

One important dimension seemed to be missing, however. In the Sunday night report back, Vanessa Riles commented on the urgent need to address “internalized oppression.” The written report from that group articulated this question, “How do we support each other in having deeper faith?” I don’t believe the training responded to those urgent matters. [...] [Read more]

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Transform and “Oneness”

The July 15 Transform: Spirituality and Social Change class focused on “oneness.” Conducted by Liza Rankow, it was another stimulating and rewarding event. A diverse group of sixteen individuals participated. As with the Faith and Feet training last weekend, three-fourths of the participants were women.

As I discussed in “Faith and Feet Reflections,” I failed to hear much self-criticism at that training. Last night, however, I heard more acknowledgement of personal weakness. In the full group, one participant referred to his falling short in his efforts to truly love others. One revealed a serious health issue. In my small breakout group which discussed “What does this worldview demand of you in your daily life,” participants spoke of their struggles with empathizing too strongly with the pain of others, reacting with too much anger at the actions of others, and becoming too self-centered. These and other instances of honest self-revelation were heartening, for I find the common reluctance to be open unfortunate. [...] [Read more]

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Non-Fiction Music with Joel Sachs

I love this program which is available for streaming on the KPFA Archives. Great program with blues, soul, jazz, etc.

To listen, go to that home page, click on Archives/Browse Archives, enter “non-fiction music” in the search box, and click Archive Search.

Fellowship Church, Transformation Class, and My Book

Fellowship Church: July 6, 2014

On my way to worship at the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples on Sunday, July 6, Rev. Dr. Kathryn L. Benton, Co-Minister and Rev. Dr. Dorsey O. Blake greeted me.

To see photos and read a full report on the service, click here.

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Transform: Spirituality & Social Change — July 8 

The first of four Tuesday night classes conducted by Rev. Liza J. Rankow, MHS, PhD on July 8 was very beneficial, for me anyway. With a diverse group of about twenty individuals, about half of whom were persons of color, a wealth of resources was abundant in the room. I was encouraged to be with such an impressive group of like-minded individuals.

To read a report on the class, click here. 

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Update on the Book

On July 6, nine months after beginning to write it, I submitted the final manuscript for My Search for Deep Community: An Autobiography, to the formatter. I feel good about it. It’s close to as good as I could have done by myself. I look forward to getting feedback about how to improve it and what to do with it.

The only person to have read the entire book, Bob Anschuetz, a retired English professor who provided line editing services for the book, has written the following for the back cover:

In this extraordinary autobiography, lifelong community organizer and social activist Wade Hudson traces his adventurous journey in search of an authentic life rooted in “deep community”—an association with others that combines activities aimed at fostering mutual support for personal growth with active efforts to create a more compassionate society dedicated to the common good. In detailing an amazing array of personal experiences, from community organizing…to involvement in the human-potential experiments of the 1960s counter-culture…to leadership roles in some of the most meaningful social movements of our times…to driving taxi for a living, Hudson shows that the capacities for compassion, caring and authenticity do not come easily. He portrays his own development with rigorous honesty, revealing the many sides of his personality, admitting his mistakes, and acknowledging the ways in which his experiences have changed him. These testimonies from the heart, and the personal struggles they reflect, produce a fascinating life story. They will also encourage readers to develop their own capacity to love themselves and others, and to live their lives more fully by working with others to help build a better world.

Tracy Atkins, who helped with the formatting, commented, “We have enjoyed working with you, and really like your book and what it stands for.  Great job and extraordinary life.”

Though those comments are encouraging, I have no idea what to expect with the book. All I know is that writing it was a great learning experience for me.

To read more, including a report on the cover feedback and the decision, click here

Which Cover?

Which cover do you prefer for my autobiography?

A:

or
B:

Please help me title my autobiography

As I near completion of my autobiography (and feel good about it), I would appreciate your input in the selection of the title.

If you suggest a new idea that I use, I will give you $200.

I still plan to self-publish the first edition and distribute it primarily to people who are discussed in the book. After receiving their feedback, I’ll decide what to do next.

You can complete the survey at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9HTGBB9

Thanks,
Wade

Transparency and Sensitivity: A Question

Dear Subscribers:

On the one hand, I value honesty. On the other hand, however, if one is not careful with how one communicates, honesty can lead to others feeling hurt. I’m sure that on many occasions I’ve contributed to unnecessary suffering by being careless with how I express myself. With my autobiography, I hope to minimize such suffering by taking care when I report on my experiences with people who are still alive.

Following is a new section of the latest draft of the Preface that presents my plan in this regard. I would appreciate your feedback.

Thanks,

Wade

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As I anticipated, by fully sharing who I am openly and honestly, writing this autobiography has been liberating. The more transparent I am in disclosing myself, the easier I overcome fears associated with being honest. The more I bring secrets out of the closet, the less ashamed I am and the more I accept myself.

This transparent self-examination is also a political statement. Our society teaches us to fear being honest, both with others and with ourselves. From an early age, we learn to stop being spontaneous. Rather, we become secretive in order to gain rewards or avoid punishment. At times, withholding our feelings is necessary, but with most people in the modern world, it seems to me, it becomes a counter-productive habit and we even deceive ourselves. Rather than being authentic, many of us worry too much about what others think of us and modify our behavior to shape their reactions. We manipulate others, who manipulate us. We internalize the judgments of others and beat ourselves up with guilt, shame, and harsh judgments. Due to these dynamics, we fail to develop the self-confidence to be real, which undermines our ability to challenge illegitimate authority.

What we gain by being inauthentic is usually not worth the price we pay. There are exceptions, of course, like when we really need a job and our boss won’t accept honesty. But in general, the more integrity we maintain, the better. As a society the same applies. Suppressing authenticity undermines creativity and productivity.

Younger people may be developing a new culture. The openness reflected in the use of social media like Facebook is an encouraging sign. The value of honesty and “deep friendship” has been affirmed in a number of movies and TV shows recently, which is also heartening. One way or another, it seems to me, we need to learn how to nurture compassionate honesty.

This book aims to set an example that encourages others to honestly examine themselves, including their mistakes, and share their conclusions with others, even if only with a few trusted allies. The willingness and the ability to  acknowledge mistakes is essential for growth.

Let us learn how to more frequently be real, stop playing games, remove the masks, shine lights into the dark corners, dig deeper for the truth, and follow our thoughts to their logical conclusion. Let us face reality and accept what we cannot change so we can more effectively change what we can change.

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Given these convictions, with this autobiography I tried to be open and transparent in reporting on what has been most important to me in my life, without divulging private information about others that was given to me in confidence. In addition, I’ve refrained from identifying individuals by name when I assumed that they would prefer not to be so identified. And I’ve tried to exclude incidental material that, due to held resentments, I was tempted to include in an effort to settle scores.

Discussing instances of conflict or disappointment concerning people who are still alive is a delicate matter. Even if one aims to be fair and accurate, the individuals involved can object to how the writer characterizes the situation or they can resent the matter being made public. I believe in transparency, but on the other hand, I wanted to be sensitive to the feelings of others and at least give them a chance to review and comment on material about them before it goes public, even if I didn’t identify them by name because in some cases some readers can deduce who I’m talking about even when I don’t name them.

So before making this edition available to the general public, I decided to offer a free copy (until the end of August 2014) to those individuals who are discussed in the book and ask their feedback, including whether or not they approve me distributing it more widely in its current form. I will then reflect on that feedback before deciding how to proceed.

Thanks,
Wade

Reflections on West Lake Tahoe

Today, after living in Northern California for more than 50 years, I more fully appreciated the unadulterated beauty of Lake Tahoe. I may have landed here at the perfect time, late April, and best location, Tahoma, on the West Shore.

After clearing what feels like the last major hurdle on my autobiography – completely a good first draft on the final, most important chapter, “Reflections,” in which I acknowledge my mistakes, share my conclusions about key points in my worldview, and look forward to the future – I decided to celebrate by firing up one of the Dominican cigars I brought with me and stroll to the pier across from the post office.

Sitting on a bench at the end of the pier in the sun without a cloud in the sky with the temperature at a comfortably 54 degrees, intoxicated a bit by the tobacco, I gazed on the lake with its various shades of blue in almost complete solitude. No speedboats disturbed the peace and quiet, which will soon no longer be the case. In fact, none were within eyesight. To my right and left, several piers in each direction were empty, except for one person in the far distance. One individual was sitting on the steps in front of her cabin about 150 yards away. I could see two gardeners clearing the land around the three tiers of cabins nearby. Otherwise, I was alone and loving it, reinforcing my plan to travel throughout the Western United States in a converted van next winter. Driving through Nevada to get here I was struck once again by the beautiful enormity of this country. I can find more solitude here than I can by traveling almost anywhere else, except maybe Australia (not a bad idea).

Mother Nature is indeed a wonder to behold. How unfortunate that city dwellers so seldom are able to be healed by communing directly with Her magic, without being distracted by human interaction.

Earlier today I was heartened to read an article on The New York Times, which I found by noticing that it was the “most emailed” article. (I should look at this list more often, because when I do, I usually find a real gem, as I did with “Raising a Moral Child" and "All or Nothing Marriage," for the "wisdom of crowds" is a fact.

Today’s article was “What Does Buddhism Require?”, an interview with Jay L. Garfield, who has taught philosophy at several universities and is currently the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professor of Humanities, Yale-NUS College in Singapore. He is at work on a book called “Engaging Buddhism: Why Buddhism Matters to Contemporary Philosophy.”

For some time, in conversations with friends about the Buddhist belief that "there is no self or soul," I have argued that what has been meant by that expression is that there is no separate self with boundaries. Rather, the self is without boundary and is interwoven with other selves and all of reality. But I had never seen any such written explanation. So I was reassured that Garfield articulated that understanding in much the same way with the following statements:

A strong sense of self — of one’s own substantial reality, uniqueness and independence of others — may not be psychologically or morally healthy. It can lead to egoism, to narcissism and to a lack of care for others.... More positively, the Buddhist tradition encourages us to see ourselves as impermanent, interdependent individuals, linked to one another and to our world through shared commitments to achieving an understanding of our lives and a reduction of suffering. It encourages us to rethink egoism and to consider an orientation to the world characterized by care and joint responsibility.

My mood has also been boosted by a decision to finally bite the bullet and buy a new laptop (it should be delivered to me here Thursday). Getting a telephone call from Microsoft Support that informed me how to install Word 2013 without buying it again helped get me over that hump.

I also feel good about my decision about how to handle my ambivalence about writing about people who are still alive with whom I have experienced conflict without giving them a chance to correct the record or offer a rebuttal. I plan to hold off on distributing the first edition of my autobiography to the general public. Rather, I will make it available only to those people I write about, plus some consultants and perhaps to my blog subscribers who promise not to distribute it widely to others. Then, I’ll incorporate feedback into the second edition if there is one. I’m trying my best to be accurate, fair, and considerate in what I say about others, but it’s a delicate matter, so I feel good about this approach. Nevertheless. I’m still welcome to suggested changes in this plan.

The controversy about the racist Clippers’ owner’s comments is also encouraging. Exposing the enduring reality of racism and affirming the need to address it is always a positive development.

And just now my neighbor here connected a cable to my TV so I’ll be able to watch the Giants and Warriors on a large HD screen rather than trying to find some way to stream them on my laptop. Life is good!

Berrett-Koehler and My Final Push

Inspired by recent communication with Berrett-Koehler Publishers (BK) Vice-President, David Marshall, I may not post much here for the next two months. Instead I plan to concentrate as fully as possible on finishing the first edition of my self-published autobiography and making copies available free of charge at my 70th birthday party on July 26. I’ll also mail it to anyone who wants a copy and will be asking readers for feedback, including their opinion about whether I should seek a publisher who could help me improve it and distribute it more widely.

I want to make this book as good as possible. I’ve almost finished the first draft, with 35 chapters and 350 pages, and believe it’s pretty good. But there’s a long way for it to go to be very good. I could use help, especially in terms of how to shorten it.

My conversation with David began when he called to interview me as part of BK’s branding study. Though we did not discuss my book, my interaction with him and a proposed modification from Bob Anshuetz, my copy editor, have prompted me to coin a new title, Opposing the System to Save the World: My Story.

I’m moving toward that title because my phone call with David and his follow-up email reinforce my confidence that my analysis of our social system, as I expressed for example in “Transforming the System with Evolutionary Revolution,” is sensible. At least it’s worth serious consideration. Most of the expert “systems thinkers” from whom I’ve solicited feedback have not responded. But those who did, like on the Wiser Earth network that was inspired by Paul Kawken’s Blessed Unrest, have been supportive. Likewise, most of my peers from whom I’ve solicited feedback have been rather unresponsive. But those who have commented have been supportive.

I believe my analysis is original and important. I did not borrow it from anyone, but rather developed it in dialog with associates. Most recently, I summarized my thinking in the Preface to my autobiography. That section reads:

Our global society is a self-perpetuating social system of inter-related elements – namely, our institutions, our culture, and ourselves as individuals. No one element controls this system, which operates to concentrate wealth and power. 

Most people who write about “the system” only talk about our political and economic institutions. But you and I reinforce the system every day in countless ways. Without our participation, the system would collapse. And our other major institutions, other than government and business, such as media and schools, reinforce the system in essential ways.

One reason that this systemic perspective is important is that it avoids scapegoating. Different people have many different scapegoats. Among those who want to pin down blame, there is no consensus about what element of the system to blame – because it can’t be done in a way that holds up to logical analysis. We are all responsible. But some people are compelled to direct their frustration and anger at something.

Avoiding scapegoating is important because if one does not scapegoat, it makes no sense to tap anger to attack “enemies,” or “opponents,” which does not work in the long run anyway.

Instead, we need a positive, creative vision with which we can inspire others and ourselves to be more active to help change the system by changing ourselves, our culture, and our institutions – and creating new structures that help us better serve humanity.

My conversation with David reassured me that I am not as alone as I sometimes feel with regard to this perspective. I don’t know if I have ever had a conversation with anyone with whom I felt so much that we were on the same wavelength.

But that experience did not surprise me, because the BK books I have read -- Power and Love, Transformational Scenario Planning, True North Groups, and The Secret of Teams -- have resonated with and clarified my thinking immensely, often prompting me to give copies to friends and colleagues. And the book I bought two weeks ago, Deepening Community, looks like another great one, as does one David recommended, Collective Visioning, by Linda Stout. David said, “She is a miracle worker who has helped underrepresented people throughout America discover and express their voices.”

The following list of upcoming books also indicates why I hold BK in such high regard:

• A Peacock in the Land of Penguins, 4th edition by BJ Gallagher. With more than 365,000 copies sold and translations in 20 languages, BJ Gallagher's pioneering book is a classic in the fields of creativity and diversity. Organizations around the world have used the book to improve team communication, effectiveness, and innovation. We all have a little bit of peacock inside of us!
• Power Through Partnership by Betsy Polk and Maggie Ellis Chotas. Society erroneously trains us to believe that women do not partner well with other women. However, with extensive research, Polk and Chotas show that partnerships between women are even more effective because of shared values and experiences, and in this book they show us all how to do it.
• The Confidence Myth by Helene Lerner. Research shows that women consistently undervalue their skills and readiness for challenging jobs, promotions, and assignments--while men have the opposite bias. How can women compete on this un-level playing field if they talk themselves out the game before they start? Helene Lerner tells women that confidence is overrated and what is really important is to step up and be a leader, ready or not.
• Are You Intriguing? By Sam Horn. Our deepest yearning is to connect, yet many of us don’t know how. We’re taught how to read and write in school; but we’re not taught how to genuinely engage people and create mutually-rewarding interactions. We’re not taught how to earn people’s interest so they voluntarily give us their attention, friendship and business. People want to be intrigued and they want to be intrigued fast and this book provides NEW ways to do that.
• Singletasking by Devora Zack 
• In any situation, doing one thing at a time is more effective than multitasking—yet why do we continually lapse into the habit of doing many things poorly all at once? What if you could do more things, more successfully by improving focus, eliminating distraction, and managing your environment? The answer is singletasking, whatever the question.
• Leadership for a Fractured World by Dean Williams. Harvard University professor Dean Williams shares what he has learned from his decade of working with leaders around the world to bring about change in today's complex, interdependent, conflicted, power-dispersed environments.
• Dare to Serve: The Unexpected Power of the Leader Who Serves by Cheryl Bachelder. Thirty-five years ago, Robert Greenleaf introduced the concept of the servant leader who leads by putting the well-being of others first. While many have found the servant leadership concept intriguing, it has never gained a sure foothold inside of corporations. The concept has been marginalized and misunderstood. It has been simplistically and pejoratively cast as “nice-guy leadership” – perhaps best-suited to the non-profit arena, but certainly not a serious idea for driving public company performance. This book aims to set the record straight and is written by the CEO of Popeye’s, an international fast-food franchise.

So you may want to subscribe to the BK newsletter by clicking on this link.

And to learn more about BK and its early history, read the text of an excellent recent speech by its President and Founder, Steve Persanti, “Secrets of Berrett-Koehler’s Success.”

‘Til later, alligators.