Human to Human

Nice little poem by English playwright, Christopher Fry. Sent to me by local friend and colleague, Carla Kelley of the Human Rights Education Center. After we shared an afternoon exploring each others work. I love the notion, “Thank God our time is now….”

A SLEEP OF PRISONERS

Dark and cold we may be, but this

Is no winter now. The frozen misery

Of centuries breaks, cracks, begins to move;

The thunder is the thunder of the floes,

The thaw, the flood, the upstart Spring.

Thank God our time is now when wrong

Comes up to face us everywhere,

Never to leave us till we take

The longest stride of soul we ever took.

Affairs are now soul size.

The enterprise

Is exploration into God.

Where are you making for? It takes

So many thousand years to wake,

But will you wake for pity’s sake!

-Christopher Fry

About Kathy Lung — My current work is to be in the co-creation of social change through meaningful conversation.  My exploration is in the discovery of who & how we would be if we were to “dare to be naïve” (Buckminster Fuller).  I am learning and experiencing the fullness of this exploration through my work with The Art of Hosting and specifically in working with and sharing in conversation with Tenneson.

About Tenneson Woolf, The Berkana Institute — I am a consultant, practitioner of change, and group process artist. I am dedicated to what is possible when we explore the heart of our work and the edges of our communities. I use participative leadership methodologies, maps, and models as strategy to create helpful meetings and inquiries. I have hosted interactive processes at large conferences, worked with many teams, and coached many individuals in diverse organizations – from hospitals to financial planning associations, from universities to faith communities, from corporate clients to labor unions. I am a steward of two communities of practice: The Art of Hosting and The World Café. I work locally with The Salt Lake Center for Engaging Community supporting and designing local dialogues on living in healthy community. www.berkana.org; www.tennesonwoolf.com.

• Robert G. Hemingway Foundation
• Utah Coalition for Civic, Character, and Service Learning
• University of Utah Office of Sustainability
• Human Rights Education Center
• Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

www.saltlakecec.org — SLCEC is a 501c3 non-profit serving communities and organizations in the Salt Lake Valley and cultivating relationships with other communities in Utah, the nation, and the world. SLCEC convenes community conversations, models best practices, and fosters learning toward healthy, resilient flourishing of local communities.

 

www.berkana.org — Co-founded in the early 1990s by Utah resident Margaret Wheatley, the Berkana Institute works in partnership with a rich diversity of people around the world who strengthen their communities by working with the wisdom and wealth already present in their people, traditions and environment. Berkana and our partners share the clarity that whatever the problem, community is the answer. We prepare for an unknown future by creating strong and sustainable relationships, by wisely stewarding the earth’s resources, and by building resilient communities and teams. We rely on the belief that human beings are caring, generous, and want to be together. Each of our initiatives is based on a coherent, in-depth theory of how life organizes in cooperative, generous, and interdependent systems — work we’ve developed with hundreds of colleagues over many years of dialogue, think tanks and practical applications in all kinds of settings.