What Next?

[Wade Hudson]

Now that the Compassionate Politics Workshop has concluded
successfully, what shall we do with the Charter for Compassion
Network?

Initially, we invited supporters of the Charter who endorse Our Core
Convictions [http://charternetwork.org/Core.Home] to join us in
advancing those principles. Through our Facebook page and our Google
group, the level of participation was substantial. But since I
temporarily returned to working full-time, began organizing the
Compassionate Politics Workshop, and only occasionally posted items to
the Page and this Group, participation has declined.

But now that I have more free time for the next several weeks and will
have lots more free time when I return to Mexico this winter, I wonder
what your thoughts are about whether and how we should continue with
the Charter for Compassion Network.

Shall we continue to use this Group as a place to share ideas,
information, and energy? Shall we pursue joint projects (I have some
ideas)?

If sufficient interest remains, I'm willing to continue as
Coordinator. If not, I have many other projects that I could
undertake, including some that emerged from the Compassionate Politics
Workshop.

Your feedback and input would be appreciated. And feel free to post
items to the Facebook page or Google group any time.

[John Testa]

Hi Wade,
Sorry it took me a long time to reply. Your question has been answered
by the fact that there are no other replies to your message. There is
no enthusiasm for continuing the network. I saw a great amount of
enthusiasm at the worrkshop. You should be working on the projects
that come out of it. Maybe enthusiasm for these projects wiill dry up
later, but some good things wil be createdy by them first. One good
thing that came out of the networrk was the formation of the Rochester
Circle of Compassion. My presentation at the worskop will hopefully
inspire the creation of similar groups in the Bay Area. I welcome the
day you visit Rochester so that you can see and hear the enthusiasm of
the participants first hand. Another great thing about the network was
that through it, I got to meet you. My wife Sonja and I are very happy
that we were able to travel to San Francisco to attend the workshop,
meet you in person and spend time with you. We look forward to your
visit to Rochester.
John

[Yo]

On Sep 26, 12:30 pm, John Testa <dtes...@rochester.rr.com> wrote:
> Hi Wade,
> Sorry it took me a long time to reply. Your question has been answered by the fact that there are no other replies to your message. There is no enthusiasm for continuing the network.

Au contraire! ;-)

John, some people in the network were unable to attend the workshop.
As one of them, let me tell you that although it would have been great
to be there, it's even more important for me to be _here_ - having
this discussion, in this forum, in cyberspace.

Having like-minded people to listen to, and share my thoughts and
feelings with, is an important aspect of community. As an almost
completely housebound invalid, I find it difficult to engage as fully
with my local (Melbourne metropolitan) community as I would like.
Conversely, there are many people all over this big country
(Australia) and indeed all over the world with whom I have much in
common and have been able to share experiences using email and mailing
lists; the very same people I couldn't physically connect with even
were I able-bodied. The age of modern internet communication is truly
a godsend to me, as to many other people.

For any such online forum to succeed, in broad terms, it does need to
achieve a critical mass of participation and involvement. However,
even if it fails to last and to foster increased discussion among its
original participants, it may still succeed for some of us in helping
us meet other kindred spirits. Personally, I'm very pleased to have
had the introduction to Wade, yourself, and to everybody else who has
shared their thoughts on this forum. Who knows where these new links
may lead?

So, guys, do keep in touch! Even if only so I can ask you questions
like "What is a Peace Keeper?"; "What is the Control Drama Triangle,
and why does it matter?" But - much more importantly - so we can
share our experiences and, in doing so, strengthen each other in our
resolve to practice, and our knowhow about, compassionate politics.

Regards,
Yahya