Hi Guys,Just to add a little to the ongoing discussion on the group process. The situation that is being witnessed at Suir Island is a result of years of neglect by the community of the community and will take a little time and commitment to reverse. The difficulty with protest is that it assumes the high moral ground and evokes a similar response from those it is directed at.
The process of developing a group focus is at a very early stage and needs to be given a little time to establish roots. Dialogue is an essential component in establishing connections and developing a common ground.
To be really effective we need to focus on the higher intention of what is best for the creation of a sustainable community for Clonmel, and in that respect we focus on the goal of joining up all the dots of the many mini community group interests within the town, in creating a forum for dialogue about the regeneration of a global community spirit using the island as the medium or golden thread.
The difficulty up to now is that everyone has been pursuing their own particular interest or specific group’s interest, and have been viewing the town mostly from the lens of their individual perspective. So from where others come from they are right too about what is wrong in the town and that is the real problem, an inability to be able to entertain opposing viewpoints.
That’s why we need at some stage to be able to engage in dialogue about a broader visioning process for the town with the rebuilding of community spirit as a critical and principal central goal.
The aim is to align all the many interests beyond agreement [which is reliant on a congruence of opinion] on the higher intention of creating a healthy and vibrant community of people sharing the same space. If people focus on what they think is right for the town from their perspective, we will probably get as many opinions as there are participants in the process.
If the passion can be stirred with people visioning what they would like to see evolve as a community and the higher intention is allowed to unfold, then the alignment of the diverse interests is possible.
This is a tall order and one that requires a level of evolution in the consciousness[ based on value agreements] that has created the situation we find our selves in.
But if we want to solve the problems that we are faced with as a dying community we will then need to recognise that we can’t do it with the same thinking that created the problem in the first place.
And the question is can we generate enough commitment amongst the embryonic cohort to sustain the effort of a dialogue process that will transform community spirit into a more connected whole??
I am attaching a short piece on Di-a-logus which might be of interest.
Pat
