Let’s be real, most of us didn’t move to Bowen Island to live a suburban, somewhat tight lipped and contained life. For many of us, we packed up and headed for the Queen of Capilano with a moving truck in tow because the idea of living within a vibrant and connected community made sense and felt good. Funny how in that dreamy scenario, the word complexity and consensus didn’t show up at all.
I know... let’s move to Bowen and join in the complexity of living within a community who express their opinions passionately and with conviction, and, not all of those convictions will align in a neat little package! In fact, all those beliefs and opinions are going to get messy and divisive... we never say that, and yet that’s what happens here.
I moved here during the unfolding of the Cape Roger Curtis story which followed the creation of the then controversial soccer field. The heated National Park conversation came next.
There seems to be an air of calm over much of the island lately (if you exclude the Bowen Island Everything Else Page on Facebook), and some might even point to a sense of unity, as demonstrated by this summer’s furor over a logging bid on Bowen’s Crown Lands. However, while so many of us found ourselves on the same side of this issue, there were undoubtedly others who saw things from another perspective - but were to wary to even speak up and express themselves.
While it may feel good to have the flow of conversation head neatly in one direction, ignoring the undercurrents of conflicting beliefs leads to greater conflict down the road. How do we keep talking? How do we continue to listen to all sides and embrace our complexity without dividing? This is challenging stuff and usually, is not the compelling reason to move here. Yet it’s what we do, and wholeheartedly so.
Here’s an invitation to do this, on purpose, with the aim of learning how to do these conversations better. This exercise will be part of the New Earth Institute (founded by Shahar Rabi and Saskia Tait) series called the Age of Integration, starting on September 28th at the Tunstall Bay Clubhouse at 7pm, The New Earth Institute.
Here’s what we’ll be considering:
What if it the conversation isn’t about ‘my ideas’ or ‘your ideas’? What if we don’t try to find a consensus? What if we learn how to talk by listening first to what we usually can’t hear (our underlying belief systems, values, needs and fears) without judgement, and without trying to change them.
This is scary stuff. How can a community move forward without arriving at a consensus? That’s what we’re going to find out. Each evening (September 28th, October 26th and November 23rd) is a playful conversation exploring first the “I” space (all about me), then the “We” space (all about you and me), and then on to the “Life” space (all about us). Each evening has a clear direction but no agenda, except collaboration and connection.
Sounds like a conversation ripe for a Bowen Islander don’t you think? Want to come? Bring your unanswerable questions to the group to inquire in to. Let’s continue to strengthen our community’s ability to hold complexity and inclusivity. Just imagine what consensus could look like then.
For more information contact Tina at [email protected] or Shahar at [email protected]
