Agenda
- Check In
- Weekly Events Logistics
- Review WWWs
- Review Agenda
- Space Elevator Conference
- OnePagePlan
- Evaluation
Check In
- Brandon ... excited about CELSS group and measuring inputs and outputs of my house ... need to work on the Buckman Community Picnic
- Eric ... got another new member for SolSeed Ottawa
- Ben ... discovered there may be some health problems with fluoridation while researching candidates for the primary election
WWWs from time before last
- <s>Brandon ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Brandon ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
- Brandon ... write up thoughts about the Religious Method (on existing wiki page) ... by next call</s>
- Brandon ... put in 2hrs on the book ... by next call
- Brandon ... schedule the first 'seeing nature' Portland meetup event ... by next call
- Brandon ... write SolSeedCreed stanza II commentary ... by next call
- Brandon ... post SolSeedCreed stanza I commentary ... by next call
- <s>Brandon ... do the math for the cost of the Solstice
- Shelley ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Shelley ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
- Ben ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Ben ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
- Ben ... add photos to the newsletter and send it out ... today
- Ben ... pledge $1000</s> and send suggested lyrics for a song about SolSeed ... by next call
- <s>Eric ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Eric ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing</s>
WWWs from last time
- <s>Brandon ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Brandon ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
- Shelley ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Shelley ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing</s>
- Ben ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- <s>Ben ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
- Ben ... submit the revised paper ... by Friday
- Ben ... transfer the notes to the wiki ... whenever the wiki is available
- Eric ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Eric ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
- Eric ... review Ben's paper and send comments ... by Tuesday</s>
WWWs
- Brandon ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Brandon ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
- Brandon ... put in 2hrs on the book ... by next call
- Brandon ... schedule the first 'seeing nature' Portland meetup event ... by next call
- Brandon ... write SolSeedCreed stanza II commentary ... by next call
- Brandon ... post SolSeedCreed stanza I commentary ... by next call
- Shelley ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Shelley ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
- Ben ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Ben ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
- Eric ... follow your topical community protocol for this week ... ongoing
- Eric ... meditate and keep track of which days ... ongoing
Weekly Events Logistics
Service Saturday Aug 11, 9am PDT (Brandon) Rotation: Brandon, Eric, Jerry?, Shelley, Ben
Work-Bee Sunday August 5, 10am PDT
In-person service in Portland: ? Ottawa Seeing Nature Excursion: Saturday August 11, 2pm EDT
Space Elevator Conference
Ben has until next Friday to turn in a PowerPoint for his presentation; the actual talk is on the 27th
- Ben needs a week or so to get the presentation into presentable form, but would like to give a practice talk before submitting the PowerPoint
- Eric would be available at 8:30 any weeknight except Monday
- Let's go with 6:30 PDT, 9:30 EDT on Wednesday the 15th
One Page Plan
Agenda
- <s>Where do we want to be in 20 yrs? In 10 yrs? In 5 yrs?</s>
- Read through values, beliefs etc of the OnePagePlan
- What are the projects that we want to do soon?
- What are the first 3-4 projects?
- Consider order and overlap of projects first and ask (how long is it going to take?)
Practices
- Be starfarer now. The goal of spreading life across the Galaxy, or even bringing one other world to life, is still a dream for the future, but that shouldn't stop us from embracing its implications in the present. "Starfarer" is a way of life, not a job description. It involves optimism, openness to audacious possibilities, and cultivating virtues that will serve us well when we carry life to the stars. It also involves presence and mindfulness of the now, because only by taking action in the present can we build the future we seek.
- Begin the work. Don't let your current understanding block your power. ... (from Seeing Nature)
- Nurture body, mind and spirit. The virtue of Self-Love leads to the practices of staying healthy, stimulating our minds, and maintaining a fulfilling spiritual practice (daily meditation, weekly services, quarterly celebrations of the changing seasons). If we don't look after ourselves, we will be in no condition to pursue any of our goals.
- Don't commit to too much for the sake of the future and neglect our present needs ... Eric's metaphor: this is the brake pedal and "Be Starfarer now" is the gas pedal
- Openness/welcoming differences. To build a community of starfarers with strong ties to other groups that value life, we need to understand that shared values and/or purpose doesn't mean we will all think alike. Because we are all precious SolSeed, we welcome people regardless of these differences. Also, as our scientific worldview requires, we acknowledge that anything we believe could be wrong. We believe in practicing the welcoming of those with different ideas and beliefs with Empathy and respectful discussion and debate.
- And yet almost everybody who has participated in any SolSeed activity has been white and affluent ... maybe we should think about eventually starting a SolSeed affirmative-action program?
- Acting upstream. Wisdom says that a small group like ours should not seek large-scale change by a direct route. Instead, we look for small actions that are well-positioned to set off a cascade of larger changes in the future. The "upstream" metaphor comes from Paul Krafel's film The Upward Spiral, in which he describes redirecting tiny rivulets of rainwater so they soak into the soil and promote life, rather than forming fast-flowing streams that cut the land into steep, lifeless gullies.
- Finish what we start? We haven't lived up to this, and it could become a negative practice (continuing work that we no longer value), but it would help us avoid taking on too many projects with no clear way to persist with all of them.
- Alternately, Choose things to finish ... don't just let the first item on the list take over if it's not the most valuable thing to work on
- "Functional" practices
- Taking notes ... recording what we've done and where we've been
- Open Space ... self-organized un-conferences
- Evaluating our pratices ... self-criticism leads to improvement
- Generosity to members and friends. We help people who want to attend our events, and don't ask for money in return for attendance.
- Charity and Advocacy. We donate some of our time and money to help people in need and support worthy causes, separate from our work with friends and members.
Evaluation
- Ben ... Irritating with the technological difficulties but still made some good progress. Worried about the equinox celebration but seeing as it won't be too big, it probably isn't a big problem that we have not started on it.
- Eric ... Agree with the irritation about the unavoidable tech problems ... eager to delve deeper into the One-Page Plan (Actions are next, including presumably listing some projects)