Me and We (vol. 4, no. 2)

Here are a few things I’m sharing this month:

1. Question I’m living with:

  • “[W]ho do we think of, when we use the pronoun “we”? And I want my “we” to be absolutely continuous amongst my fellow humans, amongst living beings, amongst the largeness of the expanding universe, down to the tiniest physics and particle. I want — I want to feel like part of a single fabric and to behave as if my responsibility is to the entire fabric.” – Jane Hirschfield

2. Quote I’m considering:

  • “And that is a deep and human anxiety, to figure out what does it mean to be me, from where I’m from? And this isn’t saying, “Do it now. Do it quickly. Answer the question, the exam, and get over it when you’re 15.” This is saying, “You’ll probably be asking this question for the rest of your life,” and that there is the possibility of deepening your relationship with something that might once have been troubled.” – Pádraig Ó Tuama (reflecting on Patrick Kavanagh’s poetry)

3. Poem I’m pondering:

Excerpt from “Break My Heart” by Joy Harjo

Be who you are, even if it kills you.

It will. Over and over again.
Even as you live.

4. Something inspiring:

5. The blog’s still on hold as I write my Rewild School book; however here’s an except:

  • “I focused on culture and community. Not content. My job was to establish an emotional, psychological and expectational perimeter separating us from all other professors, classes and students, carve out a clearing and fill the cleared space with our values and ethos. Thereafter, my job was to walk the perimeter alternating my gaze from outward to inward. Outward in search of any external threats and destabilizing events that needed addressing. Inward in observation of how we were practicing community, dealing with our fears and whether or not we were holding the standard in terms of our work ethic and history of excellence.”

Thanks so much. And, have a great day! – shawn

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