Discussion Group in Camarillo: This I Believe
The complimentary This I Believe discussion group is open to all members of the community. We meet in Howald Parlor at the Camarillo United Methodist Church.
Diversity is definitely valued – the group that will gather in February 2008 is open to both men and women, both young (6th grade) and mature participants. The only requirement is that you have a willingness to meditate on your personal beliefs during the course of the four weeks and to practice mindful listening and speaking while at the meetings. During these evenings, participants will jointly create a precious space, where you can listen to others share their beliefs and possibly, find the inspiration and courage to share your own.
The book, This I Believe, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman, really made me focus, contemplate and grow when I read it because it caused me to repeatedly meditate on my personal beliefs in comparison or contrast to the beliefs of the essayists. One of the reviewers on Amazon.com describes reading the book as, "one of those fortuitous moments causing a small but perceptible expansion of one's world." I couldn't agree more!
The book is a compilation of essays, from people of all walks of life, which are aired on the NPR series of the same name. The original series was hosted in the early 1950s by Edward R. Murrow and remained on the air for about 4 years. In 2003, Dan Gediman came across the original book compiled from the series and decided to revive the project with the help of NPR. According to the associated website, "This I Believe is an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives". The re-published book, which is what I read, contains contemporary essays as well as a selection of those from the original series. Those who are interested can find the complete archive of essays, in both written and audio formats, on-line at www.ThisIBelieve.org.
I appreciated the diversity of contributors - from young to old; from famous to the next-door neighbor. The essays themselves ranged from raw to eloquent; from inspirational to heart-wrenching. In this time of polarizing politics and media, what struck me the most was the absolute absence of dogma. Given a limit of 350-500 words, the essayist is challenged to focus on those one or two beliefs most relevant to his or her life. Given the commitment to writing those beliefs, essayists are challenged to weed through the superficial and determine what is truly important. It was reassuring to see how many of those beliefs mirrored my own. It was scary to realize that many fears held in the 1950s about the state of the world are still valid and very real today. Despite it all, it was inspiring to know that these beliefs can be a common ground on which people with perceived differences can come together and initiate a dialogue. Given a limit of 500 written words, what beliefs do you hold most dear?
Join us at the Camarillo United Methodist Church for a lively, engaging discussion group. Participants can choose to purchase the book or read from the free on-line archive of essays. For those who prefer listening to reading, some of the essays have been recorded and can be heard on-line at the same website. My calendar contains details on when this discussion group will meet and on the format of the meetings.
This discussion group culminated in week 4 with those who were inspired to do so sharing their personal essays written over the course of the series with an extremely receptive, attentive audience offering the gift of listening. More than half of the attendees wrote an essay, which blew me away. After all it is one thing to attend, listen and participate ... but it is a completely different proposition to devote personal time to the challenge of paring down your beliefs to 500 words, and then step forward to read that essay out loud to a group. We had essayists from the tender age of 13, all the way up to the wise age of mid-90's! Remarkable!
It was important to me to write my own essay and contribute to the evening in a capacity more than simply leading the group. I have also submitted it for consideration to the international This I Believe project. Stay tuned to find out if they accept it.