Hello wonderful people,
Welcome to issue #52 of this Wisdom-Workshop-themed collection of quotes, links, and questions to help us build containers for emergent wisdom.
And welcome new subscribers! Feel free to reply to introduce yourself and/or share why you subscribed.
This week, we’re celebrating Beltane, the beginning of summer, and the conclusion of our first cohort in the art of living beautifully, which inspired this 10-part mini-series on self-improvement (linked below).
Also this week: resources that might help alleviate the loneliness epidemic that declared by the American Surgeon General last week… which is making me wonder:
✍️ How might our interactions with AI bring us closer together?
💎 Top 5 Quotes this Week
“Everyone wants to save the world, no one wants to help mom with the dishes.”
― P.J. O’Rourke
“This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
―George Bernard Shaw
“I believe finally, that education must be conceived as a continuing reconstruction of experience; that the process and the goal of education are one and the same thing.”
― John Dewey
“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.”
― May Sarton
“Impatience is an argument with reality… Patience begins with acceptance of natural rhythms.”
― Rick Rubin
📕 Ten Timeless Truths of The Art of Self-Improvement
I loved this book. Probably not for a general audience, but a nice comparative approach to the human experience, goodness, and humility.
Shaffner is a cultural historian in the UK. Her approach is scholarly— with a wry and personal take on the promises and dangers of modern self-improvement.
The 10 Timeless Truths, presented by Shaffner, are:
Self-Awareness, which I wrote about here (Feb 24, 2023)
Mind-Training, which I wrote about here (Mar 3, 2023)
Detachment, which I wrote about here (Mar 10, 2023)
Goodness, which I wrote about here (Mar 17, 2023)
Humility, which I wrote about here (Mar 24, 2023)
Simplicity, which I wrote about here (Mar 31, 2023)
Imagination, which I wrote about here (Apr 7, 2023)
Perseverance, which I wrote about here (Apr 14, 2023)
Emotional Intelligence, which I did not write about here (Apr 21, 2023)
Presence, which I wrote about here (Mar April 28, 2023)
🔆 Top 5 Highlights from The Art of Self Improvement
Choose your metaphors wisely. “In the literature of self-improvement, the choice of metaphors reveals how we see ourselves and our purpose. We may, for example think of ourselves as part of a wider social community with shared aims and obligations, or as lone fighters in a hostile environment, out there to secure a personal advantage.” We are not computers. We are not machines. We are not savings accounts. Be wary, therefore, of optimization, management, or investment. “Even the term ‘self-worth’ has a monetary ring to it.”
Be wary of toxic positivity. “Nowadays, we tend to believe that we should be happy most of the time … yet in the past, it was more commonly (and realistically) assumed that life is primarily suffering and that bad things are bound to happen.”
Don’t rush. “Prominent in the ancient literature, both Asian and Western, self-cultivation evokes a slower, less dramatic mode of developing our good qualities, an approach that is incremental and sustainable. It encourages us to nurture our virtues patiently and calmly, as we would nurture seedlings in a garden.”
Survival of the most cooperative. “Our self-help literature today tends to rest on the assumption that we are competitive by nature. We are often portrayed as autonomous agents in a hostile environment. This is in striking contrast to earlier conceptions of human beings as relational, interdependent, and social, the individual being part of a wider community.”
Find the middle way. “Good self-help has to navigate two persistent dangers: our tendency either to overestimate or to underestimate our capacity to self-improve. Self-help guides that crudely overvalue our willpower, agency, and capacity for change can thus turn into toxic fairy tales that warp our sense of the possible . . . Underestimating our potential to improve ourselves, we will dramatically underestimate the importance of learning and perseverance, of slow and incremental improvement.”
📚 All quotes from Schaffner, The Art of Self-Improvement : Ten Timeless Truths (2021).
🔮 Wisdom Workshop, Loneliness, and ChatGPT
The following conversation has been edited for concision.
5.2.2023
Dear ChatGPT:
I'd like our work in the wisdom workshop to help with the emerging loneliness epidemic :)
That's a great goal, as the loneliness epidemic is a significant issue affecting people's mental health and well-being. Here are some ideas on how your wisdom workshop can help address loneliness:
Create a welcoming and inclusive environment: Ensure that the workshop is accessible to people from different backgrounds, ages, and abilities. Promote a culture of empathy, understanding, and respect among participants.
Promote self-awareness and self-compassion: Help participants develop self-awareness and self-compassion through mindfulness practices, journaling, or reflective exercises. This can enhance their sense of self-worth and resilience.
Discuss strategies for building connections: Share ideas and strategies for meeting new people and maintaining existing relationships, such as joining clubs, volunteering, and attending social events.
Explore the role of technology: Discuss the role technology plays in both contributing to and alleviating loneliness. Encourage participants to use technology in a balanced and mindful way to foster connections.
Provide resources and follow-up support: Offer participants resources, such as books, articles, or online communities, to help them continue their journey. Organize regular follow-up sessions to maintain momentum and support.
By addressing loneliness in a holistic manner and providing practical tools and strategies, your wisdom workshop can make a significant impact on the lives of its participants.
Can you provide a list of other private or non-profit organizations that are also doing this work?
Certainly! Here's a list of some private and non-profit organizations that work towards promoting well-being, fostering connections, and addressing loneliness and mental health issues:
The Campaign to End Loneliness: A UK-based organization that works to tackle loneliness in older adults by promoting awareness, research, and policy changes. Website: https://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/
The Mindfulness Initiative: A global organization that advocates for the integration of mindfulness in public policy, education, and the workplace. Website: https://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org/
The National Institute for Play: A non-profit organization that promotes the importance of play in fostering connection, creativity, and well-being. Website:
Action for Happiness: A UK-based movement of people committed to building a happier and more caring society by taking practical actions in their daily lives. Website: https://www.actionforhappiness.org/
The Blue Zones Project: A community well-being improvement initiative that helps communities adapt evidence-based practices from the world's longest-lived populations. Website: https://www.bluezonesproject.com/
The Search Institute: A non-profit organization that conducts research and develops practical tools to help young people thrive by focusing on relationships and developmental assets. Website: https://www.search-institute.org/
The Greater Good Science Center: An interdisciplinary research center at the University of California, Berkeley, that studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society. Website: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/
These organizations, among others, are working in various ways to promote well-being, connection, and mental health. Partnering with or learning from these organizations can help expand and enhance the impact of your Wisdom Workshop programs.
✌ Thank You
May the power of May be with you,
Sean
📅 May Music and Live Workshops
🔔 Friday, May 19 : New Music out on Spotify and Apple Music. Asynchronous.
🖼️ Tuesday, May 23 : Start of The Art of Living Beautifully #2. Virtual via Zoom.
✍ Wednesday, May 24 : Start of Writing the Good Life #14. Virtual via Zoom.
🎵 Saturday, May 27 : Forge Publick House : Ft Collins, CO, 21+, 8-10 pm MST
👋 Weekly Clubhouse Room at noon; new events coming soon! (MST Mondays)
🌱 Support
Want to support our mission and help cultivate human flourishing?
(1) Consider enrolling in an summer workshop
If you’re feeling called to join a small learning community, or to practice mindful writing and life design, our seven-week course on Writing the Good Life is a great place to practice writing and making decisions that matter. It also serves as a foundation for our twelve-week course of living beautifully. If you can’t commit ~5 hours per week (1.5 hour meeting, 30 minutes daily practice), I’d wait until you can.
If you’re geeking out about the 10 Timeless Truths of Self Improvement, and/or if you want to explore your own creative well-being, our new 12-week course on the Art of Living Beautifully might be an exciting way to create your life’s work. Having a healthy writing habit is encouraged but not required to get the most out of this experience. Likewise, recommend a ~5-hour/week commitment.
To see if a wisdom workshop might be good for you, check out the vibe of our testimonials, read our FAQ, reply to this email, or schedule a call on my calendar. Scholarships available.
(2) Consider becoming a sustaining member
A $49 / month founding-membership gets you free enrollments to weekly workshops (normally $500-$800) while helping us develop and share new learning adventures, sponsor participants who can’t afford it, and conduct qualitative research. Also a private Facebook Group, monthly member check-ins and the good feeling that you’re contributing to a new kind of Epicurean garden.
(3) Share this email with a friend and grow a garden
Set up a face-to-face meeting. Nourish each-other’s soil. Swap stories and seeds.
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I acknowledge that the land where I write these words (in Northern Colorado) was the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations and peoples. This was also a site of trade, gathering, and healing for numerous other Native tribes. I recognize the Indigenous peoples as original stewards of this land and all the relatives within it.
photo credit: “Wickerman Burning” by Eleanor Sopwith (CC)