RESOLUTIONARY IDEAS
A Message of Thought Leadership
STEWART LEVINE, Esq., RESOLUTIONARY
510-814-1010 SUBSCRIBE TO "RESOLUTIONARY IDEAS" at
www.ResolutionWorks.org Most don't know what to do...
Knowledge knows what to do...
Wisdom knows what to think!
Unknown Apologies for being away so long. As I get busier with some very exciting projects the push to deliver a monthly newsletter seems drowned by my capacity to get to it. Couple that with the political swirl we're living in that makes me more than a little bit crazy, a physical move of both my residence and office (please stop by new work / studio / workshop space near the Oakland Zoo ) and the regular newsletter suffers. For a while look for me every other month. The most important message I have to deliver is the sadness I fell about the lack of civil political discourse we have in this country. Everything has become an opportunity and sacred duty to engage in partisanship. There is no real dialogue about the pressing issues of the day like education, healthcare, war - only an unrelenting, unapologetic, arrogant demonstration of the need to be right fueled by an uncanny ability to ignore, distort or spin facts. This need to win and be right steals from all of us the value and benefit that emerges from a real dialogue that explores the interests behind positions. What rings true in the present environment, no matter what side of the aisle you're on, is that in the current climate the real interests are always tied to economic self-interest regardless of the other costs. It's time to explore operating under different sets of values and beliefs. Until we do that we are doomed to the legacy greed and self interest will bequeath. I'm reminded of the fear that gripped me as young lawyer observing senior lawyers speaking out of the side of their mouth, without making eye-contact. In many ways the style of the political discourse of our country is no different. For that we might all be ashamed. Sincerely, Stewart
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1. CREATIVITY: BOOKS & MUSIC
2. POETRY CORNER
3. AWAKENING
4. GOOD NEWS & CERTIFICATION TRAINING
5. THE POSITIVELY MAD CONFERENCE
6. UPCOMING EVENTS
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1.BOOKS & MUSIC Go get the last CD Ray Charles recorded - "Duets" and then see the movie biopic "Ray" when it opens on October 29. I guarantee both will warm your heart. I highly recommend the movie "What the #$@!* Are We Doing." Despite what some critics who do not have a clue are saying it is a powerful revelation of the latest thinking from advanced scientific circles expounding on the nature of reality, and how limited and at the effect of our own bio-chemical reactions we are. The movie is a huge "wake-up" call to a people asleep.
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2. POETRY CORNER
WAR What is this silly pastime, will it never cease
What purpose does it really serve, to act as though a beast
Is it in male biology, launching projectiles
That once begun is hard to stop, dysfunctional erectiles
Who are these folks who send our best, off to kill and maim
Why must they always seek revenge, and find someone to blame
From what I see and uncover, when you dissect to find a cause
You often find no ill intent, and that should give you pause
At times one does want to harm, from righteous indignation
And that is just the moment, to look in with deliberation
What have I done, please ask yourself, to motivate their behavior
And who are they, where are they from, what drives their destined failure
If for a moment we could stand, live in shoes of the other
Much quicker than a minute, we'd quash revenge asunder
Our deeper understanding, would see the cause so clearly
And when our righteous thoughts did shift, we'd embrace the other dearly
If strength, bravery, and valor, is what you're looking for
Then realize that real courage, says "no" to any war
Fighting never brought about, the making of long term friends
True purple-hearts are cauterized, and never fight again.
************ From an unknown source, Though no doubt partisan it makes a point! A case could be made that this will be the last election in which
military service in Vietnam has any political currency. For the record, it's worth noting who really served among the heavyweights in each of the major political parties. There are some surprises here. Be sure to read to the end where the TV pundits who jabber about military service have their military credentials exposed. The hypocrisy is staggering. Democrats Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army
journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-'47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat
Purple Hearts.
John Edwards: did not serve.
Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-1953.
Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII, receiving the Bronze Star and
seven campaign ribbons.
Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars,
and Soldier's Medal.
Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and
Legion of Merit.
Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze
Star with Combat V.
Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57
Chuck Robb: Vietnam
Howell Heflin: Silver Star
George McGovern: Bomber pilot, many missions. ! Silver Star & DFC during
WWII.
Bill Clinton: Avoided service with student deferments. Entered draft but received 311.
Jimmy Carter: Annapolis grad. Seven years in the Navy.
Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
Tom Lantos: Said to have served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.
Wesley Clark: U.S. Army, 1966-2000, West Point, Vietnam, Purple Heart,
Silver Star. Retired 4-star general.
John Dingell: WWII vet
John Conyers: Army 1950-57, Korea
Republicans
Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
Tom Delay: did not serve.
House Whip Roy Blunt: did not serve.
Bill Frist: did not serve.
Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
George Pataki: did not serve.
Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
Rick Santorum: did not serve.
Trent Lott: did not serve.
Dick Cheney: did not serve. Had "other priorities." Several deferments, the last for wife's pregnancy.
John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
Jeb Bush: did not serve.
Karl Rove: did not serve.
Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism.
Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
Vin Weber: did not serve.
Richard Perle: did not serve.
Douglas Feith: did not serve.
Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
Richard Shelby: did not serve.
Jon Kyl: did not serve.
Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
Christopher Cox: did not serve.
Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
Donald Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as aviator and flight instructor.
George W. Bush: six-year Nat'l Guard commitment (in four years); questions about his service remain.
Ronald Reagan: made war propaganda movies.
Gerald Ford: Navy, WWII
Phil Gramm: did not serve.
John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of ! Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
Bob Dole: Army officer WWII.
Chuck Hagel: two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, Vietnam.
Duke Cunningham: nominated for Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Silver Stars,
Air Medals, Purple Hearts.
Jeff Sessions: Army Reserves, 1973-1986
JC Watts: did not serve.
Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
G.H.W. Bush: Pilot in WWII. Shot down by the Japanese.
Tom Ridge: Bronze Star for Valor in Vietnam.
Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
Clarence Thomas: did not serve
Pundits & Preachers
Sean Hannity: did not serve.
Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
Michael Savage: did not serve.
George Will: did not serve.
Chris Matthews: did not serve.
Paul Gigot: did not serve.
Bill Bennett: did not serve.
Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
Bill Kristol: did not serve.
Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
Michael Medved: did not serve.
So interesting which party and people wrap themselves in the American flag... *******************************************************************
3. AWAKENING
The following excerpt reminds me of the process of resolving conflict. The only way to get to the end is to begin without a road-map. Early on some internal moral compass provided some light, then it was the law when it worked, and now it's trust that paying attention will lead us in the right direction. In some ways the journey of living consciously, not unlike leadership, is the ongoing process of resolving conflicts.
Until We Live It
We come with all these parts and no
instructions how they go together It is so tempting to want the answers before we begin the journey. We like to know our way. We like to have maps. We like to have guides. But we are more like a breathing puzzle, a living bag of pieces, and each day shows us what a piece or two is for. where it might go, how it might fit. Over time, a picture starts to emerge by which we begin to understand our place in the world. Unfortunately, we waste a lot of time seeking someone to tell us what life will be like once we live it. We drain ourselves of vital inner fortitude by asking others to map our way. At the end of all this stalling, though, we each have to venture out and see what happens. The instructions are in the living, and I confess that all of the times I thought I liked this or didn't care for that, not one was of my choosing or yours. For as the Earth was begun like a dish breaking, eternity is the scene slowly reversing, and you and I and the things we're drawn to are merely the pieces of God unbreaking back together.
- Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening *******************************************************************
4. CERTIFICATION TRAINING
We began our first certification training in August, seven brave souls, off to a rich start. I'll be starting another on January 14 and 15, 2005. Follows the original invitation... You are invited on an engaging, experiential, powerful learning journey. It will be a rich experience aimed at accomplished professionals, senior level executives and managers, consultants, attorneys, mediators, and educators. My goal is to begin extending the work I have been doing through building a community of "Resolutionary's." I was recently asked for the critical arena of learning that enables becoming a better teacher and resolver of conflict. Without hesitation the answer was clearing personal conflict, and becoming a clearer channel so you can be fully present with others without the interference of personal needs, or the projection of past experiences. The experiential part of the program will be devoted this kind of learning. The program will last for four months. It will begin and end with two-day live seminars and include bi-weekly assignments and personal coaching. During the course of the program all the material in both "Getting to Resolution" and "The Book of Agreement" will be covered in depth with lecture, discussion, and experiential exercises. The bulk of the learning will come from the application of the tools and principles in the lives of the participants. My promise is that not only will you learn skills and techniques, but more important, you will grow personally in ways of being and thinking through the internalization of the materials.
The benefits of the program will include: > Accomplished learning partners with a high degree of experience and presence
> PreCourse questions that will begin a process of Deep Learning, Reflection, and Dialogue
> Learning Core Conversational Competence - a framework for reaching agreement and resolution in any situation, no matter how complex or emotional
> Networking Opportunity - Meeting Great People
> An experience that will be both high minded and mundane - it will range from the Practical to the Global, from the Mundane to the Magnificant and back
> It will be fun, but it may not feel good all the time
> It will become a Learning Community with a Coaching Component
> It will last for 4 months sandwhiched between two two day live week-end workshops
> It will be deeply spiritual though we may not use the word
> It will include intrapersonal and relationship work. Please don't come if you're not ready to expose and explore inner gods and demons!
> Everyone will have a personal Learning Agreement
> It will reveal itself as it unfolds and learners provide input
PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND TO ARRANGE AN INTERVIEW. 510-777-1166. SPACE IS LIMITED TO 12 PEOPLE.
********************************************************************* 5. GOOD NEWS
> South Africa Project is moving along. I will be doing Certification trainings in Spring 2005
> Experience on the IBI Global Faculty is rewarding and rich with learning and opportunities. If you want the experience of an entrepreneurial bootcamp go to www.ibiglobal.com for more information or contact me
> Great initial revues for "ResolutionWorks Online!" If you want a demo of the prototype please contact me. The full program will be ready by December.
> I was just selected to be on the Advisory Board of the www.CraigsListFoundation.org
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6. POSITIVELY "MAD" (Making A Difference) What is POSITIVELY M.A.D.? The POSITIVELY M.A.D. conference is for people who want to improve their work places, their organizations, their communities, and their own lives. The purpose of the conference is to increase our capacity to create a world that works for all. It is for anyone who cares about the kinds of ideas included in such Berrett-Koehler publications as:
* Peter Block's "Stewardship" and "The Answer to How is Yes"
* David C. Korten's "When Corporations Rule the World"
* Michael Ray's "The Highest Goal: The Secret That Sustains You in Every Moment".
* Stewart Levine's "Getting to Resolution" and "The Book of Agreement" "M.A.D." stands for "Making A Difference". Over forty Berrett-Koehler authors will share their leading-edge ideas, methods, and tools to help elicit real change. Whether working at a personal, organizational, community, national, or global level, POSITIVELY M.A.D. will provide insights into making a real difference. Join others who are just "mad" enough to challenge conventional thinking, practices, and institutions to make a real difference.
"POSITIVELY" means engaging in optimistic and purposeful change--finding possibilities to create a better world and acting boldly to realize those possibilities. This highly interactive conference will focus on new approaches for eliciting positive change while providing maximum opportunity for you to connect with speakers and with each other POSITIVELY M.A.D. will provide thought-provoking sessions to help you:
* Become a more effective change agent and leader
* Become a more informed member of your local, national, and global community
* Improve your personal effectiveness
* Opening session by author and management guru Peter Block, on "The Restoration of Community"
* Exclusive "Meet the Authors" evening reception
* Presentation of the first annual Positively Making a Difference Awards by celebrity presenters
* Advance copy of the new book: "POSITIVELY M.A.D.: Making A Difference in Your Organizations, Communities, and the World". Register https://asp5.catalog.com/events/events/bkpublishers/registration.asp**********************************************************************
7. STEWART'S UPCOMING APPEARANCES October 11-17 www.IBIGlobal Los Angeles
October 23 Advisory Board, www.CraigsListFoundation.org Non-Profit Bootcamp and Gala
October 24-26 HR.com gala in Phoenix www.HR.com
November 6 Positively MAD (Berrett-Koehler) - San Francisco, CA www.bkpub.com
December 3-4 Resolutionary Certification 804 Oakland
January 14-15, 2005 Resolutionary Certification 105 Oakland www.ResolutionWorks.org
February 11-13 Contemplative Practice and Education: Making Peace in Ourselves and in the World. www.contemplativemind.org/programs/academic/conference.
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With less focus on the purely psychological aspects of reaching agreement than 'Getting to Yes' Levine's becomes a much more pragmatic approach." Perdido, Leadership with a Conscience, Review, "The Book of Agreement" STEWART LEVINE, Esq., RESOLUTIONARY
510-777-1166 Cell: 510-814-1010 SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RESOLUTIONARY" at
www.ResolutionWorks.org
Copyright 2004 Stewart Levine. All rights reserved. We encourage sharing in whole or in part if copyright and attribution are included.
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