Communities

Healing the Heart of Democracy Book Circle

Are you troubled by the deep divides threatening the peace of our nation? Searching for a wise response to the current political challenges in the US? Ready for a heart-probing, empowering read?

Parker Palmer, author of the much-loved books A Hidden Wholeness and Let Your Life Speak, found himself dismayed in 2004, as he watched Americans’ distrust of “the other” beyond our borders harden and our making “aliens” of one other begin. His heart filled with outrage and despair and finally broke as he watched Americans forget that differences are among our most valuable assets. He also observed the country fail to understand that the measure of national greatness is not only how successful the strong can be but how well we support the weak.

Parker began Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit that year. The book took him six years to write and seems even more relevant now than when the book was first published in 2011.

Join facilitator Nita Landis and fellow readers for 10 weeks of reading a chapter a week, with five Thursday night Zoom gatherings from 6:30-8:00 PM. We will share our experience of God through the material—the text of the book, brief online videos (two to three minutes) of Parker discussing particular quotes or themes, and the spiritually formative questions provided in the discussion guide at the back of the book. All materials are included in the cost of this group and will be mailed to you by March 15.

Start reading: March 18

Finish reading: May 27

Meet with others:  April 1, 15, 29 and May 13 and 27

“… often our political talk is about people who aren’t in the room.

We almost always talk about them… the people we hold responsible

for all our political pathologies. Rarely do we talk about us,

the people who are in the room, about our nation’s problems

and how we can help solve them.”

—from the Introduction

  Prepare for this ONLINE session by ...

• Choosing and preparing a space to spend the evening: Ideally it will be quiet and comfortable, with splashes of beauty and perhaps some chocolate or other special treats.
• Communicating with others in your household: Clearly and graciously, let other household members know what space you will be using during the session. Explain how very grateful you will be to them for respecting your self-care time by not interrupting you!
• Gathering your materials: You will want your journal (or something to write on if you don't have a journal), your book and any other materials sent to you prior to that evening.
• Preparing for our Zoom calls: Set up your laptop or tablet in a place where it can remain plugged in for the duration of the call so that you don't get disconnected due to a dead battery. Choose a spot where light from a window or lamp shines on your face. Avoid having your device's camera pointed toward a strong source of light; your face will be darkened and others will have a harder time seeing you. If you have never been on a Zoom call before, please download the free necessary software at https://zoom.us/download sometime before the session. You will receive a link to join the group Zoom call one day before the session.