Over the last year or so Laurie and I have been writing a screen play which we call The Gatherings. It is written in the style of a movie script. My intention along the way has been to use this script as a distraction that keeps me focused on some possibility of a positive future. This intention has been fairly successful as an aid to keep me focussed and not spiraling off into hopelessness and negativity. There are very few movies or visions of the future presently being projected that portray the future as anything but destructive and dystopian. I truly believe the world is stuck, like we have been, in a paradigm that creates a future that can only lead to divisions and violence. This was our motivation for creating the idea of “The Gatherings”.
In the last few weeks we have been contemplating what is next for our screenplay. Is it really a movie? We have been getting people to read it and give us feedback. Perhaps we could promote it by using it as a reading since producing a whole movie is a daunting project. We have had many thoughts about what to do and much very good feedback. Mostly positive and some very daunting and thought provoking. The next step for this project has seemed illusive and and sometimes confusing.
Laurie and I got quite excited when we attended a workshop on Dynamic Facilitation. DF is a collaborative process of creative problem solving which focuses on the power of listening as a transformational tool in groups. We based the whole screenplay on this experience. Our history as therapists and searchers of truth has given us many experiences of how feeling heard and “gotten” transforms individual’s lives. However through the years I have become aware that although personal growth and transformation is vital it does not necessarily lead to change in society. We live in a particular era of extraction and individualism that ultimately rewards greed and creates destructive social structures. This includes government and social norms. Our excitement about Dynamic Facilitation comes from our experience that it is not only about individual transformation but it can lead to social change as well.
I recently discovered that fundamental to DF is that it creates the space for “collective creativity”. DF may not be the only process that does this but it is the only one that we have encountered.
So here we are with this screenplay; written by literally the two of us. Ready to present it to the world and somewhat stuck on what to do next. And then it occurs to us that if collective creativity is what the screenplay is about then perhaps we could use it to strengthen the screenplay and to boost its influence and impact.
I imagine inviting a group of interested people to come together (virtually)for this purpose. Not just any group, but individuals who want to participate in the DF experience, and have their ideas become part of the excitement of enhancing The Gatherings screenplay. In a sense our screenplay becomes yours. If you are interested in knowing more about this project let me know by using the contact button or on messenger in Facebook or any way you know how to contact me and I will get back to you and put you on our mailing list.