About Pamphlets of the Month

As part of a program to encourage us to discharge and conquer distresses connected with learning and reading and as part of our ongoing work to deepen the understanding of RC theory, we are putting forward a list of RC pamphlets for us to use together.

Every two months, beginning in July 2003, the next pamphlet on the list will be read across the widespread RC Communities. I would like to encourage each of us to read this pamphlet, whether or not it is new to us.

Many of us will need to have sessions about reading, studying, and learning, because we have been made to feel unintelligent and incapable of learning. This will be an important part of this work and it is important that we do not have to face these struggles alone.

I would like each RC Community to have a gather-in where people get a chance to come together to have think-and-listen groups on each current pamphlet and discussion groups on the ideas in the pamphlet, with several mini-sessions as needed to help people keep thinking well.

There will also be an edited page on the RC website where people's thoughts will be posted. (Your thoughts for the page can be emailed to pamphlet@rc.org.) Each pamphlet's discussion will be led by a Co-Counselor experienced in using the ideas of that pamphlet.

1. The Flexible Human in the Rigid Society (July and August 2003) — led by Diane Shisk
2. The Logic of Being Completely Logical (September and October 2003) — led by Julian Weissglass
3. The Nature of the Learning Process (November and December 2003) — led by Marilyn Atherley
4. Listening Effectively to Children (January and February 2004) — led by Patty Wipfler
5. The Uses of Beauty and Order (March and April 2004) — led by Katie Kauffman
6. The Necessity of Long Range Goals (May and June 2004) — led by Barbara Tompsett
7. The Communication of Important Ideas (July and August 2004) — led by Julian Weissglass
8. Logical Thinking About a Future Society (February and March 2005) — led by Beth Edmonds
9. The Enjoyment of Leadership (April and May 2005) — led by Gwen Brown
10. Who's in Charge (June and July 2005) — led by Jonathan Shaw

Each of these pamphlets are available from Rational Island Publishers in Seattle, Washington, USA (litsales@rc.org; 206-284-0311), and can now be ordered using a credit card from our web site: http://www.rationalisland.com

Please consider making an agreement with your Co-Counselor to take an active part in our movement forward on these issues.

Thanks.
Tim

Responses

Thank you so much for the wonderful idea of "pamphlet of the month."

I will (re)read them all. I will bring the idea to my class on Wednesday (all my students were given a copy of The Human Situation). I will spread the word in my community. I will offer to order (or lend) the pamphlets for (to) anyone who doesn't yet have a copy.

The thought of thousands of people reading these amazing articles is such a powerful contradiction for me. As a parent, I am particularly moved at the thought of all those people reading Patty's brilliant book (Listening to Children).

Later. . . .

The minute I sat down with The Human Situation to read the flexible thinking article, I burst into heavy sobs. The thought of other people reading this article at the same time all around the world was such a huge contradiction to the isolation I feel/have felt as a teacher, a student, a reader, someone interested in world change, a lover of RC literature.

For at least five minutes all I needed to do was just open my eyes and start reading to start sobbing again.

I have taken this direction in session too: "Somewhere in the world, someone else is crying with attention."

P.P.S. The part of the article I found most useful for my community is the part about not simply being a rebel, not to drop out. My alternative community gets stuck there a lot.

Tara Jones
Eugene, Oregon, USA

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Great, great idea! Will do it.
Dreama
Arlington, Virginia, USA

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I love working with people on using the literature and look forward to doing it more with this new initiative.
Ellen Mason
Narberth, Pennsylvania, USA

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Thank you very much for this excellent idea. It helps me a lot to do the reading work together in this way.
Julia Kostelijk
Nijmegen, The Netherlands

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This is a great idea!
Stacey Zones
San Francisco, California, USA

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We will put concerted effort into the pamphlet reading. That is a brilliant idea. Maybe I'll suggest it to Julian W. that we could have a reading time at the next wide world change workshop.
Lucy Solomon
Westhills, California, USA

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Many thanks for encouraging us all to read the literature. We had an area meeting recently and now have plans to meet every two months to read the same pamphlet as every one else. I love that idea. We are also thinking of having these meetings as a space for new people to come, with a counselling buddy who will make sure they know the basics about discharge.

Literature has been such a key introduction for so many people. Someone in our area spoke of how his partner had left literature by the toilet — open at an article by Harvey about class. And it was this that enticed him.

And I am getting to write this to you on the back of a great weekend for our constituency led by Greg Foister — he did a wonderful job. All on goodness.

Amanda Harrington

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I have been leading Pamphlet of the Month Gather-ins — I've had a wonderful time with each one so far. I have learned so much and have been so excited about noticing what it means to be flexible in life — being present, not regressing to primitive behavior. My enthusiasm was useful to the group, it kept them more present. We read out loud listened to each other and did mini's — excellent suggestion to do the pamphlet of the month.

Sheila Cotton