Integrity and Courage - Commentary

Meaning: Integrity:

• personal responsibility
• part of everything
• having the courage to face the difficulties and find the solutions
• doesn't mean acting on feelings, but on rational thinking
• personal action in our lives
• not being liberal or permissive-fearless counselors
• knowing what the job is
• acting in a principled wayNot just in one specific area, but in all areas and ways
• this and courage are hallmarks of what we do in RC
• being yourself - the greatest satisfaction
• making the decision to do the appropriate thing for the situation; standing up for your beliefs (not necessarily the ones you were trained to stand up for-that may be patterned)
• Everything is working right and in the best shape possible. Everything is fixed and paid attention to
• What honor means: A treasure. Worth holding on to. To not have places in our lives that are indefensible. Cherish relationships and make them big. Showing respect. Truth
• Consistently thinking about the greater good for the planet
• living well in every action, thought, and deed
• going where the struggle is
• the interruption of racismÐmaking this connection for people
• not being content until I get the world as it should be.
• The crumbling of integrity is the weapon of oppression
• Integrity means taking risks (legal prosecution, threats to jobs, friendships, etc.) But we also need to be careful not to just act on patterns of flying in the face of authority for its own sake. There is a rational solution
• Courage and integrity mean there is no conflict. Standing for myself means standing for you
• To be honorable. Honesty about where you struggle. Deciding on principles and acting on them
• To be honest which means to be thinking all the time and to look at what moves things forward in a re-emergent way-literally "leading our lives"
• It means not putting ourselves in situations that aren't healthy
• Integrity means keeping a distinction between reality and pseudo-reality and acting from that place of reality
• It means putting people before possessions
• It means being true to ourselves and our higher nature no matter what. This will feel like we are courting death at times
• Something from within. Acting consistently with who you really are
• remembering that people are the most important thing
• promoting thinking and activity that furthers humanity
• Integrity and courage is commitment to people for life
• Courage: boldness of action
• going against the trend, helping poor people get access to the system and giving them tools to do it themselves
• getting up and leading in the face of our fears
• pro-active as opposed to re-active as in the model of courage under fire
• To narrow the gap between feelings and showing what you feel takes courage
• Not compromising yourself
• being willing to stand behind one's commitment always. Guts to go out on a limb
• often has meant being decorated for bravery in wars, for example. Ordinary courage gets manipulated by the oppressive society to have us act in ways that perpetuate the oppression, for example, drafting young men.
• Courage. Latin root? Courage connects to inspiration that comes from the heart. Has risk implied in it
• Courage is standing up to anything that isn't human-based activity
• Courage implies passion and action against resistance, either by patterns (yours or society's) or physical circumstances
• Courage implies passion and action against resistance, either caused by patterns (yours or society's) or physical circumstances

WHY

• easier to have integrity than not
• In times when people are afraid and unsure they must follow someone. They will follow a person with integrity
• RC is ready to take on this goal
• If we act with integrity, we don't have to wonder about what "the right" decisions are
• raises the expectations for yourself and others of what is possible
• It is critical that we show people that there is a way to live without oppression
• The world is in a desperate need for constructive leadership, with integrity
• It's critical that we stop systematic misinformation about humans
• Leading with integrity is good for everyone and RCers are the most qualified people to lead in this way
• Using this Goal as a direction for discharge is good
• all born to do this-part of our inherent nature (add to list of inherent qualities)
• it rings bells with folks -- it resonates-- it attracts them because they feel it is real.
• central issues for Asian liberation given our history of oppression where we were slaughtered fore speaking out and taking a principled stand
• Moving beyond self-help use of RC
• Where we lie to ourselves when in the oppressor or oppressed role, modeling integrity and courage will force us to start telling the truth, it will feel big but once we do it it won't be that big
• This will challenge complacency particularly in the U.S.- here it's hard to get even a few people protesting. But in Europe and Germany, they get thousands of people out to protest. In Europe there have been wars on their soil. We're like the child who witnesses abuse who is more afraid to engage in struggles than the child who is abused directly
• The threats of corporate rule are creating a much more urgent need to take stands of integrity and courage soon
• As I watched my grandfather die, I realized that with the death of his generation, we were losing something. My generation has less integrity than his and the next has less than mine. It's okay to lie, cheat and steal. Greed is running rampant without check. I went to a training seminar for the religious right in which they said that integrity is no longer important; what is important is that you get the [elected] position.
• Putting this goal in writing simply states that as co-counselors, this is what we operate on.
• there is a real thrust in Jewish culture to act in principled ways. But, as with many other groups, as the crunch of capitalism occurs Jews act on internalized oppression (fear) as exemplified in the most recent election, the vote for progressive candidates was significantly less than in previous times-emphasizing this goal will contradict this
• The debate around values is being shaped by the right wing. this is an assault on integrity in the Gay community-people are forced to go underground and lie. In the face of people telling us we are bad, gay people stop caring about the bigger picture, get rebellious - we need to acknowledge these difficulties and reclaim this debate
• this goal is key for the Native American community-it is hard to be bold about ending the oppressive system in a community where they feel the oppression is needed. If they clean that up, where would they be? They would lose their funding. They need to stay sick and or else the government won't give them their money
• Can only share RC by basing it on our own integrity.
• When integrity is woven through our entire RC program, it's a sustainable program
• in almost every hurtful experience something happened to you as a result of someone's lack of integrity. Integrity is a contradiction to most hurtful experiences. Every person is good and wants to do right, if given the chance.
• The effect of this goal should have a similar effect of the 1981 goal to eliminate nuclear weapons. It will put all our minds in the same direction.
• To be unprincipled is wearing on humans. It is important that we move on mass. When we talk about integrity people understand and move forward with us.
• Integrity and courage are not talked about in the world at large. Society is not held up to this standard. The goal pulls people up to think about what integrity means and what it really means to be courageous.
• Making the decision to build a community requires integrity and courage to reach out to people and bring them into co-counseling
• to act without integrity will still kill us slowly and hideously
• Integrity always wins
• The reason we do this policy is so our children will live in a better world
• With the collapse of society people are looking and ready for something different to what they've settled for
• It looks impossible, but it's all I've ever wanted from birth. Powerlessness rushes in but holding back is unbearable. Decision is all we have. RRRHH. What the hell-decide
• If we truly decide to take it to the wide-world, it would only take a couple of years
• Walter Cronkite on Watergate: "People don't mind when people make mistakes; they mind when they lie about them

WHAT WE'RE DOING ALREADY

• GLB policy
• we're doing it more than we realize
• encouraging people to lead
• the "blue pages"/confidentiality
• following and getting close to leaders
• making counseling relationships top priority
• Women in war torn countries aren't immobilized. They laugh and fight
• I met a man who shared with me how as a conscientious objector of W.W.II he visited CO's of Vietnam. He felt it very important for people to know that they were part of a larger human movement. No system has ever understood the concept of discharge combined with the strong need for human liberation. RC brought the two ideas together
• Understanding intrinsic goodness is one of our key contributions - we feel powerless - key to not standing up. We need to assist people to get back to power. If people feel they don't have power, they feel things don't matter
• At Beijing , we decided ahead of time that we were going in on the basis of integrity. We were going to be above board. We were beyond reproach. Not only that, we were good listeners and completely honest.
• Even without proper information, integrity and courage are still played out, even in street gangs.
• Mandela -- refused to do wrong; escape jail. Apartheid ended without blood bath and he wasn't killed
• Learned in RC- Our re-emergence will encourage others' re-emergence. It's important for oppressed people to cooperate. We see human quality in all without ranking
• We have a model for letting go of comfort. In sessions we risk looking at what's uncomfortable and feeling that now

HOW

• trust your own thinking and put it out
• commit ourselves personally to courage and integrity and being visible
• give up pretense
• decide not to act on fear particularly fear of insecurity
• build relationships on the basis of Ôone for all and all for one'
• spread the information that cooperation works, competition doesn't
• mostly we share by modeling it, and answering people's questions with delight and politeness
• be honest to ourselves about where we aren't completely honest-don't promise what you can't give and share honestly what we are ready to do- stop lying to ourselves - our patterns are the way we lie to ourselves
• be well versed in counseling theory so we can translate/transmit the real information
• be willing to stand up for what is right
• be disciplined and share good policy (i.e. leadership)
• have humility
• emphasize it in fundamentals and when spreading RC-spread RC
• each person has to be his/her own model first
• ask people when it is hard to be courageous and offering help to do the right thing
• see to it that others act this way
• everybody in the community needs to discharge about integrity
• share with the world what we have learned about how to do this
• do it!-don't have to wait until you're done discharging
• saying things up front
• make it the major guideline for the RC communities by constantly checking ourselves and making sure we're not being careful with each others' feelings-refect niceness patterns
• don't mix naturalised RC with non-RC things like religion, etc.
• use the RC guidelines properly
• When you make a mistake, which you sometimes do when you do something in an area where you can't think-you have to apologise and make it right again
• step out of the mold you were expected to be insometimes break the rules
• stand up for what you believe and not settle for comfort
• clean up messy relationships and go after the people around whom you feel most uncomfortable, most restimulated and get in close to them
• workshops devoted to the idea of acting at all times with courage and integrity
• talk about/use the words "courage" and "integrity" in our conversations with friends, family, co-workers
• bumper sticker: "Act with Courage and Integrity"
• deal with the big issues in our society
• don't be isolated particularly when leading
• act in a cohesive way with what you know is right. show fear when you feel it as you act courageously - it's inspiring and encouraging
• for owning class people to model courage and integrity, we must get correct information, decide, act & discharge
• hold out high expectations
• understand our humanness and that discharge is a human response.
• put yourself "out there"
• hold yourself accountable for your patterns
• lead in such a way people see actions consistent with words....
• telling people not to spank children, even when it is difficult to hold that out
• deal with messes and flakiness promptly
• treat each other well
• approach a beloved co-counselor as someone in distress, not someone bad, if they happen to have difficulties
• Goal is modeling the importance of integrity, not the perfection of integrity
• not necessarily confrontational, may be doing something gently
• knowing as much as you can about the whole situation and keeping the larger picture in mind and making interventions as you go along as needed
• show ourselves as we continue to not give in to the fears
• do this in every corner of our lives - big and little things not just things that make us look good or like a star
• do so without manipulation, undue "clienting", or attempt to get the person/group to become your counselor
• sometimes be necessary to advocate for what you know is right even when it will harm what appears to be your "self interest
• Building relationships and staying close to people is essential to being effective in modeling courage and integrity to the world
• acknowledge our significance and model what's possible
• What we know to be principled today may be different from what we will know in the future
• share what we have learned of integrity in reference to class and privilege, for example, upward mobility is the process of losing mobility
• clean up our patterned ideas about integrity
• Building relations with people in the political arena, and wide-world leaders in order to facilitate sharing the information with them. Create alliances. Approach them assertively, e.g. a letter from RC as an organization inviting them to learn about RC and work together for integrity and caring about all individuals in communities
• discharge on our desire to be liked.-we feel we have to compromise in order to be liked
• maintain unity and back each other in bold initiatives which requires us to eliminate all internalized oppression and being allies
• include ALL people
• No gossiping or other divisive tactics
• be expert tacticians and strategists
• Present Time to keep up to date with theory and policies
• Bragging-particularly women
• provide scenarios with possible solutions, we should provide models of what your life could look like and give each other specific info about how to do this because of all the misinformation out there
• the whole community make a commitment to it and use this information to head in the right direction
• learn to back people especially young people all the way when we act
• Go back and deal with feelings in places where one doesn't act with integrity
• Never criticize - just pay attention to people -they will interrupt racism, etc.
• need to have institutions based on caringÐhow can there be classism and integrity? How can a person espouse integrity and accumulate wealth?
• We can use raised poor and working class people as a model Ð they understand a lot about courage and integrity, have lost less around human connection, know how important this is and can see people more clearly
• A tone we need to achieve to talk about this is "cleaner than the board of health." We also need to pick and choose our battles through the attacks. When systems unravel we may get blamed. "Those RCer's". We each need to face that we are "People of Influence
• Being confident about what we're doing - we need to discharge embarrassment about being a good person and humiliation around early "goody goody" experiences
• Discharge on hopelessness (what difference will doing the right thing make) and rebelliousness (I won't do the right thing)
• ask ourselves what would a life of integrity look like, and how does my life not yet look like that
• tell personal heroic stories, and encourage others to do so too
• develop a kit for all RC. teachers, a blueprint for leading classes on developing integrity and courage.mandate that this become a crucial topic for all RC. classes
• start personal campaigns to have integrity on particular issues, and invite people to join, especially one-to-one. Examples: I'm on a campaign to live a life free of alcohol, caffeine and drugs, and I'd love it if you'd join me. This is my year for upping my integrity, and I'd love it if you'd help me with this, and tell me where you see me falling short
• I didn't cry for 45 years. I got my integrity back with a few teardrops
• asking yourself: is my stubbornness a good "holding firm" or a rigid "clinging to distress"?
• The bottom line is: I have to remember I'm good. When in doubt, speak up, speak up, speak up, everywhere, at all times
• eliminate young people's oppression Ð it's where this got beat out of us
• recognize, lift up, and appreciate acts of integrity and courage on the part of others at every opportunity
• Not waiting for someone else to speak out when something is wrong. Use demos to train people how to take a stand
• differentiate between the person and the pattern, that there is no oppressor, just oppressive patterns. The policy of the South African government regarding "amnesty" was mentioned as a current model
• Giving up privilege, wealth and comfort. One concrete idea was to plan for a certain "action day" when RCers worldwide would give up a certain privilege, comfort or wealth
• Owning up to and identifying any oppressor material in our group
• Noting, before we make any decision, no matter how small, how this decision will affect every group of people, other species and the planet
• Ending mental health oppression
• RC classes in schools, as RC (not "naturalized")
• An RC political movement, including masses of RCers running for office and committed to political action
• end to the notion of RCers "secretly" "infiltrating" wide world organizations and "quietly" spreading RC
• put this information out through open forums
• contradict greed and exploitation and how we contradict this is through the way we live in the world
• Take complete pride and give up all embarrassment about RC, emotions, ourselves, mistakes,etc.
• Listen to young people, and notice that they are excellent models of integrity and courage
• Need to slow down -- not live at middle class pace - don't confuse integrity and courage with "saving the world" and "struggling" patterns
• Get access to television and other media to tell stories of leaders (currrent and historic) who model integrity and courage
• think through everything for yourself otherwise it will be harder to take a stand on it with integrity (e.g. gay policy)
• Consider defining integrity and courage from RC perspective. Possibly using Harveys article on the topic as the point of agreement on what integrity and courage are so we can establish unified and clear definition
• add something about concept of truth
• always appreciate the basics
• When working as an individual in the community we should notice the community patterns that pull at us to not maintain our courage and integrity when they are allowed to go unchallenged. An oppressive society continues by forcing upon us unprincipled choices so we're constantly struggling to maintain integrity. Actions like making money and moving up (for example) are not talked about but merely assumed and no thought is applied to this behavior or it's impact. This goalcan serve as a template for our re-emergence about how we live our life in the wide world when faced with our own and others restimulation. It could serve as a useful 'tool of choice'
• say things in a way that people can hear it.
• A possible direction: "I was born knowing what is right for me and any other human being and I will see to it that justice is served wherever I am."
• Form gangs to act as support groups for action in the wide world by RCers. In order to carry through on this goal we need to personally claim the role of inspirational model allowing and encouraging people to love us and depend on us
• remember in every situation "it ain't necessarily so", there is a choice to be made
• never again allow your timidity to cost another human her opportunity to fight for herself and her opportunity to think
• making room for someone else. To be willing to give up frozen needs for gratitude, recognition and acknowledgment
• Don't act on the basis of what pisses you off or raises feelings but on the basis of policy
• using the methods of think and listen and resolution of disagreements
• stop opurselves (the working class) from falling down here like in the little things (e.g. stealing on the job) thinking we are taking on the system, but we really are maintaining the class oppression
• re-examine and re-think our strategy of an appearance of conformity. In the past we may have used this as an excuse not to challenge irrationality. Taking a stand of courage and integrity will probably cause us to stand out in situations.
• We need to try to catch, not defend, rationalizations
• young adults.need to have someone say, "You don't have to give up on that."
• take on issues concerning earning money to live
• For those working in a large corporation, for instance, what kind of support bases will we need to act with courage and integrity given that the system operates on lying
• help recover every group of people's history of courage and integrity
• RCers can share how we act with integrity in respects to the thoroughness with which we approach thinking about things and our courage in our attempts to interrupt oppressive acts
• don't be "cool" - way we've been encouraged to hide our integrity (and caring)
• build alliances with other groups who are struggling to do this but do not have the tools we have
• take a stand against imperialism
• ending opportunism
• challenge "traditional values" and continue to define integrity as what our best thinking about human beings and inherent reality is. For example, it is never okay for humans to hurt other humans and we need to take a life-sustaining stance on a global level
• discharge on fears of being crazy so that when people are attacked and called crazy, they will be clear
• Tell the truth about where you stand when everyone disagrees. People may disagree and you may have to speak of the importance of courage and integrity
• have workshops on the social problem of the week and support each other to make and follow through on goals and commitments for action.
• Feelings about illegal or risky action need to be brought up for discharge
• Communities can do organized joint actions.
• produce a pamphlet on integrity and courage (with definitions, examples)
• discuss whether action should be on an individual level only or collectively by RC communities.
• go through your daily life like you are somebody. Treat others like you want to be treated. It's like when you throw a stone into the water; the ripples form the stone spread out and then return. When you treat someone well, it comes back to you
• saying what you need to saycomplaining about something is staying in the victim role
• It is harder to interrupt people when it comes to mistreatment of myself. I really draw the line when it comes to my family or my children
• not about discharge for discharge sake but to see what needs to change
• Many lawyers act with a lot of integrity and courage, not just greed. I can model this in many respects in how I make money-long term and short term. It's about building relationships with other lawyers and putting out principled policy
• for people who are speaking out in their communities  have a spot in Present Time--letters to the editor, stories, etc
• Realize how patriotism and nationalism are often masqueraded as integrity
• Dramatization of moral superiority which has appearance of integrity must be distinct from true integrity
• Talk about how all issues she works on connect to transforming society. Will include integrity and courage. in mission statements and discussions in wide world organization
• extend an invitation to people to communicate integrity and courage to others. She will reach for the spot where it already connects with their goals. Where do you compromise? Why are you pulled to compromise here
• Will talk with a friend who is a candidate for mayor, holding out the importance of integrity on specific issues
• Do not confuse integrity with self-righteousness. This is when people have taken stands in the past, but stopped thinking and became rigid in the application
• Religious rules and cultural norms regarding what is right and wrong are often based in moral rigidity and "shoulds". We need to discharge on these types of hurts in order to think flexibly. Integrity and courage involve conscious choice outside of "shoulds."
• Decide to take on something. Use judgment to pick the strategic battles.Take ethical stands and be ready to counsel people.Be prepared to enjoy controversy.Dialogue with people and be excited about your policy stand. Be visible.Take public office.What are the courageous things that need to happen now? Isn't any moment the right one to offer correct perspectives?
• We need to be very proud of the rigor of these ideas and learn how to fight for them
• Humans are conceived with integrity and courage but these are qualities vulnerable to distress recordings. We can't think through these distresses without discharging for ourselves to think what these things mean. RC has the capacity as a global movement, to come up with a definition of integrity and courage that is informed by our inter-group relations and experience of being allies to each other.
• When we communicate with the wide world it is important to recognize that historically societies have brought harm to other societies in the name of integrity and courage. This pseudo-integrity and pseudo-courage need to be exposed and for every constituency to look at how they have been hurt and what their relationship is to these ideas.
• Blame is not useful or relevant here
• Having an integrity meterÐhings we don't think about - making phone calls on company time has actually hurt our integrity. We need to look out for that sort of thing.
• The place we have relationships with people is the place where we have the chance to model anything...holding out a policy of intelligent, honesty and clear communication about where things are going well and where we struggle and where we see others struggle
• One of the pieces I think my experience working with working class folks is - it is easy to have courage when you have correct info. It is hard when you don't know the effects of your actions or you don't know what other peoples' struggles are. We can provide people with opportunities to make those connections and give info and model having the expectation of action. With middle and owning class people- they are hurt by being constantly told that it is right to put thems elves first
• It has helped people break out of these dishonest patterns to take an internal oath of no secrets.
• WRITE!
• Getting rid of the separation that this is what I do for a living at]nd this is what I do when I teach RC.
• Take the chance to have really meaningful conversations with people, about right and wrong and trying to get people to do the right thing
• Groups that have some concept of fairness (League of Women's Voters) the whole theory about attacks and criticism is really important stuff we could package it and put it out there. an RC panel that sat in on major debates and interrupt inappropriate stuff. just not allow the attacks
• One place it gets rough is that people in oppressor roles haven't figured out that this is for them
• I have noticed a complete lack of integrity in my son and husband and am figuring out how to give them a hand. It means me speaking up and remembering that I am doing that as counselor and listening to some of the vilest stuff. It also means determining whether they need info or whether they need to client . I need to not be bitter but instead to figure out how to help them get themselves back
• How do you get behind people who don't see themselves as courageous? There is some holding out of confidence and letting people know that you back them. They discharge. For people to act courageously or take a stand on something they did not think they could, makes a difference
• This involves lots of constituencies doing lots of thinking, conveying lots of policies. Maybe it's time to repeat Beijing at the World Jewish Conference, National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.Wherever we have folks who have moved enough to reclaim their people, send them in there to do it in a thoughtful and purposeful way
• Fear of being fired gets in the way. It's also scary to go against a crowd. Discharge is necessary. It's also useful to have a group backing you.
• Sometimes going alone might be necessary
• No quick, cheap way.. The strength of a chain is as strong as its weakest link. You do it because in the long run, it's the most correct thing to do
• Native groups -- returned what was taken. Understood the whole. Material world doesn't. Unprincipled
• We need to have more discussions about policy and issues within RC and to back people to have hard discussions in and out of RC. We'll need to stay well-discharged on our early hurts around being criticized and attacked.
• Sometimes, the belief in freedom of speech in the United States can mask liberalism and be an excuse to put out distress instead of holding firmly to correct policy.
• We need to learn to argue within RC while backing leadership expertly
• This goal means building the context for integrity because in the wide world there is no payoff for integrity and courage--it looks ridiculous. For men, it means figuring out how to clean up our actions even without yet being fully discharged. For white Protestants, it means calling each other on how much we lie.
• spreading RC tools to more people who are different from the current community's membership--more people of color, black men, young men, disabled people. It means that white RCers will need to decide to do this and as well as decide to give up leadership to others and support others.
• For Asians living outside of Asia, this goal means refusing to act as agents of oppression and not leaving anyone behind. We (and members of many other groups) have often traded our integrity for survival and fitting in
• Create specific community meeting formats and processes for dialogue and input into the ongoing creation and re-evaluation of RC policies, theories, guidelines and goals
• Don't tell people only to counsel on things they disagree with in RC
• Due process for individuals before they are told to leave community
• De-centralize communities-keep using consensus decision-making processes to build communities internally
• We don't have to settle for distance in disagreement. We can use disagreement to seek more informed contact
• form of courage is modeling noticing where people are having difficulties with their own integrity and to not attack but instead offer a hand. Offer ourselves
• share the full program of R.C. in the world, not watered down
• back each other against gossip and attacks both in and out of counseling
• USers need to look at the lies and myths that it is a great and good place and that we have values and to look at the privilege we have. Courage in my community doesn't "look like" never telling a lie; it is a war zone and there is a canyon between these worlds
• Share with other people how they can formulate their own policies
• We need to stop filtering what we say so its acceptable out of a fear for personal safety. Integrity is more important than safety
• Notice where we make choices we wouldn't make if the young people in our lives were there
• resolve to elicit others' thinking, no matter what their emotional content or how much we may disagree with them
• Reach for full dialogue and relationship with others rather than simply proselytizing on policies among people with whom we disagree
• Remember we as USers don't have all the answers. Believing that we do is oppressive and an expression of internalized shame about being Users
• Welcome upheaval. Rattling our cages
• Need to do it in a way that doesn't make us come down hard on or blaming people. Need to keep going after caring
• not having hidden lives
• We are constantly getting out of the way of phantom torpedoes. "Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead."
• to look our own possible death in the eye and decide to do it-discharging all the way
• Regarding people who refused to collude with Jewish oppression: It's a decision. Anyone can make a decision at any time to act on integrity. A hero stands out in a flock of people who have compromised, but inherently we're all people of integrity
• there is an objective right and wrong. There are wrong things that are obvious and right things also. People who are misinformed have a harder time knowing what is right and wrong
• look at everything we're doing about ruining the planet. The U.S. and England must do with less. Remorselessly face up to one's own consumerism or whatever, not ducking any issue
• We need to give the whole program. No one can be left out. We need to talk about what a class system is and how it divides us. We need to communicate about the discharge process. We must use theory about it to unify everyone. Everyone is heartbroken about the fact that even though we fought tooth and nail, they took it away from us.
• Start in my neighborhood, then tackle bigger picture.
• Promote things that every household can do-compost, recycling. Planting the seed of consideration for the environment. Not bad people, but haven't learned. Just ignorance. Not always thinking about "me," but thinking about animals, too. Like the meat industry and how animals get raised. It's scary to tackle because big industries attack people who stand up. Start
• England: The Dutch refused to buy petrol. Model as an individual. Refuse to collude. Large numbers expect to join. No cooperation
• Key as a liberation activist to be able to do this I have to understand how much I matter in order to act with courage and integrity. Have to take self seriously
• Need to discharge on individualismÐkey distress pattern for USers - saw that clearly in Beijing
• take each other on about how we live our lives
• Military training distorts people's natural drive to act with courage to do what's right
• discharge and model principled self-honesty, which allows trust in each other and our inherent ability to set things right in a big way, while giving up comfort in order to seek and regain the excitement of constant change!
• All RCers should take on visible leadership positions outside RC where we could model integrity and courage
• stand up for a standard of conduct that treats people thoughtfully, not allowing any compromise in this standard. Making public at all times one's commitment to the highest ideals of human behavior. Admitting that a system that robs most people for the benefit of a few is corrupt
• Does making the effort to act with integrity and courage in itself communicate well to people?ÐDoing the right thing out of pattern and not choice doesn't communicate well.
• To maintain and model integrity means: (1) to acknowledge our chronic distress and quit covering up for it. If we didn't lie about it (being "okay"), we'd have to get rid of it; (2) being willing to face the most awful feelings you can imagine instead of settling for comfort, and to completely reject popularity as a guiding influence
• One way to model courage in a useful way would be for leaders to take the risk of discharging in front of people while taking intelligent action
• model that everyone can get our real needs met
• Speak the truth simply: people before profit
• Articulate a vision of where we are going and bring people together around this vision
• Have fun. Show that it is delightful and great fun to act with courage and integrity
• describe how we took our attention away from the distress we used to be preoccupied with
• when we don't, it's a human hurt. Knowing that I usually know the right thing to do
• Refuse to act as though doing the correct thing is uncommon. It should be common to do the correct thing
• holding to your decisions; self-consistent; principles not only when it's convenient; knowing you'll get in trouble but do it anyway
• If integrity means living to your best view of things, how much initiative is involved and how much sacrifice are you expected to make for your ideals? Answers: Changing the world also means taking care of ourselves, but the contradiction depends on what our class background is
• Show openly and honestly why having courage and integrity matters to us
• I continue not always acting intelligently because I'm in a routine and feel comfortable. If I were to act intelligently and risk extreme discomfort, I would get out of my marriage, face discomfort and financial insecurity, and stop trying to make it work
• Would insist that people around me feel as opposed to numbing out vis a vis drugs as I do.
• Decision is all we have. RRRHH. What the hell-decide
• What is sensible and what is lack of courage? As a Jew, caution
• Continue the necessary strengthening of the decision muscle so we can act outside of the embarrassment, timidity, humiliation, etc., we have accumulated
• Be above reproach, as good a life as you can
• Learn to examine the information that we base our decisions on
• Two projects were proposed by our group: (l) To publish a paper in a public journal such as "Ms." about how the Beijing project worked. (2) An RC Community could take on a project regarding the larger community that would be a key issue. A workshop could be held with discharge on hopelessness, feelings about the community at large, greed, ending capitalism, and one for all and all for one. A project could be proposed, volunteers come forward, and decisions made about steps to try
• How to share the information: Send stories from the RC literature to Reader's Digest, Utne Reader. Other forums: "Book of Questions" (a party book), "Value Clarification."
• We need to offer the world proposals for discussion on a set of guidelines for action
• Ideas have influenced our culture, for example, not spanking children (no institutionalized support) changed in a generation. Study how other key ideas have been communicated, for example, Dr. Spock, business principles
• Remember that courage and integrity transcends all constituencies, that these are universally human qualities
• Look at what gets in the way of our being honest? Dishonesty is expression of internalized oppression. It feels like we need to be dishonest in the service of our survival. Being honest will restimulate people, have to face discouragement about upsetting people where they might not have the resources to get through it
• Popularize RC policy on attacks, gossip, courage so people inside and outside RC will be willing to speak up rather than stay silent for fear of attack.
• Envisioned first "courage circles" or "integrity support groups" to do with neighbors, etc.

Spanish/Espaniol

• Convertimas en un modelo de cambio con honestidad, integridad, y valor, para poder incluir en nuestras comunidades a los diversos grupos oprimidos (mujeres aborígenes, discapacitados entre otros) y para ello necesitamos hacer uso y difundir las guías de R.C. entre sus miembros.
• Haciendo el trabajo con responsibilidad, seriedad, confiando en la inteligencia y creatividad de cada ser humano, permitiéndole el desahogo de su patrón de angustia, se logrará la valorización y vida integra para llegar a ser modelos sin hipocracia frente a sociedades opresoras.
• Desahogar nuestros patrones que nos hacen sentirnos desintegrados y desvalorizados.
• Mantenernos como comunidad en el proceso de re-evaluación.
• Crear y consolidar nuevas comunidades.
• Aprovechar todos los recursos que nos ofrece R.C.
• Contradecir los patrones angustiosos que continuamente desvalorizan socialmente al ser humano y lo empujan hacia la corrupción.
• Trabajar con grupos marginados donde el hombre y la mujer han sido lastimados en su integridad.