It was a great privilege to be part of a life-changing webinar called the “Joy of Reading and the Value of RC literature,” led by Marilyn Robb [International Commonality Reference Person for Educational Change].

 Marilyn began by explaining that reading and learning are closely linked to each other because most of our learning experiences involve reading. We’re born with a desire to learn, but the oppressive nature of schools and the struggles we had there left most of us with difficulties around reading and learning. Even so, we may have had joyful times of reading, such as learning about people around the world, and it’s a good contradiction to remember them.


The goal of the webinar was to help us reclaim our confidence that we can learn anything and everything. 


Marilyn reminded us that we have a large body of RC literature—compiled over the last fifty years or more—about liberation, oppression, and constituencies—and she encouraged us to make good use of it. We learn from our RC teachers and leaders in classes and workshops but when we don’t have access to them, literature is there to fill the gaps. 


“To get a deep and broad understanding of RC, we need access to ideas and information from many people over the past years,” she said, but she added that as practicing Co-Counselors and leaders, it is important that we develop our own thinking and perspectives. In other words, the literature isn’t something to follow without thinking about it. 


We all have feelings when we read RC literature. We get to notice when an article or passage restimulates us, and discharge there.


Marilyn talked about how Co-Counselors are coming together in small groups to read, and she asked us to help people get excited about making that happen in our own Communities. She also encouraged us to promote reading in all our RC classes and support groups, and to send our writings, photographs, and artwork to publications@rc.org for publication.


Highlights of the webinar for me were reading with attention in a small group, discharging on my earliest memory of learning to read, and reading some beautiful RC literature in preparation for the class, including:


• “Why Everybody should Read Everything,” by Chris Heidenrich (Present Time No. 104, July 1996);
• “RC literature and Learning Re-evaluation Counseling,” by Tim Jackins (Present Time No. 153, October 2008); and
• “The Effective Use of Literature: The Power of Our Literature and Encouraging the Full Use of It,” by Harvey Jackins (Start over Every Morning).