Culture War, Culture Peace
Culture war has been brewing for sometime. Are you sick of it enough to make peace? What would that look like? That’s what we’ll explore, together.
Key Info
From May 3rd to 30th The Climate Majority Project will be hosting a “Culture Peace” gathering at the Bergerac Practice Hub, of Life Itself, a meta-crisis-aware network co-founded by our co-director Liam. Take a train down to Bergerac, enjoy nice weather and get a taste of the next stage of cultural evolution.
Culture war has been brewing for sometime. Are you sick of it enough to make peace? What would that look like? That’s what we’ll explore, together. We’ll reflect on how our (sub-)cultures’ unquestionable, and even sacred beliefs, and our taboos come into conflict. We will work on ways of diffusing and getting past this conflict as well. We will practice holding the tension between two facts: No single way of looking at things is right, however, some views are more useful than others for some things.
This residency will be facilitated by Liam kavanagh ( Host) , Ruppert Read (special guest) and Jadzia Tedeschi (Steward)
Specific topics that we will include:
Disagreeing Passionately and Peacefully. If we are so emotional about certain subjects, they must be important. So we can talk about them, perhaps peacefully, perhaps as a lovers’ quarrel.
How the climate emergency can unify us. Staring into the abyss of world-system collapse together can put things in perspective. Disagreements about important subjects like whether gender is biological may still seem important, but perhaps not enough to divide us.
Respecting Everybody. The best way to get anybody to listen while you profoundly disagree with them is to make sure that this person feels you respect them deeply. The most important way to do that is to actually respect them deeply, this is even more important than cleverly “messaging to them.” So we’ll practice true respect for all people, even the ones we currently hate.
Respecting even people we really dislike. Many people who agree we should respect everybody still proudly hate Donald Trump. There is a certain kind of respect or affection that many have for horrible historical characters, like Genghis Khan or Vlad the impaler, perhaps like we would for a predator. This does not mean that we would not oppose these people if we lived in their time. Can we extend the same feeling to those we oppose now (Putin?, Trump?, Biden?)
Other potential questions for peaceful and passionate disagreement:
How do we pragmatically relate to global justice issues? Is “democracy” failing? Dealing with “wokeness” Identity Politics and related backlash Immigration
- When: 3 May - 30 May 2024
- Where: Life Itself Praxis Hub, Bergerac, France (near Bordeaux)
- Who: anyone interested in culture peace.
- Facilitators: Liam Kavanagh, Rupert Read
- Cost : €400-950 per month depending on room type (plus €10/ day for food).
- Notes on costs: our aim is that cost is not an obstacle to anyone in participating. If finance is an issue please get in touch and we will see if we can provide support in some way.
- Interested? Apply now »
- Have questions? email jadzia@climatemajorityproject.org
Residency Structure
Schedule (tentative and can change with the needs of the participants):
- 7-8 am: optional meditation in Dojo (just sitting)
- 8-9 am: optional breakfast
- 9-10 am: collective care for cooking, cleaning, gardening
- 10 am-1 pm: own time
- 1-2 pm: buffet lunch and dishes
- 2-6:30pm: own time
- 6:30-7:30 pm: table dinner and dishes
- 8pm: optional evening activity
Besides the daily structure, there will be a weekly sharing/regulatory circle and a weekly roles meeting at friday lunch). Participants are invited to offer their own practices to other residents during the night sessions.
Regarding food, we use a system inspired by zen temples where everyone takes turns being daily head chef supported by the food guardian ( tenzo) to create a sustainable collective system.
Weekends don't have any frame. During that time spontaneous cooking and eating organisation happens. This is a time that gives opportunity to discover surroundings such as Plum Village or prehistorical caves.
The monthly cost ranges between €400 to 950 ( monthly) for lodging, depending on the room, plus approx. € 300 for food and amenities ( €10 peer day) . All communal food is organic and plant-based.
Ideal candidates are those who resonate with these principles and practices, have a project to work on and are ready to explore being community.
