A good attendance of ten (including Kate).
Kate began her presentation of Emerson's "Self-Reliance" with some pertinent quotes
Familiar as the voice of the mind is to each, the highest merit we ascribe to Moses, Plato, and Milton is, that they set at naught books and traditions, and spoke not what men but what they thought. A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which ashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages.
Kate set aside some time to allay any concerns about Emerson's use of 'man' as being sexist, by affirming instead that it was used in a generic sense, to include men and women. Kate cited the origin of the word 'man' as relating to 'the thinker'.
With that clarification, Kate then refocused her talk on the importance of being true to oneself, quoting Shakespeare:
This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Kate shared some of her personal experiences of being of 'independent mind' and the ensuing 'tut-tuts' and disapproval from relatives, acquaintances, and the like.
Kate continued:
Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events.
The subject of intuition entered the discussion, with recognition of how important it is to trust one's intuition. Mention was made that trusting one's intuition is one of nine key factors in overcoming terminal illness, as detailed in Dr Kelly Turner's "Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds". And that another of the nine factors –taking control of your health– often necessitated trusting intuition, especially when that 'inner tutor' (as Kate explained, the root meaning of 'intuition') guided one away from the conventional medical treatments that would only delay by a month or two the prognosis.
Others shared that when they ignored their intuition, almost without fail they'd suffer unpleasant, or less-than-favourable situations.
The discussion segued into an energetic discussion of last week's topic of "The courage to be disliked" -- of how taking responsibility for our circumstances, and recognising the purpose of our choices was 'life changing'. One example was shared of a mother and her substance-abusing son. When the question was asked of the mother, "what is the goal of your choices and behaviours", considerable awareness of the underlying dynamics of the mother-son relationship was gained.
Other examples were shared, all with the importance of focusing on "what is the goal of my choices".
After Kate quoted Emerson on the subject of resilience, the resilience of children was questioned, with some opinions that children were vulnerable and unable to counter bullies, or handle difficult situations.
Kate was quick to affirm, that bullies are often cowards, and that children are better off when they 'stand their ground'.
Another topic introduced by Kate, was on the subject of communication by quoting
“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”
Another pointed out that in "NVC" (Nonviolent Communication) the question "What do you think I meant by what I said" is recognised as being a valuable tool (question) for effective communication.
As the meeting concluded some expressed interest in giving presentations, one of whom was Vivienne, with a view to talk on biodynamics. It was generally assumed that any future presentations might not be held at Marvel Hall, but instead at whichever location was deemed convenient, good value, etc.
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