When I established a Black Bear Mountain Village (BBMV) Bus Ride journey as the initial curriculum for our Manuscript Class: Season Two, I offered my fellow travelers an activity for our group as we journey to our destination, AWE. My personal intention is to realize my lifelong desire for people around me to form a true community. I experienced this during the first eight years of my life and know its benefits for mental health, spiritual growth, and overall community well-being.
As the driver/guide on this bus, I follow the lead of "the community educator" in the original story, though my goal of creating a small "zone of peace" community is quite intentional. This contrasts with the byproduct of happenstance in the educator's scenario.
Intentional community building is excellent, and we're going to be more available to help you do that, such as learning "How to Revitalize Your Play Group 'Pandemic Pod.'"
In a manner similar to the story, I invited everyone in our Manuscript Class, after hearing the Bus Ride Story read by Board Member Sue, to do the Spectrum of Love Inventory, specifically applying attributes and concepts to how we treat ourselves. (Read Murat’s Bus Ride Story Adventure, see the archival link—"Bus Ride.")
Having done so, I turned my focus back onto Sue, my one remaining student from "Season One," while the others present were auditors, both onsite and dial-in.
Two attributes, "altruism" and "compassion," stood out to Sue as the weakest toward herself.
"Interesting," I mused. Now what, I wondered, realizing I was a bit adrift, having stepped out of my role as a D.C. area psychotherapist leading groups and seminars into heading an onsite, daily living-together community, rather than a once-a-month intense "Discount Derby" weekend as before. (See Truth or Dare GAME).
At our next Tuesday afternoon class, we took up the subject of altruism as a community learning project. I will be writing about that project here as our adventure progresses.
Look for more stories of our BBMV Bus Ride Story Adventure as it progresses, with our upcoming Manuscript Classes exploring (as per Murat) the connections between altruism, mental health, isolation, and a concept he defined as "ecological body consciousness."
More to come.