IDIOMS - WHAT WE ARE

                              IDIOMS – Purpose statement

            We live in a world with problems that we feel locally but ripple through our global community: hunger, unequal distribution of food, deterioration of the environment, genocide, terrorism, policies that promote the inequality of women, minorities and people of GLBT identity, lack of equally accessible health care and educational opportunities, the threat of the negative use of nuclear power,  the increasing socio-economic gap between people of privilege and those who are marginalized, underdeveloped economies, the cost of waging war, and increasing the pace of converting to renewable energy sources,  just to name some of the more obvious issues.

            Our spiritual perspectives tend to segregate us emotionally, conceptually and physically, and they strongly influence our political, economic and life style choices.  IDIOMS hopes to be part of an effort that strives to dissipate segregation and encourage collaborative global solutions to problems.  A huge first step is to foster open communication in local communities.  Having more than a surface understanding of what motivates is crucial to collaborative problem solving.  This is the essential purpose of IDIOMS.  We need to be Open to Dialog so we can truly Sense what is in the heart of others, and that Insight can produce action that Matters and has an Impact.

            We have become politically polarized on the local, state, national and global level.  Religious perspectives contribute to this polarization. Fear of what is unfamiliar fuels polarization.  Many people are aware of spiritual perspectives other than their own but don’t have a constructive understanding of the beliefs.  Diffusing the tribalism caused by religious misunderstanding and prejudice will do much in getting beyond political polarization.  A first step is to become comfortable with and informed about belief systems. IDIOMS will promote this process within the context of respectful relationships.

        Instead of just reading material or watching a video presentation, IDIOMS will provide an opportunity for a deeper, immediate, meaningful personal exchange.  There are organizations that promote this type of understanding through various service experiences, having diverse groups work side by side emphasizing “you are what you do, not what you say you are”.  IDIOMS takes another approach and seeks a deep and compassionate understanding of internal motivation for what words we choose to say and what actions we choose to do.

                IDIOMS seeks to bring together people from diverse identities, and provide a safe,  time and space to express their innermost feeling about serious issues.  The space will be neutral and each participant will receive equal time to present.    Neutral space can be compared to Pipestone National Monument. North American inhabitants have mined pipestone for thousands of years.  This stone was considered sacred and used across the continent in religious rituals. In order that people from anywhere could mine the stone safely, the area around the quarries was considered a “peace zone” where there could be no physical violence.

             An immediate effect of IDIOMS is to challenge participants to become more informed about their own belief systems and realize how their family and cultural traditions inform their own opinions and actions. On a personal note, I have hosted three exchange students for a school year, and discovered the most unexpected challenge of hosting was explaining our family and countries' way of life, the diversity within our culture, how freedom requires responsibility, etc.  Having to verbalize what I took for granted forced me to develop a perspective that recognized strengths and weaknesses.

                Spiritual perspectives differ, problems are shared, as can be goals and solutions to problems.  Hopefully, participants will recognize diverse reasons for motivation, they will become better at thoughtfully listening,  finding common ground in ideas,  and realize that despite personal differences, they can strive to work with others to achieve common goals. This will effect how they live in their neighborhoods, make personal economic decisions, decide to become politically active,  and donate time, talents and money.  The more people that move from tribalism in their mental world, to a global consciousness the better chance we have for developing an attitude that everyone one on the earth be allowed the opportunity to reach their full potential