HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED?


HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED
WHAT KIND OF A WORLD
WE HUMAN BEINGS COULD CREATE

IF WE HUMANS WERE TO FIND OUT
THAT IN FACT
WE ARE GOOD-NATURED?

INSTEAD OF OUR BEING
BURDENED & DONE IN BY OUR
ORIGINAL SIN

WE ARE BY NATURE
BLESSED & CALLED INTO OUR
ORIGINAL GRACE

SUCH WAS THE MOST PRECIOUS
OF ALL THE MANY DISCOVERIES
OF OUR RECENT 20TH CENTURY

LED BY NOTED PIONEERS
CARL ROGERS, ABE MASLOW, ROLLO MAY, VIRGINIA SATIR
JAMES BUGENTAL, SIDNEY JOURARD, STANLEY KELEMAN

THAT WE ARE INNATELY INCLINED
TOWARD BECOMING
LIFE-AFFIRMING

CONSTRUCTIVE
RESPONSIBLE
TRUSTWORTHY
(CARL ROGERS)

THAT WE CAN AFFORD TO PROBE
THE FURTHER REACHES OF OUR HUMAN NATURE
OUR HIERARCHY OF NEEDS, PEAK EXPERIENCES & SELF-ACTUALIZATION
(ABRAHAM MASLOW)

THAT THE UTTERLY FREE HUMAN BEING
WILL BE/COME
SPONTANEOUSLY RESPONSIBLE
(ROLLO MAY)

THAT WE ARE ENCOURAGED
TO SEARCH FOR OUR SELVES
(ROLLO MAY)
AND TO SEARCH FOR MEANING
(VIKTOR FRANKL)

AND TO SEARCH FOR AUTHENTICITY
(JAMES BUGENTAL)

WE CAN AFFORD TO BECOME TRANSPARENT
(SIDNEY JOURARD)

WE ARRIVE POSSESSED OF & DESERVING OF
SELF ESTEEM
(VIRGINIA SATIR & BOB REASONER)

FAR MORE THAN ONLY
'I THINK THEREFOR I AM'
(RENE' DESCARTES)

WE FEEL THEREFORE WE ARE
(FRANKLIN MURPHY)

WE ARE OUR BODIES
(STANLEY KELEMAN)

THAT OUR BODIES
INSTEAD OF BEING OBJECTS PROPERLY TO BE CONTROLLED
BECOME THE SUBJECTS OF OUR EXPERIENCING
(THOMAS HANNA)

THAT THE PERSON
WHO HAS LIBERATED & INTEGRATED
EACH & ALL OF HER/HIS INTELLECT + EMOTIONS + BODY

INTO HIS/HER BECOMING A WHOLE PERSON
WILL BE POSSESSED OF
A DEMOCRATIC CHARACTER STRUCTURE
(ABRAHAM MASLOW)

HOW DEEPLY & PROFOUNDLY
OUR MOST BASIC CHOICE OF VISIONS
REGARDING OUR SELVES

OUR HUMAN NATURE & POTENTIAL
LEADS TO OUR BECOMING
A SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY

DURING THE 1960'S WE RECOGNIZED THAT EVERY BODY
AGE, GENDER, RACE, ORIENTATION, DIS/ABILITY
IS WORTH-WHILE

NOW WE ARE RECOGNIZING THAT EVERY BODY
AGE, GENDER, RACE, ORIENTATION, DIS/ABILITY
IS TRUST-WORTHY

WHAT A TRULY RADICAL & REVOLUTIONARY
SUBVERSIVE & INSPIRING, + HEALING & HOPEFUL
VISION THAT PROVIDES EACH/ALL OF US
ALTOGETHER LEADING EACH OF US
OUT OF THE DEPTHS OF CYNICISM & DARKNESS
SHAME & GUILT & FEAR & REPRESSION

ALTOGETHER LEADING EACH OF US
INTO THE LIGHT & HOPE OF FAITHFULNESS
LIBERATION & HEALING & INTEGRATION & LOVING

WHEREIN TRUST BECOMES
THE ORDER OF THE DAY
PARTNERSHIP & COLLABORATION OUR OPERATING WAY

TRUSTING OUR SELVES
LEADING EACH OF US INTO OUR HEALTHY SELF ESTEEM
ON INTO OUR PERSONAL & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

TRUSTING EACH OTHER
LEADING ALL OF US INTO INCLUSION & DIVERSITY
ANY AGE, GENDER, RACE, NATIONALITY, ORIENTATION, DIS/ABILITY

TRUSTING OURSELVES TOGETHER
LEADING US INTO PARTNERSHIPS
COLLABORATING FOR EFFECTIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING

TRUSTING OURSELVES ALTOGETHER
INSTEAD OF WAGING ENDLESS WAR
ENGAGING EACH OTHER, OUR INNATE PEACE-ABILITY

AH, YES, AFTER (BEFORE) ALL
WE HAVE THE POWER WITHIN US
TO CREATE A VASTLY DIFFERENT WORLD

FAR MORE PEACEFUL & GENEROUS & SUSTAINING
IF/WHEN WE GROW TO REALIZE
THAT WE ARE IN FACT BASICALLY GOOD-NATURED

FOR ONCE THE TRUTH IS RECOGNIZED,
AS WE LEARNED FROM THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT,
'THE PERSONAL AND THE POLITICAL ARE ONE!'

WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES + TO OUR GRAND/CHILDREN
TO CREATE RIGHT NOW A WHOLE NEW POLITICS
BEFITTING WHO WE ARE BECOMING AS HEALTHY WHOLE PERSONS


FOR WHILE WE BOAST OF OUR NEW ECONOMY
CHERISH OUR NEW DEMOGRAPHY & REVEL IN OUR NEW CONSCIOUSNESS
WE FIND OURSELVES STUCK IN 'THE SAME OLD POLITICS'

AND AS EINSTEIN POINTED OUT
WE CANNOT SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS
WORKING OFF THE SAME ASSUMPTIONS
THAT LED TO THEIR CREATION IN THE 1ST PLACE


SO OUR CALL IS TOWARD CHALLENGING CYNICISM
DEEPENING OUR SENSE OF OUR OWN INNATE TRUSTWORTHINESS
CREATING A WHOLE NEW POLITICS

LET US NAME IT
'THE POLITICS OF TRUST'

LET US LIVE IT
FAITHFULLY & COLLABORATIVELY & SUSTAININGLY

LET US PRACTICE IT
IN EVERY RELATION SHIP IN EVERY SITUATION

LET US THEREBY ADVANCE
'THE POLITICS OF TRUST'
INTO BECOMING THE MAINSTREAM OF ALL OUR POLITICS

LET US NOW MOVE TO OUTGROW OUR INHIBITIONS
CUT LOOSE OUR PASSIONS & OUR ACTIONS
MAKE OUR WORLD CONDUCIVE FOR GROWING HEALTHY HUMAN BEINGS

NOW HAVING WONDERED
WHAT KIND OF A WORLD
WE HUMAN BEINGS COULD CREATE

IF WE HUMANS WERE TO FIND OUT
THAT IN FACT
WE ARE GOOD-NATURED

NOW WE COME TO KNOW
WE COULD CREATE SUCH A WORLD
WE HAVE NO TIME OR ENERGY TO WASTE

WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES

AND EVERY BODY ELSE & ALL OUR WORLD

TO BRING THAT POLITICS TO LIFE FOR ALL OUR FUTURE WELL-BEING

WE HAVE NEITHER ANOTHER MOMENT
NOR ANOTHER CHILD
TO LOSE



JOHN VASCONCELLOS
OCT 20, 2007