Winton: Hoping to have have some kind of
Ferna
Winton: channel to go through.
In terms of what to do.
Winton: So I guess this session is is titled, knowing what we know, what are we to do?
Winton: And I've deliberately used the word we, because not just moving from from Steven. Well, the teacher's sense of moving from our inner world
Winton: to our outer world, and having that very important balance, or at least
Winton: the middle way process that
Winton: keeps this balance going of the inner and outer work, but then on to
Winton: our work in the world.
Winton: And it's a really unusual situation. We don't know.
Winton: We we haven't had this before, where our world's looking as if it's going to become uninhabitable very soon.
Winton: So it's a big experiment.
Winton: But it needs everyone to be involved. That's my bias speaking there. So it's why I asked for it. You know, I think we need to get off our cushions and onto the streets as one of my teachers has said.
Winton: it's an emergency.
Winton: it really is an emergency. And when it's an emergency, you do things you wouldn't normally do. Perhaps you're a little bit braver than you normally would be.
Winton: and that's where we're at
Winton: at the moment, within this decade. And
Winton: As I was coming out the hall. I had a quick look at what we're in a Catholic
Winton: monastery type situation for the people who are online. And there was a book of Mary Mackillips sayings there, and that book she's got written. She didn't write it, but she said you told me I had great work to do.
Winton: but you did not tell me in what way. So even Mary Mackillop was unsure about what to do
Winton: when there's a big calling.
Winton: so we're all confused. But I do know, as I've said before, that this is
Winton: not what an individual can do. It's what non- individuals can do as in groups.
Winton: and you know I don't. I don't think it was the Buddha who said it, but it's in the suit as somewhere. You are like children playing with your toys while your house is on fire.
Winton: so
Winton: I've got that written on my toilet wall. It gives that impression that we there's a certain amount of talking we can do. and a certain amount of preparation. But we must do something.
Winton: So that's why I was really keen to have this session.
Winton: I'm just going to put some frameworks around it, or else we're going to run out of time again.
Winton: So the frameworks
Winton: doing this is not my forte, so I've had to kind of whip this out.
Winton: But the frameworks are. There will be a time limit. I've asked Margaret to ring the bell when someone's spoken for 2 min.
Winton: so 2 min will be the limit. please those who haven't spoken. You know we are.
Winton: you know, interested in your ideas. So those who haven't spoken or haven't spoken much. We'd love to hear from you. and if something's already been said, then let's be succinct, because we've got a short time to save the world.
Winton: There we go.
Winton: A very yeah, half an hour to save the world, you know. So keep it succinct. But saying that you know it's that both that pulse of inner and outer. So we're going to hear from everybody. But keep it succinct, and Margaret's kindly going to ring the bell.
Winton: So we've for the people online. We've asked people just to come up with ideas here.
Winton: Again. I'm going to put in my bias because I'm I'm not as interested in a
Winton: cars, food and composting anymore. I'm interested in mass movement. That's what it's come to.
Winton: So I want to go. For this group ideas that would lead towards mass movement. And you know, sure there are individual actions that can do that. But that's what I'm interested in
Winton: and soap.
Winton: I don't think I will read through it through them all. Just at this moment I might read a few and ask for people to make comments. Does that sound as if that would work?
Winton: So you don't have to listen to my voice all the time.
Winton: So the first one is, find a group that works for you like you might try several groups before you find one which suits your skills or inclinations.
Winton: And I want to add to that
Winton: if you don't like some little parts of the group.
Winton: but you like what they do. suck it up.
Winton: you know. Use all your Buddhist skills. I think. Am I quoting Steven? Use all your Buddhist skills to just think this is just individual differences, you know, because it's like, I say, it's an emergency. So if someone pisses you off, really stick with it.
Winton: that's what I'll add to that one
Winton: and then here join a national letter writing group. They have hundreds of people responding to any items in the media that touch on climate change. There's a group called
Winton: Can't Remember where people what is it? Yeah, I'll think of it when I'm not trying to think of it. Where they write they write letters to the editors. When I think of it, I'll I'll make it available. There's climate for change. Mpeg groups where people write
Winton: ring and visit Mps
Winton: in groups. I've got 2 of those groups. So talk to me. If you're interested. If you're nervous of it. It's a little bit like Tina said. The way they keep statistics.
Winton: One.
Winton: a letter hang on a phone call equals 10 letters and a visit equals 10 phone calls and they keep a count. So even if you just say.
Winton: dear Mp, I want you to love Anna. They still record it
Winton: in comparison to 3 page letters. So bear that in mind. Anyway.
Winton: I said I wouldn't talk
Winton: join a land care or a bush care, or anything to do with the precious earth, please, you know, join.
Winton: Trees are grow for trees for life, but you know. I think this is a lovely point. Bush care or bush links group, restore bush to enhance nature and carbon capture. Again, you can do both. Letter writing can be done at night. This can be done in the day, so don't don't rule out doing both.
Winton: Yeah, mass movement. Keep it in mind. So I don't want to drone on. Would anyone like to make comments about this, their experiences or their resources?
Winton: Hands up, and Alan will hand you the microphone or people online to welcome
Winton: so just very quickly, these were points that I wrote up because I think people need a bit of a diversity, not everyone.
Winton: or it might take a while for some people to feel comfortable in a direct action, for example. But there are very potent things like this, very well organized letter writing campaign, and you don't even have to be.
Winton: There's there's people called drones that can put their names to letters, and you might be a drone, or you might be a letter writer. So all these things are incredibly well organised already. It's not as if you have to start from scratch. It's just finding that connection with whatever that group is that fits for you.
Winton: Yeah, thanks, Susie.
Anybody.
Winton: So is there anyone else who'd like to? Yeah, Kate.
Oops work.
Winton: Kate, here.
Winton: there's there are also in terms of writing letters or support signing petitions. There's quite a lot that comes through email where it's already. The petition's already drafted.
Winton: And it's very easy to
Winton: sign a lot of petitions that other people are putting the energy into initiating and it's fairly, you know, low
and
Winton: low on time and energy consumption. Yeah, good point, yeah. Thank you. From space, a year from Greenpeace, etc.
Parents for climate. Yeah.
Winton: lots and lots and lots of organizations. Yeah.
Winton: And you know, I just want to say something on that, too. Is that this is my favorite topic. Sorry you can time me as well.
Winton: However, you know I talk to a lot of staffers. I visit my Mp. Once a fortnight, and you know I'm the eccentric little old lady that.
Winton: but they listen. They have to listen.
Winton: And you know, the staffers say that those quirky little letters or visits are what sticks in politicians minds. You know. We had one in Adelaide that was very inactive.
Winton: and one of our groups went and visited him and talked a fairwhile about grandchildren, and then told him a few things that he was aghast at.
Winton: and like how much water is used in fracking. and he actually, for the first time in his life. joined the group with Josh Burns, etc. Who are interested in the the climate trigger.
Winton: And you know, if it was just from a group of people visiting. So I want to encourage people to individually do it. Just ring. You will just get a staffer.
Winton: They're always polite because they want your vote, so it's not scary to ring
Winton: and just say what you want. Always have an ask.
Winton: Don't just ring them and go blah blah blah I care about client. Say, you know I care about client. I've got grandkids. I will. I want you on my behalf, too. and give them an ask, and then say, I'll follow you up on that.
Winton: you know, because it works. I won't go into details, but it works. Yeah.
Winton: So anyone else from there.
Winton: Amy.
Winton: maybe just start talking. And okay, is that, is that working? Yeah, yes, it is I just II mean, I've been involved in a lot of climate action for quite some time.
Winton: I just want to.
Winton: and I know this is probably asking too much. But I'm going to do it anyway, not to forget about human suffering.
Winton: because one of the things we used to say is feminists, you know, after the Revolution women will get.
Winton: you know, to be free or get their rights, and of course we had to fight for them. So I think that let's not forget that
Winton: the people that are being anger impacted still need our help like homeless people, and they are the most effective. So if we have enough energy, can we do a bit of both.
Winton: And can we remember that
Winton: you know that and and all animals? But there are a lot of animals being affected, and but little bit.
Winton: Don't forget to bring everybody and all the species along. Yeah, thank you.
Winton: And we I wanna go back to that balance that Steven spoke about when talking about this. We're balancing, that's what I call the pulse. We go from our practice, from being in touch with what we can and can't do knowing when we have overwhelm, etc. So this is in a life without a life. And as you're saying, Amy
Winton: you know, always keeping in touch with with kindness. And and it's not either, or it's. And
Winton: yeah, yeah, so thanks for reminding us of that.
Winton: go to Bernard. And then to Vivian online. Yeah, there was this id
Winton: raised by yesterday. By I'm sorry if I'm going to pronounce your name wrong, Cliiton.
Winton: Good about exercising your power as a shareholder in a company.
Winton: Why do you go through the Mp. We who is a third person when you have a direct action with your share provider that you, you are sure there in the company
Winton: corporate, are really.
Winton: really, really scare about what
movement can happen on their share.
Winton: and the major kept calls to to the ability to continue the business, so I think that the the the share
Winton: power of the share is very, very important, providing that it is done collectively, not individually. That's why I'm talking about it now as a collective action.
Yeah.
Winton: I agree.
Winton: if you have, and we've talked about divestment. and I don't know if it's up there. It probably is as many pages, but divestments very important, and if
Winton: or if you do have shares in things like Santos or Woodside, or whatever. Go to the agm
Winton: and let the and vote, let them know which is what through market forces has happened. Aboriginal people have been able to come into the agm
Winton: and and shout out these questions to the to the bosses of Santos Woodside.
Winton: etc. Yeah. Important.
They didn't pull up.
Winton: So, Vivian, it's your turn. Yes, hello, II
Vivien Langford: I've discovered something one above visiting the MP. And that is going to the Parliament and supporting the MP. When they do something that you want to endorse, and would like them to, you know, build on it. And I had that experience. I went to the Newcastle blockade, and I met some of the Senators there, and Senator Janet Rice told me, oh, I'm getting 20,000 letters
Vivien Langford: a week on Palestine. Oh, and then another Senator Sue Higginson told me in the New South Wales Parliament. Oh, we're doing a bill on net 0 by 2035, and so I went to the New South Wales Parliament rainy night, and
Vivien Langford: after the lunch break or the dinner break, they were going to talk on till midnight. I didn't really think I could last that long, but I sat there. I was the only one in the public gallery, and it was Brilliant Theatre on Sue Higginson's part, I mean she's a lawyer. She gave a brilliant speech.
Vivien Langford: several brilliant species, but it was very discouraging. The bad behavior of the other Mps, who were very rude, very toxic masculinity, pointing their fingers, shouting, grandstanding. It was very ugly, and I thought if there were 40 people up here
Vivien Langford: meditating, maybe not even
Vivien Langford: glaring at them, or anything but just sitting there as citizens. I don't think the tone of that debate would have been the same, and I reckon if we did it quite often some of the outcomes might be different, because they know someone's watching that this is, these are organized groups that
Vivien Langford: really endorse some policies and not others.
Vivien Langford: So that's the next step, I think.
Winton: Fantastic. Vivian. Yeah, really good idea. And I can hear people acknowledging that that it is a good idea, and
Winton: you know the power of many, many people visiting these Mps, or many, many people being in Parliament. I want to recommend.
Winton: I will get back to this something else that we do, and that is, you know, we Channel Greta and I have a group of people that sits on the steps of South Australian Parliament House
Winton: every first Wednesday of the month, and we meditate there. We have banners. Sometimes we change the banners, depending what we want, and we meditate for half an hour, and then ring barrels quite loudly, so that people can
Winton: see. So I recommend doing that, you know. It's non-intrusive. You get permission from the sergeant at arms. They're called. and you do it once a month, once a week, once a day, if you, if you really feel strongly about it and you live close.
Winton: If Parliament House, it could be somewhere else that you choose as a really
Winton: powerful place to meditate. Yeah, so sorry, Kate. Again, I realize I put the
Winton: shareholder action on the what can I do as an individual? So so in terms of money matters, you know. Bring your money where it can have an effect. So one of the market forces if you actually join market forces. They will ask you to sometimes go to Agms. Sometimes they they ask like they've asked me to buy a small pass.
Winton: I would sign shareholder, and central shareholder, because it gives it gives them a a voting rights. So I can endorse proxy so you can use your proxy, and they don't just go and chat. They put forward resolutions, and some of those you know resolutions get up. So you know, it's a very, very
Winton: solid organisation. And the the other thing is ethical
Winton: share
Winton: share purchases. And I don't know of ethical stockbrokers, but I'm I think there are. And it's, you know, building up resources of
Winton: where to find these people. Yeah, we talked about super before. But
Winton: so sorry. I just wanted to clarify that about some things are actually on the individual side. Yeah. And there's no line really. And market forces. If if you're in Australia are a really great resource contact market sources, and they'll give you
Winton: ideas about how to divest
Winton: was market forces.
Yep.
say that.
Winton: So I'm staying here.
Hmm!
What's it?
Winton: Oh, sorry. I'm a good
Winton: sorry. The Australian ethical investment funds you don't need. You don't need a agent or trader. You just go on their website and can just invest.
Winton: Yeah. Oh, there you go. So what was that? Again? That's the Australian Ethical
Investment Fund. I think they're they're really
Winton: they have superannuation. Or you can just buy shares. They're kind of really highly rated in terms of
Winton: the portfolio. They've been around for a long, long time.
Lena: Hmm!
Winton: So I don't know if we're waiting for someone, but I'll just quickly read a few more so that we can get through these pages.
Winton: Someone's written join a community garden or doctors for the environment. So we're now talking about groups. So you can either start your own if you want to meditate on the sets of Parliament House, or you can join others. And again, this movement towards
Winton: from this retreat that sense of moving outwards from from your Dharma practice out into the world. And you know, I've put here acf climate action network, which is kana extinction rebellion
Winton: which I really recommend. It's one of my dharma groups move beyond coal blockade, Australia, the knitting Nanas are really really active. They're fantastic, the red rebels. So street theatre. If you're if you're into art or theatre. It's a fantastic way to join a mass movement.
Winton: If you do decide to come to Newcastle next year, which we recommend, you know, there's there's Street Theater. There's artists, there's it's a beautiful mass of very talented, interesting people.
Winton: and then sage the younger grass roots, young people in sage etcetera, I don't know. Yeah. Both Garwin and I are members of Arc, which is the Australian religious response to climate change. They're very active banners up outside churches, etcetera. So you know, check out in your state the local arc group
Winton: and see what they do. So we have Lina online, Lina online.
Lena: Hi, Lena, Hi, Hi, can you hear me? Yeah, okay, I just wanted to add to Margaret's
Lena: Australian ethical investments that there is also a found that is called future Super.
Lena: and their slogan is the future isn't only measured in dollars. It's measured in Celsius.
Lena: And I think they they were. They have won some award as well.
Lena: So I just wanted to add that that's all
Winton: great. Thank you. So that's future super. Is that right? Yeah, future future super? Yeah.
Winton: And whilst we're online we might as well go to Ayla, and then we'll come back to the room
Winton: in a moment. I can. Ila. Hi.
Ayla Curtis: alright, thanks. Yeah, I'll I'll put in a big plug for future super as well. I changed quite a few years ago now, and they originally set up, but super easy process. Incredible ethics. Great customer service like couldn't recommend future super
Ayla Curtis: more than I have.
Ayla Curtis: But what I wanted to bring up specifically was around. I guess these groups that you could join and in particular, leverage, I think. If you're still in the workforce, or even if you're not joining you union
Ayla Curtis: and mobilizing that. you know, very organized very large movement of Unionists.
Ayla Curtis: Because they're not just about wage negotiations and wage breaking are actually also there to be used on social justice issues, whether it's climate change or social inequality.
Ayla Curtis: yeah, I think that's a really kind of useful and effective
Ayla Curtis: place to spend. At least I've found it.
Ayla Curtis: My time and energy around issues that are important to me is getting involved in my union and kind of agitating from within and tapping into that that group. And just that, I guess.
Ayla Curtis: the ethics around solidarity and equality and nondiscrimination. It's you know, very lined up, I guess, to what we're talking about. But being aware that there's there is this
Ayla Curtis: big movement of Unionists who have been effective, I guess, at social change in the past, and
Ayla Curtis: maybe less so in recent years. But still, you know, I think there's a swing back that way, and certainly seeing more and more activity in the social justice space from unions around Australia. So I found that a good kind of group to get involved with as well, maybe less directly relevant than, say, some of the climate action groups, but certainly like a big
Ayla Curtis: big group of people, nationally and internationally.
Winton: Yeah, great thanks, Anna.
Winton: Oh, yeah. Jessica, here. Yeah, I just wanted to talk a bit more about so I'm I belong to an offshoot of extinction, rebellion called drum rebellion. Which is
Winton: it's really great, because you can kind of be involved as much as you wanna be, or as little as you wanna be, and I can only at the moment commit to sort of a couple of hours on a Tuesday. But basically we just go we, you know, we have to do a, it's basically a bunch of people who go and drum outside banks that support the fossil fuel industry.
Winton: And we have really well organized people who have
Winton: you know, really great posters, banners, flags and things. But but there, the basic thing we do is that you know that we we just make an incredible noise. And really piss people off and and
Winton: they they are. John Rebellion are incredibly active. They they do so much stuff.
Winton: You know. They just the we supported the the the children, the you know, the kids cool school climate. Strike recently. And and
Winton: yeah, it's so. It's you can. What reason I'm sort of. I mentioned it before. The reason I'm kind of going back to it is is that it's you you can kind of, yeah, give as much as you as you want. You know. You know you don't have to be hugely involved, but you can be, you know. They went to Newcastle. They've done a whole lot of stuff. But I think it's a really, it's a really great initiative. And
Winton: yeah, just yeah. And it's fun. Actually, it's a really great way to vent your spleen.
Okay?
Winton: Thanks. Jessica.
Winton: Yeah. And extinction rebellion also has street theatre. so if you're you don't have to block or glue on, or anything like that, if you're in any of these groups you can.
Winton: I know it might be scary, but you can choose, as Jessica saying, to to join the music, or the chants, or the painting or the puppet making, etc.
Winton: His 10, is it?
Winton: Oh, back here? Okay. So I've already talked about visiting the Mps, and if anybody wants to know more about that. Just maybe come and see me because there's a national group, and there's state groups that run those, or you can run your own.
Winton: But there's resources.
Winton: Climate of change has a resource that you go online. You can get letter maps that you can just copy. Yeah.
Winton: And then I've talked about sitting on the meditating on the steps of Parliament House.
Winton: and there's also ideas of having tea parties or picnics out the front of banks out the front of your Mps. I don't know Labour Office and have a request.
Winton: Yeah, have something. All you have to do is have a request for them.
Winton: Oh, I just wanna mention Vivian's radio show, and there might be others like this. But Vivian, I can see you waving. We've got your your the link here. Would you like to say more about that?
Vivien Langford: Oh, I'd love to.
Vivien Langford: Yeah, I no. All these groups. And over 12 years I've been doing it since I retired. I
Vivien Langford: have found that a lot of groups just think, the media is the mainstream media, and they don't realize we have 20,000 listeners. For example, on a Monday we have pod, the podcast. Goes to another 500 downloads. I think that's quite a few town halls of people that we're influencing. And I interview people in this group. My main reason is because I find that
Vivien Langford: a lot of people feel
Vivien Langford: you can't do anything they tell you you can't do anything about this. You know. It's all too big. It's all over game over whatever you can't do anything, and they're disgusted by the corruption in politics and all of that.
Vivien Langford: But so II counteract that with constantly interviewing all the people who are doing something doesn't have to be successful, but they are doing something just as we're talking here. But I don't get very good press releases from people they don't give me competent press releases like British contact is the phone number when they're available. And I can do zoom interviews. Now, since Covid, I just do them on Zoom. I don't even do it in the studio choice to go down to Melbourne from Sydney.
Vivien Langford: you know, every 6 weeks, and do live shows and pre recorded shows. Now I do it all on zoom. So it's quite easy. And I would love people to collaborate if they're, you know, have a good flow of words, and they know what, what.
Vivien Langford: what inspiring, inspiring action looks like. Please contact me because I would love to have their group, their action, things that they are reporting on to my wider audience. We even picked up in Canada, you know, New Zealand sometimes takes our show. So
Vivien Langford: you know, we're speaking to the world, and I really feel that there was a book by Paul Hawken, called Blessed
Vivien Langford: Unrest a long time ago, and he found thousands of these groups around the world on this, you know, climate, action, environmental
Vivien Langford: action, solidarity with
Vivien Langford: the people who were suffering all the effects. And he found that there were so many of them, he said. Then you can't coordinate this, and I appreciate that we can't coordinate it. But networking and connecting, and.
Vivien Langford: you know, believing in the independent voice is. you know, people give it a try, you know. It's
Vivien Langford: I find a lot of people seem a bit thwarted in advance, and yet
Vivien Langford: their story will influence somebody.
Vivien Langford: Thanks. We've got a question here, Vivian. What's the name of the radio show? It's called the Climate Action Show.
Vivien Langford: and it's at 3 CR. In Melbourne and radio Skid row in Sydney. So you just Google.
Vivien Langford: climate action show 3 CR.
Winton: Okay, I've written that down here for people to.
Winton: And Vivian has provided her email address. If anybody wants to connect her directly and maybe get on the shot.
Winton: Kim. right? Thank you. And on that I'll put up my email address. If anyone does want to get into writing to Mps or Senators or visiting
Winton: anyone next.
Winton: Tessa.
Winton: thank you. It's Tessa. Anna, something I'm really interested in is
Winton: inspiring and onboarding more people into this movement. So you know, you talking about the mass movement, and I feel like you spoke about that bell curve before which I really loved, from, you know, alert to alarmed to action
Winton: and
Winton: getting more people up into that action space to allow so many of these things to be mass
Winton: movements rather than small groups. And this you probably know Sarah Wilson, she's a big role model for me, a a climate activist.
Winton: and one of the things she always says is, how are you gonna make it sexy like, how are you gonna get people interested? Not by making them scared or not by making them feel guilty. Or you know all of those things that will actually make people turn away if they're not already like us.
Winton: And I feel like that is such a big well for me, I guess in my life such a piece of action that
Winton: you know we build the choir right? You know we're preaching to the choir, but then we get a bigger choir, and then more people can do all these things. And I've found success in our I'm so new in climate. I'm only a few years in right in in activism.
Winton: But we've got a really big community. And I've found great success in just finding ways to frame issues or ideas. Or it's like, Here, come and do a Senate submission, but you know, make it sexy like. Let's have a wine, or let's call it a cool name, or let's get some catchy images, and
Winton: I don't know. That's
Winton: that's something I'm thinking. Correct.
Winton: Okay, great, do it, Tess, do it. Don't hesitate.
Winton: You know, young people are coming up with different ways to which is what happened with rising tide and blockade Australia.
Winton: you know it's young people. It goes back to what I was saying at the beginning of that theory of change around.
Winton: around, inspiring people around talking about it, saying, I'm doing this. Do you want to come with me? You know we're talking about doing a submission, about seasonic blasting. You know you're a surfer. You care about the ocean. All you have to do is try. La! Let's all do it together. Get a group together.
Winton: put in submissions on seasoning. You know there were 3,000. I did one. I made my friend. Do one. You know. my son, do one like, you know? Just get a little bit more enthusiastic.
Winton: And to go back to our practice that we've been talking about this week of of using it as your practice to see you know. Why am I nervous about this? You know. How can I be more courageous? As Leonore was saying
Winton: of and and finding your proclivities what you can and can't do don't do what you can't do.
Winton: work out your proclivities and work within those
Winton: we have Linda online, and then Gavin Linda. Then go go ahead, Linda.
Lynda: Oh, hi! Thank you. And thank you for writing up all the ideas and suggestions there on on the white paper. I'd be very curious to have access to them somehow. Jotting down notes as we speak is useful, but I'm sure I'm gonna miss a lot of great ideas there.
Lynda: Something that occurred to me a number of years ago was the need for greater connectivity and networking amongst those of us nationally who are working very hard in our local communities at various levels.
Lynda: To bring about action on climate change, whether through policymakers or more directly in their local environment.
Lynda: And it occurred to me that you know, they've been over the years. Great shifts in
Lynda: ideas and implementation through extraordinary meetings, such as with Bob Hawke and the the trade union movement, and other similar great connectivity gatherings where people from diverse backgrounds, but with similar interests got together
Lynda: and basically connected with each other, nourished each other, supported each other, and came up with ideas that could progress. That their common goals.
Lynda: and so this might sound a bit out there, and probably maybe impossible. I'm wondering if over the next 12 months, 18 months, whatever. I'd like it to happen tomorrow. But let's be real here. That we think about the possibility of coming together with, a national
Lynda: Conference over maybe a long weekend where, you know, I look at all the wonderful people who've spoken here over this last week. The skills and range of of networks that other people, you know, the people have shared him.
Lynda: This could be replicated on a national scale. And I wonder if you know when we think about well, what can we do?
Lynda: Is this something worth thinking about? And a as sort of a a side issue. I tried to raise, perhaps clumsily a day or so ago about the media mainstream media. Right wing media
Lynda: undermine distort and cynically, destroy anything positive that those of us who want positive social change, environmental change, etcetera. you know, trying to achieve.
Lynda: If there was a national conference like this, this is something that would be very difficult to ignore. So I'm just putting it out there. But I'm also putting up my hand. I'd be very prepared to work
Lynda: hard to make this happen. If others were also interested, I would dedicate hours and hours over how many months it takes to get it up. If people think it's worthwhile considering.
Winton: I can't do it myself. I don't have the skills, and I think there'll be people here that may well take it up.
Winton: Yeah. So was talking with Jeff about this Jeff, would you like to make a comment about. Sorry. I'm probably 3 people lined up. Sorry to take that up. So what we can go back to that question of
Winton: secular dharma. And how do we use secular dharma as a vehicle for us to know what to do as a support
Winton: as a
Winton: a vehicle. Yeah, for us to to use in this area. Sorry, Galen. So a couple of quick things from the world of the Australian religious response to climate change
Winton: first is, we're going to have a national conference next year. We had one about 4 years ago, and it was very
Winton: engaging and empowering, and led to quite a lot of action since then.
Winton: second thing is just a little trick which one of our colleagues came up with at the start of a meeting. Oh, God! Yet another arc meeting! First 10 min is doing an action.
Winton: The action is, write a letter to your MP.
Winton: Here is the information. Here is where you find the Mps address. Here is the text of a letter which you can change if you want
Winton: meeting doesn't continue until you've written a letter and press the send button. Now what it does. Mp. Gets letters, but it totally changes the feel of the meeting. You've actually done something
Winton: so highly recommended.
Winton: Thank you.
Winton: What I'm going to say is a little bit out of the stream of what we are thinking. But just something for salt.
Winton: We have already lost
Winton: a lot of battle on the climate change, unfortunately. and we know what it is going to be at the end of 2,050. It's already written.
Winton: Even if we stop the CO. 2. Emission tomorrow we are going to work for 2,001, 2,200. So we know what is going to happen in 2,050,
Winton: and it is going to be hot. It is going to be like 2 days, 365 days. and our body is going to react badly because we are not ready for that.
Winton: So the field that I wanted to point out here is completely out of the what we are thinking here. But we are going. We need to get ready.
Winton: And probably there is also a field of action where we need to think about
Winton: how we are going to
Winton: to react with our body, how medically we are prepare for
Winton: taking care of the people of the of the weakest. I mean. It's also a way to make aware people of. Look, this is what is waiting for us.
Winton: It can be used both way, I mean, as a caring action for what is going to happen in the future, and also as a a way of making people aware about
Winton: what is waiting for us.
Winton: Yeah, thank you, Bernard and II agree.
Winton: I think someone has previously spoken of Jen Bendel and the deep adaptation movement.
Winton: So if you're interested in the preparation for this. What's going to happen? Deep adaptation, Jim Bendel. There's there's an Australian group
Winton: that that works just on these. On preparing, working with kindness with community. So that when food shortages, heat occurs, etc. What to do about this? But yeah, it is grim.
Winton: And on that point I just want to say. earth.
Winton: I've decided I'm going down fighting so it it can really help to be in a group that is active. It stops the depression, the overwhelm.
Winton: etc. By being in an active group. I mean, you know, whether we can stop what's happening or not in some ways to me is irrelevant.
Winton: I feel really good being out there being active.
Winton: Yeah, I know who I want to go down with. Yeah.
Winton: yeah. Jay got some ideas.
Winton: thanks. And Jeff, here.
Winton: this has been really good.
Winton: But II want to take a a slightly different tech here.
Winton: What effectively this is the discussion so far is doing is
Winton: in a
Winton: enabling us, as individuals, to follow the path. You know this is in the context of of secular Dharma workshop, and so on.
Winton: And you know. Over the course of the week we've highlight highlighted a range of issues, and I think if we dug
Winton: into it further, there'll be other topics that
Winton: as a group, we'd be interested in exploring further what what we haven't done, though I feel in this discussion is talk about developing the capacity of the singer or the secular Buddhist community
Winton: beyond those attending here
Winton: to engage with these issues and to engage with other issues that we haven't yet
Winton: developed. Yeah. And so the the issue that I think needs a bit of attention, and I'm not sure whether it's on the agenda for tomorrow at all.
Winton: but is, how do we pick up
Winton: from where we've come to today in terms of the secular Dharma community
Winton: and progress this
Winton: so that, you know, strengthen numbers and so on on the individual issues, but but also, you know, develop our capacities individually. But for those that haven't been able to come
Winton: may be interested and may become engaged over time. So you know, we've talked a little about developing singer.
Winton: But you know, other resources are the networks. Is there interest in discussion groups around particular topics to really tease out and develop
Winton: develop all of this further and and have something that goes beyond us as individuals, and the effect that we might have on these particular agendas.
Winton: Great. Yeah, thanks, Jeff. And we've got to probably bring the meeting to a close now, but that's a great place to finish, I think.
Winton: is it half past 5 that we're supposed to?
Winton: That's 25 past so, and then at half past closing down a topic, isn't it sorry? I thought we had to finish?
Winton: But II just wanted to put it out there, because I think it's something we do need to grapple with, and we can follow up on that. I think it touches on something that Linda said, where we can.
Winton: you know. Maybe. Take up your idea, Jeff.
Winton: to to see who's interested.
Winton: There's one in America I know there's one in Uk of of secular dharma.
Winton: I don't miss the link.
Winton: I know the one in America because I belong to it, but it's at 40'clock in the morning, so secular dharma and action
so.
Winton: But we've got 5 min before the the next set be. So maybe we'll
Winton: yeah have one more, and then a a break before our meditation. Yeah.
Winton: just a really brief one to me, just
Winton: it just seems to me that this one important question each one of us needs to engage with. I think it's helpful. It's definitely helpful for me. Which is
Winton: the question that the
Winton: it's kind of 2 questions. One question is.
Winton: what do we need to do
Winton: for the purpose of feeling good?
Winton: What do we? And the other question is, what do we need to do for the purpose of maximizing our contribution to the actual problem that we are talking about.
Winton: The answer to the first question
Winton: is not always going to be the same. I suggest as the answer to the second question. And I think this is an important thing for us to reflect
Winton: about.
Winton: Yeah, I agree.
Winton: It might be a great thing for the the group that Jeff's talking about to to discuss. We all make individual decisions on that.
Winton: So I think we will finish off this. So people can have a quick toilet, break and drink, etc. Before our meditation. It feels like this is an ongoing discussion. But thank you, everyone who contributed.
Winton: and you know we might see the interest in having a Australian secular dharma
Winton: in action. I don't know what we'd call it group that could could follow through with these ideas.
Winton: so we can put the incredible depth of dharma discussion and practice that has happened over the week into action. So thank you, everyone.
Winton: and thank you, Anna, for moderating the session. Very, very well, thank you.
Winton: Once you time limit people.