in addition to laughter and humor, what helps me deal with the tension of the transition and keeps me sane is solitude in nature and artistic expression – poetry, painting, etc – which helps also bridge the invisible with the visible…

I have found that laughter and humor work well to bridge the cultural gap. I also have found that honest humor around serious issues such as race help build trust. I was in Haiti recently and my willingness to recognize myself and my perspective as that of a “blanc” made some communication more open, honest and connected.

… not yet sure whether to step into the circle (by some means I find new entries in relevant blog early on). So my comment will be rather short.

Playing and exploring our future together – that’s what connects me and others, laughter is also then the outcome, and a shift in thinking.

Thanks a lot for sharing, remember very well the days in Oman in 2008 talking to FransSugiarta (also from Indonesia and ELIAS participant) and hearing his laughter.

Honestly its lovely to be in that kind of situation when smile, laugh and humbleness coming into one pot and the positive energy emitted to reconnect with our common future. If its happen frequently it will solve many uncertainty and dilute nervous creator. Togetherness encourage our creative ideas and action in dealing with the tension of transition..no doubt, nervous in dealing with the uncertain future.

I find that if you realise that we are living in a transition period, you can just notice when you are in the previous one and when in the new one. It doesn’t need to be a tension in my humble opinion, just let it be and acknowledge in yourself when you are in the first or in the latter.
The point is not to make one more real than the other; they both are real in the sense of a shared meaning between lots of people and to me ‘the other world’ is even more real as it links with connectedness and wholeness and wellness. There are more links here with the natural world, so in that sense more real.
Most difficult seems to be – for a lot of persons – to go in your natural pace and see how the current speed of Western society is a collective illusion – as if life IS that way. It is not.

Thanks for sharing!

Laughter certainly helped to create a welcoming athosphere to group all members. that excites and bonds all perticipants. Members of the team will laugh at their own silly past experiences, ridiculous photo acts, unexpected happenings at group sessions. Laughter are energizing pauses before indulging in more serous discussions.

I think emotional or physical distance is a prerequisite of laughter in this situation. And it happens within groups in which the participants can share their suffering under the existing circumstances (the old and the new world). It helps to cope with this situation but from my point of view it’s not enough.

This post brings to mind one of my favorite quotes by Will Keepin: “we are urgently called to action in two distinct capacities: to serve as hospice workers to a dying culture, and to serve as midwives to an emerging culture These two tasks are required simultaneously; they call upon us to move through the world with an open heart—meaning we are present for the grief and the pain—as we experiment with new visions and forms for the future. Both are needed. The key is to root our actions in both intelligence and compassion—a balance of head and heart that combines the finest human qualities in our leadership for cultural transformation.”