Our Mission
I started this section and called it Glens nook. I plan on hanging out here more often. Ill listen, share my thinking with you, and hope to get to know many of you as we continue to grow our community.
We wanted to share our mission with you before publishing it. We believe that every voice is important and every voice matters. Please share your thoughts on our mission below.
Our Mission:
7 Cups of Tea is for anyone who wants to live in a world where the human experience is free from stigma and stereotypes and rich with love and support. A world where all 7 billion of us can grow and feel like we truly belong.
We believe that each one of us is inherently valuable. We do not measure people based on where they are from, what they look like, or what position they hold. We recognize that people make sense in the larger story of their lives. We understand that people are complicated and that life is not simple or easy.
We are all on the same path. Some of us are just starting out. Others are further down the road. No matter where we are, being kind, compassionate, and accepting of one another enables us all to grow.
We do not tolerate people being mean, harmful, or rejecting of others. We do not judge or look down on people.
Although there are forces that tend to disempower and create division, we stand together as we compassionately care for and champion one another. We see our differences as a strength. We are united in our shared goal of creating a place where all can find acceptance and be welcomed to a home where we all belong.
Our Goal: We are living in a world with an immense love deficit, which means that none of us is receiving the love we need to reach our true potential, to truly thrive. Our goal is to build a support system, a web, that can hold every member of our world. We believe that we can fill that love-gap for every person in the world, either because they are an active member of our community or because they are touched personally by someone who has been empowered by 7 Cups of Tea. We will reach this goal when we provide 100 million positive and supportive conversations each and every week.
"There are forces that want to cause division and disempower us. They do not realize what they are up against.".... NAILED IT :)
We are going to do this aren't we? You can feel it right? Thanks Resolve!
Exatly ! Glen ! We are all in this together for all ! United we stand !! Thanks to you as well for everything you do ! :)
Glen,
I really like the manifesto I just got the book "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life," by Karen Armstrong and in it she and her collaborators have written a similar manifesto that is based on inclusivness, love, and against violence, hatred, and showing disdain for anyone.
I do wonder about one part that seems a bit mysterious and just wonder if it could be explained further and that is, "There are forces that want to cause division and disempower us. They do not realize what they are up against." You mean the divisive forces don't know what they're up against? I find myself wondering what this part means and am curious to see that expanded.
Thanks so much for your wonderful willingness to envision this and put it out there.
:)
Thanks Whimsical! Can you post that manifesto here? I'd love to see it. I'll also see if I can find it.
Great point on the forces part being unclear. That was intentional because we all have different forces in our lives that negatively impact us. It might people who are kind of negative, it might be hard economic situations, harmful work places etc. Or there can be broader things like stereotypes or stigma. These things impact us in different ways, but I don't think they can withstand a concerted effort by us to value and help one another.
With all credit for the following going to Karen Armstrong, the author of "12 steps to a compassionate life" I quote her "Charter For Compassion," below. Also, Karen Armstrong's work is about religion and I do not wish to give the idea that 7cups should become "religious" but I include the quotes about religion because it is in her charter. I just want to let it be known that I'm not advocating anything about religion by posting it but it is just an example of stating a charter or manifesto in a positive way and because Glen asked me to do so. :)
We therefore call upon all men and women
( to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion;
( to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate;
( to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions, and cultures;
( to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity;
( to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings -- even those regarded as enemies
Excellent Glen! I love this! We are in this together to build a better world!
On the part about the forces that cause division and them not knowing what they are up aginst, I guess to me it sounds better to say we are standing united in love or something because...saying "they do not know what they are up against," seems like a challenge or a provocation? Just a thought...
Also, perhaps it does not need to be set up quite so much as an opposition or a conflict, maybe it doesn't need to be viewed that way?
Very often we hear of initiatives to better the world as the "war" on this or that - war on poverty, war on drugs etc. It seems to me that this way of thinking sort of goes against the spirit of the manifesto if that makes sense?
I know that it might take extra effort to craft something to capture exactly what to say that would not set things up in those terms but I think it might be worth the time to do so.
Thanks and again, thank you for casting this vision!
Great feedback! How would you revise it?
So now it reads "There are forces that want to cause division and disempower us. They do not realize what they are up against. We care for and champion one another. We see our differences as a strength. We are united in our shared goal of creating a place where all can find acceptance and be welcomed to a home where we all belong."
Perhaps it could be revised, "Although there are forces that tend to disempower and create division, we stand together as we compassionately care for and champion one another. We see our differences as a strength. We are united in our shared goal of creating a place where all can find acceptance and be welcomed to a home where we all belong."
I'm sure there are many other fine ways to word it but that's a try. :)
whimsicalKiwi15, I really like what you've done here and how wonderfully this expresses! :)
Because I love to play with words and language, I wanted to see if it might be possible to lead with/emphasize where we are going rather than where we are not going. I also wanted to see if I could still keep some of the acknowledgementof the pain and the brokenness of the world we are wanting to address/heal. In my play, I ended up with something that changed the order of many things as well as some of the language.I respect Glen's and others' work and contributions here. Obviously, feel free to use whatever might feel right or seem to hit the mark. Andto leave what doesn't. I appreciate thiscommunity effort. :)
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Our Mission, Our Purpose and Our Goal
7 Cups of Tea is for anyone who wants to live in a world where the human experience is rich with love and support and free from stigma and stereotypes. A world where all 7 billion of us can feel as if we truly belong.
We believe that each one of us is inherently valuable. We recognize and celebrate this value. We also recognize that people seek meaning within the larger, unfolding story of their lives. We understand that each of us can be both complicated and complex. We also understand that there are times when life is neither simple or easy.
We are all on the same path. Some of us are just starting out. Others are further down the road. No matter where we are on the path, being kind, compassionate and accepting of one another enables us all to grow.
We stand together as we care for each other with compassion and as we champion one another. Rather than letting differences hurt or divide us, we see our differences as a strength. In an increasingly disconnected world, we are united and strong in our shared goal of creating a place where each person can find acceptance and be welcomed to a home where we all belong.
While it may seem obvious, we feel it is important to say that we do not tolerate people being mean, harmful, or rejecting of others. We do not judge others or look down on people. We do not measure people based on what they look like, where they are from, or what position they may hold.
We are living in a world with an immense love-deficit for many. This means that too many of us are not receiving the love and support we need to reach our true potential and to truly thrive. Our goal is to build a support system --an interconnected web --that can hold every member of our world. We believe that we can fill this love gap for every person in the world, either because they are an active member of our community or because they are touched personally by someone who has been empowered by 7 Cups of Tea. We will reach this goal when we provide 100 million positive and supportive conversations each and every week.
Welcome home to 7 Cups of Tea!
"We are living in a world with an immense love deficit, which means that none of us is receiving the love we need to reach our true potential, to truly thrive." So great 😍😍
I am fairly new here having been on the receiving end of a couple of wonderful listeners. I thoroughly support the idea and the process of creating a manifesto, vision or charter. Whatever the particular word is, I love that Glen has initiated this process.
A powerful statement may take some time and that's okay. It will be even more powerful if created by the community here. I am a bit conflicted about language that speaks of what we are movingagainstrather than what we are movingtoward. That said, I do feel it is important to acknowledge the "large problem" and the challenge at hand. One of the tricky parts is, as Glen suggests, that the negative forces can be different for each of us. We will all still intuitively know them and feel them.
Thank you for establishing this community and for this initiative to strengthen it.
I agree with kiwi on the wording of "There are forces that want to cause division and disempower us. They do not realize what they are up against." being a bit questionable.
Does this statement not cause division itself? It seems to place "us" against "forces" where I feel it may be more beneficial to focus on the unity of all. Though some may stand opposed to our goals currently, ultimately we seek for everyone to be on the same side. So rather than using words that promote fighting or clashing, we might consider using our language in a way that promotes accepting, teaching, and uniting.
Indeed. Want to help me revise? What would you recommend. Let's keep at this until we have it where we want it.
Possibly something along the lines of "We face many challenges, but united we prevail. We care for and champion one another..."
I think challenges can be a good word to use because depicts "negatives" as growth experiences rather than obstacles. Presenting them in this way removes an idea of resistence and promotes progress in its place. :)
Although there are many challenges to overcome, we stand together as we compassionately care for and champion one another.
or
Though there are many challenges to meet, we form a circle together as we care for and champion one another.
or
Though there are many rivers to cross, we band together in caring as we champion one another towards the realization of our vision.
Other words that could be substituted for vision are quest, goal, dream, work, etc.
Other words that could be chosen instead of "rivers to cross," include challenges, obstacles, barriers, etc.
Other choices for "band together," could be stand together, rally together, we join together, unite, form a circle together, we mobilize, we join forces, we gather together, we become one, we pull together, league, join hands, come together etc.
It depends on the tone you wish to have. I think there is a tendency to think of it in almost a militant way because there are so many great words that have that type of ring to them. However, I don't think 7cups has to adopt that type of tone as really it is more than being in opposition to negative forces. I mean some of the negative forces as has been pointed out are not those that actually have 'wants' or 'desires' such as a hurricane hitting could produce emotional suffering but the hurricane doesn't have a will that you can counter with your own will to love.
Also, to set it up in terms of conflict makes puts the workers of 7cups on a sort of "war footing" and seems like a 'fight or flight' type of choice to me. People operating out of the 'fight/flight" mode for long periods of time jeopardize their physical and emotional well being. I think there should be room for another option besides fight/flight. It is a place of power, of compassion, of calm, of peacefulness. What I am attempting to say is perhaps better said in the quote below...
"Real power is not nigvnhdiha, which is understood by the Cherokee to be put on. It is from an inner source, characteristically calm, like a great river that flows smoothly but drives huge cities with energy. A single drop of water seems powerless and takes the way of least resistance, but joined to all the others, it has force. One person may seem inadequate to change anything, but united with others, can change anything." - A Cherokee Feast of Days by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
So maybe...
Despite the challenges commonly facing all people, we gather here together with one accord, to care for and champion one another.
To boldly seek out and....oh no, that's been used before :)
hahaah, okay added the above. what do you and others think of this last version instead?
I'm loving this most recent version...it is both more gentle and powerful (an authentic power) all at once. Because I love playing with words, I am still pondering some of the phrases. I also appreciate theback and forth process I see unfolding here with everyone contributing.
So I had focused primarily on that one line which now reads as:
Although there are forces that tend to disempower and create division, we stand together as we compassionately care for and champion one another.
I think it is better now in that it does not ascribe desire to the forces that tend to disempower and create division. Rather it captures that sometimes those forces could be the unforseen results of technology, an act of nature, a historical event, or some other phenomenon which does not actively 'want' to do that but that is just the result.
Also I think it's really positive in that it doesn't really say we stand "against" the negative forces but it says we stand "together" and talks about how we take care of each other.
It really is pretty good but looking at it I am wondering if "we stand with each other," might be more meaningful than, "we stand together,"? I think the more personable the mission is the more effective it will be. Perhaps "we stand by each other," or "we stand beside each other." Though some versions of that like, "we stand shoulder to shoulder," somehow evoke a military or propaganda approach I wonder if even, "we'll walk hand in hand," which I guess is from the song "We shall overcome," but even something like "we stand hand in hand," or some phrase that evokes connection might be powerful. Because although 7cups is highly technological and on the face of it highly impersonal and anonymous but the real power of it is the wartmth of personal connections.
Also, I am wondering if maybe the word "disempower" could
Although there are forces that tend to disempower and create division, we stand together as we compassionately care for and champion one another.
Hmm, sorry about that. There are forces that tend to disempowe and one of them is my laptop which has a messed up keyboard at the moment and cut my post off. At least it did not erase it entirely which it has been known to do!
Okay, so I was saying the word 'disempower' might be better replaced with the word "isolated," because isolated and division are both answered by the second half of the sentence when it talks about us standing together to care for each other. Becuase right now, "Although there are forces that tend to disempower and create division, we stand together as we compassionately care for and champion one another," as you can see directly addresses the part about division but does not so clearly address the 'disempowering' part.
Again, it is perhaps in need of no revision at all but it could be written as this:
"Although there are forces that tend to isolate and create division, we stand hand in hand as we compassionately care for and champion one another."
or
"Although there are forces that tend to isolate and create division, we stand with each other as we compassionately care for and champion one another."
I agree with some of the things being said. I can see both sides of the "forces against us". Depending on how you look at it or where you are in your journey, it can almost be seen as going into war. Sometimes I do think that my negative thoughts, self judgements, etc as being against me, trying to bring me down. When that's actually what makes us human. I think that's when your body is looking for some sort of attn, almost like a cry for help. I don't know about anyone else, but I find it easier to be compassionate to everyone else's suffering vs my own. I think it's more about accepting those things that make us human vs fighting it. Just my opinion.
Great point.
I think self-compassion is so important. Here's a link to a website on the subject...
http://www.self-compassion.org/
I love that web site! Self compassion is so very important!
I can only said that these words fill my heart 
E a c h sentence is a hymn to life. Life that too many people trampling, forgets, humiliates.
All the work of our community is just something wonderful!
Thanks Glen :)
I was just reading thisarticle about feeling safe after abuse, and this paragraph just resonated with me about what we are doing here, about our goals and what we are working towards.
"We need someone to confide in; we need social support; we need to build caring communities. The best adviceI can give is for you to reach out and touch someone with your interest, with your caring, with your story, with yourunderstanding, with your compassion, with your smile, with your sense of humor, with your sadness, with your tears, with your helping hands. Reach out and ask for help. Reach out and give it. Open your heart and your mind. Connect."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/overcoming-child-abuse/201006/stop-the-world-i-want-feel-safe
@Katheryn, this is one of the most heartfelt and beautiful quotes I've ever read. Thank you so much for sharing it. I hope you have a wonderful day. Take care, and thank you again. This brightened up my night and made me smile.
I'm confused. I don't get what this is exactly. If you could better explain that would be great. I need like the dummy version.
It is basically a description of the purpose or goal 7 Cups has. I would say the short version would be that we are aiming to create understanding, love, and unity for everyone. :)
Oh okay thanks.
This is a site where you either get someone to talk about your problems or hekp others
