A training course which helps participants reflect on big life questions, and which is usually used in Eastern Europe, was delivered in the UK in 2006..
Although at first there didn’t seem to be much happening, something was stirring beneath the surface of my cool, calm identity. It was only after the Changing Course ended that I realised I had a new sense of inspiration and purpose.
Back home in London I found myself having conversations with power, grace and intention. Instead of steam-rolling over others, conversations felt like a proper dialogue. I was actually listening!
Foundations for Freedom has been running such courses in Eastern Europe since 1993. This UK version was led by David Curtis and Zoryana Borbulevych and set in the Yorkshire Dales. Fifteen participants came together to explore the big questions of life—what does it mean to be human, what do we like and dislike about our relationships and society, and what is the point of having standards?
At first I resisted the practice of ‘quiet time’ like crazy. Just trust yourself and trust the journey, I told myself. That was the beginning of learning to listen better—to myself and to others. I noticed how much I’m invested in the personality I’ve been until now, and how that limits my freedom to explore new ways of being. I was also reminded that, whatever our background, when we come with respect and an intention to listen, there is a commonality to our experience of being human, beyond even our learned beliefs about life.
Jon Wright
English