John B. Cobb, Jr. and the Living Earth Movement invite you to join us for our May 25th monthly meeting from 1:00-2:30pm PDT when we will introduce our Understanding China Programs. We will share the first few papers we are now ready to publish and invite conversations about them to help Americans better understand China, it’s government, people, and culture. Please join us for this introduction.
ZOOM: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86928723601?pwd=cHZ1Y3hOY21VTC9sRU1LTG9OWHFIQT09
ID: 869 2872 3601
Dear American friends,
It is almost inevitable that, if you expose yourself to American “news” about China, your feelings about China are growing more negative. There may be some actions China has taken that explain this, but we should all recognize that our attitudes are influenced by the way China is depicted by our media. Since the U.S. announced that China is our greatest enemy, we would expect the media to present its actions negatively. The government of the United States wants its people to support its actions against its enemies, even risking war. We are exposed to constant propaganda, that is to constant negative portrayal of those we consider our enemies.
Those of us affiliated with the Living Earth Movement who eagerly support cooperation between the United States and China especially in response to global crises, would like to encourage mutual understanding. One method for facilitating this is by encouraging Americans to explore Chinese state-run media perspectives alongside their American counterparts. This comparative analysis may reveal surprising insights and broaden one’s understanding of the issues at hand.
China held back from public criticism of the United States for some time, hoping for better relations between the two countries. But as the United States has strongly restated its enmity toward China and expressed it in its actions, China has responded in kind to American foreign policy. China has produced and circulated a highly negative account of American foreign policy. (Reference) We Americans can now continue to read American propaganda about China and also read a major document about us being circulated by China. One way to become more objective and better informed is to read the propaganda of both sides.
We recommend doing that. After reading Chinese propaganda, we are likely to be less easily swayed by American, and, of course, vice versa. Our project is different. We want to provide neutral information. We are writing for Americans. We think that misunderstanding China in ways encouraged by American propaganda blocks the path to the cooperation with China that would benefit all of us.
Our task is to tell the truth about what China is doing and planning in such a way that Americans can understand, whether or not we approve. We hope that mutual understanding will enable us to cooperate for the sake of everyone rather than give priority to weakening and damaging China. This means that we are not “neutral” about everything. We really, passionately, want to save the planetary biosphere.
If you find errors in any of our papers, please let us know. Also, if you feel that we are omitting or obscuring important features of what has happened, please help us achieve a more balanced account. Our conviction is that China and the United States working together could give great leadership to the world with respect to climate change and other matters. We believe that there are legitimate criticisms of both these countries and of all others. We do not believe that in the case of the United States and China the shortcomings and missteps indicate that one or the other of these two countries is incapable of giving priority to truly critical matters or working with the other.
John B. Cobb, Jr., Chairman
Living Earth Movement
John Cobb now has an Author Central page on Amazon where most of his books including CONFESSIONS are displayed along with his new bio. We will deeply appreciate your help sharing John’s legacy works with a larger audience when you share a positive book review on Amazon. So far, only best-selling author John Perkins has posted a five star review. PLEASE ADD YOUR REVIEWS!
John Perkins, a very active member of the Living Earth Movement organizing committee has just recently published THE THIRD of his best-selling Confessions of an Economic Hitman TRILOGY. IT FOCUSES ON CHINA’S ECONOMIC HIT MEN AND HOW TO CREATE AN ECOLOGICAL CIVILIZATION. John frequently shares insightful presentations titled From a Death Economy to a Life Economy or Stop the Race to Disaster. There is a trailer on his website at John Perkins | Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, 3rd Edition
Please stay tuned for exciting developments including several programs with John Cobb being shared as part of World Unity Week that begins 99 Days of Peace Through Unity. The image below shows 4 of the daily 60 minute programs with John addressing the theme of the day and showcasing 1 of his most relevant books. We will also be sharing details of our partnerships with organizations such as Unity.Earth, EARTHwise Centre Partnership Alliance for a Planetary Civilization, the Empowerment Institute that has invited us to help them share the World Peace by 2030 Game in China. Through all the sponsoring organizations, John and his legacy contributions can reach a potential audience of 3.4 million individuals world-wide over the 99 days.
Update on Earth Crisis Support Groups
Dear Friends,
We have launched the Earth Crisis Support Group and Potluck Party program! The first group is meeting locally weekly every Saturday 4-6 pm at my house here in Dallas Oregon. If you live nearby, please join us. If you want to begin a group locally where you live contact me and I will assist you in getting started.
Dr. John Cobb came on Zoom to give us his blessing, as did a few other Zoom non-local supporters, as fourteen of us sat around my grandmothers round table here at the John Cobb Eco Farm and began what we feel is a tremendously exciting and lifesaving project. We are working on creating a video that you will be able to watch to see how the three main parts of the support groups work. The extended guidelines are in the Appendix of John Cobb’s newest book, Confessions and will soon be posted on our new website that should go live in the coming weeks.
The suggestions are that the groups begin by the following:
1. Read the guidelines out loud and provide a copy for everyone.
2. Assign a timekeeper so everyone can share two separate times without interruption or any cross talk.
3. Everyone is invited on the first go around to share how they are feeling personally in their
lives for at least 5 minutes or longer depending on the size of the group.
4. The second go around we share about how we are feeling about what is going on in the world.
5. We make any announcements and make any needed decisions etc. for the next meeting. We begin open conversation while we get our pot luck ready and sit down to have dinner together.
6. We enjoy a pot luck dinner and talk and share about anything that is on our hearts and minds, encouraging ideas about what we need support with, any actions we want to take individual or as a group.
7. Everyone helps to clean up.
There is a group of facilitators through Our Common Home Counseling Center who are available if needed in the event of conflict in the group. Our non-profit Our Common Home has been gifted with a generous donation and we invite your donations as well. These gifts are enabling us to create a website, hire a video editor, create a social media campaign and work on other materials for the website and forming groups.
Imagine groups forming across our country, moving out to every continent, all creating a network of truth telling and intimate sharing of FEELINGS! Small groups that enjoy eating and partying together. We are on our way and our first group this weekend someone said. “Well, its working! I feel close to guys because we are eating together just after two weeks and sharing at a feeling level from our hearts not just ideas from our minds.”
What do you like best about yourself? This is a good question to ask as your group is getting acquainted and you can use it as a listening experience so you share and then you repeat what everyone says about themselves. For example, “What I like best about myself?” For me I like my large appetite and capacity for celebration and parties. This is what gives me passion and excitement for this project. Feelings and food. Fantastic combination for creating loving community. I am on an emotional roller coaster like we all are and my feelings range from terror to despair to gratitude and about what is happening in the world. But, hey, the spiritual invitation to grow and love one another is strong. These groups are not asking like minded people to gather.
We are inviting you to do the hard work of expressing your inner world truthfully and to love and be patient with yourself and other, especially those who you don’t agree with. What I know is this. When I eat with people and share deeply of myself and open my heart to them there is a huge possibility that we may develop a sense of caring community together. Please contact me, revtarwater@yahoo.com, (858) 248-5123
From my heart to yours and with love always,
Bonnie Tarwater
www.churchforourcommonhome.com, www.livingearthmovement.eco
Thank you for your participation in the Living Earth Movement! Please feel free to contact me anytime at 760-212-9931 or charlesbetterton@gmail.com.
Executive Director
For Enquiries, Use the Form at the Bottom of the Post, or call at the indicated number.
As we celebrate Earth Day, let’s make a meaningful contribution to the fight against climate change. Consider donating stocks to Living Earth Movement to support their mission to protect our planet and build a more sustainable world. You can visit their website at https://livingearthmovement.eco/