Practice your skills at thinking clearly and acting effectively, as both individuals and in groups, with a grab bag of exercises and structured discussion. Hosted by Mel at the Berkeley REACH, usually Tuesdays.
Expectations
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Court is held in a sitting circle. One may lead, but it is always a choice to follow or not.
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Each person decides and adopt their Role: a mindset to take, or an objective to meet in this time. The center of the circle holds a collection of suggested secret roles for beginners. Advanced members consider what is genuinely the most important thing they could accomplish with their next few hours.
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The court breaks for 5 minutes to take any quick immediate actions which would resolve or advance their goal. For those 5 minutes, "put aside any question of whether you can, and think only of how". After, anyone who wishes to share some insights on their role or action may do so.
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Court proceeds in a circle, each person in turn initiates an exercise from a grab-bag of discussion prompts and short activities. They might follow the list recommended by the organizer, or suggest their own. Each exercise aims to practice a small element of individual curiosity and epistemic skill, or group coordination.
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Optionally give feedback to the organizer
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Say closing thoughts and goodbyes
Guidelines
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To do what works for you and decline what does not is no insult. Participation is always at-will, anyone is free to jump in or out for whatever reason.
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To register objection is no act of defection, and to visibly dissent is no act of sabotage. Nor should any compel you to detail your reasoning, for important lines of thought do sometimes shy from discourse.
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The point of learning is not to come to the same conclusion as one’s instructors: the bottom line is not yet written.
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Be creators and teachers yourselves, not consumers. If a practice passes muster, pass it on.
"God bless our good and gracious King, Whose promise none relies on; Who never said a foolish thing, Nor ever did a wise one." ― John Wilmot
"You can learn new things at any time in your life if you’re willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you." ― Barbara Sher
"I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think" ― Socrates
"Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it." ― Lao Tzu