The Broader Movement
A number of our interviewees talked about the larger shift happening in society; some referred to Paul Ray's study (1996) and his use of the term "Cultural Creatives." Others set the historical context much further back in history; Lorain Fox Davis noted that for many centuries, Native peoples have prophecied a time when the earth would be poisoned and people would finally begin to return to the teachings on the web of life.
Marianne Williamson, founder of the Global Renaissance Alliance, gave a more recent historical context:
In the United Stated over the last 30 years, there has been, in my mind, a very unfortunate separation of the sensibility of spirit and the sensibility of politics. The 1960s was the last time we really thought of using politics as a container for our higher philosophical ideals... Contemplatives [are now realizing] that we do need to address human suffering and that nothing, particularly spiritual practice, is ever a justification for ignoring it...Political activists are realizing that there is an inner dimension to the problems...In the last year, we feel that the spiritual/political conversation in the United States has really begun to mature.
Angeles Arrien used the phrase "the quiet big movement" to describe what she saw as the growing momentum toward integrating spirit and action. The majority of the people we spoke with enthusiastically agreed that there is a broader movement and that they feel part of it. Other metaphors that were used were "the snowball effect" (Fred Rooney) and "hundredth monkey syndrome" (Marian David, Sue Turley).
The events of September 11, 2001 were also mentioned as a wake-up bell and a catalyst for bringing contemplative practices into the forefront of our society. Ed Sarath said,
As events have forced us to wake up a little bit, I think these kinds of practices will be increasingly regarded as something that's critical to leadership, progress, and even survival. I feel a kinship and an affinity with practitioners, as we are all part of a movement.
Meg Wheatley told us,
Increasingly, [I] believe that you can't survive these days without contemplative practice and more and more people actually know that and I speak about it often. When I'm speaking about leadership, I will just encourage the audience to, whatever your form of finding peace is, just to make sure that you really focus on that as your way of being able to deal with this world. People are so much more ready to hear that now than ever before...it's actually been one of the gifts of September 11th, the opening to the really deep questions of life.
Accessibility
A number of interviewees made the important observation that this way of work and these practices are often not easily accessed by those with less economic resources. In many cases, the ability to participate in contemplative retreats is regarded as a luxury, reserved for those with expendable income and time. Angel Kyodo Williams warned,
Contemplative practice is being ghetto-ized into a tool for intellectuals and white folks with money who can go on retreats. It is in danger of becoming a country club practice...There's an elitism that takes place that says somehow that they're ready and we're not, and we have to debunk that myth by any means necessary.
Fred Rooney, who trains law students at the City University of New York to incorporate contemplative practices into their lives, said,
One of the things that we all know is that contemplative practice has never been something that communities of color have had a lot of access to. Yoga's been around for a long time and if you could afford to pay for a yoga class, more power to you. But in places like Brooklyn, the Bronx, parts of Manhattan, these kinds of programs have never existed. There is a tremendous need to expand contemplative practice into communities that have never had the opportunity to experience the wonder of contemplative practice. That for me is the goal -- to effect societal change and change in the world, you've got to make it not exclusive.