People write us the most amazing things.

I’ve thought about starting a “Dear Sally” column where some of what people write can be shared with others. It might give courage and inspiration. I’m tempted to jump into this because it would be fun and inspiring for me too. But right now I just don’t have the time to stay on top of such a column. Perhaps in the future, when more of the administrative tasks are out of my inbox, when the tours are complete, when someone comes along to fund administrative staff, or when DVD sales soar to such a point that we can support another staff member, then I would love to do such a thing.

For now I will just share one woman’s experience, and my response:

Dear Kathy,

Your email is, of course, quite touching to read, as are so many that we receive.

I’ll respond, back and forth, below:

Hi Sally,
Thank you and Timothy so much for making this film.

Thank you, in return, for resonating with the message, the work, the longing to help, to have an impact.

I have a small story of my own to tell. Over the past few years, I have grown increasingly frustrated with what seems are my own paltry and insignificant efforts to contribute to the saving of the planet. I have tried many ways (prayer, consulting the trees, consulting ancestors, therapy, begging, pleading to anyone and/or anything) to discern what my role should be.

But all I have heard is silence…

My heart resonates with all of those expressions of your longing to find your work. And, for myself, all of those expressions of heartfelt longing to help, to be of service, have been important pieces even in the absence of clear answers.

….that is until I saw your movie. The night after watching it, I tossed and turned until finally at about 4:00a.m. Then an idea emerged. I am going to send 50 copies to people I know and ask that they, if inspired and so inclined, will “pay it forward” and send it to 3 other people and request the same of their receivers. I hope they will purchase an additional 2 copies to keep it circulating at a fast pace. I know this is still a very small step, but I have a lot of energy around it so I am going to assume that it is my inner voice telling me to act.

This is the way that widespread changes often happen. Are you familiar with The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell? It’s a very compelling book. Often apparently small actions can create huge changes. He details many examples of that happening. So I would invite you not to discount such an action. Your action, may set into motion, in ways you may or may not see, some other chain of events that does immeasurable good.

I was once in a workshop of Christian activists and heard: “We are called only to be faithful, not necessarily successful.” This is very much the spirit with which Tim and I are acting. We can’t know if our efforts will create the change out there, in the world, in the widespread way that we long for. What we know is that, having placed our picket pins, having decided we must show up with the truth we’ve been given, the change has occurred in us. We have taken our place in the story of The Great Turning. We will show up and do our best. That is all we can do, and it must be sufficient, whether it is successful or not.

Your film is so powerful. I don’t see how anyone could view it and not break out of denial and be moved to act.

Well, believe it or not, people do view it and manage to stay in denial. The wounds of Empire are deep and people are understandably numb, cynical and afraid to feel. But there are also lots of people who view it, and view it again, and again, because they don’t want to be in denial. They want to be awake and in action. They want to step into a larger, more meaningful story than that of Empire. Sometimes these are people who one might not expect. Sometimes people we would expect to feel supported and empowered by our film are instead threatened and angry, because we are not selling easy, hopeful, and only slightly inconvenient answers. It is heartening, though, how many people we hear from who are deeply appreciative. Like you, having seen the movie, they feel supported, empowered and affirmed in the midst of the mainstream culture that says they must be crazy to be so concerned.

In the dialogue circles we facilitate after screenings the conversation is sober, thoughtful, and seems, at times, to touch into the sacred, in spite of the fact the circles often only last an hour or an hour and a half. It would be great if such circles could be available following every viewing. It seems like usually about half of the people who attend stay for the dialogue.

There are, no doubt, many reasons for people leaving. Some of them likely disagree with the information and/or analysis, or flat out wish to remain in denial. Some perhaps feel so deeply moved and vulnerable that they are not ready to sit in a circle of strangers. Some may leave simply because they had other commitments to attend to. The people who stay, though, are largely people who long for connection and for the company of others who are also willing to sit with the information, to sit with the fact that there are not quick, easy, painless answers, that there aren’t authorities “out there” who will come up with solutions, that, in the words of the Hopi elder, “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

So, as you take this action, please feel free to refer people to our website, to our blogs and comments to the blogs especially, because that can be a place where people can get additional support, in the absence of a dialogue circle in person. As insufficient as it is to connect via this electronic media, it is something, and may be a helpful adjunct to the movie.

I plan to keep a tracking record to see how many people actually see it as a result of this small step. I’ll keep you posted if interested.

Please do, absolutely, keep us posted.

Thanks again,

Kathy

Our very best regards,
Sally