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Exploring the Group Process with Dhanya - 1/12/07

Explorations into the UHU's Group Process at the weekly UHU Seminar Series on 1/12/07

Excerpts from the discussions:

"Rod called me on Thurs, you had a fertile process going on in the core group - Rudy, Grace, Vladimir and Rod – and said we are ready for some process. We talked for a half hour and I gave an idea. It would good to explore what came out of the group; different strands or directions that the UHU organism has been developing into, with perhaps some contradictions and differences there. If you can speak a bit to that we can get an idea of what to work on as a group…" -Dhanya

"For several weeks we have been having discussions as part of the Sat. seminars about the identity and future potentials of UHU. We did some focus group work here with Rakhal one morning. Whenever we have invited a discussion about this, it has tended to go into various directions that correspond to these strands because they represent what people themselves are interested in or conditioned to expect. There are those who eager to see us to be active and do something. To apply our learning paradigm in a way that influences Auroville… Then there are those who want to see a structure with programs and processes that relate to other institutions such as CIIS who would like their graduate students to get support to do research. And Ananda Reddy’s university in Pondicherry would like to be affiliated in a way that would be, somehow, outside the technological box. Because their programs are mostly on-line. So, anyway, there are these different tendencies…So how do we relate to the world? How do we create channels for there to be more participation from the world into Auroville and from Auroville out to the world? We began in a modest way so as not to try to predetermine these structures and direction but instead to have a series of seminars in which we explore learning and knowledge and try to identify our meaning for this group, this project, and to provide a learning platform and explore knowledge… We began in this modest way and have progressed to the point where we can move in a variety directions and begin a process of focusing and reflecting about a larger identity and role. " -Rod

"I will add a little because Rod didn’t go into the details of the potential cracks as he defined it. And it’s interesting because these potential cracks represent universal tendencies, in general, because everyone identifies with the truth he wants to contribute and because he is willing to do so he brings this forward but others have other things to contribute which naturally block him in his contribution. …For example I was always resisting this idea of process because having a process without a real content makes no sense. We have been through many processes in Auroville. I was attending every meeting to see what was going on but nothing was going on. The process was going on. …Those potential cracks show us how rich we can become and as potentials they have to be developed. So if somebody insists on structure we can accommodate him, and because we can welcome his approach he can find the true thing in his input. ..We made a list of these potential cracks which represent universal tendencies: where is the action, where is the structure, where is the program, where is the real inner truth, its all already there – why do we need UHU, where is the process, where is the application in the city, finally “cracks are good” because they show us the variety of approaches." - Vladimir

"If you have a core group usually you represent a few of those strands and there may be an over emphasis on the role you need to play, and there is often some unconsiousness about all that is going on. Are there already personality issues that need to be worked out?" - Dhanya

"We are already seeing the identification between the personality and the push, or strand, and it’s important for us to recognize the value of the push so the personality can be integrated in a way that is valuable to all of us." - Rod

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