Life in the Face of Disaster



Practice dying.

Socrates


When the world is ending, when everything you've lived for is being swept away, what do you do?

The possibility of an environmental catastrophe is quite real. Many say our industrial society is destined to fall apart, maybe quite soon. In any event, each of us faces a personal death that is not only possible but inevitable.

How does one prepare for such dire prospects? Wouldn't it help to ask this question now, to live like you were dying? For it so happens that the guidelines that can help you get through life and death situations are the same ones that allow you to make the most out of every day.

Every day brings disaster: the end of what you hoped for, of what should or could have been. Those were just ideas. In the end, what is, is.

The basic challenge in every moment is to remain present. This means being aware of what is actually happening and what needs to happen. You do both by staying in touch with your feelings. Feelings — and the real needs of the situation that they point to — are the basis of Nonviolent Communication, or NVC. NVC is "a language of life" that replaces the stories we tell ourselves with reality.

What did you have in mind for this life? We'll look at how our "shoulds" or "filters" cloud our vision, with fear of disaster beforehand and panic when it comes to pass. When you don't "mind" what happens, on the other hand, then not even catastrophe can shake you. Join us for an eye-opening look at how to start practicing "radical presence" — and start really living — today.