Sharing Circle
We're All In This Together

A Sense Of Community

Written on December 2, 2009 – 5:23 pm by Charis

One of the most astounding and beneficial aspects of the Internet is, of course, the way in which it makes it easier to connect – sometimes intimately so – with people far away.   As most people know, there are thriving communities around every possible category you can think of online; everything from people who are enthusiastic about collecting Pez Dispensers to people struggling with very serious illnesses and personal problems.

This is one of the reasons why this website was created.  We see ourselves as “citizens of the world,” and we wanted to create a space where folks from a variety of cultures, geographic areas, and personal experiences, could share with each other whatever it is that they wished to share.  Whether that’s a recipe, a memory, or a current struggle, or an affiinity for plastic candy dispensers, we want to hear about it.

Read the rest of this entry »

Categories: Everything Else | Tags: , , , | No Responses

Join Our Sharing Circle

Written on August 28, 2009 – 3:04 pm by admin

It’s been a little while since I last posted – there just aren’t enough hours in the day right now. Charis has very kindly reposted her Sharing Circle article for which I am grateful.

I thought it would be worth while taking a few moments to restate the purpose of Sharing Circle. The basic idea is to get people from all over the world talking about their way of life, memories, what they like, what they dislike, hobbies, interests, hints, tips, movies, questions for others etc. Almost anything in fact!

We live in what seems to be such a divided world. Between isolationism and insularity you’d perhaps wonder if we had anything at all in common. Well… we do. And much more than you might think. There is nothing wrong with celebrating the differences between us should one wish to do so, but at the same time we should also be celebrating the similarities. As Sharing Circle’s tag line says…

We’re all in this together.

… and the sooner people realize that the better it will be for all of us. Nationality is nothing but an accident of birth. We are all human beings first.

We get a lot of visitors browsing through the articles here but there’s not enough people getting involved. It doesn’t matter what you post about. Someone somewhere will enjoy reading it.

So stop just sitting there and join in!

Categories: Everything Else | Tags: , , | No Responses

What Is a Sharing Circle?

Written on August 8, 2009 – 9:37 am by Charis

It is my understanding that in first nation traditions, (Native American and other indigenous peoples) that one of the things they would do is to come together in a sharing circle. A sharing circle is an opportunity to come together and talk about what is on your mind and heart, what you want the community to know, and things of that nature. These sharing circles doubtless brought and kept their communities closer together. In modern mainstream America, one of the things that are said again and again in surveys is that people feel isolated and they feel no sense of community. That is what this website, I think, is about…to give people a chance and space to share their feelings, thoughts, and their knowledge.
But a “sharing circle” was not the only kind of circle that some first nation peoples held.

They also had gatherings that were called something like “teaching circles,” where the younger people in the community could come together and ask questions of the elders and receive their teachings. I believe that too is one of the reasons that this website exists. I hope that people of any age will feel free to ask questions here and to speak their minds, and that the community will give them thoughtful responses, just they would have received in a Native American circle.

We are all in this life together and to my mind there is a great deal that we can learn from the teachings, philosophies, and traditions of first nation people.

All are welcome here at this sharing circle, I am sure. Young, old, and any nation of origin. Share whatever you like…that’s the whole point!

Categories: Everything Else | Tags: , | 1 Response