Grace and peace!
I am posting to get a discussion started about yesterday’s Ken Show in general, and the topic of addressing the issues surrounding gun violence with mandatory National Service of some sort and any thoughts on whether spiritual/consciousness training should be a required part of that service. I believe it should be. Think about it…if we had a program that required all people to serve from ages18 to 19 in a National Guard type group where they went through a sort of Basic Training, and then performed service projects for the rest of their year, a spiritual component would just make sense. As Ken said yesterday, we could introduce them to the levels they would eventually encounter as they grew older and then they would be more able to go through them more healthily when they occured. Thoughts?
The benefits to society and to the men and women participating in such a program are immense only if the service is designed properly, perhaps with an AQAL framework.
Hi breck101,
I posted some comments on the Wicked Problems: Gun Violence topic, but I saved my thoughts about National Service to post here. I am in favor of a program like this. I think it should be for both males and females, and should be minimally 18 months as I don’t think a year would be adequate. Participants could easily spend a month on each of the Integral “Ups” (by any other name)–Wake Up, Grow Up, Clean Up, Show Up, and have a good year then for service projects. One idea is that individuals could choose the type of service they wanted to engage in, maybe choosing from the 15 different categories we know as the U.S. Cabinet. For instance, someone might want to work in the area of Justice, or in Agriculture, or Energy, or Defense, or Interior, or Homeland Security, etc. They could be learning some job skills even, while accomplishing the other objectives mentioned in K and C’s dialogue, such as developing a healthy nationalism, learning to get along with “other,” finding meaning and purpose in life, etc. While I see this as a mandatory draft, I don’t think of National Service as limited to defense/military service, and I do think a spiritual and/or consciousness-training component (part of Waking Up) should be required, maybe mindfulness training and working with polarities, minimally. .
So I see it as both an educational and a service program. A lot of growth could happen in that year and a half. Add a strong body-oriented component of course, and wow, can you imagine what kind of effect this would have on young people?
Grace and peace to you!
I totally agree with you; 18 months is better.
And each month should be dedicated to one area; Wake Up, Grow Up, etc.
Plus there definetly should be several “areas” in which they can serve.
I also believe that the service should begin immediately after high school; in September after they get a summer break, so that they just continue the rhythm they established through high school.
Then, upon completion of the 18 months, they should have the choice to either.
- Go to college for 4 years at government expense.
- Enter the military for 4-6 years.
- Attend 2 years of trade school at government expense.
- Enter the work force at a living wage job.
And I totally believe that we could do this within 8 years if we can elect a candidate like Marianne Williamson. And raise the minimum wage to at least $15.00 an hour (or more, based upon location). Plus develop a housing standard to eliminate “slum lords”, set limits on how much utility companies can charge customers, establish nationwide free wi-fi, and institute free or affordable healthcare for all.
There…how about that?
Pace E Bene.
Yes, September, that’s good. And I like your ‘upon completion’ ideas; I’ve never thought about nationwide free wi-fi, but I could get behind that. I think a National Service program could be done too, even in four years if there was a strong commitment to the idea.
As for Marianne, I hear she’s made 2% in one of the polls, three more to go and not that much time to do it in, looks doubtful for her moving forward. But she’s already served a purpose, I think, and so be it if her time is up.
Peace and Grace to you too.