Aired 17 July 2018 – 5:00 PM EDT
A Conversation with Author and Activist Shariff Abdullah
“There are no sides, only angles. And when we see it from the right angle, we are all on the same side.” — Swami Beyondananda
At a time when resistance seems “irresistible” and Trumpism and anti-Trumpism have dominated the conversation, is there a way to create a proactive, unifying vision and a movement that activates and accelerates that vision?
Our guest this week, Shariff Abdullah, says yes, there is. And that pathway is a world designed to work for all.
Shariff knows all about conflict and gang rivalry … he grew up in a rough neighborhood in Camden, New Jersey where teenagers who would have been best off working together for the betterment of all joined gangs that fought one another. Out of this potentially “down-bringing” upbringing, Shariff got his law degree, and has spent the better part of his lifetime working on behalf of mutual understanding, inclusivity and turning the ideal of “oneness” into the real deal of creating systems and situations where we can indeed create a world that works for all beings.
As an author, Shariff has written several paradigm-shifting books, including: The Power of One: Authentic Leadership in Turbulent Times; Creating a World That Works for All; Seven Seeds for a New Society; Practicing Inclusivity; and The Chronicles of the Upheavals.
In this week’s conversation, we will discuss a proactive rather than reactive way to trump Trumpism by stepping off the battlefield and “daring” to speak, stand for, and work for what we all know is possible. We’ll address those classic questions, “what’s so, so what and now what?” as we learn some key distinctions between reactive activism and “proactivism” where we design a new game, rather than playing by the rules of a fixed game.
For Shariff’s ideas for what won’t work, watch this.
For his ideas about what will, watch this video.
Shariff Abdullah can be found at http://shariff.commonway.org/
If you’re wondering how we can not only “take our country back” but take it forward, please tune in.