The first CDO workshop was quite the journey
as it delved deep and soared high in the quest for understanding
of what it was all about or what this is all about.

The start on the first day brought about contrasting experiences that in hindsight seems auspicious for the delving and soaring that happened. The effort to loosen up the participants and ground them in the introductions achieved what it set out to do but did give a different impression to the organizers so much that one was moved to share with the other organizers that   the start was “too serious”, nevertheless the participants had a ‘looseness’ that seemed to me meant that they were more than comfortable enough to share and participate with the other, as yet unknown, participants and process. The feeling of ‘seriousness’ did seem to float around on the first day,  but the laughter came naturally when it was known during the introductions that quite a number of participants were there primarily because of their ‘bosses’, some were assigned to attend and some were inspired enough with their bosses that they accepted their invitation to attend.

It should be mentioned also that the radical change that walking the talk brings is an inspiration for people to want to know what MISSION is and serves as an impetus to attend the MWC and ultimately to join  MISSION. This was true for this workshop as well. Go Imaginals! This is what it means to be an Imaginal 2.0! (a holler at Au of Iloilo.

And so our journey started. We went from the analyzing the new maps the facilitator tirelessly shared which he drew out from us, and there were a number that gave us a clearer picture of the context and framework we are working in/with to  asking “What are we committing to?” to round chairs, you have to ask the facilitator about this .

The integration exercise again delivered (as it is wont to do) and there will be a new event in CdO City and MIsamis Oriental province in June2012 called ‘Dalit Kinaiyahan’[proposed venues are Divisoria in CdO and provincial capitol of MisOr] . yey! The commitment of the participants to do their individual initiatives, to start where they are now, made this unifying initiative the ‘natural’ event to launch new initiatives or to report on existing ones. The cultural event will celebrate the stringing of the initiative pearls to push forward/launch the 3Cs or Clean CdO Campaign – the context of the cleaning is not limited to physical nature or environment, but includes inner nature or hearts and minds.

And so the journey ended with the establishment of the CdO node, complete with 7 members and an amazing venue to host them[Balay Mindanaw is a disgustingly – apologies to Mr. Perlas for the use the expression - Imaginal place/organization with amazing Imaginals to run it] they have unlimited, native, coffee!!

And so we parted ways physically, taking home with us the answer to a question that subtly arose from the workshop. The question: “What is this all about?/Why should we be doing this (imaginal struggle)?”

What do you think it is all about?