Wisdom 2.0 comes to Europe
Wednesday, September 24, 2014 at 5:22PM Ireland is known to have a number of “thin places”.
In these places the veil between this world and what is referred to as the eternal world, is very thin. Such places are thought by many to have a special energy which can be sensed by those drawn to such sites, and which is said to often transform the one visiting. They are said to be stopping places where one can pause and ponder and catch a glimpse of something that lies beyond every-day living, and which is much greater than ourselves.
They are sacred, mystical places of listening, connection and creativity.
The travel writer, Eric Weiner, writing on thin places in a wonderful piece in The New York Times, quotes Mircea Eliade who observed that “some parts of space are qualitatively different from others”, and an Apache proverb that takes the idea a step further: “Wisdom sits in places.”
I had researched the whole idea of “thin places” before I visited Ireland for the first time in 2013, and had visited some such sites.
I had not, however, expected to encounter another when I signed up for the Wisdom 2.0 Europe conference in Dublin!
Wisdom 2.0 conferences and events address the great challenge of our age: to not only live connected to one another through technology, but to do so in ways that are beneficial to our own well-being, effective in our work and useful to the world.
Wisdom 2.0 is a global community of people dedicated to living with deeper wisdom, compassion and awareness in the digital age, and I have been following the conferences via the internet and social media since the first one, started by Soren Gordhamer, @SorenG, was held outside of San Francisco in 2009.
Many of the themes of my website here2here - connectivity, cyberspace, interconnectedness, compassion and mindfulness would be looked at closely at Wisdom 2.0 Europe.
That the conference was to be held in Europe was my opportunity to attend and so I set off from AbuDhabi2Dublin!
AbuDhabi2Dublin - an edit I came up with on the way over
The conference far surpassed my expectations.
Excellent presentations and workshops looking at Mindful Living and Mindful Business filled the three days.
Highlights for me were:
Otto Scharmer, @ottoscharmer1, explaining holding the space which allows creativity to come forth.
Tania Singer, social neuroscientist at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, presenting “Training your Mind and Heart towards a Caring Society: A Social Neuroscience Perspective”.
Gelong Thubten, Buddhist monk of the Kagyu Tibeten tradition, speaking on “The Power of Forgiveness”.
Tsewang Namgyal, Vice President of the Bank of Tokyo, sharing his personal story aided by images and leading us on Day 3 in a compassion exercise.
Rohan Gunatillake, @rohan_21awake, named in 2012 by Wired magazine in their Smart List of 50 people who are about to change the word, presenting “Redesigning not Retreating: the Future of Mindfulness and Technology”
Conference participants have shared experiences, photos and even notes online (check the hashtags #wisdom2europe #wisdom2conf)
Between talks, over tea and meals, new and special connections were established.
There was an almost palpable energy that filled the air. I have thought about it and can only describe it as a great sense of Presence.
The event was held at Googles Offices in Dublin. (More photos can be seen in this gallery).
Who would have thought that this space in the midst of Dublin’s docklands district would be so thin!
During the closing ceremony one of the participants spoke as the voice of Ireland and encouraged us to find some place after the conference to connect with the earth and listen to what it had to say.
Walking home I entered the grounds of Trinity College and sat down to be still on a park bench. Near me there was a tree. As I became mindful of the sounds around me, birdsong from the tree filled the air. I had never heard such a bird before and was struck by the beauty of its sounds.
When I shared this story with a friend back in Abu Dhabi, she picked up a poetry book and read me a poem by Rumi which contained the following words:
“The bird of my heart has again begun to flutter.....
The water is flowing again in this river; by the riverbank the grass has begun to shoot.
The dawn breeze is blowing again in the garden, it has begun to blow over rose and rosebed.
Love sold me for a single fault; Love’s heart burned, and has begun to buy back.
He drove me away; compassion came to him and called; Love has begun to look kindly upon me....”
Was this the voice of Ireland? Was this the voice of my heart? Was this the song needing to be heard in the digital age? Perhaps all of these and much more.
She’s here! A new piece for LindArt inspired by Wisdom 2.0 Europe.
I recalled what had been said at the start of the conference:
There is a need to connect with self before connecting with others via technology.
Related articles:
Whirling Dervishes - lessons for cyberspace
Social Media - Bridging Cyberspace
Mobile Technology and The White Rabbit