Hello everyone~
My turn again. This time right after CNY, I would love us spending some time sharing things we are going to do, money we are about to spend and so on with each other. And after the Pleasantries in each group, despite in David's session last year, we've shared 2022 retrospective and new wish for 2023, base on what I've done, I would like to invite you to have another review about how we connect to others and how the relationships are shaped.
More coming~
Session I.
Free chat, 30 mins after grouping attendees. Sharing your lives during this CNY such as having hot pot at the new year eve, playing 麻將, giving and receiving red envelopes, traveling in Taiwan or abroad and so on.
Session II.
Over 20 years ago, before entering the college, there was one teacher I respected a lot told me interpersonal relationship was critical when it comes to self evolution. Ever since then, I intentionally threw myself into quite a few different social groups to learn. I always remeber what she said but I gradually forgot why I keep doing this. Within the past 6 months, not sure about how I started, I terminated few routine activities one by one. quaterly local travel plan, jogging class every Wed, playing bandminton every Thur and some dining party with excolleagues. And also I am about to move again from current apartment and say goodbay to the international doorminatory for the past 1.5 year.
During this process, I suddenly realized that for the past 20 years it's the first time, after I went to Taipei, I don't need to go somewhere to do anything or talk to anyone. Well, at moment, her words showed up again in my mind and I start to wonder:
If interpersonal relationship is a course, I know I learned, but have I graduated from it? I've discussed with one respectable, senior and achieved colleague that I gategorize human relationship to 3 tiers: courtesy, favor and contract, not just applied between two person but also between people and their environments. He told me it's also a life time lession to him. So maybe there is no such thing or after capable of having these 3 categories just mean I graduated from kindergarden. Good for me!
Let me try to conduct some points as clues to discuss. Should any of them doesn't serve you, please feel free to skip them and develop the conversation with your members in your own angles.
Q1. Does interpersonal relationship puzzle you?
Q2. How many Line groups are you in and for those just serve as social purposes, how many would you stay inside if no concern of hurting anyone's feelings?
Q3. What is the worst/toxic or best relationship you've ever had?
Q4. How would you visualize your net of connections? How complicated or sophisticated do you feel and how far would you think it reaches?
Q5. Continue from Q4, have you taken any specific measures to shape it? Like trimming a tree to make it more healthier.
Q6. Do you intentionally keep a membership somewhere just to keep some kind of identity? How many are they? Are they assets or liabilities? If it's not awfully personal, please don't hesitate to share with us.
Q7. What are actions you could takeupon your connections? Establish, strength, loosen, terminate, or like the way described in The Little Prince, tame? How complicated or sophisticated connections/relationships could be?
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Agenda:
7:00 ~ 7:10 pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:50 pm Discussion Session (40 mins)
7:50 ~ 8:10 pm Summarization (20 mins)
8:10 ~ 8:15 pm Regrouping / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:15 ~ 8:45 pm Discussion Session (30 mins)
8:45 ~ 8:55 pm Summarization (10 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00 pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements
Meeting Date: As shown in the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three-minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting after the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate their ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely twice (including on-site and online meetings). After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1,500 (NT$1,000 for students) lifetime membership fee.
1/31 (Tue.) pleasantries after CNY | Connections review (Host: Tashi)
Re: 1/31 (Tue.) pleasantries after CNY | Connections review (Host: Tashi)
Before my 3-month trip to the US, I was a bit worried, “Am I going to ruin the friendship because of staying too close and too long?” I still went and stayed for three months.
After I came back, I have been wondering what my relationship with myself is now. I've stopped doing meditation since I arrived in the US, but I went to a meditation class last Saturday.
Back-to-back gatherings during this CNY holiday made me wonder what my roles are in these groups. Did I make too much commitment? What do I really want from these activities?
I think burying our heads in the sand will always alternate with being “sober” to do soul searching in our lives until someday we are very self-assertive, self-content, and self-sufficient. By then, we are very close to enlightenment, I think.
After I came back, I have been wondering what my relationship with myself is now. I've stopped doing meditation since I arrived in the US, but I went to a meditation class last Saturday.
Back-to-back gatherings during this CNY holiday made me wonder what my roles are in these groups. Did I make too much commitment? What do I really want from these activities?
I think burying our heads in the sand will always alternate with being “sober” to do soul searching in our lives until someday we are very self-assertive, self-content, and self-sufficient. By then, we are very close to enlightenment, I think.