A Dream of Warriors

Posted on February 3, 2013 by ivonprefontaine

I enjoy reading Thich Nhat Hanh. Presently, I am reading Margaret Wheatley’s new book: So Far From Home. Margaret Wheatley brought shared this by the Zen monk. The poem and book are gentle reminders to pause, reorient ourselves in the present, and find strength and courage to continue the journey. It does not end.

The road goes on and we only walk one step at a time, one moment at a time, and each step moves us into an unknown future. It is good to rest and make each step mindful. We live in the present moment, find courage, and discover strength to carry on. It is in this moment, this space, we are at home, because when we are mindful we can nowhere else.

“They were exhausted. They had been traveling longer than they could remember. Their journey had begun with energy and enthusiasm, but that too they could no longer recall. They had lost many companions along the way—some had turned back, some had refused to go on, some had died of weariness. They all had suffered greatly.

They came to a narrow bridge that spanned a great river running swift and fast. On the far shore they could see what they had dreamed of during all these years of hardship—gentle green valleys and peaceful lakes reflecting clear blue sky. They stood there astonished to realize that what they had struggled so long for was suddenly here.

They began walking across the bridge with joyful steps. Midway across, they were stopped by children who had come to meet them. Tears overcame them for their own children left behind long ago. The children began to speak: “You cannot enter our land. You must go back. You will need to repeat your struggles. You must go back and do it all again.

The warriors stood there quietly. They gazed longingly at the pleasant pastures. They beheld the bright faces of the children. Tenderly, they bent down and kissed their cheeks. Then they stood up and spoke: “We are not afraid.” And they went back to begin again their journey.”

10 Comments

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About ivonprefontaine

In keeping with bell hooks and Noam Chomsky, I consider myself a public and dissident intellectual. Part of my work is to move beyond (transcend) institutional dogmas that bind me to defend freedom, raising my voice to be heard on behalf of those who seek equity and justice in all their forms. I completed my PhD in Philosophy of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA. My dissertation and research was how teachers experience becoming teachers and their role as leaders. I focus on leading, communicating, and innovating in organizations. This includes mindfuful servant-leadership, World Cafe events, Appreciative Inquiry, and expressing one's self through creativity. I offer retreats, workshops, and presentations that can be tailored to your organzations specific needs. I published peer reviewed articles about schools as learning organizations, currere as an ethical pursuit, and hope as an essential element of adult eductaion. I published three poems and am currently preparing my poetry to publish as an anthology of poetry. I present on mindful leadership, servant leadership, schools as learning organizations, how teachers experience becoming teachers, assessement, and critical thinking. I facilitate mindfulness, hospitality retreats. and World Cafe Events using Appreciative Inquiry. I am writing and researching about various forms of leadership, how teachers inform and form their identity as a particular teacher, schools as learning organizations, hope, nonviolence and its anticipatory relationship with the future, as essential elements to teaching and learning. Academic publications can be found at Ivon Gile Prefontaine on ResearchGate

10 responses »

  1. Wildflower Women's avatar Wildflower Women | February 3, 2013 at 12:43 am

    . . . beautiful, and we will keep repeating our journey until we too can stand as carefree as we did when we were children, at least those are my thoughts. As Ram Dass says, be here right now. Thank you for posting this, needed this gentle reminder tonight!

    Reply
  3. Argus's avatar Argus | February 3, 2013 at 8:53 am

    I think in real life the ‘warriors’ would have used their M16s to sweep the bridge clean of kids, entered the valley, napalmed all the homes, killed all the men and raped all the women.

    Or have I been reading too many reports out of Iraq and Afghanistan? Oh … the warriors weren’t US special forces?

    Reply
  4. New Earth Heartbeat's avatar heartflow2013 | February 3, 2013 at 11:50 pm

    Wow! That goes deep ~

    Dear Ivon, I also have an award for you!

    I know it took me a while to get back to you, but…
    Surprise!
    You have a new Award!
    Please come and pick up The Amazing Daydreamer Award here: http://wp.me/s2C5UV-awards

    Together Step by Step in Inner Peace ~
    Love,
    Tomas

    Reply
  5. katrina's avatar katrina | February 4, 2013 at 3:00 am

    Hi Ivon…
    I just feel you deserve this award…

    http://katrinayusof.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/very-inspiring-blogger-award-2/

    thank you..have a nice day… 🙂

    Reply

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