The following article by Debbie Mytels, a member of a CSC at the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Redwood City, CA, appeared in the December issue of the UUFRC newsletter.

What is a Common Security Circle?

How many times have you entered the holiday season with a resolve to spend less money and more time with family and friends?  Or decried the ostentatious displays of material goods in the shopping centers? Talking with your friends, you’ve probably questioned why our society’s economic vitality is measured in how much “stuff” is sold during the month of December.  And when the credit card bills arrive in January, we often realize that we’ve succumbed to the social pressure to buy things that signify our relationships with others — rather than celebrating our connections with a more personal expression.

“It’s the economy, stupid” was the mantra of a political campaign back in 1992 — and now in an even deeper economic recession, it’s an appropriate time to gather with others to explore how our economic system affects us — the things we buy, how we define our “needs,” and what happens when the system stops working for us.  Are there other ways to meet some of our basic needs?  Are there important aspects of life that can’t be given a monetary value?

Questions like these are all part of a six-session curriculum from the Resilience Circle Network that was showcased at General Assembly two years ago.  Several UUFRC members reviewed the series last spring, and we are now offering everyone at UUFRC an opportunity to participate in this small-group ministry.  An introductory session will be held at UUFRC on January 30 after the worship service, and one or more small groups will convene after that.

Our goal is to learn more about our economic system, to explore ways we can work together, and find avenues for social and political action. To quote from the Introduction to the curriculum:

“Because of the depth of our economic and ecological challenges, we don’t believe it is possible to return to … a model of economic growth based on cheap energy and unlimited fossil fuels. Nor do we want to return to a bubble economics model that fuels economic disparities of income and wealth.

“Our assumption is that we need to prepare ourselves and our communities for more fundamental changes and a new economic model based on real wealth and economic activity, not phantom wealth and casino economics.”

We hope you’ll be done with paying the bills and plan to join us on January 30!

Contact Sarah Byrnes ([email protected]) for more information about the January 30 event in Redwood City.