Shepela: From Bystander to Change Agent
Meister Eckhart said that “The seed of God is in us. The seed of a pear grows into a pear tree…and the seed of God grows into God.” Sharon Shepela, University of Hartford psychologist and a longtime leader of CTA New England, combined Eckhart’s encouragement with psychological research, and the vivid story of Joseph Darby, the whistleblower of the Abu Ghraib prisoner torture, to dramatize how we are all called to act courageously on behalf of others. Ordinary people can and do make real differences. We change the world for the better when we act for justice, or we make it worse when we just stand by. She took the group through six stages of moving from bystander to change agent. We have to understand both the barriers to getting through each stage and the possible solutions to those barriers. The stages are: 1. Notice that something is happening. 2. Interpret it as needing a response. 3. Accept personal responsibility. 4. Decide what to do. 5. Take that action. 6. Keep on keeping on.
Participants in small groups came up with other barriers and solutions from their own experiences. They found the model helpful in understanding what they would have to do to get people to actually join them in social justice action, such as anti-racism.
This model of decision- making is adapted from Shepela’s book, Courageous Resistance: The Power of Ordinary People, recently published with six co-authors. It is available on line. Get more information at Sharon’s website: www.couragematters.info. She is available for workshops and retreats in CTA regions and local groups.