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Not just a walk in the park. Is a Gad Circle a door into healing society?

 Is there a big-picture pay-off to attending a Gad Circle? Is a Gad Circle just another way to waste your time? Yes to the first question. No to the second question...  Let me explain. Our society in the West has never been more isolated and polarized.  This is an awful combination.  Post-Covid society is more hooked on isolating activities.  We use social media but this isn't social at all.  Instead we are caught in a "death scroll" watching posts from people we don't know.   Youth have been spending so much time texting and interacting over digital media that they are losing the nuanced ability to converse.  Face to face conversations require that we pay attention to non-verbal body language, and non-verbal cues (like tone of voice, facial expression, and eye contact).   Social events are at an all-time low (according to a CBC - morning show).   This isolating climate makes polarization a real problem.  Your phone a...
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First Gad Circle - April 22, 10:00 AM

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  Our First Gad Circle will happen at Ora Cafe -  30 Cumberland St S, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 2T5 Ora Cafe Facebook site:   Ora Cafe Time: 10:00 AM, Wednesday April 22nd, 2026. For more information Call David: 705-388-1947. To learn more about the Gad Circle check out:  The Gad Circle
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Gad Circle [2.0]

The Gad Circle [2.0] The Gad Circle starts with introductions, and the goal of creating belonging, participation, and a safe place for people to express themselves.  As we listen to others express their viewpoints there is a natural enrichment that happens.  The "Ground Rules" for a Gad Circle [1.0] seek to create a context conducive for this to take place. It is hoped that the discussion group grows to a place where others in the group can be invited to challenge our views and understandings.  Challenging and being challenged in the things we believe can be a very stressful process.  It is not something that I see happening very often around me - especially in a crowd of strangers.  Canadians don't like to disagree.  Disagreement can easily be taken personally - "You don't like me because you don't agree with my opinions."  or "I'm less of a person because I was wrong." For this reason, a Gad Circle [2.0] needs to be approached with a de...
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Let's start a Gad Circle

 What is a   Gad Circle © ? A Gad Circle   starts out as a safe place where we learn to listen and learn to speak.  We wander together in conversation, look at different subjects, and share our perspective in a respectful, equal, diverse setting.  We share our horizon with others.  A horizon is a term that assumes our point of view has limits (we can only see up to the horizon around us).  This first start to the discussion group we call a Gad Circle [1.0] .  It's a "new" idea so I'm putting a copyright on the term for the fun of it: "Gad Circle©; Gad Circle [1.0] ©"     Merriam-Webster's dictionary says: to Gad about is to be on the go without a specific aim or purpose. It is hoped that the Gad Circle will grow and develop (from 1.0 to 2.0) to a place where we can be open to the possibility that the other may be right... or have a better perspective... or contribute something to our own perspective.  A Gad Circle [2.0] ©...
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First post in 2026 (Getting my art growing again)

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My work place here in Thunder Bay has invited us to share a piece of art that represents our family. This unfinished work shows a tree growing in a harsh winter wind.  The bitter cold kills a number of the branches - all facing the wind.  The branches flowing with the wind continue, shaping the bent nature of the tree. The work is on a rock of Calcite - with visible crystals.  The roots of the tree hug the rock, anchored and stable.  The tree also seems to cherish this foundation. The Bonsai style for this type of tree is called Fukinagashi - or winswept.  Submitting to the windy blast (accepting one's reality an situation) enables a prospering and healthy growth.  
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TAE Trees: Tree Stories - a Homeschooling Art Workshop

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New works to appreciate.

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 New pics! Neil Fox, a professional photographer here in Orillia, helped me with getting these shots.   Here are a bunch of new pictures of new trees.
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