T’ai Chi Chih Community: Inclusive or Exclusive

There has been much talk in the Vital Force and at the August 2002 conference about the T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) community and what is best for the community. But what exactly do we mean by community? This article explores the meaning of the word community, what the characteristics of a community are and how a community forms. There is a comparison of the TCC community to these qualities and some suggestions about making the TCC community more inclusive.

Scott Peck (1978) in his book A World Waiting to be Born: Civility Rediscovered talks about community as a way of being together with “authenticity” and “interperpersonal harmony” so that the members function with a collective energy that is “greater than the sum of one’s individual energies.” This same conceptualization of community is reflected in writings by Schaffer and Anundsen (1993) as they describe a community as a “dynamic whole.” These perceptions portray a community as a group of individuals that experience a sense of oneness through being honest and working in a harmonious manner. Would this be an accurate description of our TCC community? I believe that our TCC community is greater than each of the individuals of which it is comprised.

According to Schaffer and Anundsen (1993) a community is formed when several characteristics are present. A community has individuals who participate in a “common practice”; these individuals depend upon each other for support, they “make decisions together”; the community members identify themselves with something that is “larger than themselves”; and the members also commit themselves to the well-being of themselves, each other and to the group. When we look at the TCC community, how does our community compare with these characteristics?

The TCC community certainly consists of individuals who participate in a common practice, the practice of the TCC form. The individuals in the TCC community depend on each other for support, this support is demonstrated during practice sessions where one teacher may help another with refinement of movements. Support is expressed verbally and non-verbally when emotions are displayed about a specific topic and someone responds directly to this expression through words of concern, appreciation and through a touch or a smile. Our community makes decisions together as was reflected in the discussions held at the San Antonio conference regarding the increased number of deferrals, and, in discussions held at the teacher’s retreat in Minneapolis. Commitment to the well-being of all is reflected in the sincere dialogue in both venues. The expressions of concern for other members and the accommodations made in the [August 2002] conference program that allowed input from interested members, also reflect this commitment.

In addition to the characteristics previously outlined, Schaffer and Anundsen (1993) suggested that there were eight specific qualities that must be present for a community to exist on an ongoing basis. These characteristics include the following: there must be an alignment of values; a member-based structure; teamwork; open communication; mutual support; respect for individuals; permeable boundaries; and, group renewal. I think that the TCC teachers would agree that we value the importance of well prepared TCC teachers and that we want to prepare the best teachers that can be prepared. The member-based structure is reflected in the organization of the TCC community which consists of accredited TCC teachers: Justin Stone, the originator of TCC Joy Thru Movement, Ed Altman, the head of the TCC community, and Sandy McAlister and Pam Towne, TCC teacher trainers. These members identify, discuss and deal with key issues that are important to the success of the TCC community. These TCC community teachers work as a team with the head of the TCC community making decisions that are in the best interest for the community.

At the TCC Conference 2002, all individuals present, who chose to, had the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas, they had an opportunity to be heard by the community. The discussions at the TCC conference reflected open communication, mutual support and respect for the individual’s whom expressed their opinions. This open discussion also demonstrated the permeable boundaries within the TCC community, input was requested on the TCC teacher accreditation process and that input was given.

The final characteristic of an ongoing community, renewal, is addressed in numerous ways throughout the TCC community. The annual conference is an opportunity for teachers to renew, the teacher’s retreat is another opportunity for renewal, as is the opportunity to audit a teacher’s training. In all, the TCC community demonstrates the qualities and characteristics of a community, as identified by Shafer and Anundsen (1993), however I believe that there is more that could be done to make the TCC community even stronger than it already is.

Presently the TCC community defines itself primarily in terms of its teachers. The annual conference focuses on the needs of the teachers. The teacher’s retreats and teacher’s renewal days focus on the needs of the teachers as well. There is however another group that I believe needs to be included in the definition of our TCC community, the students and ongoing practitioners of the TCC form.

Over the past few years I have observed a move to include students in some activities that are offered to the TCC community. Obviously the teacher’s accreditation is focused on the students and the needs they have in becoming accredited TCC teachers. There are local groups within the TCC community that hold practice days where teachers and students, or what I would call TCC practitioners, come together to refine their skills. Also, I have seen skill refinement days where students/practitioners are invited to come and deepen their TCC practice. In addition, the teacher/student/practitioner TCC retreats have included all members of the TCC community. These activities, that include practitioners and students, are sporadic and are not reflected in the TCC community as a whole. Our TCC conferences are open to teacher’s only, the only time where students and practitioners are allowed to attend the conference is when the open practice session is held on the second day of the conference. I believe that by not including all individuals who practice the TCC form in the activities of our TCC community that we have become an exclusive community.

I would like to challenge our community to reflect on the type of community that we want to have — inclusive or exclusive. I would like to see our community become a more inclusive community. A community that welcomes all individuals who practice the TCC form into many of the activities of the community.

Before I became an accredited TCC teacher I had practiced the TCC form for 11 years. I wanted to deepen my practice of the TCC form, to receive feedback on the movements, to learn more about the principles of the TCC discipline, but there was no opportunity to do that within my community. I subscribed to the Vital Force and looked longingly each year at the reports and pictures of the annual conference and wished that I could have attended. I wanted to meet Justin Stone and the head of the TCC community, I wanted to be able to practice the TCC form with a large group of other TCC practitioners, but I could not because I was not an accredited teacher. It wasn’t that I was afraid of becoming a teacher, I had an education background and had taught adult learners for many years, I just wanted to practice TCC Joy Thru Movement at a deeper level of understanding and skill. Over those years I used what was available to me, Justin’s TCC tape, books that I ordered from Good Karma Publishing, and the notes that I had from my introductory TCC class. Needless to say, these provided me with some support. But without the feedback from someone skilled in the practice of the TCC form I developed habits that I had to unlearn, I was even practicing some of the moves incorrectly. I just wanted to deepen my practice and yet the only way that I could do that was to become a TCC teacher. I wanted to be part of the activities held by the TCC community but the only way that I could do that was to become a TCC teacher. I wonder how many individuals who have learned the TCC form are in the position now, that I was in then? How many TCC students/practitioners want to deepen their practice but don’t have the opportunity to do so?

I would like each of our TCC teachers, each of the members of our TCC community, to think of ways that TCC students and practitioners could be included in our local, regional, national and international community. Is there a way that we could include these individuals and yet still meet the needs of the TCC teachers? I think the answer to this is yes. Let’s begin by welcoming TCC students and practitioners to our regular practice days, including them in our meetings where we talk about issues relevant to their TCC practice and the TCC community, and also invite them to our annual conference. We could have activities that are for teachers, activities that are for students and practitioners, and activities where the entire TCC community would come together as one group, as we already do in the open practice at the conference. I believe that we as teachers need to have time with other teachers where we can dialogue openly about teaching issues and concerns. I also believe that our conference would be enriched by including the participation of all individuals who practice the TCC form.

I encourage each member of our community to meditate, reflect, consider and come from a place of compassion (a place that Justin challenged us to come from at [the August] conference), to identify and implement ways to expand our community and to become more inclusive rather than exclusive. I believe the time is right for us to move in this direction, to become an inclusive community.

References

Peck, S. M. (1978). A World Waiting to Be Born: Civility Rediscovered. New York: Simon & Shuster.

Schaffer, C.R., & Anundsen, K. (1993). Creating Community Anywhere: Finding Support and Connection in a Fragmented World. New York: Tarcher/Perigree Books.