2021 CWP Newsletter Summary
There is a big debate among economists about a curious phenomenon unfolding right now called “The Great Resignation”. We have an immense labor shortage because people are not returning to work as the experts expected (common after a recession). There are jobs, and there are people that can do them, but many workers are choosing not to return. Why? Among other factors, after having experienced life without the daily grind of a horrible, low-paying, alienating job during the pandemic, many workers have raised their expectations. You can also see this discontent in the wave of strikes at John Deere, Kellogg, Nabisco, and dozens of other places. In addition, there is a dramatic increase in people quitting their jobs. These choices have been supported by increased unemployment benefits, stimulus checks, and increases in home values that have benefited many low-wage and middle-class workers.
The experiences of these workers resonate with the spiritual and psychological process that so many at the Center for the Working Poor have going through: after liminality, after disaster, there often comes a time of depression, and a reevaluation–of our jobs, our relationships, our community, and our world. It is a post-disaster depression, and disorientation, even when things do seem to be improving in many ways. The stories in this year’s newsletter all share this theme. From our Center Update, “Ring the Bell of Hope… Again, and Again,” which shares several connected stories about this kind of depression, to our House Journal, which documents the many changes in our community over the last year. One silver lining is that this pain of feeling disconnected has led the Center to build an incredible new program for mutual aid counseling, called Community Counseling. We hope that this program can grow over time to help thousands reconnect. You can read about it here.
← 2021 Center Update: Ring the Bell of Hope… Again, and Again
2022 House Journal →
We will All Become Pilgrims: 2022 Newsletter Summary
December 19th, 2022
By Paul Engler Whenever I write my newsletter, I am afraid a subtle or not-so-subtle repetition will be noticed—I fear I write the same thing over and over again! Generally the theme has something to do with change, uncertainty, and … Continue reading
Liminality is a Recipe for Navigating Winter: Becoming a Pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago
December 19th, 2022
Whether you’re in a midlife, quarter life, or general life crisis, the proverbial crap hits the wall. You break up with your girlfriend, your community starts falling apart, your movement dies, your organization goes bankrupt, you lose the political campaign. … Continue reading
December 19th, 2022
I’m happy to report that our community has stabilized at the Center for the Working Poor house. We haven’t had one person leave in the past year! A welcome contrast to 2021, when we had so many people come and … Continue reading
December 15th, 2021
There is a big debate among economists about a curious phenomenon unfolding right now called “The Great Resignation”. We have an immense labor shortage because people are not returning to work as the experts expected (common after a recession). There … Continue reading
2021 Center Update: Ring the Bell of Hope… Again, and Again
December 15th, 2021
This fall, in one of my first trips to visit my coworkers from the Ayni Institute in Boston, I stopped by New York City to visit one of my closest friends, Eric Stoner. And I was sitting on his couch, … Continue reading
December 15th, 2021
The Center for the Working Poor was founded in 2006, but we didn’t move into our large Victorian house until 2007. Therefore, we have been in the house for 14 years now; and throughout this time, only Paul Engler has … Continue reading
The Story of Community Counseling
December 15th, 2021
Over the last year, we have started beta groups for a new model of mutual aid counseling, called Community Counseling that has engaged dozens in weekly small group counseling practice and training. In November, I went to Boston to lead … Continue reading
2020 Center Update: Surrender and Become Attentive
December 17th, 2020
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die …” — Ecclesiastes 3:1 “Surrender to what is dying, and become attentive to what is emerging.” — … Continue reading