During
the week of October 20-26, at Conversation Cafés
across the nation, overworked, overscheduled, time-starved
Americans will ask, "Where did all the time go?"
The first
annual TAKE BACK YOUR TIME DAY falls on October
24, 2003. Why? If you lived in Western Europe, you’d
be done working for the year! On average, Americans work
nearly nine full weeks (350 hours) LONGER per year than
our peers over there do. In fact, Americans work more hours
per year than their counterparts in any industrialized country
– including Japan and China. It’s not fair –
nor is it good for our health, our relationships, our productivity
or the environment.
We invite all
hosts to participate in an all-Conversation Café
initiative for the first annual Take Back Your Time Day.
It is intended to be to social issues what Earth Day has
been to environmental ones – to launch a major conversation
about work, time, fairness, family, community and ‘what
makes life worth living.’ People and organizations
across the political spectrum are behind it. Teach-ins are
happening around the US. By the way, Time Day folks are
linking to the Conversation Café webpage, suggesting
a Conversation Café as one of 50 Pretty Quick Things
you can do.
Using the Conversation Café "Process
and Agreements", strangers, neighbors and friends will
gather in public places like Cafés and spend 90-minutes
in lively exploration of the following questions:
- How does overwork, overscheduling
and busy-ness affect your life?
- What steps are you taking in your
life to take back your time?
- How can our society change to be more
"time" friendly?
Hosts of ongoing Conversation Cafés
are encouraged to use this topic during the week of October
20-26. Cities with multiple Conversation Cafés are
encouraged to make October 20-26 a "Where Did All
the Time Go?" Conversation Week (for hints on how
to organize a Conversation Week, take a look at this Common
Ground article
that tells the story of Seattle's first Conversation Week).
Everyone, everywhere is invited to start a Conversation
Café during Take Back Your Time week and join this
growing national initiative to create a culture where a
diversity of respectful people think and feel and dream
together about the times we are living through.
Conversation Cafés are open, public,
hosted drop-in dialogues. No committees will be formed –
you’ll leave only with greater insight and hope, not
a list of "to-do’s". It’s a "commercial-free
zone" – no one will foist their product, service
or project on you. Participants are welcome to share by
speaking or being silent. Conversation Cafés may
seem unusual and strange simply because civic dialogue is
disappearing. They are part of the America that could be,
the America we can have again. Learn more at www.conversationcafe.org.
Got another minute? Go to www.timeday.org
to learn more about Take Back Your Time Day.
