To my surprise, Option 2 was voted in. So I registered for The Week and got access to the first session

Our Table night arrived and we did it in 3 parts.

We started with a check in, with a request that we keep it to a few mins each.
We had a rich round of sharing, with all men having an opportunity to say what they wanted about ‘what was alive for them right now’

I took my laptop along, so we then fired that up and watched the first video of ‘The Week’.
It was intense and confronting – The hosts, (a husband and wife from Europe) did forewarn us in the early part of the video. We saw first hand some of the destructive impacts we are collectively having on our planet and the health of our natural environment.
As I watched it, I thought to myself.. ‘Geez.. what have I done here? I wonder if this is too much for everyone?’

The final part of the night was the discussion that is prompted at the end of the video.
We were given a couple of questions to share about.
Side note – Interesting that The Week hosts also suggested some guidelines for the conversation, and they were very close to The Fundamentals.. A nice synchronicity.

In the conversation, I came to see that all 9 of us present shared very similar kinds of feelings about what we’re doing to our Living Earth, and how much sadness, despair and feelings of hopelessness we felt.
Whilst a challenging way to finish the night, it was also strangely reassuring to hear how much others care as much as I do.

On WhatsApp the next day, we scheduled two more dates for us to get together outside our Table dates; I offered to host the next one at my house, and another man offered his place for session #3.

The second video and discussion helped us share about the possibilities for us all to be part of a new story, a changing narrative about how we’re choosing to live together on Mother Earth. Others spoke about a practical aspect of change they were most drawn to.

The third session was uplifting and encouraging. The Week is very well put together and guides us to a place where we connect with practical changes that can bring us each joy, whilst seeing that it’s not helpful to be shamed into changing.

We wrapped up with a reflection on how we’d each found the experience. Here’s what other Table members had to say:

“Whilst this was a detour from our regular table format, I thought it was worthwhile to be a part of and I enjoyed hearing and seeing what other men on our table felt about the topic. Whilst we are all from quite different backgrounds, sharing events like this helps bond the table in different ways, which is great.” Alex M

“Watching The Week, I took away a couple of ideas.
1. Do what you can and don’t feel guilty.
2. What’s simple that you can do now.
So, I’ve read up on what goes in the yellow recycling bin and am more confident in separating waste, especially plastics. With my utilities I’ve gone green, for a set amount of $1 a week for electricity and $0.50 for gas AGL buy carbon offsets to support projects that offset carbon generated by my family. A simple start that we can multiply, if you want to.” Mike O

“For me, it was great to have a ‘watch party’ as a table, gain deeper insights about a huge topic and then have the opportunity to discuss and share our perspectives. It was a bit like a book club, without the book, and I felt that the experience really helped us to understand each other better and bond as a Table.” Lawrence M

For me, I was delighted to be able to have this different kind of experience with fellow Table members; something that is very close to my heart, but that I feel we are all involved in, whether we like it or not.

I got an insight into making an important change that I hadn’t had before.

And I felt uplifted and more connected than ever with my dear men from MT26. Thank you gents.

David Pointon, MT26