As an adolescent it was all about training discipline and reason through Martial Arts mastery and scientific study.
As a young man the focus was meditation and devotional service whilst living a monastic year in Japan. I worked as part of a traditional temple-community inspired by Tenko Nishida.
[see www.ittoen.or.jp/english for the history]
Then from 2017 to 2022 I enthusiastically explored the world of human connection & conflict in a range of contexts including conflict mediation, leadership, education, facilitation, religion, personal development, activism, law enforcement, restorative justice, and of course, love.
Inspired by Marshall Rosenberg, my practice of Nonviolent Communication immeasurably guided and supported navigating these fields.
[see www.cnvc.org for NVC info]
Putting all of my learnings to the test, in Spring of 2022 I set off on an ambitious "Trust Experiment" inspired by zen pilgrimages and my expereinces in Japan. I lived 100% Gift-Economy; by trust instead of transaction. In practice, this meant giving up all money, possessions and plans to travel with the mission of freely helping people in whatever way I could.
[see www.instagram.com/pirate.monk for the full journey]
[see www.youtube.com/@LaurieShawExploring for 30-day YouTube series]
After 18-months of pilgrimage, I was filled with immense hope encountering so much kindness, as well as caring concern hearing of polarisation and war, mental health issues and environmental degradation across the world. So, I chose to adapt my way of life refocussing on sharing my specific skills in communication and offering in a structured way.
[hence, this website is born]
I am honoured to have been welcomed into countless communities, families and organisations, all the while asking myself "how can we live together in peace, and how can we make giving and receiving joyful?"
I have sadly seen amazing teams, fall apart with unaddressed conflicts.
Language holds power; did you choose to learn the language you think in? My work is a bit about words, and very much beyond words.
I am exited about the opportunity for creating something different if we can step towards conflict courageously; armed with compassionate communication and willingness to learn.