I grew up in Northern Ireland or the north of Ireland. We don't even agree on the name of the place.

And it's a place where violence was used for political ends throughout my childhood. Nearly 4,000 people were killed and over 40,000 directly physically injured and countless hundreds of

thousands traumatized or otherwise wounded by a conflict rooted in the domination story but met by

the revolution story.

I'm not sure that I like the word revolution because it's been applied to movements

for the common good. But if we take it literally, it actually means a movement that ends up exactly

where it started. So the second of the six stories of separation, scapegoating and selfishness,

might be better framed as the revenge story.

Having said that, I think the word revolution works as a title because movements that

overthrow repressive regimes have not always replaced them with something better.

In fact, unless a restorative consciousness is engaged, revolutions run the risk of merely turning the tables, replacing one set of broken relationships with yet more domination.

Perhaps a slightly less oppressive form of domination, but domination nonetheless.

Instead of replacing domination with more domination, but domination nonetheless. Instead of replacing domination with more domination, we need to imagine societies and

institutions in which everyone is welcome at the table.

The only rule for joining would be to agree not to harm anyone.

For that to happen, the table needs to be enlarged, not flipped over.

And more people, the widest range possible,

need to be involved in making and setting the table.

It's not my table, nor is it theirs.

In the spirit of the seventh story of liberation and reconciliation, it's love's table.

And love, as they say, love is not a victory march, but often an act of courage to stretch ourselves

for the sake of something more than the gratification of our own ego or our own try.

...