Shared pain, collective relief

During the symposium (an event that we hosted at MAPLE), Soryu talked during the very last session about the attacks against MAPLE and the pain that they caused. He didn´t seem to hold back and told very bluntly about the attacks that happened and the effects that they had on MAPLE. The head teacher of the CosmoErotic Humanism Community, Marc Gafni, also shared similar experiences, which he had to deal with for many years. After that, other people from both communities also shared stories about their painful experiences (mostly related to the stories from Soryu and Marc). I could literally feel the tension (or pain) in the room, and you could see that people were very touched by the stories.

First, I didn´t understand why Soryu would put so much emphasis on these painful experiences and why he thought it would be necessary to recall them. However, at the end of the session, I felt somehow relieved and also more compassion for and connected to the CosmoErotic Humanism community. It seemed as if sharing this moment of intimacy and vulnerability somehow led to a healing process and a deeper connection between both communities since they both shared (in a way) similar stories.