A Project Appleseed event is like a weekend at a silent retreat. Is it surprising that a day or two at a gun range learning about our revolutionary struggle for independence reminds me of a meditative haven? Stick with me here; I will explain my analogy...
At the retreats I have attended the silence is not a punishment or a deprivation. Instead, the intention is to create a space that is a gift: the absence of chatter that allows people to experience themselves and their peers without distraction. In the same vein, a Project Appleseed event is one of the rare places where we modern Americans set aside dedicated time and energy towards a common goal without any regard for which political "side" our neighbors might be on. Project Appleseed's principle of "No modern politics" is not meant to devalue the political process. On the contrary, as an organization we respect and uphold the system of self-governance that our founding generation passed down to us.
When a shoot boss welcomes the shooters and volunteers at the beginning of an event, they remind the new community that what unites us as Americans is more important than the issues that some people would use to divide us. I have found this to be very true in my own experience. I consider my fellow Appleseeders to be among the finest people I've every known and worked with, and some of my most reliable friends. I have no doubt that we represent a wide diversity of political viewpoints, but when we go to work fulfilling the Appleseed mission we are only fellow Americans.
I write all this knowing full well that as a nation, a state, and at local levels, we recently engaged in a major election that has been the topic of much heated discussion. At Project Appleseed we say that elections are the weather, but we are about changing the climate. That's a broad view that goes back over 250 years and looks far into the future for generations to come!
So thank you, volunteers and participants, for creating a much-needed space of retreat to welcome all your fellow Americans, regardless of our modern political affiliation. In times of swirling rhetoric and news blips, let us all keep our eyes on the bigger picture and create a haven from that storm. Even a few days at a time is a great start!
If you have attended an Appleseed event, you may have enjoyed a shooter's bubble of quiet concentration. You were probably instructed, "With a fully relaxed body close your eyes. Take a breath and let it out, then open your eyes."
See? Practicing solid marksmanship isn't so different from a silent retreat after all!
For any questions or suggestions about Appleseed in our great state, please send an email to NC@appleseedinfo.org.
In Liberty,
Dan Chase
North Carolina State Coordinator
Project Appleseed - a 501(c)3 Organization
