Why Pause? The Radical Politics of Stillness

Rooted in Quaker spiritual practice, but drawing on a wider landscape of political, ecological and embodied wisdom, we ask: What keeps us from slowing down? And what becomes possible when we do?

In the midst of climate chaos, cultural division, and relentless speed, the practice of pausing can feel counterintuitive, or even irresponsible. But what if it’s the exact medicine this moment requires? This course offers a space to reimagine pausing not as retreat, but as participatory resistance and the site of infinite possibility. Looking to Quaker History we see this alive and well.

We’ll explore the sociopolitical forces that resist slowing down (capitalism, colonial modernity, trauma and cultural norms rooted in whiteness and patriarchal systems), and ask what becomes possible when we honour stillness as a generative, co-regulatory act.

[the pause…] is a project initiated by Toni Spencer during Extinction Rebellion as “…an invitation to stop in the midst of action, to disrupt our normal modes of being, to collectively fall silent and become aware of the moment we’re in”.

Through theory, story, silence, and shared inquiry, we’ll deepen our capacity to listen to the moment, to each other, and to that which is longing to emerge.

Each week we will explore a different facet of [the pause…] In Practice: its practical benefits, spiritual depth, creative potential and wider social and ecological implications. Together we’ll look at the cultural narratives that resist slowing down (such as productivity, urgency, or fear) and consider what Quaker practice and other shapes of pausing might have to offer in response. We’ll imagine together what a world might look like if practices of pausing were part of politics, daily life, activism and co-creating a more peaceful, equitable world.

Session themes will include:
• Pausing as possibility, participation and emergence
• Ecological, racial and gendered factors
• Somatic awareness and trauma informed factors
• Imagining a pause positive politics
• The pause… in practice: How do we live this?

Each session will include:
• Framing of the theme including references to theory and or historical moments plus examples or stories to illustrate
• Time in practice, weaving Quaker Worship with other invitations to strengthen our ‘pause muscles’
• Pair and / or small group inquiry and discussion
• Group discussion and Q&A
• Invitations to explore further through reading and reflection, embodied experimenting and journaling prompts