A few months ago, those of us in the area of Theology and Spirituality of the Institute for Intercultural Study and Research here in Chiapas were discussing the vision with which we live our individual and collective lives. jPetul (Peter in the Tseltal Mayan language) explained the Mayan concept of "lekil kuxlejal," which literally means the good life, but on a deeper level it means to be well and at peace with oneself, one's family and community and with mother earth. To have "lekil kuxlejal" one must have a heart that has been healed and strengthened. Our work at the Institute is to provide a safe space to explore how "lekil kuxlejal" looks today with all the social, cultural, political, and religious challenges the people of Chiapas, including the Mayan people, face on a daily basis.

How do we bring the ecological, wholeness and healing, creative, justice, dignity, and liberating values of "lekil kuxlejal" into the daily lives of women and children on the margins of the margins? My tocaya, Elena, explains the vision this way: Lekil kuxlejal is an invitation to walk, it is the path and it is the destination. It is the starting point, the way of getting there and the dream to be reached. We invite our people to remember what our grandmothers and grandfathers have known about how to live a good life and what life-destroying actions need to be named personally, locally and systemically. We explore and practice small steps, and then larger and firmer ones, to care for ourselves, others and the earth. We live into the dream of harmony and peace while sustaining justice, truth and mercy. Our true nature, our healing path, is lekil kuxlejal.

Thanks to you and Dr. Barnes for the introduction to deliberative dialogue!