This is the text of the Clean Slate
Guide. A printed version is available from our office (address
on our homepage).

"Can we all do something
in 1999 to wipe our slates clean? If every one of us takes at
least one practical step, it would contribute to the New Millennium
in a different way."
How will you be celebrating
the New Millennium?
Some of us have planned our festivities
long ago, either at home or in a far-off place. For others the
very word is a switch-off. The excitement - or boredom! - will
build up as people the world over decide exactly how they will
celebrate this extraordinary moment.
What is the point of
it all?
For Christians it is the birthday
celebration of a baby born 2000 years ago - an event which date-stamped
the history of much of the world. For Jews, Muslims, Hindus and
those of other faiths - as well as those who run a mile from
the word 'religion' - it is still an opportunity.
The newspapers, television and
radio will be full of analysis of the Old Millennium. The good
and the bad, peace and war. Some lessons learnt, others forgotten.
This review will include mankind's astonishing creative advances
in the arts and sciences. The more efficient ways of producing
food for an ever increasing world population. The amazing developments
in communication. The glory - as well as the horror - of the
last Millennium will be fully recounted.
But what about each of us? What
have we contributed to the last Millennium? Even more important,
what are we going to contribute to the next? Approaching the
New Millennium is a chance to have a think as well as a party.
What has all this got
to do with the Clean Slate Campaign?
Most of us if we are honest can
think of things we have done which we regret, or not done which
we wish we had. Try as we might to forget about them, the memory
remains - like a piece of baggage which we continue to carry
about with us, although we would rather not. What if we could
find a way to leave that baggage behind?
The Clean Slate Campaign knows
of a 14 year-old who stole something from a shop. "I was
really excited at first," he says, "but I knew it was
wrong." He told his father and together they went to the
shop to return the stolen item. The store detective gave the
boy a severe ticking off, but recognising the boy's courage in
owning up, did not press charges. "The second I got out
of the store," the boy remembers, "I felt great! Absolutely
amazingly free and I vowed never to do it again."
Consider what happened to one
of the campaign organisers. It has become one of the catalysts
for the Clean Slate Campaign. Two or three friends had unintentionally
annoyed him, so he responded in rather a nasty way that hurt
them. On reflection he decided to apologise to his somewhat surprised
friends. All friendships have been restored. He felt as though
a burden had been lifted off his shoulders, as those friendships
were important.
These two simple stories illustrate
how 'Cleaning the Slate' will make a difference to life. They
are only two examples. We know there are literally hundreds,
probably thousands, more. They must range from dealing with addictions
of various kinds to ending stupid on-going arguments which on
reflection are really trivial but nevertheless hurtful in one
way or another. The two-inches-of-garden-fence-row could be a
classic.
Of course there are more serious
matters whose burden may be intolerable. Saying sorry is never
easy. Forgiving is just as difficult. Admitting you have done
something wrong is hard - but always worth it.
It is all too easy to be weighed
down by the baggage we carry from the past. For instance a backlog
of matters undealt-with in the home or at work. Deeper things
such as hurts, resentments, fears, guilts, and prejudices can
be excess baggage as well. Not everything can be put behind us,
nor should everything be forgotten, but much could be forgiven
and also much could be left behind in the Old Millennium instead
of being carried into the next.
Wouldn't it be wonderfully
refreshing to start the New Millennium with a clean slate? And
what about the effect on our country if enough of us did?
Could we as individuals, communities
and even as a country, use 1999 to take positive steps towards
wiping our slates clean? If all of us took at least one practical
step, it would certainly contribute to making it a happier and
kinder millennium.
The Clean Slate Campaign is inviting
everyone to sign the 'Clean Slate Promise' which
says: "I promise to take at least one practical step during
1999 towards wiping my slate clean." If you would like to
sign the Promise as a reminder there is one printed on the paper
version of this Guide. It is purely for your own use. You may
like to stick it up on your fridge.
By the way, we who have started
this campaign have our own baggage, and are working at cleaning
our own slates. The whole idea of the campaign grew out of a
simple personal experience one of us had. It is described in
this Guide. We are applying it to ourselves before offering it
to anyone else!
Just stop for a moment
and consider the sort of questions we have been asking ourselves.
Does something come readily to
mind that I should not have done? Or something I know perfectly
well I should have done, but haven't? It could be something tiny
- like clearing out a cupboard - or, who knows, something more
important.
Is there someone to whom I should
apologise? Equally, have I brushed someone off when they said
sorry to me? Have I at times been more than abrupt - bad tempered
or even violent through excess of drink? Perhaps I have been
just plain horrid about people who I think are inferior to me,
maybe because of their colour, class or gender.
Are we doing enough ourselves
to stop the ruining of our environment? Just chucking a sweet
paper out of the car window doesn't help. But putting our bottles
and garbage in the correct containers does. And what about turning
off unnecessary lights and only using one towel at a time?!
Don't be afraid of starting
simply. Sign the
'Clean Slate Promise', reflect on it and then do something. Admitting
to yourself a wrong doing, no matter how small, is the start
of cleaning your slate. Who knows, it could lead to something
greater!
If you'd like to make it more
than just a personal step, become an 'ambassador' for
the campaign. Tell everyone you know about the idea. Spread the
word around your friends and the people you meet - your family,
your street, your school or university, your business or factory.
We can supply you with more copies
of this Guide, as well as posters and car stickers. If you register
with us, we will send you our newsletters updating you on progress.
If you have an experience of
cleaning your slate which you think would help us, you
may like to write and tell us, letting us know if you
prefer to remain anonymous. We undertake not to disclose anyone's
name if they prefer to remain anonymous.
There are two simple
guidelines to this campaign:
First it is about personal response
- about what 'I' and 'we' can do, not about what 'you' or 'they'
should do. Suggestions about how others should clean their slate
are outside the spirit of the campaign.
Secondly, you are under no obligation
whatsoever to tell anyone what action you decide to take. It
is a private matter whether you choose to share it with others
or not.
If you want to take some
action to clean your slate, but feel you need help, you may wish
to contact one of the following:
* Your local place of WORSHIP
(Church, Synagogue, Masjid, Temple, etc.)
* RELATE - for help in your marriage
* ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - which
is self explanatory
* If the burden is too much and
you feel you need immediate help, then the SAMARITANS are a wonderful
and caring organisation
Phone numbers for these organisations
can be found in your local telephone directory.
|