Who We Are Becoming Matters

“A tone poem that touches ancestral wisdom to teach us how to meet the present moment. It’s a meditation. Read slowly.”—The Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu van Furth, author of Forgiveness and Reparation and coauthor of Made for Goodness“Such an extraordinary voice of prose and poetry that demands the reader’s attention. And what a profound and brilliant use of our attention. I am well-familiar with the teachings but I was riveted by Wong Roshi’s style that woke me up. Thank you.”—Margaret Wheatley, author of several books, including Restoring Sanity, Leadership and theNew Science, and Who Do We Choose to Be?“Who We Are Becoming Matters reads like an invitation; a set of gentle nudges to think and act in radically different ways. It is in part an analysis of the current state of the world and in part a series of reflections on how to improve one’s daily practices so that life is better aligned with nature, ancestral wisdom and courageous dedication to a peaceful future. Activists, cultural workers, scholars, parents and spiritual leaders alike will find something in these pages that will affect our collective work to improve the human condition.”—Dr. Beth E. Richie, author of Arrested Justice and distinguished professor of criminology, law, and justice and Black studies and inaugural chair in the humanities and social sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago“The future of our species and all species depends not only on what we do, but who we are and who we evolve to become. Norma Wong gives us practical and inspiring guidance for how to show up in this timeplace of collapse of everything we think we know. A prophet for our time, she instructs us in the necessity and pleasure of meeting this moment in history wide awake—with courage, community, compassion, spaciousness, creativity, and wisdom.”—Deepak Bhargava, president of The Freedom Together Foundation and coauthor of PracticalRadicals“Wong Roshi’s follow up to When No Thing Works is so timely and needed given the startling speed at which systems and institutions continue to collapse. Who We Are Becoming Matters offers volumes of wisdom in an accessible and engaging form. Norma reminds us, consciously and with great care, to take the time to shift our own patterns and habits and lean into the full gifts of our humanity. In doing so, she presents an alternative to the chaos, inviting us instead to seize the opportunity found in the path of aloha. An enthusiastic 999-33-7777 (see chapter 6) is my response when asked if you should read this stellar book. While sharing my enthusiastic book review over breakfast with my husband, he replied, ‘Ah, so this is not a how-to manual, it’s a how-to-become manual.’”—Pam Omidyar, The Omidyar Group

Norma Wong, a life-long resident of Hawaiʻi, is a descendant of Native Hawaiians and Hakka Chinese immigrants. She has decades of experience in organizing, policy, strategy, and politics in Hawaiʻi, particularly in the area of Native Hawaiian issues, serving in the Hawaii State Legislature and as a policy lead and negotiator for Governor John Waiheʻe, Hawaiʻi’s first Native governor. Norma began her spiritual practice at the same time as her political life unfolded. These days, it is the intertwined application of Zen practice and an indigenous worldview that Norma brings to provoke practical inquiry and redirect work. She is a thought partner, a strategist, and a teacher.