Slaying dragons

On Monday, eighteen of us gathered at Frankford & Norris to try and do the impossible: slay dragons. We spent time identifying the dragons among us: education inequality, racism, poverty, drone warfare, environmental degradation, depression, anxiety, hate, fear and pondered how we could solve them. We spoke out our emotions and prayed for solutions. It was a time marked by passion, prayer, and persistence--using the Christian Community Development Association's three Rs: relocation, redistribution, reconciliation. Here's what Sarah Getz of BW reported on the event page on Facebook:

Some of my favorite thoughts from last night's Dragon Slayer's Gathering:

-- Be patient, it can take years to defeat these dragons.
-- You aren't alone. It takes a village to defeat a dragon.
-- Our Compassion Teams succeed when people team up and collaborate.
-- Don't let the dragons break you. You'll fight them better if you're healthy. 
-- Some days, biking through poverty is hard, but sometimes I'm singing with joy.
-- Little Dragons, like cleaning up a park, are easier to deal with. 
-- Bigger Dragons - like gun homicide, violence and abuse, poverty and broken school systems - take more time, people and resources. But hang in there. Change will come.
-- If you need it, take a break from the fight. Don't be afraid to rest or get help.
-- We can connect with established groups throughout the city who are already fighting, and add our voices to theirs.
-- Philly's Public Schools are in the long slow dance towards death. The battle will get harder before it gets easier.
-- We are worried about empty schools and buildings, but we are hopeful for new legislation regarding abandoned properties.
-- We get scared and discouraged sometimes, but its encouraging when we hear success stories of hope, reconciliation, and positive change.
-- Public Spaces are getting reclaimed. Many of us are networking to clean, to plant, to grow - helping to network with neighbors and make our neighborhoods safer.
-- Even small ways of sharing have great impacts over time.
-- Relocate. Reconcile. Redistribute.
-- Collaboration is counter-cultural... but it's the best way to make progress.

Wow... there was so much more, but my mind is racing. 
Anyone care to add more thoughts?