Encounterism

Encounters with strangers can be a humbling reminder of the vastness of the world and of each other, the impossible-feeling truth that each one of us contains an entire universe of inner life and a singular perspective, that as a species we have an incredible capacity for kindness, cruelty, courage and creativity.

"serendipity engine" - consistently creating moments of potential connection and designing a cadence of connection in your life that can lead to unexpected, deeper connections if you're open to them.

many of us are drawn to these novel kinds of Small Group experience because we long for new kinds of friendship that transcend the categories of relationship currently on offer to us. We’re enticed and intrigued by the notion of a close group of people that are keen and eager to collectively experiment with:-Going psychologically deeper than the bo... See more

Consider, by way of example, something as prosaic as an encounter with another person. Such an encounter will be resonant only when we offer ourselves to the encounter in such a way that we can be affected or moved by the other person and when we, in turn, can respond in kind to this call. As Illich might say, it is a willingness to be surprised by... See more

The upshot of device-mediated encounters is that they may be benign in single instances but collectively they are alarming. The larger question is where we are headed with such encounters. How do they impact our capacity to love, to be present to one another, to sort out what deeply matters about oneself and life? What impact do they have on human ... See more

Why Physical Encounters Matter

Manthe argues that while digital encounters can play a role in fostering connection, they are inherently weaker than physical ones. Meeting face-to-face creates a unique awareness of the other person, enabling us to better acknowledge their feelings and sense their emotions. These emotional connections are crucial for... See more