community
The simple act of engaging people in short bursts has been shown to make us happier and more inclined to be social, and it will also help us mentally and psychologically warm up to be our best in conversations and small talk no matter the context.
Patrick King • Better Small Talk
We need to engage in more short interactions—or what researcher Steven Handel calls “ten-second relationships”—with others, because they have the potential to boost our moods, change our perspectives, and warm us up socially. It’s as though these interactions keep the social engagement engine running.
Patrick King • Better Small Talk
“When two partners always agree, one of them is not necessary.”
Dale Carnegie • How To Win Friends and Influence People
We love through connection, but we individualize through solitude.
David Richo • How to Be an Adult in Love: Letting Love in Safely and Showing It Recklessly
notes from an article i dont have a link for:
When you are certain, you are rigid in your state. Being ignorant but open to learning is an open, flowing state. You are in a state of becoming.
Schools train us to find the right answer, not about the journey and questions that lead us there. AI is robbing us of the journey, the work, of exploring.
It
... See morehow to be a better villager
youtube.comnotes from video:
how we think about community is often branded eloquently or beautifully.
(read: braiding sweetgrass)
the three sisters: corn, beans, and squash- the gifts of each are more prominent when nurtured together, than alone. all gifts are multiplied in relationship.
we tend to rely on virtual community, rather than in person community
you build a sense of agency when you are in a community. when we are alone we ask “well, what can i do?” but when in a group we start mobilizing.
my thoughts:
This piece resonates because I frequently feel anxious about doing new events or being a part of a new community. But the speaker is right- there's no group or community where we get to bypass difficult conversations or uncomfortable moments. That comes from humans existing in a space together.
The piece around agency resonated as well. It makes sense that when we are in a community and we are making decisions, such as where to hand out the flyer or how to set up the chairs, we are exercising skills we would not have had if we were in “made for you” space. The benefit to agency is that it cultivates a sense of ability to accomplish things. Alone we feel powerless, together we make change.
The idea of spending ten minutes or a hour a week, cultivating and nurturing your village spoke to me. I appreciate an attainable action step. I am going to stew on when and how long, as well as what I want to do to become a better villager.