The Collective Human Experience
Perhaps it’s because some cultures – especially those somewhat insulated from the West’s relentless march towards individualised efficiency – have managed to preserve something we’ve lost along the way: an assumption of goodness in others. A default that sees a stranger and thinks ‘guest’ rather than ‘risk’. How ironic then that the countries we’re... See more
343 / The map is not the territory
In a world where tech commentators confidently declare that we poor ignoramuses haven’t even begun to get our heads around what’s barreling down the tracks towards us, I think it’s good to stay fully, even slightly foolishly, committed to the idea that humans doing human things, with other humans, is and will remain at the vital heart of human exis
... See moreBut in excess, self-development can create a world of self-interested individuals and that’s what I’m up against here. I’m against the continual process of self-betterment at the expense of community-betterment. I’m against participating in too much theory and not enough action. We can focus on being more loving and more empathetic and more compass... See more
Elle Griffin • Social Development > Self-Development
our individual flourishing is inextricably linked to the wellbeing of those around us
327 / Individual growth, collective crisis
What we urgently need in all ranks of leadership, both in corporate and government, is the ability to imagine futures that see the messiness of being human not as an inefficiency to be optimised away but as an essential friction that weaves the fabric of genuine human experience.
325 / The sterile future *they* want
Building alternatives to extractive economics isn’t just about critiquing the system from afar/behind our screens. It’s about actively rewriting the story at the local level, where change feels personal and immediate. When those benefits are visible to the people we care about, they have the power to inspire more systemic change over time.
321 / Unmaking the extractive class
Joy is not a function of a life free of friction and frustration, but a function of focus — an inner elevation by the fulcrum of choice.
Maria Popova • 18 Life-Learnings From 18 Years of the Marginalian
Yes. At the root of my work is joy—and at the root of that is hope. I believe that if we give up hope on all who make up “humanity” not only are we allowing the oppressors, colonizers, bigots, and others to win, but we are also not acknowledging all the work marginalized communities have put into experiencing life euphorically.
Five Reasons Why Trump Won Again
Do you have hope for humanity?
Contribute your skills to an existing effort – make it possible. Build the website, raise the funds, recruit the talent, plan the events. As Bill McKibben puts it, “Faced with the kind of crises that we face, the most important thing that an individual can do is to not always be an individual.” Move from I to we .