If I got it well, it seems to me that if Ivan didn't have that additional space with a restricted group of people that stayed to meditate together, he wouldn't have a space to process the difficult emotions in community. I wouldn't expect something like that to happen spontaneously every time. Coming from a seriously disconnected culture and society, I believe it takes intentionality to rebuild habits of relating that are inclusive, welcoming and safe. I get the point about not structuring everything and the personal healing process for you of letting go of some of the responsibility, control and wanting everybody to be happy, but I would say that a healthy middle ground would be the best option for me as relatively shy, introverted and socially anxious participant. Thanks for sharing
I’ve had three not-initiated-(knowingly)-by-me conversations this week about the tension between structure and fluidity / rules and spirit / artefacts and principles in communities and so this chimes with all of that for me.
I strongly feel the wish to design-in the effective and efficient interventions, and I see all around me the ways in which previous people’s attempts have ossified into ‘of course we’ll do it this way’ rather than trusting in what will arise in the group, and so shut out those fresh possibilities.
"The main duty of the Temple Guardians is to hold the space of the Temple. We create an inviting, inclusive environment that allows everyone to have the experience and expression they need. We keep the Temple itself, as well as the participants who visit it, safe." (https://templeguardians.burningman.org/)
It also brought to mind the book "Wilding Organisations - A ramble about human growth at work" by Jon Barnes (https://www.jonbarnes.me/books/wilding-organisations). And the book "The Age of Thrivability: Vital Perspectives and Practices for a Better World (2016) by Michelle Holliday.
Stewardship, above both guide (leadership) and control (management).
In the book, she says something like: The goal is not to control, but to create fertile conditions for something new and unknown to emerge. The intention is to nurture the system's intrinsic and continuous capacity to learn, innovate, self-organize, and ultimately thrive.
What do you imagine for future experiments in this topic? How would you like to favor more care in other "spaces" of the experience? Or how would you like to intervene less?
Loved this idea of focusing on the more immediate needs and trusting us to (mostly!) work out the rest ourselves. This allowed loads of freedom and creativity. Agree the ‘ask for help’ early on could have been a cool improvement!
I really loved reading about this in a group context. Loving space for discomfort and allowing for initiative within that is something I’ve grown to include in my 1:1 spaces and of course that needs to grow into a community context as well, so it’s just really lovely to read this from your perspective and experience. There’s so much growth that happens when we’re not interfering with someone else’s timeline (when they’re also held and supported along the way).
I like the idea of designing for the 'right kind of discomfort'. Curious if there was an expectation that participants come with certain skills - e.g. - how to ask for help, even how to recognize that they need help? I know when I've felt like an outsider in a group, I haven't always been able to muster the capacity for self-awareness.
If I got it well, it seems to me that if Ivan didn't have that additional space with a restricted group of people that stayed to meditate together, he wouldn't have a space to process the difficult emotions in community. I wouldn't expect something like that to happen spontaneously every time. Coming from a seriously disconnected culture and society, I believe it takes intentionality to rebuild habits of relating that are inclusive, welcoming and safe. I get the point about not structuring everything and the personal healing process for you of letting go of some of the responsibility, control and wanting everybody to be happy, but I would say that a healthy middle ground would be the best option for me as relatively shy, introverted and socially anxious participant. Thanks for sharing
I’ve had three not-initiated-(knowingly)-by-me conversations this week about the tension between structure and fluidity / rules and spirit / artefacts and principles in communities and so this chimes with all of that for me.
I strongly feel the wish to design-in the effective and efficient interventions, and I see all around me the ways in which previous people’s attempts have ossified into ‘of course we’ll do it this way’ rather than trusting in what will arise in the group, and so shut out those fresh possibilities.
I loved the reflections in the text. Thank you for sharing your experience and questions.
This reminds me of the "Temple Guardians" mentioned in the video DEAR GUARDIANS - A Burning Man Short Film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rdqven5MZI).
"The main duty of the Temple Guardians is to hold the space of the Temple. We create an inviting, inclusive environment that allows everyone to have the experience and expression they need. We keep the Temple itself, as well as the participants who visit it, safe." (https://templeguardians.burningman.org/)
It also brought to mind the book "Wilding Organisations - A ramble about human growth at work" by Jon Barnes (https://www.jonbarnes.me/books/wilding-organisations). And the book "The Age of Thrivability: Vital Perspectives and Practices for a Better World (2016) by Michelle Holliday.
Stewardship, above both guide (leadership) and control (management).
In the book, she says something like: The goal is not to control, but to create fertile conditions for something new and unknown to emerge. The intention is to nurture the system's intrinsic and continuous capacity to learn, innovate, self-organize, and ultimately thrive.
What do you imagine for future experiments in this topic? How would you like to favor more care in other "spaces" of the experience? Or how would you like to intervene less?
Hey! That was nice read. I like how ur thinking about shaping and redesigning these experiences. When is RichFest #dos? Xx
Loved this idea of focusing on the more immediate needs and trusting us to (mostly!) work out the rest ourselves. This allowed loads of freedom and creativity. Agree the ‘ask for help’ early on could have been a cool improvement!
I really loved reading about this in a group context. Loving space for discomfort and allowing for initiative within that is something I’ve grown to include in my 1:1 spaces and of course that needs to grow into a community context as well, so it’s just really lovely to read this from your perspective and experience. There’s so much growth that happens when we’re not interfering with someone else’s timeline (when they’re also held and supported along the way).
I like the idea of designing for the 'right kind of discomfort'. Curious if there was an expectation that participants come with certain skills - e.g. - how to ask for help, even how to recognize that they need help? I know when I've felt like an outsider in a group, I haven't always been able to muster the capacity for self-awareness.