A while back I was supposed to participate in an event hosted by Vinay in London. After careful consideration I decided at the last minute I was not going to go even though I was really looking forward to it. A few days later I had the following exchange on Twitter…
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@ladyniasan It’s a shame you didn’t make it to #bigpix. Another time.
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@evangineer yes, would have loved to. Had to prioritise rest and time afk. Taking care of ourselves and all that…
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ladyniasan If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the last year, it’s that self-care is job number one! Especially in #socent or #activism.
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@evangineer yeah. After 5 days afk went to #unconv13 and was so livid about some of the bs I fired off rapid post http://www.edgeryders.eu/blog/how-can-innovators-progress-with-confidence-when-they-see-responses-to-pirate-bay-aaron-swartz …
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@evangineer . Sustainable means cognitively and socially sustainable too.
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@ladyniasan Yeah the trouble with riding the edge is that burnout is waiting for you to fall off!
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@evangineer maybe we should have a #burningedge track at #LOTE http://www.edgeryders.eu/blog/lote3-save-the-date … cc @edgeryders
@ladyniasan @evangineer @edgeryders like the idea of a #burningedge at #LOTE at http://www.edgeryders.eu/blog/lote3-save-the-date … …
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@Olasofia @evangineer @edgeryders which questions would we want to answer together through the #burningedge at #LOTE?
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@ladyniasan @evangineer @edgeryders Nice qu. How do we ensure the resilience of change makers themselves. What are flags we shd watch out 4.
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@ladyniasan @evangineer @edgeryders “The quality of an intervention is dependent on the interior state of the intervener”, Bill O’Brien.
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@ladyniasan @evangineer @edgeryders how can this be more of a collective concern?
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@Olasofia @evangineer @edgeryders mmm maybe how people are already doing this and what we could learn from them?
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@Olasofia @evangineer @edgeryders this also fits well with the discussion about new working culture the @unmonastery wants to foster
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@ladyniasan @Olasofia @edgeryders Some of us are, so let’s share best practices. Most of us get caught up in chronic coping though. #LOTE
It reminded me of the ongoing conversation we have been having about work, meaning and innovation. In this post, Dougald looks at the search for meaning in our participation in the social and economic lives of our societies. Irrespective of how we make a living, it comes down to how satisfied we are with the answers we give ourselves to all three questions below. When answers become obsolete, human beings can break, no matter if they’re working middle-aged men with relative financial security or young graduates with no security at all.
- Economic/Practical: How do I pay the rent?
- Social/Psychological: Who am I in the eyes of others?
- Directional: What do I get out of bed for in the morning? And where do I see myself in the future?
We know that ways to go about and meet those needs are not the same for our generations as they were for our parents. There is no clear “workforce to enter”, so many have a hard time fullfilling even the first of the three needs above. Even with a conventional job, the financial rewards and social recognition are misallocated, in that most often people doing the hardest or more valuable work to society are those at the bottom of the ladder. What’s needed, according to Christopher, is to radically rethink the chain: “you need an education, in order to get a job, and then be able to feed yourself, house yourself, and have value in the eyes of others”.
And so was born the idea for a track at LOTE dedicated to exploring concrete ways in which we, together can contribute to ensure the resilience of change makers themselves beyond chronic coping.
Interested in the topic? Know of good people, places or projects that we should draw into this conversation? Want to help?
Hack and share the google document Register by signing up and tell us that “Yes, I am coming to LOTE – The unMonastery edition 29 October - 3 November!” at the worlds first unMonastery in Matera! If you are already a community member, go to your profile page and tick the boxes there to let everyone know you will be joining us!
Its free of charge and dedicated to bootstrapping social, economic and political infrastructure to support meaningful work and the people who do it. Peer to peer.
What do you think of the proposal for this track? Start shaping it by leaving a comment below!