Inaugurating IS
It's inaguration day in DC and this poem is echoing in my head as people consider, "what now?" What changes with a shift of our country's leadership, and what doesn't? Amidst some of the rejoicing I see in my circles today are voices saying something like, "hey this is a step up but remember, tomorrow we keep at the same work, the same struggles, whether we have more allies or antagonists the work is still up to us."
Changing a president doesn't mean that things are now magically all better, regardless of which party you might feel closer to. The work of repairing, maturing, and growing our social contract, social unity, social support, and societal capabilities belongs. to. us. and our leaders. And our fellow humans across the globe. Will we rise to meet our potential, overcome our fear and reactivity, and be the society in which we want to live?
At the risk of an overly grandiose segue, last Sunday eight of us met to take an inagural step on a path of being and building together: the first general working session of Intentional Society. We practiced some social noticing, then did some noticing together as a group of the things (aka drivers) that felt most compelling to our attention:
There's so much waiting for our awareness and intention! I feel energized by so much potential - both opportunities and risks, calling us to attentive sensemaking and skillful means. We'll keep going this Sunday, and the door is open for you to draw closer if you feel so led.
This Sunday, Jan 24th:
Info/intro Session - 11:30am Pacific / 2:30pm Eastern
Get the meeting invite here.
General/working Session - 1:00pm Pacific / 4:00pm Eastern
If you need an invite, reply to this email!
Attend an intro session before joining a general session. It is okay to do both in one day. It is also okay to keep lurking! Do what you feel pulled to, when the time is right for you. We are inevitably missing many voices at this moment of seedling-phase smallness, but we hope and trust that we can "find the others" to weave together a rich tapestry of diversity in community.
So I won't say, "we are waiting for you." Instead, I'll say, "what is it that is waiting for you to come more alive to yourself?"
Cheers, James