human relations

assume incompetence or ignorance over malice but recognise that cultivated or feigned ignorance or incompetence can be refined acts of malice

interdependence

philosophy of ubuntu, ‘I am because we are’ - originating from Bantu and Xhosa traditions and later popularised by Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela

Mentions

“Everyone and everything connects” ➡
“People did not define themselves in terms of their individuality, but in terms of group affiliation. Basic to their thinking and knowing was mutuality, not separateness.” (Mel, 2002, p. 3, as cited in Eggins and Papoutsaki, 2016)

References

Thomas, V., Eggins, J., & Papoutsaki, E. (2016). Relational Accountability in Indigenizing Visual Research for Participatory Communication. Sage Open, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015626493

community building

Resources

network of skill-sharing and hobby groups for older people https://www.u3a.org.uk/about

hierarchial domination

note that not all hierarchies are inherently unjust, but many oppressive systems rely on arbitrary, non-consensual hierarchies in order to exercise control and domination
reasonable hierarchies exist with consent and within context eg allowing a knowledgeable clinician to administer a complex treatment, vs the same clinician having complete power and control over every aspect of your life

The Art of Gathering: Why We Meet and Why It Matters

I do see value in the methods of gathering described here - but we are all also small warm creatures who need to be around other small warm creatures even if we fail to capture more nuanced social skills like control, structure and intentionality

specific purpose
inclusion/exclusion, numbers
followthrough, generous authority
serve others first, caring
making the implicit explicit
pregaming, gathering as a social contract