A Call to Community
Conscious Technology for Authentic Engagement
April 18, 2022
Written by: Greta Seitz
This morning we began our Essential Conversation with a poem about the call to community. We as humans are called to be in communion with one another, to engage and learn, it’s in our human nature.
In community lies strength of numbers.
to support the sick and the weak.
In community somebody hears me,
with louder voices to speak
In community lies public purpose,
to shield from the harshness of life.
To offer and receive common friendship,
to protect from the gun and the knife
In community we teach each other
about science and art and sport.
From this we gain our vitality,
and through this our sickness is fought.
In community others surround us.
Their dreams, their love and their faces,
encourage our hearts to prosper;
our minds to accept other places.
In community disaster may come
But, grief shared and faith in our all,
makes death's pall linger less strongly,
our tears with others can fall.
In community lies man's ambition.
Without, makes larger our fears.
Together we make sense of being
and bring joy and length to our years.- Sailing to Windward
In the chat, people shared what community means to them and the answers were truly profound: community sustains life, is restoring, fundamental to who we are as humans beings, unites us, supports, we are incomplete without it. Clearly, we need community! But as our lives have been uprooted by the pandemic and everything else going on in the world, it feels sometimes we have lost touch with our community, at times isolated. That being said, technology has played a huge role in allowing us to not only stay connected to friends and family during this time, but also explore and engage in new relationships through phones, internet, Zoom, social media, etc.
Before entering the first Wisdom Circles, we watched a video from the Center for Purposeful Leadership interns discussing the role of technology and how they have seen it sustain community. Their insights and perspectives offered just one view of modern technology’s impact but opened up the conversation for all the voices to be shared and heard in the Wisdom Circles as groups explored the following questions:
What is your relationship with technology?
How does technology affect/ impact your authenticity and community engagement?
The responses brought a breadth of opportunity for reflection on how we can use technology to empower and engage, but also the struggles in cultivating authentic interaction in online gatherings. As we have mentioned before, we cannot wait to return to the old norm. As humans we are resilient and prosper when we adapt, we must make a commitment to break down the barriers which inhibit authentic connection in an online or hybrid space and allow ourselves to be vulnerable in these new spaces as we would if we were in person or back to our pre-covid ways of living.
Before entering into the second round of Wisdom Circles, the group was able to hear some reflections and offer questions to the CPL interns, Greta and Lily who shared how they have been able to use technology in order to engage and stay connected. For Lily, being able to work across the globe in Kosovo and be connected to friends/ family back home while also doing her job remotely has been one clear benefit. For myself [Greta], I have been blown away by the connections I have made since beginning my work with CPL back in the fall. While my job has been exclusively online, I have been able to learn so much from the community within CPL, grow my network, and share my voice and perspective with individuals who I may have never met otherwise. The Essential Conversations in particular are always optional to attend, they have been a practice space and welcomed source of weekly authentic engagement.
The question discussed in the second Wisdom Circles was:
What are opportunities and barriers to creating authentic community in hybrid and virtual environments?
I will attempt to sum up the wonderful responses by outlining a few key themes that emerged from the breakout sessions. Technology can be intimidating at times and there is a common fear of “screwing up” but we must be patient with ourselves and others as we all learn together. On a similar note, as we continue learning how to navigate and define hybrid/ virtual interactions the absence of physical intuitive exchanges, we have the power to implore ourselves and one another to make each online interaction an opportunity for authentic engagement. A few community members noted the “CPL difference” in utilizing Art of Convening tools such as the Convening Wheel and the Heart of the Matter to remain constant, mindful, and intentional.
“CPL is clear on purpose -having wheel as the path for all gatherings creates the space, the container that results in creating a community of LOVE-where we practice empathy, compassion and non judgement..”
In closing, I would like to share the insight I am so grateful to have gained through my discussions with my fellow Wisdom Circle members. We talked about the idea that none of this is completely new… gathering, sharing ideas, etc. have been around for centuries and have seen various new forms of “technology” such as the printing press. Technology is just a tool not the answer. Even someone like me who has technological skill is nothing without community and all the people that make it special. The greater result and outcome that we seek through technology is engagement, learning, sharing our voices. That is the impact. Technology is great in allowing us to facilitate these things but it is not the creator- we are!
If you were not able to attend this Essential Conversation feel free to watch the recording at CPL Communities!
Want to attend future Essential Conversations or view upcoming events, check out the calendar to learn more!
