The Bento Society #21: Don't be scared, you're not the only one

Hi there and welcome to The Bento Society. My name is Yancey Strickler. It’s good to be with you today.

Today I’ve written a very long post on my personal newsletter about how to face up to this especially challenging moment. It draws on a lot of wisdom — everything from sci-fi to systems analyses and the history of co-ops. It’s called “Don’t be scared, you’re not the only one” and you can read it here.

This week’s schedule

We’ll come together for the Weekly Bento today at 12pm EST. I had originally planned for Lauren Ruffin, the co-CEO of Fractured Atlas, to come and talk about long-term movement building, however she’s currently without electricity so we’re rescheduling for another time. Stay tuned for that.

The Weekly Bento
Sunday September 13
12pm EST

The Weekly Bento
Sunday September 20
12pm EST

Recognizing the Bento community

A huge thank you to Mario Vasilescu for expertly hosting two Weekly Bentos over the past month. Also thanks to Yuki Nakahara for hosting last week’s Retro Bento, and to Yuki and Alicia Visser for hosting and organizing a Bento Society book club. These organic happenings from people within the Bento Society are incredibly exciting, encouraging for our future, and personally mean a lot.

Preparing ourselves for the future

Two weeks ago in the Weekly Bento I challenged us with the idea that the world might not get better. (Video here.) I invited breakout groups to share three things they could do Now to help our world and three things they could do to prepare for the Future. The list is an inspiring reminder of why we’re here and the challenging work to be done.

Now

1. Use the Bento lens as a way to see my responsibilities in terms of now and the future

2. Participate in the political process

3. Care for the people in my life and getting to them in a place of strength and resilience

Future

1. Embrace intentionally downwardly mobile living

2. Base my self-esteem on values like togetherness

3. Use the Bento to see my actions in terms of now and the future

—

Now

1. Look for new ways and work with tech movements

2. Empower others to change from inside out

3. Keep learning, be courageous, set an example

Future

1. Align with a community of doers and decision makers

2. Build on a foundation of peace for influential communities

3. Understand food systems and remodel the world with a holistic model  

—

Now

1. decrease expenses

2. empower next gen. entrepreneurs

3. invest more into family

Future

1. increase P2P and local support

2. micro funding for next gen. entrepreneurs

—

Now

1. Facilitate conversations that help people reframe kindness as an actionable, choice-protocol

2. Introduce circular economy into business school curricula and projects

Future

1. organize groups to accomplish needed tasks in community and share skills/resources (could also fall into Now!)

—

Now

1. Raise morally responsible kids

2. Contribute to organizations that embrace the light  

Future

1. Community building and fellowship

2. Seems to be a lot of ways to spread hate…find more creative and effective ways to spread love, and helping those in need

3. Learning tools that may assist in the above.

—

Now

1. Futurecasting workshops with friends

2. Creating time and space for myself to heal, reflect and plan… and most importantly just ‘be’.

3. Take time to learn and read

Future 

1. Create containers and new systems to thrive

2. Nudge policy that makes decisions like the Native chieftain

3. Home-school my kids…

—

Now

1. Eco friendliness - food/life style

2. health - emotional and physical

3. community on a mission

Future

1. build community thru education and mentorship

2. self reliance and self sustainability

3. learning together

—

Action at different scales:

• National/large groups Create national networks or large groups to navigate challenges (public policy/achieving critical human rights principals), mobilizing large groups towards collective change. e.g. National Youth Coalition led by Justice!

• Community/Groups: Thought expansion exercises with family and friends “if no-one had to work what would you do with your time?

• Individual: Investing in ourselves - studying/building expertise, or taking care of our own needs and taking the time to reflect - remembering that we are human beings and not human doings.

I hope to see you at an upcoming Bento event. And if you’re coming, bring a friend.

Peace and love my friends,

Yancey
The Bento Society