one idea to change the world

find a group of people/families/friends and learn how to cooperate.

designate one person whom the group supports, unconditionally, to leave the salaried workforce, for 3, 6, 9, 12 months. let that person find their own way to support the rest of the group. think of it as a sabbatical. don’t expect them to do everyone’s laundry, or to have dinner ready when you get home.

let them be who they are and be supportive in the ways the are compelled to. let it not make sense. give them lots of space to pursue their special interests. ask them what they need, and be genuinely interested. let them notice what you need that you might not have noticed that you needed. find ways to remind yourselves that you have each other’s backs. have potlucks often, and sing an out-of-tune song that everyone loves anyway.

then rotate. let someone else go on sabbatical. don’t make a strict deadline, but let it happen when the first person finds their way back to the workplace, maybe in a new way. don’t expect them to pick up where the other person left off. let them be the person they are, and let yourselves adjust to the change.

let them know that you believe in them. knowing that you might inhabit the role soon, don’t envy them, and don’t trivialize them for not having a straight job. find every opportunity to express gratitude for the role they hold and the unique perspective this contributes to the group.

you don’t have to live on a commune or pretend that it’s the summer of love. you can live in separate apartments, or suburban tract homes. in public housing or rural lots with room to spread out. see what kind of love this frees, when we practice abandoning the fiction of independence.

to disengage is to engage differently. if we want to change the world. we must engage differently.

Pause. Reflect. Grieve. Celebrate. Repair. Rinse. Repeat.