What a great idea! One thing I noticed from book clubs I’ve been in is if people sit in the same seats they tend to put forth the same views, no matter what the book. I’m all for comfort but new perspectives can be had just by looking out a different window. It reminds me of advice about corporate meetings: have them standing up. Physical presence really influences thought.
Hey, fellow book worm! I find this to be an awesome thought experiment, a genuinely good idea, and not all that ridiculous, actually! (Although maybe just a wee bit in that good way that futurists aim for!) One of the ideal traits of a real, functional democracy has always been that its participants are actively reading and thinking, often (or especially) ideas that challenge their old assumptions. And most well-run book clubs are by nature highly civil and open-minded, another ideal of a healthy democracy that we don't see much of in this day and age. So there are just a lot of reasons this makes sense and I love the signals you added! The Baltimore one is especially interesting in relation to this future scenario!
If you feel up to it, I'd encourage you to add this latest post of yours in a new monthly feature that we started on Urgent Optimists where members like you share recent news and developments of theirs that they're excited about, proud of, or just feel like sharing! I'd say this qualifies!
Hi Daniel, thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful (as always) comment. You're very right, reading and thinking are such an important part of democracy, but it's become so passive. I do believe people actually crave more active engagement and I always find books are such a great bringer-togetherer-of-people (for lack of a better word).
Thanks for sharing the new UO feature, I will check it out now! I've not been active lately but will pop in today to see what's going on.
I know you have tons of amazing ideas for the future, let me know if there's any specific topic you'd like me to explore here in a Tiny Glimmer and I'll get my imagination cap on!
Well, you know me, hehehe. I'm obsessed with anything that gets people imagining the thing that, as Mark Fisher and Fredric Jameson and Slavoj Žižek have all complained, is more difficult to imagine for most people than the end of the world: alternatives to capitalism. What tiny glimmers could be non-scary and non-threatening ways for people to imagine that capitalism isn't in fact the best we can do and that there really can be alternatives? This is admittedly a very challenging one so it doesn't have to be anytime soon. Maybe save it for one day when you're feeling particularly inspired and energized!
Hey, ridiculousness is an essential part of the fun!
That's very true and I think actually a really important point: fun should be considered when we're designing a new future!
What a great idea! One thing I noticed from book clubs I’ve been in is if people sit in the same seats they tend to put forth the same views, no matter what the book. I’m all for comfort but new perspectives can be had just by looking out a different window. It reminds me of advice about corporate meetings: have them standing up. Physical presence really influences thought.
Hey, fellow book worm! I find this to be an awesome thought experiment, a genuinely good idea, and not all that ridiculous, actually! (Although maybe just a wee bit in that good way that futurists aim for!) One of the ideal traits of a real, functional democracy has always been that its participants are actively reading and thinking, often (or especially) ideas that challenge their old assumptions. And most well-run book clubs are by nature highly civil and open-minded, another ideal of a healthy democracy that we don't see much of in this day and age. So there are just a lot of reasons this makes sense and I love the signals you added! The Baltimore one is especially interesting in relation to this future scenario!
If you feel up to it, I'd encourage you to add this latest post of yours in a new monthly feature that we started on Urgent Optimists where members like you share recent news and developments of theirs that they're excited about, proud of, or just feel like sharing! I'd say this qualifies!
https://urgentoptimists.org/posts/uo-member-news-projects-and-accomplishments?utm_source=manual
Hi Daniel, thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful (as always) comment. You're very right, reading and thinking are such an important part of democracy, but it's become so passive. I do believe people actually crave more active engagement and I always find books are such a great bringer-togetherer-of-people (for lack of a better word).
Thanks for sharing the new UO feature, I will check it out now! I've not been active lately but will pop in today to see what's going on.
I know you have tons of amazing ideas for the future, let me know if there's any specific topic you'd like me to explore here in a Tiny Glimmer and I'll get my imagination cap on!
Well, you know me, hehehe. I'm obsessed with anything that gets people imagining the thing that, as Mark Fisher and Fredric Jameson and Slavoj Žižek have all complained, is more difficult to imagine for most people than the end of the world: alternatives to capitalism. What tiny glimmers could be non-scary and non-threatening ways for people to imagine that capitalism isn't in fact the best we can do and that there really can be alternatives? This is admittedly a very challenging one so it doesn't have to be anytime soon. Maybe save it for one day when you're feeling particularly inspired and energized!
I love this! What a beautiful idea, and as others and your signals have said, not ridiculous really...perhaps just the right amount.