Every Voice of the city has a role to play in the city as we all experience the pandemic.
Each Voice is experiencing a different challenge, but each Voice can respond in positive, life-giving ways.
As we respond in positive ways, we generate antibodies of Care which are the real strength behind the effectiveness of viral antibodies.
Citizens – we are the ones locked down and deprived of each others company.
We can cope by making every effort to stay connected via Zoom, email, FB, WA, post.
Remember simple pleasures like celebrating birthdays.
Be grateful every meal, every day, everywhere
Business/Innovators – we are the ones whose businesses are being closed because of lack of trade.
We are the diversity generators and we transact from in-person to online.
Transform from the office to distributed workforces.
Transmute from organizations with profit priorities to organizations with purpose and service priorities.
Civic Managers – we are the ones who are trying to balance health of people with the health of the economy.
We are the Resource Allocators and charged with making difficult trade-off decisions.
We have chosen to support workers in the first stage of cov19 … in following stages we are trying to figure out how the vast changes to our flow of revenues (taxes) and expenses (programs) can be reallocated so all can survive.
3rd Sector/Civil Society – we are the ones who are trying to support all the afflicted, marginalized, separated, destabilized.
We are the Integrators, trying to call all Voices to the table so that we can respond to the changes together.
We have lost positive cashflows, but we are the organizers of the volunteer capacities of our neighbourhoods, communities and cities – we can re-focus our capacities to organize this immense force for good (the millions of organizations explored in Paul Hawken’s “Blessed Unrest”).
+1 Voice – we are the communities and cities who are experiencing the same challenges as other communities/cities, but in our own unique circumstances – we are struggling to figure out how our own challenges have uniquely manifested in our own places and how to learn from other places.
If we work together with the communities and cities in our eco-region, we will multiply the opportunities for us to use resources and strategies effectively together.
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How do we bring our 4 +1 Voices of the City together? Each Voice has the power to invite the other Voices to be in their Circle(s) of Care – at the table as we tackle the pandemic challenges. The best way for us to amplify and generate more antibodies of Care is to always to ask, “who else should be here – from any and all of the 4+1 Voices of the City?”
This blog series explores how Integral City frameworks can strengthen our immune systems as the best biomimicry defence against the pandemic.
The series includes:
Hello Marilyn
How are you? It was nice bumping into you at the Eco-City Conference. How is the Integral City Coming?
Have you had any Insights about the City with the Covid-19 invasion. How will the Integral City do under quarantine? Restrictions seem to alter how we perceive Reality. The Pandemic is one giant ALTERATION. It is the “Hand of God” reaching out to us in regards to how we are living on the Planet. We are so self-absorbed with our own lifestyle that we lose track of what Nature wants.
Like the Eco-City Conference, I find that most ecological groups have no understanding of Nature. Their methods of alteration still do not flow with Nature. The result is that Humans still take, take, take from Nature and give more babies and take more land. Our consumption of the Earth seems to have no plan for Restoration and return of wilderness to the other 1 million species.
HI Robert – If you read the blog of City of the Year Edmonton, you will find an Integrally-Informed City who has not only developed a City Plan for the best of times – but one that was designed to go with the flow and uncertainties of the pandemic. Also see the December Solstice Newsletter where we explore Regenerativity and our challenges to re-align cities with Nature over the next decade.
I agree we are on a huge learning curve. Every hour seems to be a lesson here in UK.
Meshful blessings for your health and wellbeing,
Marilyn Hamilton