Community Guidelines

“The power of collective wisdom lies in its ability to be an emergent phenomenon- from uncertainty, inquiry, and dialogue come new meaning, learning, and unanticipated ways of moving forward. Although we cannot will collective wisdom to arise in groups, we can make preparations that encourage it to emerge.”

This quote is from the book The Power of Collective Wisdom and the following “stances” are shared in the book. These stances are attitudes that increase the likelihood of collective wisdom emerging and they are the basis from which our community guidelines are formed.

In general, this forum will not be moderated. We expect that members will express themselves in ways that are civil and well-intended, and when they do not, we expect community members themselves to give feedback to the post/comment in question. We are co-creating the online space that we as a group desire. We do reserve the right to remove posts when called for by the community, or redirect posts whose subject matter is better suited to a specific group rather than have it visible to all (more on that below). Administrators will de-register members who repeatedly interact in ways that do not reflect an awareness of the aims of the community.

We promote the following stances aimed at cultivating collective wisdom, pulled from the Collective Wisdom Institute Model.

1) Respect For Others: Respect is a commitment to esteem others even when disagreements arise. It is a willingness to recognize dissent as an avenue for new learning.

Before you reply with dissent, as yourself “Would I say this to the other person’s face?” How you word your responses matters.

2) Seeking Diverse Perspectives: That stance reminds us that we all see the world in a unique way. Our diverse perspectives matter because they reveal a better understanding of the whole.

Look for ways to synthesize diverse information into your own worldview. Ask yourself, “what don’t I know about this person/topic?”

3) Welcoming All that Is: Difficult conversations and uncomfortable emotions can be critical components of wisdom cultivation.

How can you learn from a post that upsets you? What does this reaction have to teach you? Sit with it and see what comes up.

4) Trust In the Transcendent: This is a call to see the larger world on which your human journey is written. We become more open-minded when we can zoom out.

Ask yourself, “What might I be missing by focusing too narrowly here?

5) Suspension of Certainty: The human capacity to make meaning together depends on the ability of individuals to suspend a desire to be right- to suspend judgment and allow for listening and learning. When group members are willing to take risks or admit to not knowing or being wrong, the unexpected can emerge. We can learn together.

Ask yourself, “I am approaching this conversation with a beginner’s mind?” “What do I have to lose by realizing that I am wrong?”

6) Deep Listening: We are more than just the sum of our external parts. Deep listening invites us to be curious about what is really going on inside a person.

Ask yourself, “What might this person really feel, value, fear?” “Can I connect with that?”

7) Assume Good Intentions: We are all ignorant in certain areas, and we all sometimes word things in ways that upset others. Act with the assumption of good intentions from others and teach by sharing knowledge and awareness, not by shaming or blaming.

Ask yourself, “What might their intention be?” “What might they be unaware of?” “What am I unaware of?”

Please be mindful of posting content in the appropriate spaces. Reserve general posts for topics that do not have a specific group created for them, particularly those that might not be appropriate or interesting to most members. For example, political discussions should take place in the Wise Politics group, questions about parenting are best suited to the Wise Parenting group, etc. Message the Admin team (Wisdom Cultivator) to create a new group.

The following actions may result in a member being removed from the community:

· Sharing the posts of others outside of the community.

· Using language that is obscene or patently offensive, racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory or intimidating; harassing, abusive or threatening; libelous or defamatory.

· Misleading others, such as impersonating someone else.

· Provoking others to create a heated discussion “trolling,” or engaging in personal attacks.

· Posting links to malware or piracy sites.

· Using the space to advertise or promote your own products (outside of the “Promotions” group).

· Soliciting donations, however well-intended.

Please recognize that although we prohibit members from sharing the posts of others outside the group, this online space is still not private. We cannot guarantee that others will not share or screenshot your content. Please protect yourself as you see fit and be aware of what personal information you share. You may remain anonymous to other community members by hiding your name in your profile. Your “Nickname” is what will become your default username and your nickname can be changed at any time.

We look forward to co-creating a space with you where we can all grow in wisdom!