Hey everyone – after months of labor and love
@patriciamou_
and my dream of creating a community space in SF is happening!! It's beyond my wildest imagination and if you're able to support our project, it'd mean the world 😍🥳♥️
🚨 We’re excited to share that we’ve found a space for The Commons!
ft. a co-working space, philosophy salon space, communal library, cafe, meditation studio, and lots of cozy reading nooks.
We need your help in securing the space!
👉
🧵on our vision
oh I got one! I got a gripe abt SF. SF culture really privileges the kinda impact that comes from "good" doing & building wayyy over "good" being. Not a lot of insight into interconnectedness here so I see very few people who assign equal moral value to good, quiet, rural living
fun quick thought - i prefer 'friendly agentic nerds' over 'friendly ambitious nerds'. the desire to accomplish "ends" isn't crucial in an open, expressive, creative, caring attitude with the world
I'm actually quite optimistic about SF's future. Abundant trees, schools, families, safety, welfare, community care are not that far away.
every day I learn about new orgs, activists &institutions building community + roots in this city that inspire hope. Will make a 🧵soon 👀
one day i'll be on this platform (give me 6 months 😅) but i'm currently a bit too giddy about our soft launch
@thesfcommons
...!!! more to come soon 🍂🍁😁
SF is also like 10-20 years ahead of most places - both the good and the "bad". Figuring out how to make a city that (1) works for everyone (2) is designed for human well-being and flourishing and (3) synergizes good local govt w rapid tech change is going to happen here first &
We just announced Campus, our biggest program & update
@thesfcommons
- member-led classes, salons, circles, and extracurriculars on dedicated nights of the week 🏛 (apply & read more below 👇)
Today we're officially announcing and opening applications to Campus 🏛️
1/ A “school” for the soul, intellect, and inner-child:
🔭community-created curriculum exploring our curiosities
🌱 50+ circles, salons, juntos and extracurriculars
🤓 "nerd prom" at end of the qtr
What's the closest thing to
@thesfcommons
in Boulder, CO? (i.e. mixed-use third space with strong community aspect; emphasis on exploration, curiosity, creativity, play; varied spectrum of interests across the community, etc.)
Imma +100 this thread. Took me ~6 months of exploring, trying to form a legible idea etc before I got something that made enough sense to me and another ~4 months of trying to build momentum before The Commons became anything legible to others
Holy shit: 23k layoffs/month from tech companies for each of the last 7 months.
If you're unemployed and have the savings, consider taking time to reflect and explore? What the talented and ambitious do with their time is high-leverage to get right, and the world is complicated.
in my mind I find it just as valuable being a quiet but positive presence in a small neighborhood as it is to build safe AGI. Not bc I think AGI isn't worth many brownie points but bc I think few of us fully grok how beneficial it can be to be a good cultural exemplar ANYWHERE
@grantbels
Warmed me (as Freudian slip for warned?) very apt here :)
May our hearts remain continually warmed to their unfolding, breakings, and openings ✨
If you want a relationship to improve there's basically only 1 lever you can pull and it's "what can I do differently?"
Note: Calling the other person out on what they can do differently is fine and part of your sphere of control (this is healthy anger)
But you CANNOT do any
What communities (local to SF or otherwise) are stewarded by elders (60+ y/o) that you feel personally connected to?
Ideally
- multiple elders
- if not stewarded by elders then strong elder presence
- digital examples welcome
After 3 months of waiting, we finally got our last piece of major furniture (bistro cafe tables) delivered.
I can rest now 😴 & very excited to sip hot coffee here every morning with a book ?
One edge I've been working w lately is this notion of "borrowed time"
Got an hour left in the day but still haven't meditated, gone for a walk, etc etc? Well gotta cram it all!!
Now, I look at the clock, I have 20 min left before a meeting, and I stop tryna cram the like 3
I've been trying to narrow the window of time btwn (1) "I should do this, this would be good for me" and (2) actually doing the thing.... So far there's been only upside.
My main fear: "I can't handle this kind of velocity" (which was true-ish at one point in time 🤔😬)
Most of the obstacles to immediately setting about improving my situation are fake and exist in order to alleviate the fear that there is an infinite obligation to take such actions.
Public commitments are great until it's 9:25pm and you're ready for bed. The only way I'm gonna manage this is if I send every single tweet-thought I have as soon as I have it (there will be many).
O/w this just feels forced...
To fully own where this tweet came from: I feel like I repress 1/2 of me when I'm just in SF & I value the part of me that wants to be a quiet no one in the middle of nowhere.
I plan to spend much more time in the coming years traveling & in nature to balance my soul's yearnings
the commons continues to teach me more and more, and i'm excited for everything we have planned for the community in the next year ✨ if growing/exploring/expanding in community is your vibe, we'd love for you to join us ☺️
We're now opening apps for our Winter/Spring member cohort 🏛️ join us as we explore, meaning-make, & express ourselves in community
whether you're an artist, explorer, citizen, scholar, builder, or spiritual seeker - welcome home ♥️
apply by Jan 12th👉
If you have a month btwn jobs ~mid June to ~mid July, best way (full stop) you can spend your time is at
No place packs in more richness & fertile growth - and applications close this Friday. Highly highly recommend & AMA abt it in comments
“I have a month or two in between jobs and want to focus on inner/emotional work, what do I do?”
A friend of mine asked me. What would you say?
They've previously done a 10 day Goenka Vipassana retreat, t-groups, and a weekend authentic relating workshop
Also to be clear: good doing & building is genuinely good. It's the kinda shit that lifts ppl outta poverty & creates new tech + creates a sense of self-purpose. I love it - I spend most of my time in "good doing mode"
I'd like to find wholesome spiritual content on YouTube - no technical stuff, no dharma talks. Stories about people. Maybe smth like "Yes Theory" but rooted in stories of ppl's love, wisdom, compassion, action bringing about joy and goodness. Any recs?
@EthanReeder
Lay limp in nature & rest A LOT. Nature naturally heals (and the body does too, but sometimes it needs a little hand from nature)
Rest man. Feel it. Or don't. But just rest. Catch yourself a break, let Mother Nature hold you 🙏🏼❤️
Feeling for you. I know the feeling
last fri, 30+ friends got together to design our dream 3rd space in SF to house a community living room for curious souls.
a space to nourish curiosity towards our inner & outer worlds through dialogue, play, reflection & co-creation.
here's what we dreamed up 👇
an experiment: see EVERYTHING u do as an act of self-love.
"scrolling twitter isn't self-love, my inner critic isn't self-love."
so pause: "what is the sincere intention underneath my action?"
(hint: it's self-love)
can i liberate the self-love into a higher expression?
I also think that jumping off the deep end from a tech job into a creative passion you care about is 1. Better for the world and 2. Will make ya a lot happier / more fulfilled. All in all +100 here!
note: you can drop the "self" part & just see every action as love.
important note: it's crucial you do this diligently with 👏every 👏 single 👏action👏 you 👏 take
it only works if you make no exceptions
@nosilverv
@m_ashcroft
@JakeOrthwein
@nickcammarata
Unclear how but consider The Commons () as a resource... Whether for physical co-location or community of folks who would read and give feedback. We'd like to support this kinda scholarship
dignity and self-respect is function of how willing you are to walk away in moments of disrespect. not narcissicm, but a capacity to take agency fully in life and make it what you deserve
@manda_ngo
Currently reading Facets of Unity which is a bomb book on enneagram model & liberation. Chakras too have worked well for understanding my own processes
Which actually seems to match Romeo's fear that there is an "infinite obligation" to take such actions...
Presumably, just maybe, I'm always at choice about how many "improvements" I make to my life.
Hmm.
@DougTataryn
@AskYatharth
@O__C___D__
I also went from being massively lactose intolerant to now consuming ~1-2lbs of yogurt, a pack of cheese, and a lil bit of whole milk per week. Was all about slowly building up tolerance w milder dairy products (greek yogurt + goat cheese)
Nevermind the context for now - the linked essay, however, was fairly instrumental in relaxing the expectations I had for systems of meaning, especially when I was trying to understand "spiritual systems"
You have been told that “values” are good and you must have them to be a good person. So evidently my tweet was confusing :)
Here’s how to free yourself from the “values” you are subject to (and why):
@nopranablem
@peak_valley_pea
is the main reason I'm on Twitter 🫶🏼
My feed is precise, clear, technical pointers to phenomenological experiences along the path.
It was this eureka moment when we realized the entire community was looking for the same things: density, liveliness, and serendipity paired with intimacy, depth, and continuity
@jasoncbenn
Quoting you / David, I've seen glimpses of "passion, effective action, meaning, mastery, charisma" and yes, I'd say they are fruits of the path – but I wouldn't call my glimpses particularly stable (in comparison to those who have spent more time with this stuff)
i am convinced that >80% of psychological human suffering boils down to needing to choose authenticity to yourself vs. connection to others (& vice versa)
@peak_valley_pea
Can you explain experientially what you mean by die into it? (Let go of the feeling of being in conflict with the objects of awareness?) do you use "die" to convey a sense that this is an unpleasant movement?
@jasoncbenn
I'd be very happy (ecstatic, really) to introduce you to some friends who are many years further down the Vajrayana path than I am, and who, in moments of doubt and despair, are exemplars of why I dedicate my time to this path.
🧘 I'll be hosting an IN-PERSON VERSION OF THIS RETREAT at
@thesfcommons
!
We'll be following the retreat guidance and then discussing over food and drinks.
All are welcome, app-user or not!
Sign up here:
It's borrowed time bc cramming inevitably fails as a strategy. I'm late to bed, late to the meeting, and the rest of the day suffers for it. I have to borrow future time for it to work - and future time doesn't actually exist
In Buddhism there are 3 trainings: insight, concentration & morality. I actually think the 2nd training could be replaced w energy training because it accomplishes the same ends concentration does: the capacity to bring insight & love into the world with serviceable intention.
@nopranablem
@JakeOrthwein
@nowtheo
Glad to hear that it resonated Jake :) idk Reggie’s stuff but sounds great. I’d maybe add then - keep it fresh, lean into the pleasure of it, & check if your heart is engaged when you’re doing the somatic work. Focus: un-sticking any ways the work becomes mechanical or technical.
@jasoncbenn
It's like the process becomes undoing the 900 ways we make life complicated and therefore painful and difficult.
It's all so straightforward 😂 it's our baggage that twists and contorts
@danielbrottman
Beautiful Qs Daniel, they're not easy. I appreciate your honesty - it feels like you're really asking yourself these Qs & not hiding from the pain. I don't have complete answers but bioemotive framework & ideal parent figures (IPF) have been v helpful for similar Qs in my life
@nopranablem
@melodaysong
Organizing your life to make "hr meditation a day" the case & the fruits of that case (the fruits of meditating) operate in lock step w each other
@jasoncbenn
Watching them be in this world, and speak of the ways this path has directly contributed to where they are today, has actually been a blessing...
@JakeOrthwein
@nopranablem
@nowtheo
I'd suggest adopting an attitude of care (loving kindness) towards your body. Treat it kindly, treat it like a friend, date it, appreciate it, compliment it... Let that unfold for a little bit, and if you notice any changes, you can try returning to parts work
@JakeOrthwein
@nopranablem
@nowtheo
If you notice any resistance to the suggestion, I'd suggest leaning in all the more. What would it be like for the body to become an integral, cared for, worthy part of my being? That it deserves full expression on its terms?
@peak_valley_pea
How cleanly does this map onto Theravadan views of the ultimate fruit/state (no2) and Hindu/Mahayana/Vajrayana views (no1) - doesn't seem 1:1 but there's a decent mapping
@heynibras
@gvns0x
Who's teaching? Do you have links? 👀 I don't have experience w silent retreats in particular but would say: be gentle on yourself and don't expect to get anything. Extra tension won't help 😊
Enjoy, will be curious to hear your thoughts abt it after
@nopranablem
@peachblvd
@Meaningness
's work so deeply internalized into the meme-osphere that stuff like this gets nonchalantly mentioned. I think that's pretty cool
@leopoldasch
@Meaningness
any chance you'd submit an argument on this all being a misguided sideshow? You're compelling, credible, and legible to this audience - while also holding the "unpopular opinion"
@nopranablem
@heynibras
And yes!!! Got pilled on Burbea over the holidays and got sucked in for hours. A beautiful and delicate soul w so much wisdom 😍
EAs constantly talk about maximizing QOLYs - the recipe is actually very straightforward.
- somatic work
- energy work
- awareness work (meditation)
- have fun & show up in life
The best way to get an actual crash course on all 4 of these is sleepawake.
If you have a month btwn jobs ~mid June to ~mid July, best way (full stop) you can spend your time is at
No place packs in more richness & fertile growth - and applications close this Friday. Highly highly recommend & AMA abt it in comments
@_edgeoflight_
Not sure if intended as "in equal measure to" but when I take the view that all knowing/awareness **is** (the expression of) compassion, I find greater freedom/spaciousness in myself and for others
@JakeOrthwein
@Meaningness
@_awbery_
These are quite solid... Is this GPT-4? (vs 3.5 which I have had medium to low success having it chat w me about Buddhist concepts)