Facebook Publication Date: 12/22/2018 10:12

Ok.

So yet another person erased their post after receiving the most miniscule pushback after she bragged about being ‘ugly’ to a customer service representative because the CSR was condescending; hanging it on a post about treating all workers with respect.

Really? Really. That happened.

Look.

All 4000 of you.

This isn’t about her self selecting out of the conversation, and probably also flouncing out of the community itself.

Based on the fact that she’d never popped up before this, ever, and the painfully poor quality of her comment, which flew in the face of the principles and ethos we strive to uphold, we bear no great loss.

No.

What is concerning is that she is probably not alone in this.

This is one of the potential pitfalls of the model we have created here-self selection into the community, with an assumption that we have shared values and standards of engagement with both the material and with each other.

Let me be clear. This was never conceived of as a feel good site, where people could like and heart with abandon, and spout off mindlessly.

Our expectations for this space have been clear–entering this space with honorable intention; responsible, constructive engagement; commitment to this community with your whole self and mindful presence; fully owning your words and your internal journey; never *ever* visiting violence or impugning other fellow walkers or this community as a whole-that includes face saving edits or malicious/self serving deletions.

In short, it is absolutely non-negotiable that we, *that you*, bring your absolute best selves into this space.

I do. The Gaggle does. Our teeny tiny volunteer staff does. All in service to our mission, our convictions, our internal compasses, and our vision–a vision you affirmed when you joined us, and which you affirm each time you enter in and metaphorically break bread with your fellow walkers. We’ve never broken it down into bullet points. Maybe we should. But for now, we will just say that the mission is love, in all its forms, and each of our actions must be drenched with it.

We do it for the lives of the people we are to learn to serve ever better; we are here to learn to do it well, and reliably, and consistently, and with profligate generosity and joy.

We are here to become the people we know we can be.

We insist on these shared values. If that is something you can do, buckle up. 2019 is exactly for you.

If this makes you twitch, or activates you, or angers you, then feel free to peel off. I have said this before. I am completely ok with losing not 90% of you, but fully 100% of you, if keeping you means accepting treading water and superficial ‘change’. If it means all you will ever do is wear out your digits with emojis. If it means resistance to transformation. If it means cosiging the mission drift that it seems like 99% of you want to effect: making this an entertainment site, a faux ‘self care’ site so you can get a momentary and transient ‘justice dopamine rush’ and go out and then *continue to harm*–no. Just no.

As of this weekend we have been walking together for eleven months. Are you better for it? It seems that for the majority of you, the answer might well be no. That’s discouraging. It needs to change

If it has-or has not-post in the comments. As we come up on a year, we need to hear each other. We need to see tangible commitment (yes, Karleen Harp, that means money. A post dedicated to you–with a strong year end ask, is coming soon). We need to encourage each other to walk as though lives and hearts depend upon it.

Because they do.

Including your own.

If you are really ready to walk and go all in, let me know. Going forward, I’ll be talking directly and specifically to you. This has never been a spectator site.

Let me know who is truly ready to saddle up and start not just walking, but galloping, to justice and liberation.

To the rest of you, thanks for your eyeballs, I guess. I hope you gleaned at least something.

For those who are truly ready, thank you. Can’t wait to see the responses of a core community truly ready to great things both at the new website and beyond.

Blessings.

Edited to add NO EMOJIS; ie likes hearts and the like. I am beginning to hate them. Comments only. Y’all need to learn to follow the directions of a woman you claim to respect.

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