Patterns of Emergent Cities: 2. The Fellowship
- The Mesh -
Many of the Pioneers did not know one another until the Founder introduced them to one another. Now, through one-on-one conversations, stories are meshed. Connections made. Souls bared. Respect felt. Common ground found.
Knowing that this is not at all about him, the Founder convenes the Pioneers and just moves out of the way. A circle is formed; a network weaved. Here is a crude visual representation of what happens as links are established.
Meshing
- The Groove -
'To found' has two meanings in the English language. In the metallurgical sense, founding is melting and melding material. In the human sense, it's about letting go of who you think you are, and letting your identity become fluid so it can mix in with others'.
This founding is what the Pioneers do as they assemble around the vision of the Emergent City. They engage in dialogue. A shared spirit emerges. This process is only slightly structured, and its outcome is definitely not controlled.
A common rhythm, a resonance is found - a standing wave, felt by all, but driven by no single participant. This shared bond envelops and holds the Fellowship together and allows divergence to exist and be calmly examined without breaking the circle.
Space opens in the center; in this space the shared vision of the Emergent City will begin to come into sight.
Finding the Groove
- Play -
Pioneers become true Founders all, when they found in the second sense of the word: laying a foundation.
The process is playful, as it must when we create something genuinely new. It is spontaneous dance. It is improvisation. It is jazz. It is an experience of coliberation or group flow.
Everyone plays a different instrument, and nobody has played that song before.
Make no mistake, though there is a unity of purpose, this is no snoozy lovefest. There is palpable tension; the occasional spark may fly. Power is involved. Assumptions are threatened. Maturity is required. In terms of psychological intensity, think less line dancing, more Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
(Okay, maybe not quite as intense.:)
- Infinite Play -
The Founders are infinite players. Their play has no fixed rules or boundaries.
The foundation they lay out is an overlay on reality. It is a lens through which one views the world. It provides language: labels, roles, relationships, structures, in the form of symbols. The basis for a fresh social operating system.
It spells out which things deserve attention, and which things are to be ignored.
Importantly, it signals what is to be valued in the Emergent City.
Upcoming pattern: 3. The Game
