Inspired by Jean Russell, Quentin Tarantino, and Jared Brown ~ Late Night Thoughts on “Thrivability”

by hans peter meyer

A couple of recent convos have got me thinking about how important it is to “think” beyond this moment.

I’m a firm believer in “living in the moment,” as it’s all we’ve got. But I also think that sometimes we don’t imagine enough for ourselves. It’s as if what we’ve got in this moment is all there is, all there can be. And I don’t believe that.

My experience is that, if I imagine myself and my life becoming BIGGER, richer, more vibrant and creative – then I’m more likely to find myself there. This moment is wonderful in and of itself, but I’m a changing, growing being. I’m most juiced when I’m over-reaching myself. When I’m juiced I’m having fun. And that, to me, is what it’s all about: play, having fun, sharing the fun, playing with others.

Which is where this idea of “thrivability” gets into my life. For a long time I sat with “sustainability.” It seemed a good way to imagine life: sustaining itself, looking after itself, husbanding itself. I liked that. But it was also not enough. There was too much around that managed to sustain itself without being fun. Sustaining seemed like the chore work. I wanted to have fun.

So, I’m very grateful for people like Jean Russell for introducing the idea of “thrivability” to me. Jean talks about it in the context of “our collective wisdom and action bring forth a flourishing world and thriving life.” Sounds good to me. How we do that is open to many, many experiments. But to have that as the reason for doing… well, that’s exciting for me.

As a dad, it’s a great reference point. I just went out with Jared, my eldest son, to see Q Tarantino‘s latest, Inglorious Basterds. Regardless of how you see QT’s films, they are always about creativity, about play at a certain level. Which provided a great seque into the convo Jared and I had about what he’s doing with his life, what I’m doing with mine.

I try to remember that I was once almost-21 once. That lots of things weren’t clear, that the comfort zone was a very attractive place to be. But watching a QT movie together was also the opp to talk about being creative and risky as a way to be. As a way to, basically, feed the fire of “thrivability.”

Earlier in the week I’d mentioned how proud I was of the kinds of risks he’d taken the year before, stepping out of the comfort zone and doing some things that were hard, things that led to acivities and experiences he really enjoyed and now prides himself on having created. I suggested that, now, after his travels, he was in a place of challenging himself again, taking some new risks. I pointed out how successful he’d been already. “Yeah,” he said, “But I thought I’d already taken the risks.” Too bad kiddo. The juicy, thriving life is about living on the edge of one’s creative energy, creative capacity.

Which is what I think of when “thrivability” comes up: living on an edge, pushing that edge, getting BIGGER than I imagine myself to be. Good stuff.

Some people spend their lives seeking and reinforcing the “comfort zone.” That’s not for me. Things change too much. Life changes too much. I don’t trust “security” – except as it relates to my capacity to respond positively, creatively to the changing world around me.

Thrivability: my capacity to do just that – thrive, no matter what the circumstances, to be willing to learn how to grow, no matter what life throws at me. So much juicier than merely “sustaining” my life, don’t you think? (see my friend Meaghan Cursons talking on this here and a recent interview with Jean Russell here)

Thrivability, Sustainability, Comox Valley = #CV2050 = Lottsa fun!

by hans peter meyer

OK. Turn back the dial about… 15 years? Who’s at the table? @meaghancursons, DCS (doesn’t have a twitter handle yet, poor guy), @hanspetermeyer. Not the same table as today, but with similar kinds of energy.

Dial into 2009. DCS isn’t doing youth work anymore. MC isn’t just fresh from running the youngest most impressive Green campaign any of us have ever seen and about to become hpm’s fave-ever employee/collaborator. hpm isn’t being Mr. Small Town & Rural Communities BC. But we’re all still talking about the same things: how much we love the Comox Valley, how excited we are to be engaged in making stuff happen here. Very good.

Except, now DCS is doing cool work with local governments, NGOs, and high-profile consultants on “sustainability” and “conservation” – BIG topic, important stuff. MC is Queen of the funnest festival around, and has just been handed a great job doing what she does so absolutely well: creating partnerships and connecting the dots. Hank, well, he’s not sure what he’s doing, but he’s having a good time doing it (actually, I do know what I’m doing: mostly it’s dancing, playing with food and beverages, and exercising various other social media skills – online and behind the bar at Hank’s Bar & Grill on Avenida Willemar).

This afternoon and evening saw the MC-DCS-hpm trio encamped in the kitchen and then the garden, eventually with glasses of very nice 2004 Z3 from Hainle Vineyards (thanks to a great little wine-pairing evening at Martine’s Bistro way back in ’05). What were we doing? Talking about social media, sustainability, thrivability, the Comox Valley, Imagine Nanaimo, Valley Vision, the past, the future, how to animate convos, how to create energy that lasts beyond policy planning strategic exercises, etc etc. Lottsa fun.

You’ll probably see a little of this floating around. Search for things tagged #CV2050 on twitter and Facebook and YouTube – here, and here – and elsewhere. You might even see references to old things like the “Land Use Café” revived as something else – “Thrivability Café?” Hmmm… Also, check out what going to be happening on google maps. In the not too distant future you’ll see things tagged there with #CV2050 as well.

We three have imagined amazing things in the past. It was muy cool to be imagining together again. Watch this – and other – spaces. Lottsa fun! ;-)