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Sarah Thompson's avatar

I have high hopes, perhaps naive and mystical ones, that there is a way to transcend the inevitable drama spiral of communities that form around principles and practices that feel both liberating and persecuted. I have Big Thoughts on it, but I’m still exploring them.

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Starr of Appalachia's avatar

"perhaps naive and mystical ones"

Same. Every aspect of what we want to bring forth in the world--freedom, peace, prosperity, and even healthy communities--comes down to personal responsibility. Often we make the mistake of thinking we are enlightened enough to put our principles into practice in a way that negates the perceived need for authority, just because we have a better than average intellectual understanding of those principles. But when faced with the reality that conflict and problems still exist, we often flail. I think it's incumbent upon each of us to keep digging deeper and deeper into the flaws and misunderstandings in our own personalities, to find our area of responsibility in each conflict we encounter. It's difficult to explain, but I'm reaching the conclusion that this is the only way to nullify systems of authority. And we're not there yet.

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Karen Keener's avatar

I am dying. "A panther about to pounce on a molasses-covered potato."

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Starr of Appalachia's avatar

Bruh.

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Karen Keener's avatar

Hahaha!

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