Kindness as a Strategy for Revolutionary Change: Teju Ravilochan on PYP 565

Teju Ravilochan, the founder of GatherFor, returns to the podcast -- and in a big way!

GatherFor is an organization that fosters community support and mutual aid among neighbors as a means of improving their lives and coming together for massive cultural, political, and social change. Their work challenges our culture's individualistic mindset by promoting a culture of reciprocity and mutual support.

Teju's belief in the inherent social nature of humans and the power of community is not just theoretical. He has put these principles into action, allowing neighbors to transform a neglected public housing development in New York City.

Here's a link to the story, from GatherFor's Medium account.

TLDR:

Faced with residents' frustrations over the lack of repairs and support from the housing authority, Teju and his team used a unique approach to bridge the divide between the residents and the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

Instead of fostering an adversarial dynamic, their approach was rooted in appreciation and acknowledgement. The neighbors announced a "kindness party" to celebrate the timely completion of repairs -- some of which had been ignored for almost three decades!

This shift in tone led to a collaborative and productive environment, resulting in faster response to repair requests and improved communication between residents and NYCHA. And the promised party was a celebration of that success, complete with media presence and good food and drink.

I loved the story, and I had a problem with it: it smacked of fawning, at best a manipulative technique and at worst an expression and reifier of a traumatic lack of agency. I put that to Teju, and his response blew my mind.

True power comes from being seen and valued for who we are, rather than amassing wealth or military force. The ability to reject your opponent's narrative, to choose to play a different game, is a fundamental expression of power rather than a capitulation.

Teju also discussed the resilience that can be found in experiences of oppression and marginalization, and how all of us can benefit when we open the doors of power to those who have until now been denied its use.

Upon reflection, the theme of power is central to the conversation. Reju emphasized the importance of reconnecting to oneself, community, and the Earth, given how the dominator structures work to disconnect people from these sources of power.

In the face of environmental issues and social injustices, Teju advocates for the power of community and collective care. He encourages kindness and forgiveness as acts of power and resistance, and emphasizes the need for imagination and creativity in finding sustainable solutions and healing connections to self, community, and the Earth.

Teju's perspective is essential for anyone interested in community building, social justice, and transformative narratives. His work serves as an inspiration and a call to action to harness the power of community - and kindness and compassion - in addressing the challenges we face.

Links

GatherFor.orgGatherFor.medium.orgTeju's first appearance on Plant YourselfPedagogy of the Oppressed, by Paolo Freire