238. Vanessa Andreotti - Hospicing modernity, conversations that world, being the sh*t, accountability and compassion
Vanessa Andreotti author of Hospicing Modernity, dean of the faculty of education at University of Victoria and member of the DCF collective came and spoke about what it takes to begin making space for something that isn't modernity. We speak of the importance of humor and humility, staying open to both the good and the sh*t, coming into contact with what modernity is actually doing to us and what it means to be tethered. What happens when there is no away? We speak of form and motion. We speak why fighting or fixing are traps. We speak of the fact that colonialism, the world most of live in, feels good. This is a human, humorous wonderful conversation for those serious about being in service to the different world may also inhabit. Link to facing human wrongs course. Host: Amit Paul
Social media posts
#1
How do you navigate "the tightrope between the abyss of desperate hope and desolate hopelessness where one falls into despair"?
Vanessa Andreotti, came on the World of Wisdom Podcast EP 238. She is one of those voices that, to me, articulate the current predicament with such uncompromising precision that I'll dedicate this entire week to what we spoke of.
Well so how do we do it?
Vanessa says: "We need to walk a tightrope with honesty, humility, humor and self-reflexivity. Balancing relational and intellectual rigour. Emotional sobriety, relational maturity, intellectual discernment and intergenerational and interspecies responsibility."
β Where are you not being honest?
β What does humility look like? Can you accept that you're cute and pathetic?
β Where are you still committed to looking good?
βAre you willing to be with that living in an entangled, interconnected world also makes you the sh*t that's happening as well as the flowers, the whales and the sun?
Wanna listen to the whole thing? EP238. World of Wisdom Podcast. Whereever you find podcasts. Or π in bio. Enjoy!
#2
"How can we be present with whatβs there without finding refuge in idealisations?"
Vanessa Andreotti came on the World of Wisdom Podcast EP238. Usually I'll do one post and be done with it - but this is so rich, so relevant.
The idealisations are of course both those of utopias but also dystopias. Whatever the statistics say the fact is we don't actually know what will transpire, yet.
Vanessa offers these paths:
πΈ "We need to first pay attention to the fractured relational pattern that need to be repaired and rebuilt. Because the future is woven into the present."
π° "Rather than planning for it we need to allow it to emerge, allowing the earth itself dream the future through us."
And the crux of the matter:
π "The navigation is motion, and in modernity weβre very focused on form. So the move from form to motion where everything is shapeshifting and everything is in-between is one of the challenges there."Β
What I take this to mean is that many of habitual practices for sense making are the ones that got us here. They are not really helpful right now to get us somewhere else. So, how do you calibrate your sense making? Is it a mental or embodied practice? What is your practice for attuning your body to your context?
Curious to π the whole conversation? EP238 World of Wisdom Podcast. π in bio. Or where podcasts are usually found.
#3
"What if art is a way of living and being in the world? What if art is movement, of being always with? So that we can move towards healing and justice."
Post 3 about from the conversation I had with Vanessa Andreotti on the World of Wisdom Podcast EP238 (π in bio).
We spoke of responsibility and accountability. How we've been told that art is this special thing that only a few creative people have the capacity for.
What if art is a natural human condition? What if it is enabled or disabled depending on our neurophysiological state?
What if our current cultural paradigm is what's robbing us of that regulated, calm nervous system that would enable all of us to live as artists?
Vanessa says: "The algorithmic design of capitalism is designed to capture and capitalise our attention in a very specific way."
How do we reconnect with our attention? Come back into regenerative relationship with it?
This is how I understand Vanessas concept of "the Metabolic Economy". Our states are chemical, biological, habits. Our context has everything to do with them. Which states our actions emanate from is carried with them, it is in their DNA. To begin to live into our full potential as humans, to take regenerative action, we need to change our practices and our contexts.
What practices do you do on a daily basis that will allow you to become (w)healthy and reconnect with your full attention?
Listen to the full episode wherever you normally listen to podcasts. World Of Wisdom Podcast EP238
AI Summary
Summary
In this conversation, Amit Paul interviews Vanessa Andreotti, author of 'Hospice in Modernity,' about her work and worldview. Vanessa shares her personal background and the collective she is a part of, called Gesturing Towards the Colonial Futures Collective. They discuss the importance of navigating the paradoxes and contradictions of wanting change while still benefiting from the current system. They explore the need for honesty, humility, humor, and self-reflexivity in walking the tightrope of transformation. Vanessa emphasizes the importance of attending to the relational patterns and fractures that need repair, and the need to compost the 'shit' of the current systems to create a different future. They also discuss the challenges of engaging with technology and the importance of attention and compassion in navigating the algorithmic design of modernity. The conversation explores the importance of acknowledging and engaging with intergenerational trauma and the complexities of our ancestors' experiences. It emphasizes the need to move beyond romanticizing or vilifying our ancestors and instead be present to their experiences. The conversation also delves into the challenges of facing collective pain and the need for practices that allow for rest and healing. It concludes with a powerful image of a child's dream, symbolizing the possibility of transformation and celebration in the face of the end of the world as we know it.
Takeaways
Navigating the paradoxes and contradictions of wanting change while still benefiting from the current system is essential.
Walking the tightrope of transformation requires honesty, humility, humor, and self-reflexivity.
Attending to the relational patterns and fractures that need repair is crucial for creating a different future.
Composting the 'shit' of the current systems is necessary for transformation.
Navigating the algorithmic design of modernity requires attention and compassion. Acknowledge and engage with intergenerational trauma
Avoid romanticizing or vilifying ancestors, but be present to their experiences
Face collective pain and develop practices for healing
Embrace rest and honor the vulnerability of our bodies
Imagine and create spaces for transformation and celebration
Sound Bites
"We need to learn to walk a tightrope with honesty, humility, humor, and self-reflexivity."
"The current systems we have, including education, leave us unequipped to deal with the shit."
"We need to be open to the humanity within and around us without idealizing it."
"In order not to romanticize, we have to do both."
"How can we be present? Or how do we be present to all this shit?"
"The pain of the planet, the pain of all the violence that is erupting everywhere."
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
05:58 Navigating the Paradoxes of Change
09:24 Walking the Tightrope of Transformation
13:38 Attending to Relational Patterns and Fractures
19:40 Composting the 'Shit' of the Current Systems
24:43 Navigating the Algorithmic Design of Modernity
43:01 Engaging with Intergenerational Trauma
45:47 Being Present to Ancestors' Experiences
56:21 Facing Collective Pain and Healing
01:06:36 Embracing Rest and Honoring the Body
01:09:04 Imagining Transformation and Celebration