be magnanimous

I don't consider Rubin an exemplar of IDW because of the audience capture that seems to have pushed him toward a tribalist and divisive stance, he still makes important contributions. With that caveat, in this interview he hosts these IDW men who aren't afraid of being called soft. Jordan Peterson in the first few minutes describes a need to develop a non-rivalrous dynamic, and the possibility of it. Later Eric Weinstein notes, “we have to become more charitable” (43:50). In an increasingly competitive culture, we need those who advocate for generosity.

Being magnanimous requires that if you can't find common ground, at least allow others to work on their solution (provided it's not violent) and work on generating or furthering alternative solutions rather than attacking existing structures. Buckminster Fuller reportedly promoted that idea of simply building something that makes the old system obsolete or less attractive.

Bonnitta Roy discusses this approach in Collective Intelligence Practice from the Rebel Wisdom podcast.

“I want to see a world where…we have a society where people are not looking to the leaders to solve things and save the day…going out and taking responsibility to build the world we want, together, using power together differently” (Brian Robertson, author of Holocracy, on the Leadermorphosis podcast, Ep. 31, 56:26). Activists are the ones who are going out and taking responsibility to build the world we want, but the part about “together, using power together differently,” we could get better at that. We’re a judgmental bunch. Its part of what gives us the energy to speak out against injustice. We cannot tolerate some types of intolerance. But we need each other, especially at a time when so many don’t have family that offers any support. PETA members shouldn’t criticize a Greenpeace carnivore. We need to connect with like-minded people, share, and support each other. We need to develop skills in mediation, cooperation, and forgiving each other. 

This approach suggests that as activists, we will be more effective if we can stop being haters, even when atrocities persist. Would we do better to take the Martin Luther King Jr. approach instead of the Malcolm X approach? From the history of the women’s rights movement, it appears the angry confrontive suffragettes forced the government to pay attention, but the government saved face by making their deals with the moderate contingency. Maybe it’s important to have both. Either way, we can learn and practice the collaboration and power-sharing skills to re-create a peaceful world when the opportunity comes, as the current institutions falter.