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Monica's avatar

Profound, resonant AND powerful..I realized I grew up with the story that doing things for others AND then asking for help (or expected to be reciprocated) was considered manipulative only interest based AND therefore something I should not do..reading this piece makes me realize in the end It was just a story that would secure people to remain isolated. What if reciprocal connections and friendships are at the true core of happiness, authentic connections and a new system, the one I want to see, the one based on care AND intentionality.

Thank you to dear for expressing It this way 🫀✨

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Jenny Leis's avatar

Thanks for this wonderful take on leadership, Shilpa! It reminds me of something I learned in 2007 when I was traveling in East/Southern Africa on a quest to understand "what does solidarity look like?" from my positionality in the world. One of my core answers was: friendship. And the reasons for that are those that you describe in your article.

Last week a friend said, "vulnerability dissolves differences," which is I think another aspect of why friendship can be a powerful force for social change. By being honest with each other, especially about the hard parts of relationships or strategic action, we can meet more authentically as humans in a shared struggle, and then find all kinds of energy, creativity and connection for forward movement.

It's fun to consider how leaning toward friendship can help in so many moments of struggle or confusion (of course there are limitations to the concept but it's fun to play with it!). Thanks for planting these seeds, Shilpa!

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