Stand in the Gap Between What Has Been and What Is Coming
At the Neighboring Movement, we have been thinking about coronavirus recovery. But here’s the thing: we don’t want to just recover; we want to move forward. Because we don’t want to just go back to pre-coronavirus normal; we can do so much better than that!
Listen to our description of Gappers on our podcast The Neighbor Next Door. Click here to find the Gappers episode.
We believe that people all around the world are longing for a new normal and willing to work towards that new normal. So, we gave these people a name: the gappers. They are willing to stand in the gap, the space between what has been and what is coming. While it’s a good space, it’s also an uncomfortable space, and it’s made up of smaller gaps, too. We believe there are three main gaps within the space:
local___global
This gap asks the question, “How do we foster relationships with our fellow humans on every scale of community that we are a part of, from the most local: our block, to the most global: our planetary home?”
consumers___producers
This gap asks the question, “How do we move from being primarily consumers, and consumers of resources that benefit few, to being primarily producers, and producers of resources that benefit all?”
happy___joyful
This gap asks the question, “How do we move from pursuing temporary happiness to embodying sustained joy?”
Do you feel the tension of these? We do, and we can’t ignore it! But even if you don’t resonate with these specific gaps, here’s the question: Are you longing for a new normal and willing to work towards that new normal? If so, then YOU ALREADY ARE A GAPPER, and we, your fellow gappers, want to learn from you! We’re all in this together, and we’re all learning from one another. So, what our nonprofit has decided to do is to set up some calls with this experimental community. The plan right now is that we will organize a series of calls, and help facilitate conversation in them, so that, together, we can share stories and tips around this gapping work. Would you like to sign up to be a part of these calls? If so, click on one of the buttons on this page, input your information, and we will be in touch. Would you like to join the gappers Facebook page and decide if you will be a part of the calls later? If so, you can find the page here. Would you like to learn more about all of this first? If so, read more about the gappers here. We hope to talk to you soon!
Even if you don’t want to be a part of these calls or the Facebook group, we encourage you to go forth and commit to taking part in this gapping work. Here are some specific examples of things that we think gappers do…
Get to know the neighbors behind the 8 front doors closest to their own.
Ask neighbors about their gifts, skills, and passions.
Help form associations around the gifts, skills, and passions of neighbors.
Help their associations of neighbors take action, not just discuss or complain.
Share, borrow, and barter with their neighbors for mutual benefit.
Explore their neighborhoods in order to discover the many assets therein.
Support local businesses.
Share grief with their neighbors and also walk alongside neighbors when they are grieving.
Celebrate with their neighbors.
Look inside their neighborhoods before looking outside their neighborhoods when addressing issues.
Discover what their neighborhood has before determining what their neighborhood needs.
Remain informed about the things that are affecting their fellow humans all around the world.
Work towards solutions that benefit all - every manner of thing on the planet.
Share resources with their neighbors, and all their fellow humans around the globe, so that all can have enough.
Learn about where resources come from and how they are made.
Seek to produce resources before purchasing them.
Re-use or recycle items before purchasing them new.
Reduce their possessions.
Make changes to their everyday lives in order to address our climate emergency.
Seek ways to continually care for the Earth.
Advocate for policies that benefit all - every manner of thing on the planet.
Learn about the cultures of their fellow humans around the world.
Practice holding paradox by pondering different paradoxes.
Ask if what they are doing brings them joy.
Seek ways to express gratitude for, and celebrate, what has come before.
Seek ways to express gratitude for, but also grieve, some of what has come before.
Examine their lives for what aspects of “normal” are transforming.
Make a commitment to taking part in gapping work, however that looks for them.
Dwell in their neighborhood well, regardless of potential time there.
Acknowledge the good in communities different than their own.
Embrace the ebb and flow of change and growth.
Nurture relationships, near and far.
Forgive.
Create and allow the margin needed for ethicality.
Seek and appreciate art in diverse forms.
Seek to learn when the right times to speak and to listen are.
Smile at the people they pass on the pavement.
Gracefully invite others to do the same.
Are intentional about being in spaces where the demographic that they most closely align with is the minority.
Practice civil conversation and seek to understand opposing perspectives.
Are intentional about having conversations around certain subjects with people who they know disagree with them on those particular subjects.
Hold people accountable for racist, sexist, or homophobic actions while maintaining relationships with them.
Nonviolently protest systemic injustices.
Participate in marches for things they believe in.
Foster relationships with people who have different physical embodiments, genders, and sexualities than they do.
Advocate for restorative justice and not retributive justice.
Work to abolish the death penalty.
Advocate that every human has access to health care.
Go forth and foster relationships with your fellow humans on every scale of community you are a part of. Go forth and be a producer, a producer of resources that benefit all. Go forth and embody sustained joy. Go forth and stand in the gap between what is coming and what has been. Go forth and be the gapper that you are!