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Kristina's avatar

Thank you for writing this. I love your perspective and the examples you bring up. I am so interested in exploring this dynamic. I'm a more introverted person who has yet to find her voice fully in a group. Often I have nothing to say and I am experiencing intently. Sometimes I have something to contribute and I experience a lack of space. Mostly I think this is my perception and lack of skill :-). (I was told recently in a live group that I didn't need to raise my hand because we're not in kindergarten, just speak up) But a little bit, I think there needs to be a curiosity in the field, an openness and space to pull in more voices and opinions. An urge for wholeness.

Some amazing women who come to mind as role models for me are Diane Hamilton, Cynthia Bourgeault and Joanna Macy. I perceive them as having a good balance between the masculine and feminine. But I know there are so many more voices out there that I want to hear 💕

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Kevin Triplett's avatar

I relate to what you wrote -- I also tend to listen more and I think that's one of our superpowers, us who lean toward introversion. But I feel my lack of experience in speaking up leads me to hang back until everyone is finished talking, and then I feel I have to say everything that has come up for me all at once and as quickly as possible. Almost like a foster child living in a house with lots of young people and I have to eat as fast as I can so I have can east enough food. I think our challenge is to maintain our superpower of listening intently while building the skill to speak from a grounded stance, what we feel is important to say. That's a great skill to develop and takes practice, I think.

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Claudia Dommaschk's avatar

Please keep sharing, Kevin. Your participation in our conversations are important to me.

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Kevin Triplett's avatar

I will -- if I appear absent, it's because of time constraints -- I believe what you're embarking on is exceptionally valuable and you're winning me over to your vision.

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Daniel Pinkerton's avatar

I absolutely adore this piece. Thankyou so much for bringing your valuable insight 🙏

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Zippy's avatar

Please find three references which are related to this very important topic.

The Pleasure Dome Principle

http://beezone.com/adida/quandramamashikhara/thelawofpleasuredomeEDIT.html

On the origins and binding nature of the meanings associated with the body

http://beezone.com/2main_shelf/meaning.html

http://beezone.com/shakti/theshaktiherplaywithadida.html SHAKTI

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Lazaros Giannas's avatar

I found this piece absurd and arbitrary; or, in modern terms, just sexist.

I might explain why in the following days:)

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Kristina's avatar

Please say why. I am interested in this conversation

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Lazaros Giannas's avatar

Hello Kristina,

In a nutshell, when you have to do with adults, it is a fallacy to perceive features of one’s personality, character, etc. as a result of their sex. One’s sex might indeed be contributing to it, but a lot of what the author here perceives as masculine and feminine have been influenced of the way men and women, once boys and girls, have been raised ever since they came to life.

Unfortunately, many men and women have internalised those ideas and, often, enforced behaviours, perceiving them as being the result of their sex. But quite often they are not.

Articles likes this one mostly reproduce ideas of what males and females are supposed to be as far as their behaviour, character, etc. are concerned.

My suggestion is to get in touch with oneself, ignore those ideas, recognising the externally-influenced ideas and behaviour that you might have internalised (something not particularly easy..), and simply be yourself, either you are a male or a female.

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Kristina's avatar

Happy holidays! Thank you for the exchange 🎁

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Claudia Dommaschk's avatar

Yes, thank you both for engaging with my ideas and doing so so diplomatically. This is one of the reasons I am here on Substack. Take good care!

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Kristina's avatar

Hi Lazaros, I agree with a lot of what you say. Especially pertaining to the example I used of my introverted self, that's my work to mature in that area!

What do you think about her original question? Why were you drawn to read it? Do you notice any imbalance of perspectives in the online gatherings/discussions of existential risk?

Thanks 🙏🏼 Kristina

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Lazaros Giannas's avatar

Good to hear my comment pertains to your example of being a somewhat unwilling-introverted, if I understood it correctly. Wish you the best!

About the question that you raised, well, the title is a bit clickbait, no? Hence, it just appeared on my screen and read it. I do not particularly attend online gatherings/discussions of existential risk (or maybe I am not sure to which kind of discussions you refer to exactly), hence I have not noticed any imbalance. But I take Claudia's mere observations to be true (namely, that there is indeed an imbalance about women's participation as well as them being passive when they are present). The causes for that, however, in line with my previous comment, I would say are quite different to what Claudia thinks they are and to a high degree are about the prevalent culture. At least this is what I have discovered through my research to be the case in other areas that this kind of imbalance appears. I hope my comments will make her, and others who share similar views, reconsider or, at least, exploring it further.

Happy holidays!

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