Becoming

E66: The way we live is changing; 3 give-back gift ideas; Spotify Unwrapped 2022

• Becoming - another thought byte on the Future of Work essay

• unwRAP - catchy lyrics become earworms

• 3 last-minute gift ideas that also give back

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The changing state of society

“Da[r]n. I didn't get it at first, but after reading your essay to this point, and then this sentence, it really hit me. And I feel sad and scared (right now) - which is good (bc your essay is both making sense and making me feel),”

Trevor Brown

left me a note while editing the upcoming essay on the Future of Work.

Society gradually reconfigures itself to respond to new technologies. These changes start off as minor adjustments in the way we embrace the new tools. But after a while, the tools become the basis for the way we live our life. The plough/plow first helped as an aid in farming, but gradually we created more stable farmland and kept ox to help pull the plows. This simple tool eventually moved us from a nomadic hunter-gather lifestyle into the relatively stable agrarian era.

The lifestyle and culture changes - like the subsequent one from an agricultural into an industrial era - seep in over a period of many decades, sometimes even centuries. It first affected work and the economy but then rippled onward affecting education, child care, family units, and politics. In other words, the frameworks and building blocks of society re-arranged themselves.

We are at a similar inflection point right now. We Boomers, GenX, and Millenials are the “Last of the Industrial Era”. Life around us is changing imperceptibly. We are gradually “becoming”. Like the melting point at which ice and water co-exist as that difficult-to-navigate sloppy slurry - neither one and not yet fully the other, yet incorporating elements of each.

“It’s like a phase transition,” interpreted Zakk searching for a relatable metaphor. Or the Critical States as David Perell refers to them.

This thought byte is centered around “phase changes in society” and is part of the longer essay that I am writing on the Future of Work. What other questions does it raise for you? Would it help to identify some 21st-century skills that help during this state?

The comments section has been on fire the past two editions as Tribe Tilt leans into this topic. So homework for this week is to consider transition states and transition skills. What mindsets help us co-exist in two eras simultaneously?

The essays in this series: E64: Seep into Existence, E65: History Smooshes Stuff, E66: Becoming, E78: Mind the Gap (essay), E123: A Changing World Order

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unwRAP

I imagine a very confused little person pedaling hard inside the Spotify AI box trying his darnedest to figure me out - equal parts K-pop, heavy on FINNEAS. And of course, de SOUZ (aka ted.de). Not at all like last year's E12: Spotify Unwrapped 2021 which was all Adele and classical music!

That is some sassing from my kids, calling out their mother! (Spotify does not track all my hours watching BTS dance routines on YouTube and Instagram - just saying, ARMY).

My son published his first song COLDCALLING this year E31: Another in a long line of firsts. I pulled on that lyrical thread, and it led me down a musical rabbit hole, completely changing the genre and languages of music I listen to.

My body moves to beats and my brain snags on sounds. I haven’t traditionally paid attention to lyrics. It explains why my kids would stare at me in embarrassment while I hummed or whistled a great tune, my fingers drumming on the steering wheel. “She hasn’t figured out [isn’t paying attention to] the lyrics,” they’d whisper to their confused teen friends in carpool whose own parents might question the language in a rap song on the playlist. (Trust me, I was bright red once my kids clued me in.) It explains why I can comfortably hum counter-melody to a song in Korean, Arabic, or rap. It is the structure, beat, and production that puts it on my sticky screen.

I now pay closer attention to artful phrases in essays and songs as I embrace editing, noticing the way others wield their words. My son’s lyrics impressed me with their depth. (I hope Spotify lists me as his number ONE fan and proud mama!) Which is how FINNEAS’ “Break My Heart Again” ended up as the most played song on my list.

What was it about this song? Amazing musicality. It blends so many genres. But for someone who loves words and puns, it was also CLEVER. “Kissed me half a DECADE later”. One unexpected word twist and he’d hooked me! Some worship at the altar of Taylor Swift. I say FINNEAS is a hidden gem:

So go ahead and break my heart again
Leave me wonderin' why the hell I ever let you in
Are you the definition of insanity?
Or am I? Oh, it must be nice
To love someone who lets you break them twice

Don't pretend that I'm the instigator
You were the one, but you were born to say, "Goodbye"
Kissed me half a decade later
That same perfume, those same sad eyes

Go ahead and break my heart again
Leave me wonderin' why the hell I ever let you in
Are you the definition of insanity?
Or am I? Or am I?
It must be nice
To love someone who lets you break them twice

[March 2022 edit - @ted.de gifted me the cover to this song as my Christmas present! I’m a lucky Mama!]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqBvCEOAUdw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Thank you

Alexandra Allen

for your tweet asking the question:

What did I learn? Words matter. Clever and unexpected combinations make my brain pay attention. They make it sticky.

PS. Watch out for Fujii Kaze. Happy to share my (eclectic) 2022 Spotify list.

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Stuck for some last-minute alternate gift ideas?

Inspired by the Charities in Need segment on Randy Garman's newsletter

chasing answers

I thought I would offer some ideas for last-minute gift giving that also give back:

1. The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The next best time is today. Gift them a forest. Use this link on Ecosia to have 5, 25 or 500 trees planted and gift your loved one a tangible bet on the future. (Use Ecosia as your daily search engine of choice. They recycle their profits to plant trees.)

   

2. Buy a ticket. Change a life. In Heartfelt Stories, award-winning wildlife photographer Kathy Karn invites you to buy a chance to win one of her beautiful prints of Hatsy (I’m holding an 8x10) one of the few remaining elephant matriarchs on the Amboseli reserve in Kenya. The money helps fund a 3-day residential camp for girls and boys in Southern Kenya who are currently out of school due to the disruption of COVID. The aim is to raise USD $2,000 - enough to sponsor 30 children for 3 days at CHD Conservation Kenya’s Camp. Even a small contribution can change a life and help protect an ecosystem. Click on this link to read the story and buy your $5 ticket. Drawing for the print - which would make a stunning gift for a special someone - is December 21, but donations are welcome anytime.

   

3. Hell Yeah or NO - what’s worth doing. A bundle of four Sivers books for $8, $10 if gift-wrapped (normally USD $76 for the bundle). If you recognize that title, you know that you and yours are in the market for some inspirational reading. For the next few days, Derek Sivers has substantially discounted a bundle of four of his books delivered gift-wrapped to their door (paper+audio+epub+pdf versions) for $2/book. This pricing ends soon to ensure delivery times. He donates all the profits from his books to Against Malaria Foundation, Noora Health.

   

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As we head into the last weeks of 2022, stay healthy. From there all else becomes possible. See you next week for a gentler conversation.

This week Tribe Tilt welcomes community members from Ireland and the US. We are a group that believes we can make a difference to the people and places that are precious to us - that we have hope and agency in our lives.

Last week’s message “E65:History smooshes stuff” really hit a cord with many, and resulted in emails, comments, and conversation galore (and some retweets/shoutouts on other newsletters - thanks!) I look forward to hearing what thoughts are triggered this week.

Karena

Would you like to join our Tribe Tilt?

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