Can we all be a bit more slimy?

 

 

As y’all know, the plasmodial slime mold is my spirit animal. This week, I want to look at what the conditions are for alignment in a slime mold and see if it offers us any insight into how humans might dynamically align together into a larger systems. 

Our handy 101 on slime molds comes from Wikipedia:

When food is abundant, these slime molds exist as single-celled organisms. When food is in short supply, many of these single-celled organisms will congregate and start moving as a single body. In this state they are sensitive to airborne chemicals and can detect food sources. They can readily change the shape and function of parts, and may form stalks that produce fruiting bodies, releasing countless spores, light enough to be carried on the wind or hitch a ride on passing animals.[6] Wikipedia

What linking can we do of conditions that help lead us toward the dynamic alignment we seek? Bombarding people with polarizing propaganda is probably not on the list. So, how are we checking the social weather to see if these conditions are ripe for aligning? What is the ideal temperature for that? Maybe it is better when it is cold? Maybe it is when it is windy and we all turn away from the wind? 

Considering conditions has reminded me of trigger stacking. If you want to start a new habit, stack it on an old one. For example, to add the habit of engaging with gratitude, stack it on the practice of brushing your teeth. Then, every time you brush, you also think of ways you feel grateful. It makes it much easier to start the new habit by linking it to one you do faithfully.

And if we are collectively habit stacking to create conditions for dynamic alignment, then do we have a social protocol about eating meals together, playing Frisbee, or beginning a meeting with a few minutes of silence? What practice or ritual opens the way that help us know we can move together? 

What social protocols help you check the social weather and gather a sense of alignment and care that allows a group to move together? Is it about making metrics socially visible? Showing who your partners are for events and on your website?

What habit trigger stacking can you do that may help with supporting dynamic alignment for the systems you participate in?