Introduction

Thank you for viewing this book. It comes alive in your gaze.  I want to introduce you to thrivability by answering some of the questions you have. I am guessing that they might be questions like - what is thrivability and who are these people?

What is thrivability - a working definition
Thrivability is our path out of unsustainable practices toward a world where all people have a high quality of life, a voice, and a nurturing earth supporting them. Using whole systems approach, we evolve our way of being together, of collaborating, so that our collective wisdom and action bring forth a flourishing world and thriving life.

There is no recipe or requirements for thrivability. However, after several years of reflecting on it and talking with hundreds of people about it, I created several lists of words and phrases that related, in some powerful way, to thrivabilty. These were refined and adjusted by the thrivable champions, as I call them, and further by the contributors of this book.

A bit about our contributors
Our contributors are from widely different fields - from social entrepreneurship to philanthropy, from deep tech space to community activism, from neuroscience to labor and economic history, from social network analysis to storytelling. I expect the viewers and participants to be a wide range of people too. Additionally, contributors are from a vast array of places in the world from Stockholm, Brussels, and London to Thailand,  Australia, and Uganda, and including Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, NYC, Los Angeles, Houston, Cleveland, Chicago, and Boston. From noted academics to get-your-hands-dirty entrepreneurs, from scientists to the tree-climber next door, we connect them together to lay out the general topography of a thrivable world.  
And they are my friends and colleagues. Every contributor here is a direct or secondary connection to me. I make no claims that they are the world’s best authority. They are my authorities. Together we sketch our view of thrivability. We may not even all agree. However, I think you will find, as I did, that while the field of interest may be different, the core principles, values, and beliefs about thrivability come through consistently, as core words re-appear on other pages. Please enjoy this curated collaborative sketch of thrivability. I invite you into the conversation.

What does thrivability mean to you?
What does thrivability look like?
What does it mean for someone like me?
What does it mean for those who suffer?
Are we thrivable already, only becoming less so?
How do you apply the idea of thrivability in practice - in your life, at your work, in your community?
What will inspire us to co-create a thrivable world?

A good question sparks more questions says one humble and extraordinary and curious friend of mine. I think he is right.

In grace and with gratitude,
Jean Russell

Thrivable.org strives to equip agents of transformation in order to co-create a thrivable world. We reveal the breadth of domains and their interweaving. We enable thrive agents to know where they are and what they can do and be for collective thrivability.