I agree. The EA community does need to be better at supporting people as people.
I think your post could include more of the community health work that is being done. While it’s by no means near completion—you’re touching on topics that a lot of people (especially those not fitting the dominant EA profile) feel andare working on. It’s hard to measure improvements in culture and community, but I hope you would agree that it’s a work in progress and more focused on now than ever before. The diversity and inclusion tag on the Forum is one place to look for such examples.
I would push back on your point about feelings. You say “feelings lie to us, sure, but they also tell us the truth. While we should learn to recognize that our feelings can (and do) deceive us, we should also realize that we feel for a reason. Humans are not computers for a reason. If compassion is the casualty of effectiveness then we are sacrificing the very thing that makes us who we are as humans”.
I don’t believe that being in EA means you can’t have feelings and compassion. I think it’s the opposite—many people seek out EA because they are so driven by their feelings to help, and helping more with the same amount of resources is one of the most compassionate, feeling-driven things you can do. I agree that amongst all the fellowships and readings and focus on doing, the empathy and feelings can get a bit verbally lost—but I think it’s still an unspoken sentiment and driver among most EAs.
I’d be curious what the next steps are? Have there been things in your community building and outreach that you think we should focus more attention on? These reflections are good to note—but we should also use them to improve the community.
I agree. The EA community does need to be better at supporting people as people.
I think your post could include more of the community health work that is being done. While it’s by no means near completion—you’re touching on topics that a lot of people (especially those not fitting the dominant EA profile) feel and are working on. It’s hard to measure improvements in culture and community, but I hope you would agree that it’s a work in progress and more focused on now than ever before. The diversity and inclusion tag on the Forum is one place to look for such examples.
I would push back on your point about feelings. You say “feelings lie to us, sure, but they also tell us the truth. While we should learn to recognize that our feelings can (and do) deceive us, we should also realize that we feel for a reason. Humans are not computers for a reason. If compassion is the casualty of effectiveness then we are sacrificing the very thing that makes us who we are as humans”.
I don’t believe that being in EA means you can’t have feelings and compassion. I think it’s the opposite—many people seek out EA because they are so driven by their feelings to help, and helping more with the same amount of resources is one of the most compassionate, feeling-driven things you can do. I agree that amongst all the fellowships and readings and focus on doing, the empathy and feelings can get a bit verbally lost—but I think it’s still an unspoken sentiment and driver among most EAs.
I’d be curious what the next steps are? Have there been things in your community building and outreach that you think we should focus more attention on? These reflections are good to note—but we should also use them to improve the community.