In Search of Safe Haven
Awhile back I wrote about climate havens and the diminishing belief that we can find geographic locations beyond the reach of climate change’s more hostile effects.
Ever since, I’ve had that second word, havens or, more specifically, haven, fluttering about my brain like an elusive butterfly.
(We’ll return to the plural “havens” at the end of this blog.)
Just so we’re all on the same page, let’s check in with Merriam-Webster. A haven is:
- Harbor, port.
- A place of safety: refuge
- A place offering favorable opportunities or conditions, i.e.. A haven for artists.
It’s not easy to find any sort of haven these days, physical or otherwise. The idea of sanctuary cities will likely be under siege. The ability to gather peace of mind? Tough to dodge the vibrations of a phone delivering mini eruptions of breaking negative news. Even an escape to the wilderness to gaze up at a night sky with awestruck wonder at a shooting star – oh, Frick! – it’s one of Elon’s low-orbit Starlink satellites.
In my personal life, I seek refuge in morning meditation (hard, but worth it), music, putting my hands in the soil on our small farm, though even the latter can be off-limits when wildfire smoke smothers our valley. Books, always books. And while technology often abets crimes against mental well-being, occasionally it provides haven as well; The Good Whale podcast from Serial Productions poignantly transported me from Mexico to Oregon to the ocean waters of Iceland and Norway as I listened to the story of a whale, Keiko, who moved from haven to haven to haven, ultimately in search of the paradoxically ultimate safe harbor: freedom.
In the business world, it will be increasingly important – right NOW and into the future – that we build havens of the mind or physical spaces for humans to come together and solve our individual and planetary challenges: teammates, neighbors, co-workers, customers, citizens. That’s why I’m focusing on Webster’s third definition by creating Inspiration Alley, a community hub for creativity and social impact here in Boise. With the massive and threatening uncertainties of today’s world – from AI to politics to climate – we need to provide safe spaces where creativity and diversity of thought can blossom, impact can grow, and people can feel secure, connected, and valued.
It's important we do this in our own communities, beyond the bits and bytes, where we can create in-person experiences and connections based on physical proximity: touch and timbre of voice, smiles and interruptions, raised eyebrows and mannerisms and small talk...and laughter.
My best option here in the physical world is a building I own, a cinder-block structure that flies the B Corp flag, whose exterior is wrapped with murals of diverse social and environmental justice champions emblematic of the change we aim to make, and where giving and getting a hug or lending advice and a supportive ear are all in a day’s work.
If you’re ever visiting Boise, stop on by.
And if you live in this beautiful city, with mountains to the north, desert to the south, and a river running through it, just know we’ve got a haven if you need it.
So, what can you do as a business? Get people together in your conference room. Hold a meet-up in a coffee shop, or a park. Figure out a topic of community interest to anchor the gathering. Sponsor a Climate Cafe. Partner with a nonprofit on a volunteer project that incorporates your team members and community members. Do something on Zoom if the physical realm isn't happening for you. The key thing is to bring people together.
And do it as a community building exercise, not as a revenue generator. From my experience, if you do these things from the heart, do them right, the revenue will follow.
I’ll end by posing a question – Where are your havens? – as well as with a link to a song played by Richie Havens at Woodstock, Freedom. This might be a reach, but it’s how my mind rolls; if I can make linkages between a last name (Havens) and a concept (haven=freedom) and do it via the video of a powerful song at a pivotal point in our country’s history (1969), well, hell – I’m going to go there every time.
Godspeed, friends.
Russ
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