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14 - Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 1)

14 - Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 1)

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 CB15 - Shownotes: Peter Block – Community: The Structure of Belonging (Part 1)Welcome to Create Belonging, the podcast where we explore the world through the lens of belonging.I sat down with Peter Block, one of the most original thinkers on community and civic life working today, and what came out was a conversation so rich I had to split it into two parts. In part one, Peter shares how he went from being a self-described wanderer to becoming a rooted citizen of Cincinnati, and why he believes that belonging isn't something we find inside ourselves alone. It emerges through how we gather, the questions we ask, and the structures we create together.Who Is Peter Block?Peter Block is an author, a citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio, and co-founder of Designed Learning, a training company that offers workshops and learning experiences built around the ideas in his books. He's part of the Common Good Alliance of Greater Cincinnati and was a member of his local neighborhood council. You can find his full bio and headshot at peterblock.com/media-kit.His books include Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How Is Yes, The Abundant Community, Activating the Common Good, and the book that brought him to this podcast: Community: The Structure of Belonging, now in its third edition.Main Topics CoveredPeter's personal journey from wandering to choosing rootedness and citizenshipWhy inner work alone isn't enough, and why community is where belonging actually emergesHow the form of a gathering shapes whether connection happens or notThe critique of inherited structures like Robert's Rules of Order and forward-facing roomsDesigning gatherings where people become agents of their own experienceWhy questions unite us and answers divide usPeter's surprising claim: the opposite of love isn't hate - it's certaintyKey InsightsCommunity is where belonging emerges - not through prescription, but through the conversations and structures we chooseInner work and community work aren't either/or - Peter argues we need a group to do our inner work, and anyone who claims victory on self-work "isn't paying attention"All transformation is linguistic - the conversations we design change us and change the worldThe small group is the unit of transformation - breaking people into groups of two or three shifts them from passive audience to active agents"If you argue with me, I'm taking your side" - Peter's approach to resistance: instead of convincing skeptics, agree with them and let them reckon with themselvesQuestions bring us together, answers keep us apart - when someone gives an answer, the room splits into agree and disagree; a shared question draws people closerThe opposite of love isn't hate, it's certainty - one of Peter's most provocative reframes, and a thread worth sitting withResources & LinksCommunity: The Structure of Belonging (Third Edition) by Peter BlockThe Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods by Peter Block & John McKnightFlawless Consulting by Peter BlockActivating the Common Good by Peter BlockPeter Block's Substack - Peter's latest thinking and writingDesigned Learning - learning experiences designed around Peter's workPeter Block on LinkedInDesigned Learning on LinkedInConnectInstagram: instagram.com/createbelongingLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/create-belongingEmail: createbelonging@gmail.comStay tuned for Part Two, where Peter and I go deeper into the practical side - how these ideas about structure, questions, and agency show up in everyday community life. If this episode sparked something for you, please share it with someone who's also wondering about belonging in this world. And as always - go create belonging for yourself and for others.Acknowledgments: Music "Playing with Color" by Nullhertz, obtained royalty-free from Pixabay. Thank you to the lovely people at Purple Space for your support. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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