As we settle into working along side the MSD construction site, we’ve been thinking quite a bit about the systems we’re part of, and how we can best contribute to the community. It’s easy for us to pull back and try to get everything lined up the way we want, but we know that we need to move past this urge and toward constructive engagement.

One interesting frame I came across recently was developed by Yancey Strickler, one of the founders of the Kickstarter crowd-funding web site. In his new book This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World, he suggests an approach where we move past self-interest and toward what he calls a “self-coherent” identity focused on a broader set of goals. To explore this, he uses a bento box metaphor that mimics the Japanese food plate which separates portions. Imagine a 2 x 2 box where the lower left corner is devoted to our “Now Me” personal goals. Beyond this, we can move to the right for “Future Me”—who do I want to become? Above this, the bento box has a portion dedicated to “Us Now”—who are we as a community, now? What assets are available, and what challenges do we face? Finally in the upper right, there is a space for “Future Us”—what kind of community do we envision, and how might we get there?

While the ideas here aren’t especially new, the bento box planning metaphor helps us stay focused on the balance we need, taking care of our immediate needs while we also look toward growing individually and as a community, with a vision toward a better future for everyone.

Two recent articles build on this, as James Faupel offers reflections on the community helping up prepare for the MSD project, and Eddie Jones shares how teacher partners are working to make changes in their practice which build toward their own Future Me as well as students’ growth. Over time, we’re all building a stronger community. As always, it’s an honor to share this journey with you.