prosocial behavior:                                                    ​ behavior that benefits other people, or society as a whole

​antisocial behavior:
disregard for, or violation of, the rights of others

​PROSOCIAL POWER
is the conviction that every person on this planet is a person who we can learn from.
​(If we find someone challenging... then we really have things to learn from them!)

​PROSOCIAL POWER
means zero tolerance for hate & violence -
we must wipe out these social diseases by breaking down the fear, prejudice & ignorance that fuel them

PROSOCIAL POWER
is the courage to admit our ignorance; to make, and learn from, mistakes;
to know when to shut up and listen, 
& when to open up & spill forth our truth, even if it makes us shake.

PROSOCIAL POWER
requires taking risks.
Human interaction is unpredictable, but we bravely face the unknown, trusting
the process of coming together as potentially messy - but highly generative.

PROSOCIAL POWER
is shared power. 

PROSOCIAL POWER
doesn't require that all hold hands and sway along to some feel-good song. Part of being prosocial is honoring the needs of shy people, people who don't speak, and people who need time alone.

PROSOCIAL POWER
is not afraid to be "anti." We are anti-racist, anti-violence, and anti-war. We know there is already a war being waged on many of us, and we must fight back. But we fuel our fight with love, and keep cultivating sanctuary spaces.

PROSOCIAL POWER
knows that independence is an illusion.
​We need revive our spirit of interdependence.

PROSOCIAL POWER
takes effort - and serious commitment to play. Imaginative games, healthy, consensual touch, mingling, art, singing and dancing - what many consider to be frills, bonuses, or child's play - require complex thought, deep compassion, and yes, hard work. Reclaiming these arts can catalyze the evolution we need to put the humane back in humanity.

the Dalai Lama

Corrupt power - power based on domination and exploitation - feeds on antisocial behavior. It wins when we "mind our own business" instead of looking out for others. It wins when we prioritize personal gain and short-term results; when we judge people who are different; when we lose ourselves in passive entertainment, and succumb to self-doubt. It wins when we submit to the Industrial Age model of education that still plagues most schools: obedient students, staff and parents, following formulas and spitting back standardized facts, like workers on an assembly line.

As climate change makes good food, water and shelter more scarce, prosocial behavior is more important than ever. Introspection, empathy, communication, compassion and collaboration are more than good character: they're key to our survival.  And those of us who have more than we need must learn to share, and redistribute land, money and resources.

Prosocial power - people power - is what I have come to love, support, and cultivate in my years as an educator, therapist, learning designer, circle keeper, writer, artist, and parent. I live to listen and learn, to collaborate & connect. 

For more about prosocial power... you tell me. I'd love to hear from you. I love to join forces with people who work to keep us connected to our core selves, to other people, and to the planet. We may be collaborating before we know it!

"The Original Labor Party" - a design in progress by Kate Duva