What is our role and agency in co-creating?

Life is an interesting experience.

Intuitively, many of us feel that we have some agency, some part to play in the evolution of everything. You push a few buttons on the laptop keyboard, and this website appears. At the same time, it’s clear how small ‘we’¹ are in the unfolding of everything.

So as ‘designers’ or more generally as ‘human beings’ experiencing this life, we might ask: What is our role in the process of co-creation? Do we have an effect on how everything unfolds?

The ping-pong

Sitting in a cab in London, I had this beautiful conversation with George, a taxi driver. He used the metaphor of the ping-pong of life: We do our part (’raise our hand’ for a possibility, do the ping) and surrender to the response by the universe (the pong). Doing our part wholeheartedly while being curious/open/surrendered to whatever arises - knowing we can’t control any outcome.

The ping can be anything. From a word that is spoken to actions taken. These ‘pings’ create ripples and ‘interare’ with everything (Thich Nhat Hanh on Interbeing).

All we can do is serve the ‘ping’ in this moment with all our heart and the highest intention. Then, open up to the ‘pong’ from the universe/god/life.

When we design, we have the chance to remember and embrace this: our agency and responsibility in the co-creation. The humble understanding that we can’t control outcomes.

What matters is the ‘frequency’, the vibration of the intention. How we are in every moment. Hence, to co-create worlds of thriving, we show up with love and care in our words and actions.

Work in progress. To be co-created :)

Perspectives

What if we are just the droplets of the ocean - each reflecting the colours of the indescribable, unpredictable life experience? What if this is just life experiencing itself - through every droplet, every soul, all the eyes of every being?

And in the unfolding of life, every soul adds their frequency - their colour as the light passes through it. Leading to a beautiful spectrum on the ever-evolving and emerging canvas of life.

Maybe the highest power is playfully experiencing itself, as the unfolding and as all the droplets of the ocean. Maybe not even the highest power would want ‘to know and specify’ this cosmic play (Cosmic Drama, Alan Watts building on Hinduism).

To explore

Alan Watts: We are creating everything and nothing at the same time
The metaphor of the seed: Plant it with love - don’t take it out of the soil daily to check if it has grown roots (Philipp Aeschlimann)
Include the conversation with George Millard
Include the notes from the conversation with Jonathan

Footnotes
1 Now when we start talking about ‘I’/’We’ it gets interesting. Which part is that? Where do we start and end? Where is our boundary? Are we still the same if we lose a body part, abilities, our personality as we get dementia, ...?