Welcome to another episode of Wild and Precious Conversations. This  week, a conversation with Dr. Jennie Barron, executive director of the Mir Center for Peace.

Jennie spoke with me about her dissertation which is her research into urban orchards.

Urban orchards is code, I found, for some awfully subversive ideas.

Jennie unpacked these for me as one might a series of very cherished gifts — first, by challenging my understanding of ownership. Imbuing it with the sense that it’s something we’re responsible to. (@10:55)

There’s a decoupling of inputs and outputs…”they thought not what they were getting from the community orchard, but really what they were giving”

We talk about the “Why” of the community orchard, and one response given is “It makes us whole”

We are ostensibly talking about orchards but what happens when we use an orchard — a friendly, nonthreatening concept like a bunch of fruit trees — to talk about concepts like giving and gifts and sharing and community is that we are able to talk about our responsibility to one another and how we can live together in harmony, in peace, without touching a nerve.

Have a listen. This conversation goes very well with last week’s conversation with Cam Brewer, also about the Commons.

Notes:

• Community Orchards and Hyde’s Theory of the Gift — by Jennie Barron
• Mir Centre for Peace

Onward.   Toward a more peaceful way of living together.

The Underbelly Project: A weekly workout for your  emotional strength and                 flexibility. If  you’re not afraid to get dusty and maybe laugh a bit together, join me and let’s get emotionally  strong!

If you enjoyed this conversation, a small ask: Share with anyone you know who might like what we’re doing over here. Excited to stay in the arena with you.