IWCD110: Two-Eyed Seeing & Healing Online Communities

Hey there!

I recently read an article about a community-building concept known as "two-eyed seeing." It reminded me of Issue #007 from my weekly reviews, about the Polynesian navigator Tupaia.

In two-eyed seeing and the findings of Tupaia's maps, we see how understanding worldviews can drastically change the way in which we perceive the world in general.

Indigenous & Western Knowing

Two-eyed seeing is a hybrid research methodology introduced by Mi'kmaq Elders (Albert and Murdena Marshall) from Unama'ki (Cape Breton), Nova Scotia, Canada.² It incorporates both Western and Aboriginal epistemologies. It recognizes indigenous knowledge as a "distinct system that can sit side-by-side with mainstream (Western) science."

Despite a history filled with intergenerational trauma, indigenous ways of knowing and seeing can help balance out Western gaps. For me, one of these gaps is in online community-building.

Future Metaverse Communities

As referenced in various newsletters in the past, if we are not careful, we may create digital worlds that completely sever us from the natural/physical world around us. We are seeing glimpses of this with VR/AR advancements for the metaverse.

As the Hopi prophecy warned, we should be conscious of not turning ourselves into "headless beings" and walking ourselves off a cliff (metaphorically).

Healing Online Communities

When we look at how people engage online, from cyber-bullying to litigation, could we resolve conflict better by understanding each other's "ways of knowing and seeing" the world? Because different cultures have different ways of seeing, even online.

This is evident amongst Web3 and crypto communities like BTC vs. ETH vs. DOGE. Despite being forms of currency, they have created communities that take money on as an identity.

We live in a digital age where money is worshipped, faith is technological, and belonging is less and less physical.

A Return to Ancestral Ways

Since many of us have ancestors, this two-eyed seeing approach is encouraging communities to not only "decolonize" (something that is increasingly referred to amongst colonized populations), but to also rediscover their ancestral traditions and cultural values. 

You can see this resurgence through populist movements around the world and political leaders appealing to conservative values (see Issue #107 about Italy's new Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni).

There's even historical evidence from times like the Renaissance when the "greats" looked to the classics for inspiration and guidance. This is often a result of going too far in one direction and neglecting lessons and wisdom from the past.

As much as I love innovation, technology, and the future, I am also cognizant of the value of knowing your roots and history - all branches of it! When we ignore or fail to learn from the past, we sever ourselves from a vast well of knowledge.

And it is with this, that I think indigenous wisdom has a huge part to play in creating more harmonious online communities in the future. Why? Because their beliefs are fundamentally connected to nature and the wisdom of their ancestors.

Until next time fellow wayfinder, remember: it will come.

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