"When I visited flourishing groups, I noticed that being with them felt different. They possessed a vibrancy, a switched-on responsiveness that showed up in their bodies. Their posture, in general, was relaxed; their heads were up and their interactions were fluid. Aliveness was the word I kept writing in my notebook: a feeling of being carried along in a river of energy that was headed somewhere good."
"The curious thing was, the source of this aliveness seemed to be located in moments in which the group did absolutely nothing. That is, they often stopped their activities and came together in ritual-like stillness, and in those quiet moments meaningful connections would arise. For instance: A couple on a farm, standing still for ten minutes, watching a bee on a flower. A team gathered shoulder to shoulder in a locker room, sitting in silence before a game."
Flourishing groups possess a switched-on vibrancy evident in relaxed posture, heads-up orientation, and fluid interactions. Aliveness appears as a carried-along energy headed somewhere good. Such groups operate with looseness, connect by exchanging stories, rely on intuition, laugh easily, and practice small courtesies. The source of aliveness often emerges in moments when groups stop activity and enter ritual-like stillness. During these quiet pauses people notice, savor, and form meaningful connections—examples include couples watching bees, teams sitting silently before a game, neighbors setting a table, or crews watching waves. These deliberate, non-goal-oriented pauses spark shared vitality.
Read at Big Think
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