At The ALANA Project, we continue celebrating the values that connect us as a community. Those values often refer to our community as a whole, but today, in our fourth number on the ALANA manifesto, we will be focusing on how "Respecting the Individual" matters equally.
The ALANA manifesto encapsulates ALANA’s "10 Principles of a Good Community." The inspiration for these principles came during a thoughtful conversation with Dani, a fellow DAO member, where we reflected on how Dieter Rams' "10 Principles of Good Design" distilled the essence of excellence. In the same spirit, we set out to capture the heart of what makes our community thrive.
In short, "Respecting the Individual" in ALANA refers to how being a community cannot neglect to acknowledge that it is composed of individuals. Collaborating in larger groups and respecting your peers goes a long way. More precisely, we ask our members to respect others' opinions (we do not need to share them), the willingness or unwillingness to share their real identity with us, and their change of mind when it comes to assumed roles in The ALANA Project ecosystem.
All of the above can only work if members are sure of their own identity and are willing to commit to an open mindset for communication. If either of these two is not applicable, things can easily get out of hand, where self-insecurities, self-centeredness, or desperate harmony seeking can get in the way of respecting the individuals' needs in a group.
It's also important to note what it doesn't mean: Respecting the individual doesn't mean we have to accept disrespectful behavior/language towards us, nor do we have to agree with others on everything. Healthy communities discuss, question, and finally implement a compromised version of the original idea to make it the best possible version of itself. Working together fluidly and remotely is a challenge, but if we respect each other, we do have a serious chance to succeed.
"The courage to be happy also includes the courage to be disliked. When you have gained that courage, your interpersonal relationships will all at once change into things of lightness.”
Edward Deci and Richard Ryan developed a groundbreaking framework in 1985 (based on earlier research) called Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to understand human motivation and mental well-being. The framework acknowledges three basic psychological needs in people:
Autonomy = feeling in control of one's actions and choices
Competence = refers to a sense of mastery and effectiveness
Relatedness = involves feeling connected to others
SDT primarily focuses on intrinsic motivation, where rewards can refer to personal interests, curiosity, and personal values over extrinsic rewards such as money or similar material incentives. The theory has been confirmed through decades of empirical research studies, resulting in a so-called "meta-theory" of our times.
Considering SDT in relation to ALANA as a DAO (decentralized autonomous organization), it means we aim to help everyone to fulfill their basic needs even if their "real" environment can't or won't help them do it. By respecting them and their needs and letting them come to their own conclusions, it confirms their autonomy and competence while still remaining a member of our community (relatedness).
In truth, and this counts specifically for the online world, we often have minimal insights into another person's life. We often only understand how stressed and anxious they had felt over the past year after the most critical situations have passed. Neither do we know how their days are organized, how respected they feel in their personal environments, whether they have sick parents to care for, and more.
We can voice our disappointment, our frustration with them, but we can't make them feel disrespected. There is a fine line, and granted, it is not always an obvious one, especially if emotions are involved. Yet, as members of ALANA, we are committed to striving to do better and let empathy and open communication prevail! Because Laurence Sterne is right:
“Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners.”
The ALANA 10 Principles of a Good Community NFT is powered by Unlock Protocol and available as a free mint (wallet and email option) directly from the Optimism Blockchain. If you agree with these principles, show us and get your Manifesto here:
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Happy Week, ALANA Adventurers!
This article was authored by Stella Achenbach, a DAO member of The ALANA Project.
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