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Tell UCSF! Reinstate    Dr. Rupa Marya

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Dear John,

I read a great book recently entitled, "The Deadly Politics of Giving," by an anthropologist named Seth Mallios. The book was a deep dive into two contrasting cultural exchange systems: one, war-economy Britain and Spain at the time of the first colonial experiments on Turtle Island, and two: the gift economy of the Middle Atlantic Algonquin Indigenous peoples of Virginia. The book is long and nuanced, but [spoiler alert] the conclusion is that the colonists tragically misunderstood the intentions of the indigenous people and read ignorance, naÏveté, and often malintent into the actions of the "other," thus setting the stage for violence and an ethos of domination instead of cooperation. 

Gift exchange and reciprocity, I find, is one of the easiest ways to participate in a community of peace. It is as simple as taking harvest of what we have in abundance and giving it away, knowing that such actions build bonds of trust that build and strengthen community. But the war economy has co-opted notions of gifting just as it has almost every other means of exchange, robbing it of its relational power. This is the war economy's way of undermining connection to out neighbors. Keeping us isolated keeps us in line.

Our next Local Peace Economy online gathering is this Wednesday, February 12th and will focus on the peace culture value of reciprocity and gift exchange. The gathering will be highly interactional with those attending. In this meeting, we will ask ourselves: What does enough look like? How might I take one step to bring reciprocity into my relationships instead of relying on transactional relationships to get my needs met?

Join us in for this conversation Wednesday, February 12th at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT <[link removed]>as we learn together.

<[link removed]>RSVP Now! <[link removed]>


UPCOMING Local Peace Economy Gatherings:

- Local Peace Economy Gathering: Gifting & Reciprcity (2/12) <[link removed]>
- March Local Peace Economy Writing Workshop (3/3) <[link removed]>

Other supportive resources:

- Local Peace Economy Wiki <[link removed]>
- Local Peace Economy Padlet — add <[link removed]>yourself and see who is near you! <[link removed]>
- Video introduction to the workbook <[link removed]>
- Download The Local Peace Economy Workbook (free digital version) <[link removed]>
- Purchase The Local Peace Economy Workbook (physical copy) <[link removed]>
- The Local Peace Economy website <[link removed]>
- CODEPINK Radio Ep. 242: The Local Peace Economy <[link removed]>
- CODEPINK Radio Ep. 256: What is the root of peace? <[link removed]>

We hope to see you on February 12th. <[link removed]>

<[link removed]>RSVP Now! <[link removed]>

With care,

Jodie & Marie

P.S. There is a new episode of CODEPINK Radio, entitled "Mutual Aid in a World on Fire." <[link removed]>There are two segments of this podcast, both focused on the role of mutual aid in both emergent situations and in the needs we all experience within the matrix of daily life. We hope you will give it a listen.



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