2d (edited) • General discussion
On Removing a Villager - The Values of Watchfulness and Community
Today, I had to do something that I've never had to do in the Village before: remove a member who was an actual active member of the community.
Sure, I've removed all kinds of spammers and scammers, but this was different.
This individual was not overtly villainous. He would try to offer support and advice, and he definitely meant well. Unfortunately, he would often offer this advice forcefully, aggressively, and when not asked for it. He would speak out of turn in events, disrupt the conversation, and distract my attention from serving the audience.
But that's just a different way to behaving, so I tried to deal with it as such, sharing my concerns and helping him to fit in better.
But today, it became clear that this individual is not just quirky, but potentially disruptive and harmful.
He informed me that he helped 5-7 figure entrepreneurs become 7-8 figure, which implies that he could help a beginner (5-figure) reach multimillion dollar success. As I sought more detail and clarity, his answers became more evasive and, well, frankly, weird.
He claimed an 8-figure net worth, but when pressed for details discussed acting roles in movies he was not in, and spiritual alignment to flows of income. He seemed to imply it was "energetic" wealth or something, but I couldn't understand what he was trying to explain.
I started to recognize the patterns of a Grifter (or perhaps a Leech if he didn't realize what he was doing) in both his comments and his business.
So, I addressed it directly... I explained that I was considering removing him from the Village and all related programs, and asked him to explain, clearly, in plain language what he meant. His response was to send me a ChatGPT analysis that claimed that his archetype was "Jesus The Christ."
At this point, I concluded that he was more of a negative influence than a positive, and informed him that he was invited to find success outside of the Village.
He then claimed that I was acting as a "villain" and compromising my own Villager Values. Of course, that is something I take quite seriously, so I went back to look at the 10 Villager Values to see what applied.
Courage
Honesty
Service
Community
Watchfulness
Fun
Purpose
Abundance
Growth
Discernment
Specifically, he claimed that I was "gatekeeping."
You will notice that there is no value of "inclusivity" or "openness." (In the Manifesto, I do specifically discuss diversity and how Villagers are from all backgrounds.)
In fact, the Value of Watchfulness is the opposite of openness. It is a value of being alert to those who might be harmful for ourselves or our community.
Discernment is a value of not leaping to conclusions, and giving someone the chance to explain why they should (or should not) stay, thus why we had this extended discussion.
Community is a value of caring about the members of the community above (or at least along side) ourselves. Especially if it means giving up a $100 a month of membership fees as this person was in the Inner Circle.
There are 189 members of the Village as I write this, and about 25 of you are really active, so we're not building a mass movement here (yet), but great things begin as small things. It would have been easy to just let him keep paying for membership, and simply distance myself from the problem, but that's not how we create a community.
Creating a community doesn't mean that everyone can come in. It means that those who can come in are supported, and if that means that some need to be invited to leave, then that is what must be done.
It is in these situations where we have the opportunity to explore and more deeply understand our values, and I believe that the Villager Values stand up well to it.
What are your thoughts?
(Don't worry, I won't kick anyone out for disagreeing with me... unless you claim to have an 8-figure energetic net worth and consider yourself to be Jesus Christ)
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On Removing a Villager - The Values of Watchfulness and Community
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