We all know about the “fight or flight” response to threat. Sometimes “freeze” gets added to the list. But rarely do we acknowledge that nature also offers the option to “flock.”

This came up at a gathering this weekend hosted by Amélie Chanda and her colleagues at Core Impact Coalition. “What do we do when we’re so overwhelmed by all the challenges and crises and we just want to freeze?” One important answer is that we come together with others to find comfort and courage, to reactivate our collective imagination, and to grow our capacity to confront systemic challenge and effect change.

As I shared in this weekend’s gathering, we need each other. And we need a bigger story about what matters and about how change happens.