Peter Block: The Commitment Conversation

The Common Good podcast is a conversation about the significance of place, eliminating economic isolation and the structure of belonging.  This is the fifth episode in a series of six episodes focusing on the six conversations from Peter Block’s work. Beginning with invitation, possibility, ownership and dissent, we now turn to the commitment conversation.  The final conversation for the next episode is the gifts conversation.  These conversations are designed to occur in small groups, seeking to produce transformation in communities.

You can find more about the conversations in Peter's book, Community: Structure of Belonging, and from these videos on Peter's website.

The recited poem was written by guest host, Devin Bustin:

39 miles into your road
You woke in a dark wood
The whole way was wholly lost
Shadow the noonday sun

Further into every fear
You can’t go back
You can’t stay here

Noises you can’t name
Song without a shape
If you find a path
Then it’s not your path

Blind to all light
Except the spark
Flicker behind the fright
Just step and let it leap to flame
And whirl at the weakest wave

Further into every fear
You can’t go back
God knows what’s here

Notice how the ground
Wants to pull you down
Fire in its core
Fire in your core

Let it light your song
Brittle but your own
Everything will change
Every time you change 

This episode was guest hosted by Devin Bustin. Devin Bustin is a writer and teacher who lives in Loveland, Ohio. Growing up, Devin attended well over a dozen schools across Canada and the United States. This gave him a longing to know specific places, to connect with openness, and to create belonging. Raised Pentecostal, Devin wrestles with the faith he inherited, often through fiction, essays, and poetry. He is often working on a song, and his emergent work can be found at devinbustin.com.

This episode was produced by Joey Taylor and the music is from Jeff Gorman. You can find more information about the Common Good Collective and the reader here. Common Good Podcast is a production of Bespoken Live and Common Change - Eliminating Personal Economic Isolation.