Michael! Great to see you active here. You have shown your earnestness in having tried several times to court me into deeper conversation, and here you have included much information indeed as a sort of boombox-beneath-my-window moment. (How did you find out my home address?)

Forgive my reckless/playful mood, it's been a long couple days. Let me try to level with you.

I genuinely appreciate the effort you are taking to try to explain some of your work to me. First though, there are a few things I'd like to ask you - I'd be interested to understand a bit more about your intentions, if you're willing to divulge. As for taking this conversation privately, my preference would be to keep it public as much as possible, that is, until I can consent to conversing in private. Hope that makes sense.

We don't know each other. I am not related to you in any way, nor have I been targeting you and your work. I understand that you feel somewhat caught up in the piece by implication as a white man in the Global South just trying to do his best, and I can see why, but I'm not sure you fully fit the description I've written about these zombies.

If I'm not interpreting you incorrectly, you're concerned that you might be unconsciously replicating some zombie behaviour, especially in the project that you've described, and would like to learn and grow, perhaps from me. Am I warm or cold?

I'm trying to understand what you are looking for from me.

Would you like me to be your friend? Your endorser? Your design partner?

Would you like my validation? My interest? My attention?

I'm asking this because you seem to expect my attention as a thing that you are already entitled to. Perhaps you don't intend that, but I'm letting you know that's how it's coming across.

While there's not nearly enough context to respond appropriately to your request to "humour" you (i.e. sort of assess (?) your project design), I don't generally provide pro-bono consulting or coaching (anymore). If that's what you're interested in, and you're willing to go into possibly quite a lot of egodeath, then perhaps we can come to an initial agreement of some sort. It doesn't have to be a monetary agreement by any means, if that is a limitation, but I think some sort of exchange is fair.

Besides that though, I wonder if you'd be interested in joining us on POSSIBLE FUTURES' next course cohort of "Intro to Decolonial Sustainability". There is a massive co-learning aspect to the course that can provide a lot of the support that you may be seeking with regards to implementing a more decolonial approach, perhaps with some aspects of co-creative, experimental iteration. Having said that, I sort of have a feeling that you're already kind of doing that? Or at least seeking to do that? Like I said, not enough context to really be able to comment.

I should add that registering for the course (not that registrations are open yet) does not guarantee a place in our cohort(s). There is a screening process where we try to ensure that our cohorts are filled only with folk who are interested and willing to engage and take initiative within an interactive co-learning experience, and not merely absorb or receive information passively.

A different thought -

One of our guest coaches on the course is B. Lorraine Smith, a recovering ESG-er, perhaps you've seen some of her work on Matereality. She may be a good person to bounce ideas off with (if you can afford her that is).

Yeah, I think that's all I'd like to say for the moment. Would be great to hear from you.