[#303,about][s]: rewrite lead paragraph based on announce plus some t…

…weaks.

content/about.md

@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 # About
 
-Our current civilization is crumbling, leading to a period of crisis and potential rebirth – what we could term a "second renaissance."
+The Second Renaissance project provides an introduction and guide to this moment of civilizational crisis and awakening -- and the emerging ecosystem related to it.
 
-This project and website seek to provide an entry-point -- a **gateway** -- for people to discover and make sense of this emerging moment and field. A bit like  a curated art gallery for an emerging area of art.
+It aims to provides an accessible entry-point – a **gateway** – for people to discover and make sense of this emerging moment and field. A bit like a curated art gallery for an emerging area of art.
+
+We’re motivated by the increasing need to present these ideas and emerging ecosystem to others in an accessible way. Our experience has shown that the space can be difficult to discover, engage with, and make sense of.
+
+For instance, there are many new terms associated with it: Metamodern, Metacrisis, Integral, Teal, Liminal Web, GameB, Regenerative, and more. This can make it confusing: it’s hard to understand what they all mean, how they all fit together – even if they point to the same thing or not. Overall, there is a lot of information and content out there, comprising many perspectives and approaches. Navigating all of this can be overwhelming and bewildering.
+
+The project offers a simple framing narrative, along with introductions to key ideas, as well as a wiki and forum for community contribution and conversation.
+
+Read on for more detail about what we’re creating and why, and who is involved in the project.
 
 ## Who is involved
 
@@ -23,21 +31,22 @@ It is now led by a curatorial team with participants from several organizations.
 
 ### Advisors
 
-- Daniel Thorson, Emerge Podcast
 - Alexander Beiner, co-founder of Rebel Wisdom
+- Daniel Thorson, Emerge Podcast
 - Peter Limberg, the Stoa
 - Phil Chen
 - Naryan Wong, Cultivating Leadership and Limicon
 - Joe Lightfoot, Collective Blooming
 - Isabela Granic, McMaster University and Liminal Learning
 - Jamie Bristow, Mindfulness Initiative
 - Oren Slozberg, Commonweal
+- Richard Bartlett, theHum and Microsolidarity
 
 ## Why: Background and Motivation
 
 At Life Itself we've been working in "this space" for a decade. 
 
-We started mapping this emerging ecosystem formally in 2019/2020 and produced our first report "The State of Sensemaking" In September 2020 followed by the much more thorough and detailed "PIP changemakers ecosystem report" in 2021/2022 (PIP stood for paradigmatic, integral, pragmatic and was our first effort at providing a specific characterisation of this emerging ecosystem).
+We started mapping this emerging ecosystem formally in 2019/2020.  In September 2020, We released "The State of Sensemaking" our first, preliminary report on what we were finding. Following over a year of further research, in 2021/2022 we published "Paradigmatic Integral Pragmatic (PIP) Changemakers" report. This contained our first effort at delineating the key characteristics of this emerging ecosystem along with a browsable directory of over hundred organizations in the space. 
 
 This present work both builds on this mapping work and represents an evolution.
 
@@ -46,17 +55,18 @@ Specifically, we’ve increasingly seen the need to be able to present these ide
 > [!example]
 >  Recently one of our team was talking to "Sam", an old friend from college. They were trying to explain to Sam what we are working on:
 >  
-> "I start out with the climate crisis which he obviously gets. However, quickly I'm using quite a few terms like polycrisis, metacrisis or teal and I realize these are a bit jargony. Even terms like modernity and cultural paradigm aren't really that familiar. Sam is interested and asking me lots of questions. We talk for an hour and even then we've only just scratched the surface. I realize there are a lot of roots here beneath the surface, there's a lot there. 
+> "I start out with the climate crisis which he obviously gets. However, quickly I'm using quite a few terms like polycrisis, metacrisis or teal and I realize these are a bit jargony. Even terms like modernity and cultural paradigm aren't really that familiar. Sam is interested and asking me many questions. We talk for an hour and even then we've only just scratched the surface. I realize there's a lot there with many roots beneath the surface."
 > 
 > **I want to be able explain it in a reasonably simple way, and I want an accessible resource I can point Sam to where he can get started and find out more if he wants  ...**
 
 ## What: A Gateway
 
-In short, we need a **gateway or portal** to this space.[^1] A useful gateway provides:
+In short, we need a **gateway** to this space: a simple, accessible way for people to find out about key concepts, initiatives and actors and how they are connected.[^1] A useful gateway would provide, at least the following:
 
-[^1]: We acknowledge that there is still debate and discussion about if there is a "a space" or multiple related ones etc – see https://secondrenaissance.net/publications/overview-ecosystem-names. In fact, this is another good motivation for this project: providing something of a "rosetta stone" that makes it easier for "insiders" to see each other and to make it easier for outsiders to see the commonalities.
+[^1]: We acknowledge that there is still debate and discussion about if there is a "this space" or in fact multiple related "spaces" – see https://secondrenaissance.net/publications/overview-ecosystem-names. This very uncertainty is further demonstration of the need for a project like this -- this is another potential complexity we want to help people to navigate. For example, we can provide a "[[/ecosystem|rosetta stone]]" to help people translate between domains helping "insiders" to see each other and making it easier for outsiders to see the commonalities.
 
-- A name so people can easily remember and refer to it 
+- A name so people can easily remember and refer to it
+- A core narrative that delineates and frames it
 - Accessible presentation of key ideas, themes etc
 - Pointers to more info and pathways to get involved
 - Situated relative to things people know which provides both the "oh, ok i know that part" feeling as well as social credibility "oh this connects to these other areas that are already known"
@@ -66,21 +76,22 @@ What that means is we plan to provide (at least):
 
 - **Intro**: to second renaissance and key themes and concepts
 - **Newsletter**: to provide a simple, curated and accessible way in to both discover ideas (one per issue) and news
-- **Wiki and/or forum**: as space for community and contribution
-
+- **Wiki and/or forum**: as a space for community and contribution
 
 ![[assets/img/about/3-parts.png]]
 
-These three parts complement each other. A wiki on its own can be bewildering, overwhelming, and a bit scary for newcomers. A newsletter on its own does not have the richness of a wiki knowledgebase and does not offer an avenue for contribution. By offering both with a *clear set of principles / vision* you can get best of both worlds.
+
+
+These three parts complement each other. A wiki on its own can be bewildering, even a bit overwhelming and scary, especially for newcomers. A newsletter on its own does not have the richness of a wiki knowledgebase and does not offer an avenue for contribution. By offering both with a *clear vision and principles* you can get best of both worlds.
 
 ## Deeper motivation: five whys
 
-We the initiators for this project want to create a portal/gateway for the "second renaissance" because …
+We the initiators for this project want to create a gateway for the "second renaissance" because …
 
-- Want more people to get involved in second renaissance type stuff (ideas, projects etc), especially people on the edge or close by (and eventually broader society to see) because …
-- Want a movement for second renaissance type stuff because  …
-- Want a "second renaissance" and a paradigmatic transition to happen ...
-- We want that because we see that is key to addressing the (meta)crisis we're in and bringing forth a radically wiser, weller world (see the front page of this website 😉)
+- We want more people to get involved in second renaissance type stuff (ideas, projects etc), especially people on the edge or close by (and eventually broader society to see) because …
+- We want a movement for a second renaissance because  …
+- We want a a paradigmatic transition to happen ...
+- We want that because it is key to addressing the (meta)crisis and bringing forth a radically wiser, weller world (see the front page of this website 😉)
 
 ## Gallery metaphor