The Society of Smallness

On this day, April 1st in 1905, the German government adopted the letters SOS as a maritime distress signal in Morse code. SOS doesn’t mean anything, but in popular use the letters have become associated with the phrases “Save Our Soul” or “Save Our Ship.”

The curious fact that SOS is also the acronym for the Society of Smallness and that we decided to ponder this on April 1st, 2020 is an instance of synchronicity, in the Jungian sense of “meaningful coincidence.” Add to this that humanity is grappling with a situation of chaotic and global proportions and it is beginning to feel less than a coincidence and more like a calling.

Perhaps the idea of a society of smallness can grow in our imagination, pointing towards new ways of living with one another and the environment. Perhaps it’s time to undersize.

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