The 3 Pillars of Connection
Coming Together in Awe
The core of who we are is often lost alongside all the commitments of personal and professional life. The obligations and duties we pen into our calendars in back-to-back sequence, trying to be everywhere and wear all of our hats, at once. In the process of compartmentalizing and prioritizing our lives into tasks and to-do lists, it becomes automatic to meet the deadline first and consider who we are—what all this is for—later.
Human connection, connection to nature, and connection with the food that sustains and binds us unavoidably lead to the core of who we are. And it is the deeper outcome of ICWF.
Amongst the conversations about food, food systems, challenges, and solutions, and the initiation of new projects that inevitably occurs when people who deeply care about such things get together, there is something higher that presents itself: a feeling of awe at what human connection can do. Talking about food is the catalyst, the result is finding that all along, we were talking about becoming fuller human beings.
We feel awe when reality takes on a powerful glow, even for just a moment. When sharing a meal with someone who has a profoundly different story than you, and resonating deeply with their words, that’s awe. When becoming aware of the vast and intertwining communities that work to feed us all—the farmers, the delivery workers, the shopkeepers, the cooks, the keepers of the land, and indigenous knowledge, that is awe too.
We can be in awe of the connection of a community of people, something ICWF aims to achieve in 3 days of togetherness. A sense of community—a sense of common ground—is innately good for us, grounds us, and takes us closer to the core of who we are. At its zenith, the connection of a community is about something much greater than ourselves, while also encompassing us as individuals and what we can all achieve together. Awe-inducing events may be one of the fastest and most powerful methods of personal change and growth.
Our goal is to leave you in awe—of the magical setting, the masterful food, and the thought-provoking conversation. To leave you with the certainty that awe brings people together, leaves people inspired, and has the power to be the great connector in a time of fragmentation.