By Giannira Giunti
What started as a simple question about the leftovers of the snack turned into a deep debate on fairness, effort, and community. On Tuesday, someone noticed that leftovers were always eaten by Pumas of the patio-cleaning team. That small detail sparked big conversations.
Some Pumas thought it wasn’t fair: “Everyone should have the chance to get the left overs.” Others felt it made sense: “The patios team deserves it, they clean, wash the dishes and that effort should be rewarded.”
Daniel one of the leaders, offered a structure:
Stand here 👉 if you think the patios team should get the leftovers.
Stand there 👈 if you disagree.
The tribe split. And the dialogue began. One Puma advocated for reducing waste:
“We should eat all the snack. If someone doesn’t want it, then patios can have it. It’s practical.”
Another raised a concern about invisible voices:
“But what about Pumas who aren’t on patios but still want more later? They don’t always speak up.”
Then Minerva stepped in with a proposal:
“What if everyone saved their portion ahead of time? That way, if there's extra, it’s really extra, and can be shared.”
Others circled back to effort and recognition:
“The patios team puts in more work. They’re cleaning for us all.”
Yet someone gently challenged that perspective:
“But the Flow Cleaning Team works too. We all rotate jobs. Isn’t everyone contributing in their way?”
Twenty-five minutes passed. No consensus. No clear right answer. Just a shared space of wondering, of tension held respectfully. Daniel brought it to a pause:
“The tribe is divided. Let’s let this rest and return later.”
And they did. By the end of the day, the conversation had matured. It wasn’t just about snacks anymore. It was about effort seen and unseen, about how we recognize contribution, and about what fairness really asks of us.
Some still argued for rewarding extra effort. Others pushed for universal access and transparency. Eventually, a vote was held: Most agreed the patio team shouldn't automatically get the leftovers. The new commitment?
Keep the conversation open.
Design a fair system together.
Because community isn’t something we inherit, it’s something we co-create, moment by moment, question by question. This wasn’t just about who gets a cookie. It was about noticing each other’s labor. It was about honoring multiple truths at once. It was about what it means to build fairness, not as a rule, but as a living process.
So we leave you with this: When we share something, whether it’s food, space, or voice, how do we make sure it’s truly fair?
