The people we want to build beside us need not arrive with perfect résumés. I was an engineer when I learned to be a lifeguard. Sher became the steward of laboratories, grants, contracts, media, parenting and architecture through a lifetime of taking responsibility. We have known capable people whose talents did not fit the job market available in their place or time. Our civilization is designed to recognize them.

We welcome engineers, growers, builders, midwives, teachers, artists, language learners, software developers, animal stewards, cooks, repairers and families prepared to contribute. Some will bring long formal training; others will show their competence in practice. Apprenticeships and teaching help the next person become better. Pacorips, Shubaka and the stewardship teams are the organizing tools.

Collaboration also matters to us. We share manuscripts with scholars and practitioners because a good design grows through contact with someone who understands a particular discipline. The technical argument must be strong, the cultural meaning must be clear and the family authorship that created the system must remain visible.

I would love to look across a building site, food garden or software team and see people who are glad to be there. They know why the work matters. Their families are fed and cared for. And when the work is finished for the day, they get to go and enjoy the civilization they are helping create.