#rhaitalks 19 — Why disconnecting has to do with managing conflicts
A quick essay about staying offline in the Amazon rainforest for a week*.
Every day we manage some sort of conflict at work. As usual, work is often confused as a synonym for chaos and stress. Here’s the deal, managing conflicts is the soft skill you’ll need to adapt to any big tech or fast pacing environment. This can be internal, external, or hybrid. Welcome to the have a job-life! This is why work-life balance is a struggle uh? After working at a big tech, I told myself I’d take days off every quarter, and I’m telling you this now.
Am I learning things incredibly new? Am I getting a new skill set? Sport? Language, remote experiences, outdoor activity? If the majority is ‘yes’, just buy the f* tickets! 🎟
I spent some time in the Mocagua Indigenous Community where I met some Tukano, Huitoto, Ocaina, Tikuna, and Cocama indigenous people. Urban people think 24/7 about what they have to think, say, and demonstrate — we’re passionate and aggressively addicted to what people will think. Native people tend to think of the real nature and reliability of what you say or do. If it’s a story, listen to them carefully — mysticism is a real thing in their speech and part of the ancestral culture, make sure you do not judge their beliefs. Advertising people say whatever is needed to increase a client’s budget in a pitch presentation and we don’t judge them. While Product people constantly think about why/how we should increase the client’s budget if the product is doing okay.
A Cocama guy instead told me his cousin married three mermaids and left home — and breathing underwater is as exact as breathing outside. They will deeply look into your eyes and you can feel a bit awkward! Business people keep their eyes on their Macbook during a call. Multitasking might be different in the jungle. And internal conflicts keep happening in your brain due to cultural exchanges and it’s socially beautiful!
You can hear about mermaids, elves, and killing animals in small talk during canoeing. Just keep going, you’d rather be focused than lost. How about physics? It’s a real thing when you’re on the river as well, small wooden boats are susceptible to movement. If you move abruptly to see a bird or tree, you may flood part of the boat wet and it may take some minutes to take water off. I ain’t seen anyone crying. Crying is acceptable at work though. Meanwhile, anxiety is different when it comes to canoeing at night.
Madre Naturaleza clearly knows what to do as well. I was partially treated with honey and medicinal trees while I struggled with severe sinusitis. People deeply know local trees, and they will kindly help you — no matter what. Gratitude is also real out there.
On the other hand, take vitamin B a few days before traveling, it helps avoid biting. Mosquitos and other insects can bite you if you’re wearing slight pants, you should buy repellents in bars and apply them under your clothes. Frogs may have different ways of singing. The first signal is rain is coming shortly, run. True story. There’s no frog or meditation I could do to predict how much feedback the product will get tomorrow!
You will be surprised by how many shortcuts the same river may have and how native people know every f* corner in a giant ecosystem. If plans change at work you escalate immediately for visibility. Embrace the change or leave the company people may declare. Changes are part of the game in the jungle. Embrace it or go back home, my friend. Taking a vacation is about recharging not fully removing internal conflicts. And unfortunately, I couldn’t see any anaconda to finish the story. A Cocama guy told me it once swallowed a whole boat and many people — and I will never know if this is true, but Pacha Mama knows what to do.
All of these stories are part of what I heard from native people. No strong religious beliefs or further scientific studies.
Text by Rhaissa V.
Likes being in the woods during vacation. Been reading about mental health, consulting, and communities. Works as a Sr. Product Manager at Huge — WFH from Bogotá for 2 weeks before one MTO (Minimum Time Off) Week.
