One vision: I'm having a hard day, and I'm walking down the street crying openly (which doesn't make the people around me uncomfortable). I get offers for hugs or time to talk from friends and strangers alike. Whether I accept or decline, I know that the people around me welome my truth, and I feel their compassion reflected in my own compassion towards myself.

Intimacy as activism involves bringing intimacy into the public. "Visibility actions" of crying, loving, and sharing deeply in public spaces can help other people feel comfortable doing the same. We can invite others to participate in public intimacy by making eye contact with strangers. More broadly, intimacy as activism can involve redefining the traditional schedule of work all day, watch TV all night, party with friends on the weekends. Instead, we can create alternative possibilities where we work with our friends, working shorter hours because we need less money because we barter and gift within our network of intimates (and beyond!). We share our experiments, our lessons, and our challenges with others who have similar desires for a more intimate life.