Bridging Worldviews: Tantric Retreat Centre Goes Earning to Give

Some rich people have worldviews that are uncommon within Effective Altruism. These people might be on board with doing good, but less aligned with the pragmatic, calculated approach common in Effective Altruist circles.

Last year, I joined a group of “strange stakeholders” investing in a co-created tantric retreat centre. The other investors' worldviews ranged from business-minded altruism to spiritually idealistic tantra.

By thoughtfully presenting Effective Altruist ideas in ways that bridged our diverse worldviews, I gained the support of the other stakeholders to allocate part of our future surplus to effective global health charities.

The project is just getting started. Initially, most surplus revenue will cover loan repayments, but after a couple of years, more is projected to go toward effective charity. At that point, the estimated annual amount donated is expected to range from $225,000-900,000—roughly 50-200 lives per year.

In this post, I'll share how I bridged the worldview gap, starting with some theoretical background and ending with a concrete example.

Theory - Speak In Their Values

Bridging worldview gaps is challenging—especially if you rely on 'ingroup rhetoric'. Research from climate advocacy suggests that aligning messages with your audience's existing values is an effective way to build common ground, even across significant value differences.

Communicating across value gaps requires translation—expressing ideas in ways that resonate with your audience. Using familiar talking points from your own circles often misfires—missing the mark entirely or coming across as a challenge to your audience's values

Questioning people’s deep-held beliefs is rarely a good foundation for collaboration and reaching common ground—yet it’s the natural thing to do for most people.

This is unfortunate.

Fortunately, it’s possible to do better, bridging value gaps to establish collaborations. Let’s look at a concrete example: how to present EA ideas in a way that resonates with people drawn to holistic tantra.
 

Example - EA And Holistic Tantra

Effective Altruism typically appeals to people who strongly value pragmatism, analytical clarity, and measurable outcomes. Although these traits exist in everyone to varying degrees, they're especially pronounced in EA circles. To connect meaningfully with this group, I needed to present Effective Altruism differently—taking care to emphasise how it also aligns with emotional resonance, holistic perspectives, and intuitive or spiritual approaches.

When approaching my fellow stakeholders—individuals whose commitments ranged from moderate appreciation to deep immersion in holistic well-being, emotional openness, and spiritual values—I knew a different approach was necessary. Rather than pulling them toward EA's pragmatic core, I chose to meet them where they already were.

I grounded my explanation in values that resonated deeply with them:

• Diversity - embracing differences
• Symmetry - complementary forces working together
• Holistic view - expanding the scope of care
• Compassion - an active desire to do good.

My presentation drew on two key building blocks: Yin/Yang and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
 

Yin/Yang, and the Maslow Hierarchy

The first building block is “Yin and Yang”—Yin representing the intuitive, emotional, and nurturing aspects, and Yang embodying structure, pragmatism, direction, and action. I highlighted how our retreat centre integrates both Yin and Yang energies, creating a balanced environment where people can flourish and embrace more aspects of themselves.

Next, I integrated Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs into my explanation. I pointed out that the retreat centre we’re investing in primarily operates at the upper end of this hierarchy—focusing on self-actualization, spiritual growth, holistic healing, and emotional balance. I praised this work for fostering mental health, community connection, and alignment with nature.

Then, I emphasized that alongside this high-level spiritual and emotional nourishment, we also had an opportunity—and perhaps even a responsibility—to support those at the lower end of Maslow’s pyramid: individuals whose fundamental needs for health, food, and shelter are unmet.
 

Introducing EA as Yang Energy

Here’s where Effective Altruism entered the picture:

I described conventional charity approaches as predominantly "Yin"—driven by compassion, emotional resonance, and spontaneous heart-centered action. These approaches are valuable and necessary, yet they often lack clear direction and measurable impact.

In contrast, Effective Altruism represents a strong infusion of "Yang" into altruistic action—structured, strategic, pragmatic, and relentlessly data-driven, with a clear emphasis on measurable outcomes.

Rather than replacing the intuitive and compassionate approaches common in most charities, EA complements them, providing essential balance.

By allocating a portion of the surplus from our intuitive, holistic operations toward global health charities aligned with EA principles, we could embody this holistic balance—not only within our spiritual practices but also in the broader impact of our philanthropy.
 

Handling Objections

Naturally, questions arose:

"Couldn't we just travel to developing countries and dig wells ourselves?"

Here, I respectfully pointed out that effective charity work, much like running a retreat centre, requires expertise. Our strengths—balanced intuition, emotional depth, and holistic well-being—make us particularly well-suited to enriching the upper levels of Maslow's hierarchy, where wholeness and self-actualization often remain unfulfilled.

However, addressing basic needs at the bottom of the pyramid frequently demands a different, more Yang approach—pragmatic efficiency rather than holistic intuitiveness. This role is well served by Effective Altruists, acting like the retreat centre’s complimentary opposite—pragmatic efficiency rather than holistic wellbeing.

“Are you sure we can trust these people?”

When scepticism emerged about how trustworthy EA organizations are, I shared openly about EA’s culture of extreme transparency, critical self-assessment, and continuous refinement. EA groups rigorously evaluate their initiatives, publicly sharing analyses, inviting constant scrutiny and critique.

I highlighted how EAs focus on basic physical needs makes it easier to apply a pragmatic, logical approach—a fair distance from the culture among some of the stakeholders, yet a good fit for its task.

“Can you link to the places where these ideas are discussed?”

I happily agreed but gently noted that a cultural gap might be evident. Effective Altruists might come across as nerdy or overly calculating—this reflects their strongly Yang-oriented approach, emphasizing analytical rigour and structured reasoning. I suggested viewing Effective Altruists as well-intentioned people who happen to be nerdy, business-minded, and highly analytical.

“Aren’t there any downsides?”

I openly acknowledged two areas where Effective Altruism might diverge from conventional moral intuition. First, Effective Altruists sometimes explore unusual concerns, like whether atoms might suffer.¹

Second, there have been isolated instances of people committing financial crimes to raise additional charity funding.

I explained these issues can be easily avoided by simply not committing financial crimes and by choosing effective charities that focus on clearly beneficial causes, such as reducing child mortality.

At this point, we paused for a group check-in. Everyone was in unanimous agreement—it was a success.
 

Bridging Worlds

By presenting Effective Altruism in a way that aligned with the stakeholder’s values—holistic balance, emotional resonance, and spiritual harmony—I built a genuine bridge, getting the stakeholders to pledge a portion of the future surplus. By meeting them where they were, EA’s analytical rigour felt like a complement rather than a contradiction.

Ultimately, our impact grows significantly when we, as effective altruists, learn to bridge the worldview gaps separating us from potential collaborators.

I hope this inspires you—perhaps you also straddle a worldview chasm. How would you anchor Effective Altruist action in the values of your other worldview?