Blog Posts — Page 7
Entertainment or Expertise
Today, less than half of U.S. adults read even just one book per year.
Is Chris Hayes right that our attention has become the focus of corporate manipulation?
If all our conscious thoughts are replaced by the buzz of beeps, notifications, and texts, how can we be more than just “bystanders to our minds”?
Hopelessly Flawed
In a blinding glimpse of the obvious, I recently had a revelation during my morning meditation. It finally struck me, on an emotional level, that we are all hopelessly flawed.
The pressure to be perfect is immense. Constantly striving for an idealized self prevents us from connecting with others. Read more to find out how to harness the power of vulnerability to connect authentically and find the courage to be seen.
Commodities or Communities
Every day presents us with choices, the most essential of which is how we spend our time and what paths we choose.
Sometimes our lives feel like a rolling stone – ups and downs over hills, through valleys, with no sense of place or permanence.
How can we find a sense of home?
When Winning is Losing
Ah, I thought I had finally found a topic on which several books had not already been written. Wrong again. When I searched Amazon for books entitled “When Winning is Losing”, several popped up. But surely, I thought, Google Gemini won’t be able to generate any ideas on this topic! Bingo. In one second it came up with several examples. Oh well, I consoled myself, at least I can still provide my unique view on Read More
Mysteries and Miracles
Throughout history, humans have grappled with the ineffable, seeking to understand the universe and our place within it. Science sometimes can’t explain experience. The belief in miracles make life simpler, whereas understanding mysteries make life more complex. Keep reading to find out more about the differences between miracles and mysteries.
The Seduction of Distraction
In a conversation with my granddaughter about a movie we had recently scene suggesting that every decision we make is an opportunity to bring our best self to whatever moment we are in, she said, “It’s hard to bring the best of who you are to each moment when you have to drag along the rest of you who are into that moment.” How can we continue to dance in harmony with the world when it’s so cacophonous, churning, distracting and discordant?
Leadership Humility, Honesty, and Humor
One could say that I have been a bit obsessed with leadership and learning for most of my life, and I finally came to the conclusion that great leaders could be distinguished by three simple characteristics. Read more to find out.
Hanging onto Hope
Our twin grandchildren just celebrated their 13th birthday as thriving and loving young adults full of potential and promise. Passing this milestone made me think back to the first 105 days of their lives which were spent in the NICU. Each day we hung onto the hope that we might be able to celebrate who they would become one day. When they turned one, I wrote a poem entitled the Sun has Come Out describing Read More
Homeless Solutions and Models
How communities address homelessness issues provides a great example of what happens when you chase symptoms instead of change systems that are causing problems in the first place. Finding solutions to help people experiencing homelessness presents the same kinds of challenges communities face in dealing with health, criminal justice, poverty, inflation, immigration, climate change, gun violence, etc. The choice always involves investing in ways to improve the systems creating the problems vs. dealing with symptom Read More
Arcs of Life, History, and the Universe
Well, it’s not quite like being hit by a meteor that destroys the earth, but it’s pretty close to it. We just elected a cult leader who landed enough hateful and hegemonic messages to enough voters to win the electoral votes by 312-226. (Note: Trump’s margin was less than 2%, and he received less than 50% of the vote, llinois was the only blue state on the electoral map between the coasts, and the total Read More
Grace or Disgrace
In Nexus, Yuval Harari concludes that the difference between democracies and dictatorships lies in how they handle information. Systems, whether human or artificial, can evolve and self-correct when they promote conversation and mutuality and that they devolve when they give into blind subservience.
Grief and Grievance
I’m not sure I can turn the grief I may feel on November 6 into a garden of compassion, as Rumi suggests. Keeping my heart open no matter what happens might be a challenge too great for me to handle to continue my search for love and wisdom. To prepare for the possibility of needing to confront that challenge, I thought it might be helpful to explore the reasons behind the grief I might feel…