A zen perspective on how we think about the future
What a better day to ponder the future than the last day of any year. In our men's group this month, one of the inquiries was the question about knowing one's life purpose. As if there might be one, or that there is one lurking in the plan of an all knowing being or simmering in the depths of some random cosmic destiny. Whatever our story, we get to decide on every next moment's purpose. We get to decide whether we will use caution as an excuse for maintaining the status quo or that we inculcate Into our life path...
Conversation today with good friend and economic development innovator, the originator of "Strategic Doing," Ed Morrison. He's fascinated by the American founding fathers who declared early on that democracy only works to the extent that people engage from a context of "civic virtues." The idea of civic virtues goes back to at least the Classical era in the west and the Confucian era in the east. They focus to a large degree on the practice of courtesy and hospitality in communities. It takes people beyond obsession...
One of the reasons why the American “rust belt” rusted was that the model was based on the story that multiple regions can thrive on the production of a single commercial and consumer object: the transportation vehicle. The model would have zero credibility today, and yet many communities suffer the paralysis of nostalgia for the model because it actually worked for awhile. Awhile on the scale of 14 million years of human existence would be somewhere around a nanosecond, maybe less. Given that we continue to have...
This is the time of year for the proliferation of predictions for the coming year. Every year we tell ourselves the story that we are smarter, and we may be. And every year we discover what predictions were incorrect from the previous year’s confidence. What if prognosticators published along with their predictions, evidence and observations that could support a future differently? And while we're at it, how about if we engage more people in creating a desired vision for the coming year, on the premise that the future...
There is an erupting civil war in the US over the property of the Constitution. One of its founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, proposed the failed suggestion that the document be revisited for generational relevancy every 20 years or so. After listening to the emergent adolescent bickering about it, I'd propose adult dialogue about it, starting with a few inquiries. What exactly does the late 1700’s world have in common, and in difference, with the 2011 world? What new constitutional implications might these differences...
There are now affordable off-grid power options emerging in Kenya. The United Nations estimates that 1.5 billion people across the globe still live without electricity, including 85 percent of Kenyans, and that three billion still cook and heat with primitive fuels like wood or charcoal. Kenya people now, instead of walking miles and waiting days to get their cell phones charged can now deploy $80 Chinese solar panels to provide cell recharge power along with other options for lights and cooking. A small amount of...
Nike has designed very cool tennis shoes from repurposed magazine strips. What else could tennis shoes be composed from? And while we're at it, is it possible for a shoe that can be expanded naturally for children through growth spurts?
On his blog, Seth Godin explores the way television is playing in the modern social ethos. The mcw bring silos, angry tribes and insularity. Fox News makes a fortune by pitting people against one another. Talkingpointsmemo is custom tailored for people who are sure that the other side is wrong. You can spend your entire day consuming media and never encounter a thought you don’t agree with, don’t like or don’t want to see. And finally, I have no idea if the mcw is making us happy. Surely, a substantial use is time...
Progress is being made on the end-of-life medical consultations, giving people access to advanced tech/pharm options. It is still contentious in religious circles where there are many people who do not want their family members to have choices because choices open up the door for unwanted family conflicts. So, what can health care professionals do to make these conversations easier for families and significant others? Would it take a seismic shift in cultural views on life and death to ease the needless suffering...
10-time author and designer with a focus on change in organizations and communities. HappinessChoice.com. Contact Jack at jack(at)happinesschoice(dot)com
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