for Collective Wisdom - A network of people seeking to embody and radiate outward principles of collaboration, non violence, and wisdom necessary to address existential issues of life and be equipped with the tools, skills, and practices necessary to respond effectively in the world. FIVE CONDITIONS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF COLLECTIVE WISDOM 1. Deep Listening Listening with an intention that the other person feels heard and seen; creating the conditions and presence for the other to more fully come into their own highest being. Listening to what is said and unsaid. Listening with one's full self, with heart, mind, body, and soul. 2. Suspend Certainty Capacit... posted on Apr 29 2015 (23,780 reads)

Violet Little’s higher calling to serve Philadelphia’s homeless is redefining just what a “church” is. Watch a video about Reverend Violet Little On a cold day in 2006, the Reverend Violet Little walked into a public transit restroom in Philadelphia. She was exhausted. She’d been diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease that causes weakness, vision problems and breathing difficulties. Unable to drive, she was dependent on the city’s transit system. Inside, she found a woman washing her hair in the sink. Another woman was attempting to dry her pants under a hand dryer. Little felt a deep empathy. They began ... posted on May 6 2015 (15,545 reads)

is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions. —Hafiz Human history is filled with stories of countless people who have been fearless. If we look at our own families, perhaps going back several generations, we’ll find among our own ancestors those who also have been fearless. They may have been immigrants who bravely left the safety of home, veterans who courageously fought in wars, families who endured economic hardships, war, persecution, slavery, oppression, dislocation. We all carry within us this lineage of fearlessness. But what is fearlessness? It’s not being free of fear, for fear is part of our human journey. Park... posted on Apr 25 2015 (19,002 reads)

Steps to A Healthier Relationship with Technology I’ve written about digital technology for 35+ years, most of the time in Silicon Valley. Over the decades our evolving devices, and what we can do with them, have dramatically transformed almost every facet of our lives -- from how we bank, travel, and shop, to more abstract realms like how we derive a sense of self-worth, how we forge and sustain relationships, and how we choose to spend our attention. I think the first step to getting a human and humane handle on this rapid transition from a nature-based to a digital-based society is for us all – individually and collectively; technologists and the public - to... posted on Apr 8 2015 (21,662 reads)

has published many stories about the gift economy and living without money. While they're often inspiring and popular, they often bring up fear of survival. People ask, “Is this really possible for ME?” or “Will I become homeless or sick and die from poverty?” Personally, I've questioned whether living in the gift economy is realistic only for privileged, healthy people. And so I tracked down Brice Royer for an interview. Brice is a young, now voluntarily unemployed entrepreneur from Vancouver with stomach cancer. He not only depends on gift exchange to survive, but helps other people survive through the gift and prosthelytizes gift culture with... posted on May 25 2015 (23,143 reads)

Senghor. Credit: http://www.ecotrust.org. All rights reserved. Shaka Senghor spent seven out of his 19 years in prison in solitary confinement, known to other inmates as ‘the hole’ or ‘administrative segregation’ in the official language of the U.S. prison system - a term eerily designed to reduce the impact of its reality. Convicted of the murder of a fellow drug dealer, Senghor was incarcerated in a bare six-foot by eight-foot excuse for human habitation. A concrete slab juts out of the wall, threatening impalement instead of offering sleep. The hole in the wall that’s intended for bodily functions gapes back at him as if to say, I will... posted on May 18 2015 (12,423 reads)

artist creates public art in communities around the world that are plagued by poverty, crime and despair. In 2004, I was unhappy as director of the Village of Arts and Humanities, the organization I co-founded in 1986 to transform North Philadelphia communities through art. I spent most of my time raising funds and managing staff. I yearned to be on the frontlines of action again, like I had been in 1994. That year, I was in Korogocho, a shantytown bordering a huge garbage dump near Nairobi, Kenya, where people experience the violence of poverty and deprivation on so many levels – filth, lack of clean water, air, opportunities and hope. Overwhelmed, I... posted on May 30 2015 (12,846 reads)

hustle of family life -- work, school, appointments, practice, homework, dinner, bed -- is constant. We move in and out of activities and commitments with ferocity. Some days, I'm certain all I really say to my children, in one way or another, is "move." As in, let's go -- now! And I know that we move with purpose, balancing meaningful work with practical considerations, valuing studies, deliberately selecting activities that matter. In our world, food, family even and free play have a firm place, often touted as sacred and protected ground. And since our life is designed to fully embrace living it, we have to be mindful of all the pieces that might creep in and occupy ... posted on Apr 17 2015 (17,799 reads)

I was about five years old, my mom gave me a Macintosh LC II and I was hooked– not to Facebook or the Internet, they didn’t exist yet, but to what it enabled a five year old kid to do that I could never do before. Like the brilliant technical visionaries of the 70’s and 80’s at Xerox PARC like Doug Engelbart, Ted Nelson, Alan Kay at Xerox PARC or Steve Jobs, I optimistically believed computers could be “bicycles for our minds” and amplify human potential. And they did empower us. But today, in the year 2015, “empowerment” rarely feels like my day to day experience with technology. Instead I feel constantly lured in... posted on Jun 17 2015 (14,622 reads)

new study maps what happens in our bodies and brains when we witness acts of kindness and compassion. I don’t know about you, but no matter how many times I watch It’s a Wonderful Life, I am moved to tears. Something about that moment when George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, is rescued from financial and emotional ruin by the generosity of his friends gets to me, making me feel deeply moved and hopeful about our capacity for human goodness. Researchers have a name for that high we get from witnessing human goodness: “moral elevation.” And it has been shown to have many positive benefits. Past studies have found that moral elevation inspi... posted on Jun 11 2015 (15,536 reads)

out, filmmakers Grant Baldwin and Jenny Rustemeyer decided to stop buying groceries and only eat food that would otherwise be thrown away. The pair’s exploration into the wastefulness of the industrial food system—and their experience with life-sustaining dumpster diving—is documented in their film Just Eat It. Nearly 50 percent of the food grown in our society is thrown out. The food-waste statistics exposed in the film are staggering. Couple that with surreal images, like Baldwin standing knee-deep in a dumpster full of hummus, and you might be left wondering how much your own personal actions contribute to this giant waste habit. Want to know if you&rs... posted on Jul 30 2015 (10,014 reads)

In today’s era of high-speed travel, incessant texting, and digital distractions, it's not society's defining trait. And we're all to blame. Because we’ve all been there. Driving to work while making a phone call. Eating dinner while writing tomorrow's to-do-list. Watching a movie while texting and eating popcorn. The list goes on. In a hyper connected world, bombarded by multiple forms of stimulation, how do we remain aware of the quiet gifts that the present moment has to offer? Cultivating a mindfulness practice can be a powerful way to train our minds and tune into the beauty of here and now. There are&nbs... posted on Aug 18 2015 (26,699 reads)

glucose.” No brain glucose, no willpower. That doesn’t mean your entire brain is shutting down due to lack of fuel. It’s just a small area of the brain—and feelings may become more intense as self-control weakens. Like the warning light on your gas gauge, those feelings are a signal to take a break and get a snack. In another now classic experiment, Todd Heatherton, PhD, a social neuroscientist at Dartmouth, had dieters look at pictures of food while their brain images were recorded. Next, they watched a comedy and had to suppress their laughter, an activity that is mentally draining. Afterward, they were shown pictures of food and their brains were imaged ag... posted on Aug 17 2015 (31,675 reads)

creating my own kind of bucket list. Not the usual listing of things I wish to do before I leave this earth, but an accounting of the gracious drops of kindness that have filled my pail to the brim. Whether the contribution was a single drip from an eyedropper or gallons upon gallons of generosity, all have buoyed my soul, washed away hours of pain, and carried me through turbulent trials. And so I have decided to make a conscious effort to recognize these not-so-random acts. Some were as temporary as the morning dew, but equaling as cooling. Others have been like IVs, injecting nourishment continually. A few were summer storms: electrifying, powerful, and brief. Whether thei... posted on Aug 27 2015 (23,309 reads)

do the Grand Canyon, Sistine Chapel, and gazing at distant stars all have in common? They can awaken a deep appreciation for the world around us and inspire a profound sense of awe. This sensation is often accompanied by an awareness of something larger than ourselves—that we play a small part in an intricate cosmic dance that is life. But is that experience strictly personal? New research from UC Berkeley and UC Irvine suggests that experiencing awe can actually prompt us to act more benevolently toward others. In other words, awe can help make the world a better place. “For hundreds of years, people have talked about the importance of awe to human life and interpe... posted on Aug 28 2015 (13,117 reads)

do the Grand Canyon, Sistine Chapel, and gazing at distant stars all have in common? They can awaken a deep appreciation for the world around us and inspire a profound sense of awe. This sensation is often accompanied by an awareness of something larger than ourselves—that we play a small part in an intricate cosmic dance that is life. But is that experience strictly personal? New research from UC Berkeley and UC Irvine suggests that experiencing awe can actually prompt us to act more benevolently toward others. In other words, awe can help make the world a better place. “For hundreds of years, people have talked about the importance of awe to human life and interpe... posted on Sep 12 2015 (9,879 reads)

is crucial, bright/dark, sound/silence. We always forget our deep need for quiet as we go thru our day of achieving, solving, hesitating, and wondering if we’ve done all we should. How refreshing a change would be right then, in the middle of the action! Well, how about it? What if you could stop to listen at any time, over coffee, while brushing your teeth, even at your desk, leaving off focusing on your papers or computer? You could close your eyes and imagine for a moment that there’s another way of functioning. What would you notice? What would you hear? Perhaps your own heart beating and your own soul calling you home. Unfortunately, without being aware of it,... posted on Oct 23 2015 (22,830 reads)

the high desert, the myriad threads of summer spun from the most essential of elements – air and fire, water and earth – begin gathering and interweaving throughout the day, morning, noon, mid-afternoon, a complex ancient familiar yet freshly new dance across time. Small white puff flakes gather behind mountains, clouds purely white grow, rise, slowly, then more quickly, suddenly shades of grays and deep blue blacks winds pick up trees sway leaves flail thunderheads able to release some deluge or a dry, dusty, broken promise of rain teasing darkness. The size and scale of such moments are beyond imagining, even as cacophonies of cloud and thunder shake the earth and saturate... posted on Nov 21 2015 (17,843 reads)

really. Peter: That makes me think of bees. I actually brought Casa de Paz a little jar of honey from some bees I know back in Los Angeles. I like to think of them as friends, but they probably think of me as a honey thief. Bees see ultraviolet, which we can't see. To bees, flowers look different than they look to us. A particular flower might just look white to us, but to a bee it will have this pattern we can’t see in the petals. It stands out to them in the background of images, and they go in there and get their nectar. RW: That’s a good example of how there’s much more than we see. Now am I right that you’ve shifted your focus? Peter: Yes. T... posted on Oct 11 2020 (17,961 reads)

recently met Robin McKenna, the director of GIFT, a film about different facets of the gift economy through the lens of Lewis Hyde's book The Gift. I was struck by how dedicated McKenna is to this project and by the interesting gift-based initiatives from all over the world that she features in her film. Gifting as a concept can seem so abstract. I get a lot of people commenting to me that gift economics sounds great in theory, but what are some examples of it working? People want to know how they can practically put gift culture into practice in their lives, because all around them they only see examples of a taking culture. Gifting feels like a utopia, rather than something we ... posted on Nov 1 2015 (12,698 reads)