John Parker

Steps for a Satisfying Life

2011-10-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

University of California psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky has found there are eight fundamental steps that create a more "satisfying life:"

1: Count your blessings

2: Practice acts of kindness

3: Savior life's joys

4: Thank a mentor

5: Learn to forgive

6: Invest time & energy in friends & family

7: Take care of your body

8: Develop strategies for coping with stress & hardships

American Dream = Beloved Community

2011-10-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

At this critical time we need to re-imagine, envision, and live into an American Dream that affirms the dignity, worth, and potential of everyone.

In order to be the change we wish to see in the world, I believe we must stay awake, have an open mind and a good heart, organize ourselves to be resilient stewards, and work with others to be more self-reliant and advance the greater good.

We need to share and invest our time, talent, and resources in ways that leverage assets, bridge divisions, strengthen communities, revitalize the environment, protect our biodiversity, and build common ground to collaborate for the common good.

We need collaborative leadership from everyone to engage all communities to promote and grow stewardship ethics, sustainable vocations, culturally appropriate entrepreneurship, and good public policies to nurture the beloved community.

Rough draft thoughts on young and emerging leaders

2011-07-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

Based on my experience with leaders, when I think of what makes a good foundation for young or emerging leaders, I can identify the following:

1. Good character: values, willpower, open mind, good heart, & sacrifice (to do what is right)

2. People skills: healthy family relations & friendships, good communication, teamwork, & collaborative leadership

3. Motivated: your inspiration & values, good health & well-being

4. Dependable: living your values, consistency, resilience, good health & well-being

5. Abundant Vision for your life - your family, your health & well-being, your good work, your community's future…

6. Building on your know-how, gifts, & talents within your vocational and community interests. Discovering your calling. Continued improvement, lifelong learning, & striving toward vocational mastery…

7. Good Organization: being organized, rooted, & as clear as possible about your life, goals, & plans

8. Good Stewardship: good stewardship of your time, talents, insight, resources, & relationships towards greater self-reliance

Just add opportunity...

Lifelong learning for being good and doing good

2011-06-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

Lifelong learning should inspire and motivate us to be good, do good, and grow. We should be good stewards of our time, talents, insight, and resources, and create opportunities for:

* Cultivating an open mind and a good heart

* Strengthening resilience

* Nurturing imagination, creativity, and curiosity

* Improving health, well-being, and quality of life

* Healing, reconciliation, restoration, and renewal

* Advancing economic, financial, business, and entrepreneurial literacy

* Increasing self-reliance

* Increasing civic literacy to become more politically empowered and strategically engaged in our public affairs

* Growing a community of support for ongoing learning, discovery, and renewal

Abundant Community

2011-04-17T05:59:00.000-07:00

Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods. Ideas and practices for reweaving the social ties in a neighborhood so that the community becomes more supportive of a fulfilling life. http://www.abundantcommunity.com/

The Essence of Weaving

2011-04-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

Reflections on the fundamental work of network weaving: Helping people to build and connect to more relationships of trust and value. http://valueofplace.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/the-essence-of-weaving

Leading Boldly

2011-04-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

Calls on foundations to use creative and systems-oriented leadership practices to make progress on complex social problems. http://www.ssireview.org/images/articles/2004WI_feature_heifetz.pdf

The Practicing Democracy Network

2011-04-17T05:50:00.000-07:00

An online forum and library of resources for organizing "to develop leaders committed to making democracy work." http://www.hks.harvard.edu/organizing/index.htm

Start-up America

2011-01-31T10:11:00.000-08:00

... White House launches Start-up America: http://www.whitehouse.gov/startupamerica

The Last Wish of Martin Luther King

2011-01-09T04:30:00.000-08:00

Friends: This is my favorite op-ed that has been published so far about Martin Luther King around either the King holiday or the date of his assassination (April 4, 1968) when many folks reflect on the work we have left to do.

The Last Wish of Martin Luther King
by Taylor Branch
Published: April 6, 2008

Forty [+] years ago on March 31, at the National Cathedral, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered what would be his last Sunday sermon, on his way back to Memphis. That same night in 1968, President Johnson shocked the world by announcing that he would not seek re-election. ....

Civil rights, Vietnam, Dr. King, Memphis — these are historic landmarks. Even so, this year is a watershed. Because Dr. King lived only 39 years, from now on, he will be gone longer than he lived among us. Two generations have come of age since Memphis.

This does not mean that our understanding is accurate or complete. A certain amount of gloss and mythology is inevitable for great figures, whether they be George Washington chopping down a cherry tree, Honest Abe splitting a rail or Dr. King preaching a dream of equal citizenship in 1963. Far beyond that, however, we have encased Dr. King and his era in pervasive myth, false to our heritage and dangerous to our future. We have distorted our entire political culture to avoid the lessons of Martin Luther King’s era.

He warned us himself. When he came to the pulpit that Sunday 40 years ago, Dr. King adapted one of his standard sermons, “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” From the allegory of Rip Van Winkle, he told of a man who fell asleep before 1776 and awoke 20 years later in a world filled with strange customs and clothes, a whole new vocabulary, and a mystifying preoccupation with the commoner George Washington rather than King George III.

Dr. King pleaded for his audience not to sleep through the world’s continuing cries for freedom. When the ancient Hebrews achieved miraculous liberation from Egypt, many yearned to go back. Pharaoh’s familiar lash seemed better than the covenant delivered by Moses, and so the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness. It took 40 years to recover their bearings. Dr. King has been gone 40 years now, but we still sleep under Pharaoh. It is time to wake up. ....

Read the rest of the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/opinion/06branch.html

The Work of Christmas

2010-12-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

A good friend, Barbara Zelter, recently graduated from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. She shared the following poem by Howard Thurman, an alum from the same school and a 20th c. African-American theologian who co-founded the first interfaith church in America. He was a friend of Gandhi.

The Work of Christmas
by Howard Thurman (1926)

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others,
To make music in the heart.

Charter for Compassion

2010-12-21T10:43:00.000-08:00

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

To affirm and share the Charter for Compassion with others, go here:
http://charterforcompassion.org/share/the-charter/

The Ethical Framework

2010-12-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Ethical Framework is a years-long project of the Triangle Interfaith Alliance, spearheaded by longtime member Martin Jacobs, dedicated to the following mission:

* To build a common bond around which all people can come together.
* To transform society through ethical daily living.
* To develop a way of life that brings out the best in ourselves.

The document produced by this group is also called The Ethical Framework and is a worthwhile resource for people and communities of faith as they strive for ethical living. It is worth studying and sharing with others. Download it here:
http://www.interfaithalliance-nc.org/Ethical_Framework.PAGES.pdf

51 Ways to Spark a Commons Revolution

2010-11-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

Check out "51 Ways to Spark a Commons Revolution: What you can do, alone and with others, to share life" by Jay Walljasper. Click here:
http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/a-resilient-community/51-ways-to-spark-a-commons-revolution

My favorites include:

1. Challenge the myth that all problems have private, individual solutions.

3. Take time to enjoy what the commons offers. As the radical Brazilian educator Paulo Freire said, “We are bigger than our schedules.”

6. Become a mentor—officially or informally—to people of all ages. Be prepared to learn as much as you teach.

12. Treat commons spaces as if you own them (which, actually, you do). Keep an eye on the place. Tidy things up. Report problems or repair things yourself. Initiate improvement campaigns.

14. Get out of the house and spend some time on the stoop, the front yard, the street—anywhere you can join the river of life.

17. Conduct an inventory of local commons. Publicize your findings and suggest ways to celebrate and improve these community assets.

24. Barter. Trade your skill in baking pies with someone who will fix your computer.

27. Watch where your money goes. How do the businesses you patronize harm or help the commons?

29. Oppose cutbacks in public assets like transit, schools, libraries, parks, social services, police and fire, and arts programs.

31. Take every opportunity to talk with elected officials and local activists about the importance of protecting the commons. Do the same with citizens groups, nonprofit organizations, labor unions, professional societies, and business leaders.

39. Roll up your sleeves to restore a creek, wetland, woods, or grassland, or beautify a vacant lot.

44. Patronize and support your public library.

50. Launch a commons discussion group or book club with your neighbors and colleagues, or at your church, synagogue, or temple. (onthecommons.org)

Read all 51: Click here: http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/a-resilient-community/51-ways-to-spark-a-commons-revolution

10 Ways to Solve the Jobs Problem

2010-09-04T04:11:00.000-07:00

10 Ways to Solve the Jobs Problem
by Fran Korton: Fall 2010: Issue 55 of Yes! Magazine

Imagine a no-holds-barred "summit" that comes up with ideas
to solve both our job and environmental problems. What might it
come up with? Read More:
http://online.yesmagazine.org/t?ctl=166FF32:F7224F4EA13AA927CD1ACC78B5D3F7868B33FD9282452D6B&

Revitalizing the American Dream. Bring on the Entrepreneurs.

2010-07-09T05:05:00.000-07:00

Inc. magazine's July 2010 cover story is a special report on revitalizing the American Dream through entrepreneurship. "Our high practical, eminently doable, totally reasonable plan to revitalize the American dream and create thousands (upon thousands) of new companies and millions of new jobs." The article calls out a 16-point plan to improve entrepreneurship: http://www.inc.com/startup-economy-2010

10 Ways Our World is Becoming More Shareable

2010-07-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

We’re sharing more things, more deeply, with more people. Why sharing is the answer to some of today’s biggest questions.

Our world is inherently shareable, though it’s easy to take that for granted. We are already historically connected by climate, roads, fisheries, language, forests, culture, and social networks, all of which are part of the commons. But in recent decades, the rules of access and ownership have started to shift in new directions, making sharing more convenient, necessary, fulfilling, and even profitable. Here are ten ways that our world is becoming more shareable.

Read more & see the whole article here: 10 Ways Our World is Becoming More Shareable by Neal Gorenflo, Jeremy Adam Smith

A Personal Strategy for Engaging and Building Your Resilience

2010-06-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

How do we deal with difficult events that change our lives such as the loss of a job, serious illness, loss of a loved one, and other challenging life experiences? Many people react with a flood of strong emotions and a sense of uncertainty. Yet, people generally adapt well over time to life—changing situations and stressful conditions. What enables them to do so? It involves “resilience,” an ongoing process that requires time and effort, and engages people in taking a number of steps.

The rest of the article is here:
http://ucsfhr.ucsf.edu/index.php/assist/article/a-personal-strategy-for-engaging-and-building-your-resilience/

Values

2009-12-30T17:43:00.000-08:00

Revisit your values. It was a good exercise for me. My values are the foundation and roots of my life and work.

My life's work is to be a good steward of my talents and resources, nurture good work that advances the greater good, and encourage others to do the same.

The values my work and life flow from are:

• home, family, kinship & nature
• love, compassion, empathy, gratitude, & generosity
• self-reliance, resilience & stewardship
• beloved community

The altruism in economics

2009-12-26T04:35:00.000-08:00

Standard economic theory states that people are interested only in their own material gain. However, new insights from behavioral economics show that altruism is our primary motivation. Read here: http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/63/altruism-vs-economics

Five steps to better health through integrative medicine

2009-12-26T04:32:00.000-08:00

Integrative medicine can make health care simpler, more effective and more affordable. Read here: http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/67/integrative-medicine

Local Action for Sustainable Economic Renewal

2009-12-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

Check out the LASER (Local Action for Sustainable Economic Renewal) Guide to Community Development. See here:
http://www.natcapsolutions.org/projects/LASER/LASERguide.pdf

The Pursuit of Happiness

2009-12-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Americans are far more affluent, on average, than we were in the 1960s,
but no happier. What do research data tell us is the real source of joy and contentment? Read The Secret to Happiness.

Also: 10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy

Higher Education: 12 Things You Might Not Have Learned in a Classroom

2009-12-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

12 Things You Might Not Have Learned in a Classroom

Hard-Wired to Cooperate

2009-12-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

posted by David Bollier on
On The Commons

While all of us have healthy dollops of ego and selfishness, experiments have shown that children have an almost reflexive desire to help others even before parents and culture begin to shape those instincts. The cooperative impulse can be seen in children across cultures, and it is a trait that our closest evolutionary ancestor, primates, do not have. In one experiment, for example, when an adult pretends to be searching for lost objects, infants will start, 12 months old, to point at the “lost” objects.

For more click here.

Global Innovation Commons

2009-12-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

posted by David Bollier on
On The Commons

As the world attention converges on Copenhagen climate summit, a little-mentioned issue is the proper role of patents in encouraging the development of emissions-free energy technologies. Large tech companies like to claim that they need broad patents to encourage their investment in innovative new technologies. And they are poised to make a fortune off of selling patent licenses for new “green technologies” designed to abate carbon emissions.

But David E. Martin, an intellectual property activist who works with many developing countries, argues that a great many green technologies are already in the public domain and ready to be developed. They just need to be identified and used.

For more click here.

Good Group Work

2009-12-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

We need more good groups. I encourage folks to come together in a spirit of cooperation around the common interest of working together for mutual social and economic benefit. We need more people coming together to advance the greater good.

Developing good groups take time and skill. Groups will be more viable if their participants are reliable, communicate skillfully, support others in the group, and work together to develop, maintain, and renew the group’s work. Based on my experience I believe good groups:

1. Are open, inclusive, empowering, and democratic

2. Make sure that everyone feels welcome, informed, and involved

3. Cooperatively identify common vision, purpose, and goals

4. Create an environment that fosters trust and builds commitment to the group

5. Allow differences of opinion to be discussed and handle conflict directly and civilly

6. Examine biases that may be blocking progress

7. Continue to clarify expectations of individuals and of the group, revisiting purpose and renewing commitment

8. Celebrate individual and group accomplishments and find renewal in relationships

9. Develop a schedule and rhythm that works best for the group

10. Encourage and empower members to learn new skills and share roles and decision-making

11. Leverage the strengths of civic, cultural, historical, political, community, and environmental contexts

12. Draw leadership, knowledge, talent, strengths, and resources from relationships with government, business, faith communities, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and resourceful individuals as needed

10 Actions for Peace in 2010

2009-11-30T03:20:00.000-08:00

Here are the 10 recommended actions for developing peace in 2010 from the Peace and Collaborative Development Network. Hopefully this will inspire folks to share their ideas and actions with others.

1) Examine how to create more peace in your personal life - If we do not have some degree of peace in our own internal lives, there is the question of how effective we can be in helping to build peace in our organizations, communities, societies and the world. There is no recipe for building peace, but there are many options that people have explored such as mediation, yoga, exercise, writing, reflecting, building community and more.

2) Share your experiences and hopes for peace, as well as frustrations around conflict - This site is intended as an open resource where people can share both their success stories of helping to address conflicts around the world, and also ask questions/inquiry about ways to improve practice. If you have a particular success story, please share it with others. If you have questions/challenges that you would like input on please feel free to post it on this site and of course on other social networking sites)

3) Support Organizations working to effect change in the world - There are thousands of dynamic organizations around the world working to address conflict, build community, foster economic development and more. There are many ways you can support organizations such as contributing financially, volunteering, and more. I do not want to endorse specific organizations, but some resources that can be helpful in identifying opportunities include the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Interaction, GuideStar, among others.

4) Advocate for Preventing and Ending Conflicts - One of the challenges in conflict prevention is that often policymakers, NGO professionals, academics and others may have information about the potentially negative direction of conflicts. However, translating this information to effective policy changes often requires extensive advocacy campaigns by individuals, NGOs, religious groups and the larger civil society. Advocacy can mean anything from writing a legislature, talking with policymakers, taking direct action and more. For some useful examples of Advocacy Approaches see the International Crisis Group, Women Thrive Worldwide and the Genocide Intervention Network.

5) Mainstream a Conflict Sensitive Approach into your organization/company - Many organizations and companies around the world are beginning to look at how they can integrate a conflict sensitive approach (see the work of International Alert) throughout their external and internal operations. This means examining how an organization's internal hiring, procurement and other policies, as well as the external interactions and services can help to potentially reduce conflicts.

6) Get Additional Training - There are many different paths to pursuing a career in international conflict and related fields. If you feel like you might benefit from additional training there are many academic options, professional training programs, summer institutes and more that can help provide additional training and skills.

7) Join an Existing Network - There are many academic and professional networking organizations that exist around the world that focus on conflict related issues. In the United States, the Association for Conflict Resolution is a network of practitioners, the Alliance for Peacebuilding is a network of organizations, the Peace and Justice Studies Association is a network of academics and activists, the International Conflict Management Association has an annual conference.

8) Engage in Productive Dialogue with Others - One of the keys of addressing conflicts is building understanding and connections between people with diverse perspectives. There are many organizations working on facilitating and engaging communities in dialogue, conversation and discussion. Find an organization in your community, or start your own process. Some great resources in this area include the Public Conversations Project , the Kettering Foundation, and the World Cafe.

9) Foster Sustainable Economic Development - One of the key ingredients in building peace in post-conflict societies is to help create sustainable economic opportunities for communities. This can be done through a variety of means, international development, social entreprenuership, socially responsible investing, lobbying for changes to foreign assistance programs and more.

10) Build Community in your Own Life - There are many ways to build community in your own personal and professional circles. If you don't know your neighbors, invite them over for a party or gathering, start a new group to gather people around a common interest, look for exiting volunteer opportunities (see www.volunteerweb.org), contribute time and resources for helping others, etc.

Please feel free to add your own suggestions and lists for a more peaceful 2010.

being and doing our best

2009-09-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

To me, we must work hard to be the best we can be in order to do our best. I stress importance on good communication, healthy relationships, eating well, staying healthy, living a spiritual life, and practicing generosity, openness, patience, compassion, kindness, and gratitude. Studying your roots, faith, and beliefs, as well as learning about your community, bioregion, state, current affairs, and history can keep you connected to the world and your place in it.

Develop closer relationships with family, friends, and other folks in your life. Care for one another and support each other. Let's help each other develop into the best we can be. Let's nurture good hearts, share goodwill, and conduct good works. Keep the faith. Have courage. When the going gets tough, make a way out of no way. Act on your sense of fairness, justice, and the greater good. Help others do the same. Find some balance in your life. Remember "I am because we are." We are all connected. We cannot be ourselves without community, our health, and our beliefs. We are caught up in the well being of others. Life is abundant. Share the abundance. Be a good steward.

To me, these acts strengthen the mind, heart, body, and spirit, nurturing balance and resilience, and strengthening your foundation to be and do your best.

Your Life's Work

2009-02-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

My life's work is to be a good steward of my time, talents, and resources, develop transformative relationships, nurture good work that advances the greater good, and encourage others to do the same.

Given the state of the world and the dynamics of the economy, it’s more crucial than ever that everyone figures out appropriate roles and good contributions to society.

In order to advance the greater good, I believe we must stay awake, have an open mind and a good heart, and organize ourselves.

When you discover your life’s work and continue to learn about it, you will see your life’s work has integrity because it is shaped by your values and visions. Ask yourself: Who am I? What was I born to do?

Your life’s work is an opportunity to do what you love and what seems natural. What are your natural talents and abilities?

By working from your natural flow, it encourages you to pursue excellence, to strive to be your best, to live into your greatest potential. What is your potential?

Your life’s work provides opportunities for good stewardship, for serving the greater good. What is your greatest contribution to others? What gifts do you want to share?

Stay awake and aware. Be curious. Question why things are the way they are. Ask why. Imagine how your world could be improved and what role you can play in making it happen. Develop a vision for how your home, family, work, and community can be. Bring people around the vision and work together to develop the goals and strategies to get there.

What’s keeping you from your true vocation, your calling? How do you get from where you are to where you want to be? What steps could you take to overcome any obstacles, remove barriers, and get beyond where you are now? Should you…
• Reorganize your time?
• Build empowering relationships or the right connections?
• Obtain more education or different training?
• Carve out more reflection and visioning time?
• Have true, meaningful, and intimate conversations?
• Improve your communication skills?
• Develop a greater understanding of culture, society, history, trends, markets, the world’s diversity, or the planet’s resources?
• Cultivate greater intellectual agility?

So what needs to happen to be successful in your life’s work?

You know you must develop the know-how to do what you want to do. Learn what works in your chosen field or career.

Success and progress, however you define them, require commitment and dedication.

You must believe opportunity is abundant. You need to learn to see opportunities, and to create them as well.

Create good goals. Goals are focused intentions, seeds of change. Goals help us clarify what we want in our lives. Goals should help us stretch. Goals should be about you, not others. To encourage action, results, progress, and impact, goals should be as specific as possible. Create good goals and then put the hard work in to achieve them.

Be a lifelong learner. Reflect. Learn. Forgive. Renew. Organize. Adapt.

As Gandhi said, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world."

Barack Obama's Call to Service

2008-07-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Take the time to watch the video of Barack Obama's Call to Service speech. This speech provides a great insight into his values and insight. I think this speech will be a reference point for many in the future. While you're exploring, review the overview of his public service agenda and other issues in his campaign.

The New Patriotism

2008-07-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

by Richard Stengel from Time, Thursday, Jun. 26, 2008

Patriotism has always been the most abstract of American virtues--which may be why we fight so ferociously over the symbols that help us define it. Too often those symbols--flags, anthems, slogans--which are meant to unite us, end up dividing us.

To many people, the meaning of patriotism is simple: love of country. But love of a country that is dedicated to a proposition, not a king or a religion--a nation that is based on ideas, not blood--has always created a different kind of citizen. American patriotism expresses itself most truly in actions, not words. Our patriotism shapes our responsibilities as citizens, how we navigate in the world and, ultimately, what it means to be an American.

There is nothing more important than those ideals, and we are in the midst of a historic presidential race that will help redefine them for the 21st century. There have always been twin strains of patriotism in our history, two different definitions of American exceptionalism: a sense that our greatness is based on our provenance and what we have achieved, and a belief that our greatness lies in our promise and how we attempt to live up to our ideals.

Conservatives and liberals have been arguing about these two strains for years, and that debate has become the pivot of our politics. Republicans have contended that they are the true legatees of the nation's heritage and attack Democrats for being ashamed of America. Democrats in turn depict Republicans as chest-thumping nationalists who prevent America from living up to its ideals. Both of these are caricatures.

In Barack Obama, the first African-American presidential nominee, the mixed-race child of a single mother, we have a candidate whose perspective on--and experience of--America are different from those of any other nominee in history. In John McCain, we have the son and grandson of admirals who suffered grievously for his country and has spent his life as a public servant. To say that one of these represents the American Dream and the other does not is to set up a false choice. As they show in their own words on the following pages, both men embody the great traditions of American patriotism.

What we need going forward is third-way patriotism, a new patriotism that blends the faith of our fathers with, as Lincoln said, the unfinished work remaining before us. That new patriotism, as Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer write in The True Patriot, means "appreciating not only what is great about our country but also what it takes to create and sustain greatness." That formulation is what this campaign should be about: defining America's course in the 21st century. The candidates may have different views on what makes us proud to be Americans, but they share a belief in a modern American exceptionalism: that America has a greatness of purpose that no other nation does, and that for all our achievement, our greatest tasks remain before us.

Nation Building at Home

2008-06-30T00:15:00.000-07:00

Thomas Friedman has another editorial along his nation building in America theme with Anxious in America. Here are a couple of excerpts, "Up to now, the economic crisis we’ve been in has been largely a credit crisis in the capital markets, while consumer spending has kept reasonably steady, as have manufacturing and exports. But with banks still reluctant to lend even to healthy businesses, fuel and food prices soaring and home prices declining, this is starting to affect consumers, shrinking their wallets and crimping spending. Unemployment is already creeping up and manufacturing creeping down." He continues, "I continue to be appalled at the gap between what is clearly going to be the next great global industry — renewable energy and clean power — and the inability of Congress and the administration to put in place the bold policies we need to ensure that America leads that industry." I agree. It ties back to a previous essay on the Power of Green as the new red, white, and blue. By the way, you can listen to the audio of him addressing the NC Emerging Issues Forum back in February 2008 here.

Majora Carter: Greening the ghetto

2008-06-01T04:12:00.000-07:00

In an emotionally charged talk, MacArthur-winning activist Majora Carter details her fight for environmental justice in the South Bronx -- and shows how minority neighborhoods suffer from flawed urban policy. Watch the video and then check out what they're doing at Sustainable South Bronx.

America the Great

2008-06-01T02:08:00.000-07:00

Read Thomas Friedman's Op-ed Who Will Tell the People? about nation-building here at home. Get involved and help America be all it can be. There's a role for everyone to play. So as Beat poet Gary Snyder says, "Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there." And to quote June Jordan, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Barack Obama, and the oral history of the Hopi Nation, "We are the ones we've been waiting for."

Snapshot of an Indigenous Struggle

2008-06-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

Read and listen to this report from NPR's Julie McCarthy on Brazilian Tribes Fighting a Dam. This story has replayed itself in different ways all over the globe over the centuries. The people's struggle against "progress".

Tim Tyson

2008-05-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

Read the Raleigh News & Observer's profile of Tim Tyson, one of North Carolina's public intellectuals, and author of Blood Done Sign My Name.

The Power of Green

2008-05-18T03:56:00.000-07:00

Read The Power of Green by Thomas Friedman to examine how America can strengthen the world and be a good steward by leading in alternative energy and environmentalism.

The Last Wish of Martin Luther King

2008-04-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, there's an op-ed that take us above and beyond the
everyday debate and commentary. This is one of those. Take the time
to read Taylor Branch's reflection.

THE LAST WISH OF MARTIN LUTHER KING

Blind Men on a Log Bridge

2007-10-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Caring for health and living life
Are like the blind men's round log bridge,
A mind that can cross over is the best guide.
- Hakuin Ekaku

Embrace uncertainty

2007-10-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Everything changes
Nothing's finished
Nothing's perfect
Promises don't guarantee anything
We don't need certainty to commit to create the future we want
Start from where you are

All About Love

2007-10-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

Selections from bell hooks' All About Love:

"The choice to love is the choice to connect - to find ourselves in the other." (p 93)

On page 75, bell hooks discusses the transformative power of love. She quotes Thomas Merton's essay "Love and Need", saying "Love is, in fact an intensification of life, a completeness, a fullness, a wholeness of life..... Life curves upward to a peak of intensity, a high point of value and meaning, at which all its latent creative possibility go into action and the person transcends himself or herself in encounter, response, and communion with another. It is for this that we came into the world - this communion and self-transcendence. We do not become fully human until we give ourselves to each other in love." She goes on to say "The teachings about love offered by Fromm, King, and Merton differ from much of today's writing. There is always an emphasis in their work on love as an active force that should lead us into greater communion with the world. In their work, loving practice is not aimed at simply giving an individual greater life satisfaction; it is extolled as the primary way we end domination and oppression." (pp 75-76)

"Love is an action, a participatory emotion. Whether we are engaged in a process of self-love or of loving others we must move beyond the realm of feeling to actualize love. This is why it is useful to see love as a practice. When we act, we need not feel inadequate or powerless; we can trust that there are concrete steps to take on love's path. We learn to communicate, to be still and listen to the needs of our hearts, and we learn to listen to others. We learn compassion by being willing to hear the pain, as well as the joy, of those we love. The path to love is not arduous or hidden, but we must choose to take the first step." (p 165)

Diversity is not enough

2007-09-08T05:32:00.001-07:00

Diversity is not enough
by Gita Gulati-Partee

from The Philanthropy Journal

New research from Robert Putnam of Bowling Alone fame suggests that diversity hurts civic life.

Known as a liberal scholar who champions diversity, Putnam reluctantly concludes that his study, the largest ever on civic engagement in the U.S., shows that diverse communities have lower levels of trust and participation in community life, or less social capital.

While diversity opponents and other defenders of the status quo laud the report as evidence that diversity is a net negative, and are already using it to argue against immigration and affirmative action, those of us interested in strengthening communities should not succumb to this oversimplification of the study's findings.

Rather, we should take this report as a reminder that diversity alone - without an honest assessment and shift of power dynamics between privileged and oppressed groups and individuals - is not enough.

To build trust, we must intentionally create spaces for authentic relationships across lines of difference to emerge and, over time, foster new and stronger forms of social capital in truly just and equitable communities.

So, what are "authentic relationships"?

Early research and dialogue from the NC Peoples' Coalition for Giving, a multi-cultural statewide network of people of color that highlights and celebrates the wealth of giving, in all its forms, from people and communities of color, identifies several elements that are both inputs as well as outputs of authentic relationships:

* Authentic relationships require and enable longevity.

They stand the test of time, allowing for deeper understanding and interconnectedness.

Putnam's study shows that diverse communities tend to have greater mobility rates, thus undercutting the opportunity for longevity and posing a particular challenge for community builders.

However, we also must keep in mind that "community" is not defined solely by geography and imagine new ways to define and measure community participation.

* Authentic relationships arise from and build common values.

Neighborhood groups, faith institutions, and community-based nonprofits can foster dialogue to discover and build upon shared values across differences such as race, ethnicity, and income.

* Authentic relationships engage in and build skills for healthy conflict.

Rather than avoiding conflicts that naturally arise from different personalities and perspectives, thoughtful community builders can reframe conflict as a force for positive and creative change.

* Authentic relationships call for and call out mutuality and "ally" behavior.

Allies make the commitment and effort to recognize their privilege -- based on such factors as gender, class, race, sexual identity -- and work in solidarity with oppressed groups in the struggle for justice.

A true give-and-take requires a balance of power and an honest assessment of the privileged and oppressed identities among us.

* Authentic relationships are based on and generate more trust and accountability.

This challenges the crux of the Putnam study.

Rather than throwing up our hands in despair because diversity supposedly reduces trust, community builders should focus on building trust and accountability across differences, thus enabling truly authentic relationships to emerge and thrive.

The Coalition will continue to explore and share ideas related to authentic relationships.

We, ourselves, serve as a laboratory for this exploration.

We hope that our experience will offer an alternative, positive view about the value of diversity to civic life, as well as tools for community builders to fulfill the promise of diversity as a generator of social capital.

Gita Gulati-Partee is president of the national consulting practice OpenSource Leadership Strategies Inc. and co-manager of the NC Peoples' Coalition for Giving, a partner agency with NC Gives in Raleigh, N.C.

Report on Successful Community Development

2006-02-11T12:50:00.000-08:00

"As anyone who has observed a successful community development initiative knows, it is not a solo act," emphasizes a new report from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. In addition to pointing to the importance of collaboration, the report identifies several other elements of a good community development process. It notes that a good process:
1) requires advocacy;
2) meaningfully engages residents and links participatory processes together;
3) is supported by many;
4) is not imposed on people;
5) addresses underlying issues such as race, class, culture, and power; and
6) anticipates conflict and works to identify common ground.
The Community Development report suggests resources to improve community skills in each of these areas.

A Guide to Mobilizing Local Assets and Your Organization's Capacity

2006-01-16T07:49:00.000-08:00

This workbook helps nonprofit organizations strengthen community connections. A new workbook sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is designed to help nonprofit organizations strengthen community-based projects, as well as related funding proposals, by building connections between assets in their own organizations and those in their communities.

Worksheets help organizations gauge their project's interaction with local residents and institutions, the local economy and resources outside the community. A sample community asset map is also included. Check out:
Discovering Community Power: A Guide to Mobilizing Local Assets and Your Organization's Capacity

Aspen Institute and Family Economics

2006-01-16T05:24:00.000-08:00

Tap into the Aspen Institute. The mission of the Aspen Institute is to foster enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue.

If you like research on work and economics, read the following report on Family Economics, Work and Wealth in the New Economy. The Economic Opportunities Program of the Aspen Institute arranged for several academics, advocates and journalists to participate in the inaugural Aspen Ideas Festival, a gathering of some of the worlds most provocative leaders, innovators and bright minds. In a variety of formats, these individuals led discussions of the challenges facing low-income Americans in today's economy, and shared ideas for addressing these challenges. This article is based on the discussions that took place at the event.

Family Economics: Work and Wealth in the New Economy, a Report from the Aspen Ideas Festival

Eastern Carolina Organics reminds us why we should buy local and organic foods

2005-12-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

Eastern Carolina Organics is a marketing and distribution service for local organic fruits and vegetables. We are a farmer-based company that is:
• helping rural organic family farmers access urban markets, while
• enabling consumers (chefs, grocers and families) to support local, sustainable agriculture and their regional economies by purchasing fresh, high-quality organic produce.

When You Buy LOCALLY-PRODUCED Foods, You…

1. Buy Fresher, More Nutritious Foods. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are usually harvested within 24 hours of being purchased by the consumer. Produce picked at the height of freshness tastes better. Because locally grown produce is freshest, it is more nutritionally complete. Nutritional value declines, often dramatically, as time passes after harvest.

2. Reduce Energy Consumption. Locally produced foods do not require significant transportation or storage, both of which are very energy-intensive and pollute our air and water.

3. Increase Regional Economic Health. Buying locally grown foods keeps money within the community. This contributes to the health of all sectors of the local economy, increasing the local quality of life.

4. Encourage a Self-Sufficient Community. A community that produces its own food enables people to influence how their food is grown. In addition, it reduces reliance on far-off food producers, thus stabilizing its own food supply.

5. Help Preserve Biodiversity. Farmers selling locally are not limited to the few varieties that are bred for long distance shipping, high yields, and shelf life. Often they raise and sell wonderful heirloom varieties that may be hard to find in supermarkets.6. Preserve the Rural Character of the Land.Supporting local farmers means maintaining local farmland. Local consumers can serve as the lifeline for local farmers because they create direct marketing opportunities where sellers can receive fair prices for their crops.

7. Avoid Post-harvest Contamination. Foods sold in local markets without the need for extensive storage and transportation will likely contain minimal or no waxes and/or fungicides applied to protect the product after harvest.

When You Buy ORGANICALLY-GROWN Foods, You…

1. Promote Stringent Standards. Organic certification is the public's assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures that protect you and the environment.

2. Reduce Your Health Risks. Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases. Organic agriculture is one way to prevent any more of these chemicals from getting into the air, earth, water, and our bodies.

3. Improve Soil Health. Soil health is essential for the survival of our species. Conventional farming practices are rapidly depleting topsoil fertility. Creating and sustaining healthy soils is the major objective for organic growers.

4. Protect the Environment. Soil erosion; pesticide contamination of soils, air, and water; nitrate loading of waterways and wells; and elimination of planetary biodiversity are some of the problems associated with today's conventional farming methods. Organic farmers use practices that protect soil, air, and water resources; and that promote biodiversity.

5. Protect Farm Families and Workers. Organic farming prohibits the use of toxic materials, making the farm a safer place to live and work.

6. Inspire Better Farming. The success of organic agriculture encourages farmers to use sound, sensible stewardship to help even depleted lands regain productivity. They have led the way with innovative on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticide use and minimizing agriculture's impact on the environment.

7. Pass on the Stewardship Ethic. When you buy locally produced organic food you help raise awareness among your friends and family about how food consumption decisions can make a difference in your life and the life of your community.

Local Food Guide

2005-12-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

Visit the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and their Local Food Guide for western North Carolina Blue Ridge and the southern Appalachian mountains.

You will find a directory of western North Carolina and southern Appalachian family farms, Community Supported Agriculture farms (CSA’s), farmers' tailgate markets, grocers, restaurants, caterers and bakers, u-pick farms, apple orchards, and bed & breakfasts that sell locally grown farm products. It's a great model online directory for other communities.

Check out the local food guide's search engine.

Envision a thriving community

2005-12-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

What's your vision of a thriving community? I imagine:

Shared prosperity and opportunity

Active community relationships and networks

Our public infrastructure, such as our education, health care and social service systems, has enough resources to meet the community's urgent and basic needs

Our community is open, inclusive and welcoming to all citizens, visitors and newcomers

Our citizens are responsible, respected, safe and care for one another

People are tied to their culture and spirituality - cultural strengths are learned, heritage is celebrated and traditions are shared

Our citizens are curious, entrepreneurial, creative and motivated in mind, heart and spirit to use their skills and talents to stregthen our community and local economy

Our community leadership creates public policies that benefit the common good

What do you imagine?

Urban agriculture and community gardening resources

2005-11-11T01:40:00.000-08:00

American Community Gardening Association
City Farmer
Community Food Security Coalition
Green Guerillas
Journey to Forever

Eating Local

2005-11-11T01:14:00.000-08:00

My Top Ten Reasons for Eating Local
by John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus, University of Missouri - Columbia

10. Eating local eliminates the middlemen. Buying food locally saves on transportation and energy and virtually eliminates wasteful spending for unnecessary packing and advertising, which together account for more than 20-percent of total food costs. Total middlemen profits, however, make upless than four percent of total food costs. Local sustainable farmers generally cannot afford to operate on as small a margin of profit or return to their land, labor, and management as can large-scale, global, industrial operations. In addition, industrial producers don't pay their full costs of production; they externalize some of their costs on nature and society by exploiting natural and human resources. So, eating local may not be cheaper for food buyers, but it certainly reduces the negative social and ecological consequences of our food choices.

9. Eating local saves on transportation. The most recent estimates indicate that the average fresh food item travels about 1,500 miles from its points of production to final purchase.[i][9] Reducing transportation doesn't save much in terms of dollars and cents, since total transportation costs amounts to only about four-percent of food costs. However, theecological savings may be far more significant. Energy for transportation is virtually all derived from non-renewable fossil fuels. In addition, transportation is a major contributor to air pollution, particularly carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. So eating local can make a significant contribution to sustainability, even if only by making a strong personal statement in favor of reducing our reliance on non-renewable energy and protecting the natural environment.

8. Eating local improves food quality. Local foods can be fresher, more flavorful, and nutritious than can fresh foods shipped in from distant locations. According to most surveys, this reason would top most lists of those who choose to eat locally. In addition to the obvious advantage infreshness, growers who produce for local customers need not give priority to harvesting, packing, shipping, and shelf life qualities, but instead can select, grow, and harvest crops to ensure peak qualities of freshness, nutrition, and taste. Eating local also encourages eating seasonally, in harmony with the natural energy of a particular place, which is becoming an important aspect of quality for those of the new food culture.

7. Eating local makes at-home eating worth the time and effort. Obviously, preparing local foods, which typically are raw or minimally processed, requires additional time and effort. But, the superior natural quality of local foods allows almost anyone to prepare really good foods at home, with a reasonable amount of time and effort. Chefs at high-end restaurants freelyadmit they prefer locally grown food items in part because of their ease of preparation. Good local foods taste good naturally, with little added seasoning and with little cooking or slow cooking, which requires little attention. Home preparation of raw foods also saves money, particularly compared with convenience foods, which makes really good food affordable for almost anyone who can and will prepare them from scratch, regardless of income. Preparing and eating meals at home also provides opportunities for families to share quality time together in creative, productive, and rewarding activities, which contribute to stronger families, communities, and societies.

6. Eating local provides more meaningful food choices. Americans often brag about the incredible range of choices that consumers have in the modern supermarket today. Admittedly, shoppers are confronted with a vast array of sizes, shapes, and colors of foods from every corner of the world. In many respects, however, food choices are severely limited. Virtually all of food items in supermarkets and franchise restaurants today are produced using thesame mass-production, industrial methods, with the same negative consequences for the natural environment and for civil society. In addition, the variety in foods today is largely cosmetic and superficial, contrived to create the illusion of diversity and choice where none actually exists. Byeating local, food buyers can get the food they actually prefer rather than accept whatever is offered in the supermarket. They can buy foods that are authentically different, not just in physical qualities but also in the ecological and social consequences of how they are produced. They can choose to pay the full cost of food, rather support the exploitation of society and the environment.

5. Eating local contributes to the local economy. American farmers, on average, receive only about 20 cents of each dollar spent for food, the rest going for processing, transportation, packing, and other marketing costs. Farmers who sell food direct to local customers, on the other hand, receivethe full retail value, a dollar for each food dollar spent. Of course, each dollar not spent at a local supermarket or eating establishment, detracts from the local economy. However, less than one-third of total food costs go to local workers in supermarkets and restaurants, most of the rest goes outside of the local community. So the local food economy gains about three dollars for each dollar lost when food shoppers choose to buy from local farmers. American farmers, on average, get to keep only ten to fifteen cents from each dollar they receive; the rest goes for fertilizer, fuel, machinery, and other production expenses - items typically manufactured and often provided by suppliers outside of the local community. Farmers who market locally, on the other hand, often get to keep half or more of each food dollar theyreceive, because they purchase fewer commercial production inputs. They receive a larger proportion of the total as a return for their labor, management, and entrepreneurship because they contribute a larger proportionto the production process. Those who sell locally also tend to spend locally, both for their personal and farming needs, which also contribute more to the local economy. So, eating local contributes to both the local food and farm economies.

4. Eating local helps save farmland. More than one million acres of U.S. farmland is lost each year to residential and commercial development. The loss may seem small in relation to the total of more than 950 million acres of farmland, but an acre lost to development may mean an acre lost forever from food production. We are still as dependent upon the land for our very survival today as when all people were hunters and gatherers, and future generations will be no less dependent than we are today. Our dependencies are more complex and less direct, but certainly are no less critical. Eating local creates economic opportunities for caring farmers to care for their land, even when confronted by development pressures on the urban fringes. Their neighbors are their market, as well as their community. Wherever people are willing to pay the full ecological and social costs of food, farms can be very desirable places to live on and to live around. Eating local may allow new residential communities to be established on farms inurbanizing areas, with residences strategically placed to retain the most productive land in farming. These new sustainable communities could be built around the common interest in good food and good lifestyles of members of the new food and farming culture.

3. Eating local allows people to reconnect. The industrial food system was built upon a foundation of impersonal economic relationships among farmers, food processors, food distributors, and consumers. Its economic efficiency demands that relationships among people and between people and nature be impartial, and thus impersonal. As a result, many people today have no meaningful understanding of where their food comes, and thus, nounderstanding of the ecological and social consequences of its production. By eating local, people are able to reconnect with local farmers, and through local farmers, reconnect with the earth. Many people first begin to understand the critical need for this lost sense of connectedness when theydevelop personal relationships with their farmers and actually visit the farms where their food is produced. We cannot build a sustainable food system until people develop a deep understanding of their dependency upon each other and upon the earth. Thus, in my opinion, reconnecting is one of the most important reasons for eating local.

2. Eating local restores integrity to the food system. The new sustainable food system must be built upon personal relationships of integrity. When people eat locally, farmers form relationships with customers who care about the social and ecological consequences of how their food in produced - not just lower price, more convenience, or even an organic label. Those who eatlocally form relationships with farmers who care about their land, care about their neighbors, and care about their customers - not just about maximizing profits and growth. Such relationships become relationships of trust and integrity, based on honesty, fairness, compassion, responsibility, and respect. Eating local provides people with an opportunity not only to reconnect personally, but also, to restore integrity to our relationships with each other and with the earth. In today's society, there should be few, if any, higher priorities.

1. Eating local helps build a sustainable society. The underlying problems of today's food and farming systems are but reflections of deeper problems within the whole of American society. We are degrading the ecological integrity of the earth and the social integrity of our society inour pursuit of narrow, individual economic self-interests. As we begin to realize the inherent benefits of relationships of integrity within local food systems, we will begin the process of healing the ecological and social wounds that plague modern society. Thus, my number one reason for eating local is to help build a new, sustainable American society.

End Notes:
[1][i] Presented at The Eat Local Challenge kickoff event, hosted by EcoTrust, Portland, OR. June 2, 2005; and at Sierra Club Farm Tour and the Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network Field Day, Banks, Alabama, June 18,2005.

More on John Ikerd
Papers online
Sustainable Capitalism

Capacity building resources for faith-based activists

2005-11-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

It's important in today's political and cultural environment to know where to find faith-based resources that are rooted in progressive values. Explore these resources and let me know if you want more direction on how to best utilize these groups.

Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries
Beloved Community Center
Dalai Lama
Greensboro Truth & Reconciliation Commission (GTRC)
GTRC blog
Interfaith Worker Justice
Martin Luther King, Jr., Institute
National Council of Churches
North Carolina Council of Churches
Open Door Community
Sabbath Economics Collaborative
Socially-engaged buddhist organizations
Sojourners
stone circles
Tikkun
United Religions Initiative
Word and World

Poems

2005-10-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

We the People

life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
a land of immigrants and refugees

at home
on the road
questing for authenticity

straddling divides, borders, worlds, and cultures
living in between

embracing freedom and community
making the people’s history

* * *

Meaningful Work

it is not necessary to sacrifice one’s true self
in order to make a living

utilize and develop your skills, your abilities

overcome your ego

join others in work

help provide basic goods and services
for basic human needs

for all of us
for a decent and fair existence

* * *

Practice

wisdom is alive if it’s lived
understanding is freedom if practiced

practice is a regularly performed activity
it is a never-ending process
never reaching perfection

we can develop skills and cultivate vision with practice
but there always remains something new to learn

practice