by Alan Briskin | Photography, Spirituality
On the grounds where Lewis Carroll once spoke aloud and then wrote Alice's Adventure in Wonderland, I had the honor of joining thought leaders from around the world in a dialogue addressing the "The Call of Our Times." Co-hosted by the Brahma Kumaris and Peter Senge, I am almost without words (almost) but not without treasured images from my time there. Please join me in a meditation of sound and images taken on the grounds of Nuneham Park, near Oxford, England, and the Brahma Kumaris Global Retreat Center.
by Alan Briskin | Collective Wisdom
William Murtha has just come out with a new book, 100 Words: Two Hundred Visionaries Share Their Hope for the Future. The book has plenty of visionaries and my words as well…
At the time, I was reflecting on Teilhard de Chardin’s prophetic writings about the nature of the noosphere and how the very nature of our suffering as well as the global threats to our planet would usher in a new form of consciousness.
Here are my 120 words:
If I were to look into the future, I’d see the living envelope of life, our biosphere, becoming more fragile. As I scanned further, I would also note something else, an energy force surrounding the biosphere, crackling with spiritual energy. In small groups and through millions of networks, I would observe healing actions that signified our collective potential. Looking further, I would see a circle of humanity creating a future that honored our interconnectedness. These first millions would be heralds of a new consciousness. They would grasp the co creative power of solving problems together. Rather than fearing the loss of their individuality, they would form associations that respected human differences and each others’ talents. This would be collective wisdom.
by Alan Briskin | Uncategorized
Alan Briskin is an award winning author, organizational consultant, leadership coach, speaker, and advocate for personal and institutional renewal. He has a doctorate in organizational psychology and thirty five years of experience leading and consulting to organizations.
Alan has a particular love for bringing forward new ideas, demonstrated by his books on the stirring of soul in the workplace and the power of collective wisdom and by his collaboration with others including being a founding member of the Relationship Centered Care network and co-founder of the Collective Wisdom Initiative.
Alan has put these ideas into action as well through his consulting and research in organizations as diverse as Kaiser Permanente, the Fetzer Institute, and the George Lucas Educational Foundation. An artist in spirit, his love of photography and visual mediums have garnered him praise and recognition. His keynote addresses feature a unique blend of his humor, artistic talent, audience engagement, and visionary message.
by Alan Briskin | Conflict
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to an evening class at San Francisco State in their Wholistic Health department. The course, A Season for Non Violence, focused on applying principles of love and wisdom to daily life and the particular class I attended was on “mending the social divide.” I wondered what social divide could they mean, but then I woke up, made some coffee and braced myself for the morning paper.
As I prepared my talk and discussed it with colleagues, I became aware that non violence is not for the conflict averse. The history of civil disobedience and non violence is a wild collision of philosophical understanding, spiritual insight, individual commitment to ethical choice, and collective action. The historical plum line that links Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Howard Thurman, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela is a tale of uncomfortable and conflictual feelings within that elevates toward a higher and more complex understanding of our interconnectedness.
What was hopeful and inspiring for me was the class itself, a mix of mostly young men and women from all over the world and a cross section of economic class.
There were two women whose parents were born in different parts of India talking about entrepreneurial ventures in education, an African American woman from West Oakland who told me she had been asked to give the commencement address at her former middle school, and a young man who wanted to rekindle the American lyceum movement of the early 1800’s, a voluntary movement focused on adult learning by addressing topics of current interest.
In our group discussion, the perspectives varied widely, with one man wanting to know the structural changes needed to create a just world, a woman acknowledging sometimes feeling overwhelmed and even paralyzed, and a third saying that the ideas of the class that inspired her has also made her seem slightly odd to others in her social network. After the class was over, a student told me she had been exhausted and considered skipping class and sleeping but was now feeling refreshed.
Somewhere in the background of my mind, the tune “Don’t you know the world is falling apart” is playing, but not this evening in San Francisco where the subject of mending the social divide found a real and inspiring chorus. Reb Zalman's signature line, "Together we can get it together" was alive and well.
by Beth Alexander | Uncategorized
This is a space to celebrate and contemplate ideas, fleeting thoughts, wisdom, courage, soul, and the shifting boundaries between the individual and the collective. I want to raise questions and share beauty, consider the unresolved nature of contemporary times and remind ourselves of critical junctures we have faced in the past.
Only by claiming our imagination do we prepare for an unknown future, only by tending to what we hold dear can we pre-tend to what is worthwhile and life giving.
I hope this blog will be a sanctuary for the still developing thought, a vessel to hold courage, and a petri dish for the slightly off kilter comment or humorous observation. Seriously.
Alan
