Provocative Articles
Mindfulness In Plain English by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana, a simple introduction to mindfulness meditation practice. Wonderful for beginners and veterans alike.
The New Girl Order by Kay Hymowitz, Tufts Magazine, Fall 2011. Our big push to give girls the same opportunities as boys has paid off, with a vengeance. Among twenty-three-year-olds—people of an age to begin looking for a mate—there are 164 women with a college degree to every 100 men. For all its revolutionary potential, the New Girl Order can’t change the fact that the sexes are interdependent. Now it’s up to us to give boys their turn to catch up.
A New Measure of Well-Being From a Happy Little Kingdom What is happiness? In the United States and in many other industrialized countries, it is often equated with money.In 1972, concerned about the problems afflicting other developing countries that focused only on economic growth, Bhutan’s newly crowned leader, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, decided to make his nation’s priority not its G.D.P. but its G.N.H., or gross national happiness. October 4, 2005.
Social Capital Market Manifesto, Kevin Jones, July 27th, 2011 on socialcapitalmarkets.net. “A new movement has arisen with a different foundational myth: that capital is the fuel for changing the world through the social capital market. This movement views business as a tool men created, one that can be brought back under control to serve a global community in which injustice has a cost to all and quantitative growth has limits.”
Is Capitalism Broken? And Could the Corporate Social Responsibility Movement Re-Design It? By CSRwire Contributing Writer Bill Baue of Sea Change Media. The Corporate Socially Responsible Newswire. February 16, 2010.
When Enough is Enough By Elizabeth Lesser. Oprah.com. February 2, 2010. “In a world of unlimited possibilities, how do you know when to stop? When is enough really enough? The five questions to ask yourself when it all seems like too much.”
The End of Men By Hanna Rosin, published in The Atlantic Monthly, July/August 2010 issue. “Earlier this year [in 2010], women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history. … For years, women’s progress has been cast as a struggle for equality. But what if equality isn’t the end point? What if modern, postindustrial society is simply better suited to women? A report on the unprecedented role reversal now under way— and its vast cultural consequences.”
Enough! by the cofounder of the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, Elizabeth Lesser writes inquires into what is enough? in her article on the Massachusetts Conference for Women. She is a frequent keynote speaker there and a host on Oprah Radio. 2010.
A Clarion Call for Sacred Enough on the Rights of Mother Earth website about the 2010 Earth Day in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Beautiful poetry and call to action.
1 Million Workers. 90 Million iPhones. 17 Suicides. Who’s to Blame? on Wired.com (Feb 28, 2011, Joel Johnson). A technocrat questions his consumption of material goods, and ours.
Green growth – Some emerging-world companies are combining growth with greenery on Economist.com (Sept. 17, 2011, Schumpeter)A summary of a new green study by the World Economic Forum & BCG. It includes tangible, hard hitting examples of how Greening creates a major competitive advantage.
Blog
Tom Schwartz Blog: http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2011/05/whatever-you-feel-compelled-to.html
The blog is notable because it is directed to a corporate audience and its presence implies to me that the business world is starting to recognize and value somatic work.
Powerful Films
The Money Fix by film maker and Seven Stones Advisor, Alan Rosenblith (2009). A feature-length documentary exploring our society’s relationship with the almighty dollar. Click here for free viewing.
The Story of Stuff created by activist and film maker Annie Leonard. With over 12 million on-line views, it is one of the most widely viewed environmental-themed short films of all time. Find out how stuff is made, where it goes and how it impacts us, the users. The Story of Stuff Project is a non-profit that supports and leverages the film’s impact. Related films to view includeThe Story of Cosmetics, The Story of Bottled Water, The Story of Cap and Trade and The Story of Electronics.
Inspiring Interviews
Economics of sufficiency – Marsha Shenk answers new questions for a new economy. Working with leaders from the Fortune 10 to small service firms, she has forged a unique and far-reaching approach to the questions that every enterprise faces. Her models reveal hidden dynamics:Those that haven’t changed since the first human community, and beg for more skill,And those variables that do change, allowing for innovation.
Where We Live: Millenials Redefine The Workplace – Workplace expert Al Bhatt says our places of employment should be made up of jazz bands, rather than a marching band. Bhatt says the old ways don’t work anymore, and he’s got ideas for a type of independent, 21st century workplace that appeals to the millennial generation.
Our Favorite Ted Talks and YouTube Videos
Alain de Botton: A kinder, gentler philosophy of success. Alain de Botton examines our ideas of success and failure — and questions the assumptions underlying these two judgments. Is success always earned? Is failure?
“Dear Woman“- Arjuna Ardagh created a manifesto for conscious men. It is a beautiful portrayal of gender equality.
“Did You Know We Live in a 24/7 Time Zone?“ - Look at how the modern digital age is affecting your everyday life. Where is your time being spent?
The Story of Citizens United vs. FEC – Why Democracy Only Works When the People Are in Charge. The story behind the The Story of Stuff, activist Annie Leonard explores the crisis of corporate influence in American democracy. Great videos on storyofstuff.org.
Tim Jackson’s Economic Reality Check - As the world faces recession, climate change, inequity and more, Tim Jackson delivers a piercing challenge to established economic principles, explaining how we might stop feeding the crises and start investing in our future.
Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index – Statistician Nic Marks asks why we measure a nation’s success by its productivity — instead of by the happiness and well-being of its people. He introduces the Happy Planet Index, which tracks national well-being against resource use (because a happy life doesn’t have to cost the earth). Which countries rank highest in the HPI? You might be surprised.
Ray Anderson on the business logic of sustainability – At his carpet company, Ray Anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional “take / make / waste” industrial system on its head. In a gentle, understated way, he shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce and makes restitution as a “former plunderer”.
Dr. Brené Brown on the concept of Wholeheartedness - As a researcher professor at the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work, Dr. Brown has spent the past ten years posing the questions: How do we engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and worthiness? How do we cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection that we need to embrace our imperfections and to recognize that we are enough — that we are worthy of love, belonging and joy?
Catherine Austin Fitts Former Assistant Secretary of Housing under George H.W. Bush blows the whistle on how the financial terrorists have deliberately imploded the US economy and transferred gargantuan amounts of wealth offshore as a means of sacrificing the American middle class.
Sheena Iyengar tells the Truth about Choices - Researcher Sheena Iyengar discusses how we make choices and how we feel about the choices we make. Using a cross cultural perspective as the backdrop, one begins to question if living in a culture with strong assumptions about more choices being better.
A Gift Economy at Karma Kitchen - Imagine a restaurant where you pay-forward for the person after you. How long might the chain of generosity last? At Karma Kitchen, in three cities around the United States, it has gone on for close to 25 thousand people — and is still going. Katie Teague provides a thoughtful and hopeful portrait of how gift economy can work.
Karma Kitchen from StormCloud Media on Vimeo.
