Author Virginia Mudd: My Monthly Columns

My Columns of Explorations and Reflections

I am, as one friend put it, a "professional seeker." I am always full of questions about life, about my human nature and my divine nature, about God, about the spiritual journey. I want to understand myself, other people, and the Universe better. What do spiritual teachers mean when they talk about the soul, false and true selves, spirituality, surrender? Is there only one meaning, or are there many ways to see such deep and rich ideas?

In this section I would like to share my reflections and explorations about a myriad of life issues we all share, like those I mentioned above, and topics like despair, sin, prayer, true happiness. I hope these will be useful thoughts and insights for all of our journeys. This website is part of my own unfolding journey, so I expect we’ll keep scrolling, scrolling, scrolling down the page as my life goes on.

If you would like to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, or to share your thoughts, please go to my Contact page. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

IT'S ABOUT TIME

July 2024

Recently TIME Magazine did an interview with Donald Trump and the title of my monthly newsletter is "It's about Time." Here I want to highlight a few big concerns for me that it's about time we gave serious consideration to. IT'S ABOUT TIME WE . . .

got ...Read More

IF IT BLEEDS IT LEADS

May 2024

Why is it that headlines are so predominantly about negative news? It's a common expression that "If it bleeds it leads." Why is that?

Here are some interesting statistics.
News headlines containing negative ...Read More

A CLOSER LOOK

April 2024

We all rely on some form of mainstream media to inform us about local, national and world news. How do we feel about the "news" we're getting?

Dan Rather, a journalist for over 70 years, asks, "How and why is journalism failing us?" He goes on to ...Read More

D IS FOR DEMOCRACY AND DRAGONS

March 2024

In China this is the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, in particular the Wood Dragon. I love dragons. They capture the fierce spirit we can tap into this year as we defend democracy. Here's more about dragons.

For me the dragon energy is within us. It is fierce ...Read More

OUR FUTURE IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR
February 2024
Our democracy is worth fighting for. Below is an edited version of Jessica Craven's New Year's Political Resolutions to help save our democracy. You can read her full essay here.

I will do everything that I am able to do to help ...Read More

ANOTHER CIRCLE AROUND THE SUN
January 2024
This essay by Dan Rather, "Another Circle Around the Sun" is a good way to start the new year.

Another circle around the sun

A time to take stock, and fill stockings.
To mark abundant ...Read More

WHATEVER IT TAKES
December 2023
"Ours is not an age of tranquility. Far from it."

These are the opening words of the November 3rd post by Dan Rather in his regular "Steady" column. His post in "All These Emotions" is reprinted below because he captures what so many ...Read More

STEADY
November 2023
Finding balance and staying emotionally, mentally and spiritually steady in these dark times is hard.

Reading Future Crunch is a good way to keep up with some of the positive news while not turning away from what’s going on in ...Read More

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW
October 2023
"What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only ting that there's just too little of." Yes, we need more kindness, more compassion, more respect and civility. Those are fundamental values in a healthy society.

But there are too many ...Read More

MEASURING WEALTH
September 2023
How do we measure things? From my perspective it appears that money is the primary form of measurement in the US. We are led to believe a certain amount of money is going to bring us happiness, bring us peace, improve our lives and our relationships.

We measure Gross ...Read More

HOPE AND HEAT
August 2023
The hottest summer ever recorded is happening in places all over the world. All of us are feeling the heat and yet politicians who seek power above all else are ignoring the deadly effects of climate change.

Many have lost hope that we can pull out of this downward ...Read More

BEEF AND AI
July 2023
We are dangerously close to losing a habitable planet. Are we also close to losing our souls to artificial intelligence?

You can see the sobering statistics about the negative effects of eating beef and on water use and global warming in my ...Read More

A MESSAGE FROM DR. SEUSS
June 2023
Every Voice Counts. Make Yourself Heard! This is a clear and present message from the great author Dr. Seuss, A message we all must take to heart, and into action, today, tomorrow and every day.

Below is a list of my five top pro-democracy news and ...Read More

STOP IT!
May 2023
I have reprinted an essay by Dan Rather entitled "Stop it!"
He describes the urgent necessity of standing up for marginalized people, particularly trans youth, who are being viciously attacked by the extremists of our country. Peoples' lives and our democracy ...Read More

MISSION ZERO
April 2023
Please check out my April Newsletter on the Home Page for the meaning of Mission Zero. This month I want to share a favorite meditative quote by George Bernard Shaw.

This is the true joy in life, being recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being a force of nature ...Read More

THE GOOD EARTH
March 2023
I found this meditation and guidance by Eleanor Roosevelt to be particularly provocative and worthy of reflection.

Forbid us to be satisfied with what we make of life.
Draw us from trivial content,
and set our eyes on ...Read More

OUR UNIMAGINABLE UNIVERSE
February 2023
As we go about our daily lives and our work for the greater good it's fun and fascinating to step back for a moment to look at the big picture of where we come from.

Here are the benchmarks of our evolution and images from the James Webb ...Read More

WIDE AWAKE
January 2023
Here is a poem to start our new year and keep us wide awake all our days.

Fueled by broadcast hysteria,
awash in fear and confusion,
we grasp at cheap dramas,
boring humor, flat violence
and ...Read More

DEMOCRACY WINS
December 2022
While Election Day results are still not final, there are important big picture thoughts about where we stand as a democracy that are shared below.

“Regardless of today’s results, our fight for democracy will be ongoing, and I, for one, will ...Read More

DEMOCRACY IS AT STAKE
November 2022
Democracy is on the ballot. Do we want democracy or authoritarianism? Do we want freedom or fascism? That is up to us. No matter the outcome of the midterm elections, we will still have these issues before us.

What follows is an excerpt from a post by Dan ...Read More

A POLITICAL CALL TO ARMS
October 2022
Democracy is on the ballot! Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo) lost her primary election in August. I quote from her speech because she, and others, capture what's at stake to save our democracy.
Cheney says, "This is not a game. Every one of us must be ...Read More

A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
September 2022
At the June 16 hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig, a leading Republican conservative, said,

"Donald Trump and his allies and supporters are a clear and present ...Read More

THE TIME IS NOW
August 2022
The time is now to save our democracy. Don't for a minute take democracy for granted. Don't think it works like a well-oiled machine that rarely has to be repaired or tended to. It demands constant attention from WE THE PEOPLE.

Our democracy is ...Read More

IF I HAD A HAMMER
July 2022
The mass shooting at the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24th tipped me over the edge of tolerance for gun worship and violence in this country. "The Hammer Song," by Peter, Paul and Mary perfectly expressed some of my feelings. The following articles added to my ...Read More

TIME TO TAKE A STAND
June 2022
Why take a stand? Read this excerpt from Bruce Berlin, author of “the Struggle for the Soul of America” as he addresses college graduates in his May 15th blog.

“But there is one additional thing I urge you to think deeply about, and ...Read More

EVERYTHING YOU LOVE
May 2022
"Climate change is not about climate. It's about everything you love." This is the concluding statement by Dr. Dan Dolderman in his TED Talk at the University of Toronto. He opens with a poignant story of how much his son loves certain sea creatures, species which may soon ...Read More

JUST DO SOMETHING
April 2022
We may be worried, scared, outraged, sad, disgusted and horrified about what’s happening in our world, but we are not helpless to make change. There are those who put profit and their own aggrandizement over the well-being of people and the planet, but we have individual and collective ...Read More

We The People
March 2022
It’s time to remember. Time to reflect, and time to think again about how we’re living here on this planet. The particular issue that stands out for me this month is the fragile state of democracy in this country.

Spurred on by the posting from ...Read More

Doing Democracy
February 2022
America was founded on the principle that all are created equal and that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. Is that what it does? Do we really have a democracy?

As you probably know in mid-January the US Senate was unable to pass ...Read More

CLIMATE SOLUTIONS TO ACT ON
January 2022
The science about climate change is clear. The evidence is here. The solutions to reduce CO2 emissions abound. The path to creating a thriving life for all beings and the planet is before us. If we want that we must act now.

Here are the best sources for ...Read More

Prosperity Without Growth
December 2021
It is abundantly clear now that we humans must change our ways. We simply cannot persist, or exist, with an economy that is addicted to Growth when we are devouring our own home planet all the while.

I was struck by this writing from Fr. Richard Rohr that ...Read More

ENOUGH!
November 2021
I wrote an article in Spring 2000 entitled “How Much is Enough?” I am reprinting it here because I would write the same thing today. When Clifford and I began our website in 1996 we called it “Raventalk: For a Sustainable Planet Future.” We featured an image of a gleeful little girl ...Read More

WHOA! "CODE RED FOR HUMANITY"
October 2021
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a new and dire warning that unless we immediately make big changes to how we do business in the world we will face ever more climate-related catastrophes.

The message is that it's time to act. It's ...Read More

Food and Climate Change
September 2021
Can industrial agriculture provide food for our growing world population without grossly contributing to climate change? I believe the answer is no.

Current ways of producing food account for 24% of our CO2 emissions, which is equal to the ...Read More

Democracy, Climate Change and Active Hope
August 2021
The critical state of American democracy and the climate crisis have many people feeling despair, frustration, outrage and a sense of urgency.

The threat to our democracy and the crisis of climate change are most pressing for me though there are ...Read More

Plastic: A Toxic Love Story
July 2021
There are pros and cons to plastic, which is why Plastic: A Toxic Love Story is such a great title for a book by Susan Freinkel. After watching an interview with her, and thoroughly reading the recent issue of YES! magazine, “Solving Plastic,” I come away ...Read More

Soul Boxes and Gun Violence
June 2021
We are all undoubtedly distressed about the gun violence in this country rising to the point of it being an epidemic.

It has disturbed me for a long time that we do a lot of looking at the dead and wounded bodies coming downstream, and railing at the ...Read More

Climate Solutions
May 2021
Suppose there wasn’t a climate problem at all? Despite the abundant evidence, there are many of us who consider climate change to be a hoax perpetrated by. . . . the Chinese, the Democrats, whomever. It doesn’t really matter.

You may not ...Read More

WHAT DOES AN ECOLOGICAL CIVILIZATION LOOK LIKE?
April 2021
What are the most needed changes we must make to create a world that ensures that basic needs are met and that people, and all life, thrive? For me one of the most critical needs is to change the way we think about our economy and our consumer habits. We are told that the only way to prosperity, ...Read More

PLUTOCRACY, AUTOCRACY OR DEMOCRACY?
March 2021
What do we want? Plutocracy? Autocracy? Democracy? In America today we have a plutocracy, a government run by wealthy people and corporations. We had a taste of autocracy from 2016 - 2020, the rule of government by one person. And we have something of a democracy at work because we saw how ...Read More

WHERE ARE WE GOING? WHERE ARE WE NOW?
February 2021
January 6 and January 20, 2021: two days of extreme contrast and meaning. What do they mean to us?

Let's start with the assault on the Capitol, the home of our democracy. Not only was it vandalized, but also people were killed, injured and ...Read More

PLAYING FOR CHANGE
January 2021
Begin your year with music, song and poetry. Start by watching the Playing for Change Foundation’s presentation of “Imagine,” by John Lennon.

Singers and musicians from all over the world collaborate virtually to bring us this iconic and ...Read More

Considering Our Future
December 2020
Anyone who likes change raise your hand. I don’t see many hands up and you sure won’t see mine! But I suspect that we all see the need for change and are looking for our particular way to contribute to creating a world that works for everyone.
Below are three ...Read More

LOVE WINS
November 2020
Martin Luther King’s famous quote, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” is right for this moment and something we can carry with us every day because we always need to be working for love and justice.

Our Election Day is ...Read More

THE EARTH AND AMERICA ARE IN OUR HANDS
October 2020
If you are like me, you are often undone or overwhelmed by the bad news on so many fronts. Staying positive and not becoming engulfed by despair, depression, outrage, disbelief or grief is a full-time job. The suffering that is going on right now is huge. So I want to share some thoughts and ...Read More

THE SOUL OF AMERICA, It's in Our Hands Now
September 2020
We have a critical election on November 3td. We're not just voting for who will become president for the next four years, and which members of Congress will be elected, but more importantly, we're voting for the soul of America. What does that mean? For me it has to do with the values we embrace ...Read More

RESPECT SCIENCE, NATURE AND EACH OTHER
August 2020
What would our world look like if we all respected science, nature and each other? What is it that prevents us from such respect? What is it that keeps us from respect for science and nature? For one thing, as former Vice President Al Gore said, it’s an “inconvenient truth” to ...Read More

NEVER DOUBT
July 2020
NEVER DOUBT that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. I hold on to this proclamation by Margaret Meade like a banner before me urging me on.

If a small group can change the ...Read More

NO GOING BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE
June 2020
It’s a no-brainer that we shouldn’t go back to the way things were. The pandemic has made it clear that it’s the whole system—economic, political and social—that is unhealthy and fails to provide for the common good and the health of the planet. Do we need any more evidence that ...Read More

THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
May 2020

We would all like to see the light at the end of this pandemic tunnel sooner rather than later. But what does this "light," the world at the end of the tunnel, look like? What kind of world do we want?

Here are some questions and ...Read More

THE FUTURE OF OUR DEMOCRACY
April 2020
"Nothing so sharpens one's appreciation for democracy as bearing witness to its demolition." This is a quote from The New Yorker in a series entitled "The Future of Democracy." For me this is poignantly true. With America's democracy continuously in decline and under threat I ...Read More

WE CAN CHANGE
March 2020
What I love about this illustration—and this Op-Ed "How to Stop Freaking Out and Tackle Climate Change"—is that it acknowledges our feelings of despair, fear and powerlessness. It shows us how we can "save" ourselves from depression, helplessness and inaction. It ...Read More

Stepping Out of the Consumer Culture
February 2020

Why do we need to step out of the consumer culture when our whole system is designed for and sustained by consumerism. How do we change that?

This is indeed a daunting task and a tall order. We’ve all been raised on the ...Read More

NEW BEGINNINGS
January 2020
The New Year offers us an opportunity to envision the year ahead, and to revision our lives if we so desire. We might think of what we might like to do more of, or less of. We might consider that we’d like to see more of someone and less of someone else. One technique that helps me make decisions, ...Read More

A Gift for the Earth
December 2019
It’s a poignant time of year to be writing about how we need to be changing our consumption habits and buying less stuff. We’re thinking about what we will buy for our friends, family and co-workers to show our appreciation and love for them. It’s just that we can no longer ignore the ...Read More

GAME CHANGERS
November 2019
I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy. ...Read More

THE POWER OF ONE / THE POWER OF MILLIONS
October 2019
Inspired by 16 year old climate activist Greta Thunberg, 4 million people from 163 countries took to the streets on September 20 to demand immediate and effective action to address the climate crisis.

What are the demands? They are ...Read More

WHAT WE CAN DO
September 2019
We all need to come to grips with the climate crisis, and reckon with the reality that it is our growth-oriented, profit-driven economic system and consumer culture that has caused this and other crises we face today. We live on a finite planet with limited resources for nearly 8 billion ...Read More

LOVE IN ACTION
August 2019
“There’s a powerful force for change in America,” says Christian leader Serene Jones, “but powerful forces oppose it. It’s a battle that is as much spiritual as political.” Does this statement ring true for you as it does for me?

How ...Read More

TURNING THE TITANIC
July 2019
How does this metaphor relate to our modern times? What does the Titanic stand for? How do we turn the Titanic? I first heard this metaphor used by author Terry Patten in a talk to Google employees. For me it’s a very graphic and powerful image to describe the enormity of the changes we humans ...Read More

CHANGE
May 2019
Very few of us make changes easily. We like our routines. We find it easier to stay where we are even if it’s uncomfortable or self-destructive. It’s hard to get out of a rut, whether positive or negative.

Sometimes change is forced on us by circumstances ...Read More

Stay Hopeful
May 2019
Do you need reasons to stay hopeful right now?

Then please read “Here’s Why You Should Stay Hopeful Right Now,” by John Pavlovitz. I’ve reprinted his essay below because it is one of the most powerful, poetic and compelling writings on ...Read More

GROWTH, THE ECONOMY AND HAPPINESS
April 2019
We know about growth and the economy, but how does happiness fit into this picture? Is there positive growth and negative growth? What kind of growth do we want? Let’s start with growth and the economy. We’ve always assumed, and been told, that it was good to grow the economy. After World ...Read More

WHAT GETS YOUR GOAT?
March 2019
Where does the expression “What gets your goat?” come from?

The most common story is that in older days goats were stabled with racehorses as calming company. A person with ill will and malicious intent might steal the goat before the race and ...Read More

WE FIRST: Stories We Live, and Could Die By
February 2019
What are the stories we tell ourselves about the world we live in? What do we believe? We need to take a realistic look at these stories and beliefs so that we are not deluded into thinking everything is okay, or will be okay if only. . .

It's about WE. ALL ...Read More

ACTIVE HOPE
January 2019
When I look at the crises unfolding around our world, and all the good work being done to end these crises, I go back and forth between feelings of hopelessness and hope. There are reasons for both. When I’m at the hopeless end of the spectrum I remind myself that hopelessness leads to ...Read More

A LINE IN THE SAND
December 2018
What does a line in the sand mean? Why does the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) describe our present Earth situation this way? On the one hand if we cross the line and continue as we are we will face irreversible and dire consequences because of increasing greenhouse gas ...Read More

The Butterfly Effect
November 2018
What is the Butterfly Effect? And why do we care? How does it relate to our making a difference? Here’s a brief description of the Butterfly Effect from an article entitled “Everything You Do Matters.”

"Scientists scoffed at ...Read More

WHY BOTHER?
October 2018
Why bother to vote?! Why bother to vote when Congress is not listening to We the People, nor is it working for the common good but rather for big money, special interest groups and super wealthy individuals. So voting doesn't appear to make any difference. About two-thirds of eligible ...Read More

What Are We Consuming?
September 2018
I want to talk about what we consume, not just food and material stuff, but also what we consume with our eyes and ears.

Before looking at the intangibles we consume, let me briefly list the questions I think we need to ask ourselves when we purchase ...Read More

FACTORY FOOD / FACTORY FARMING
August 2018
Not everyone can drive an electric car, take public transportation, walk or bike to where they want to go, but all of us can affect the health of our planet with our diet. We’re now coming to terms with the huge and dire consequences of our meat and dairy diet on global warming and climate ...Read More

At the Table of Change
July 2018
The first bit of good news is that we're becoming aware of and beginning to grasp the enormity of the negative environmental impact of our meat-based diet on the Earth. The second bit of good news is that there are many alternatives now coming online and into supermarkets and restaurants ...Read More

Talking Turkey: What's Our Beef?
June 2018
Does our diet affect the health of our planet? Can we address climate change and global warming with our forks?

The answer to both questions is YES. Turns out that what we eat is a big deal when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions. Raising ...Read More

Get Money Out of Politics
May 2018
Did you know that 80% of us Americans agree on one thing? There is too much money in politics!
”If we want to save our species and our planet, we must get the corrupting influence of big money out of politics.” This is what a subscriber wrote to me after my ...Read More

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil
April 2018
Why does this old expression—See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil—come to mind when I think about our multiple planetary challenges and crises? The main reason is that for a variety of reasons many of us don't want to look, hear or talk about the problems we face. Who does?! We can feel ...Read More

The Road Ahead: Heartbreak and Hope
March 2018
Where does your road take you? Where are we headed as a human community? The first question is personal and intuitive for each of us. To the second question I would say that we don’t know. We do know that the way we are living now must change. I found this quote below insightful as we deal with ...Read More

Happy New Year Extended
February 2018
We like to wish people "Happy New Year," and we mean it. We want people to be healthy, to enjoy their lives, to have meaningful work and relationships. Along with the happy new year wishes I've received, this from author and teacher, Lee Klinger Lesser and psychologist, Mirta Medici, ...Read More

New Year's Resolutions & Dedications
January 2018
It's that time again when we reflect on the year past and on what things and ways of being we would like to bring into our lives in the new year. We make earnest resolutions—I'll get up a half hour earlier to meditate, I'll be better about calling family members on the phone, I'll stop eating so ...Read More

Gifts We Give and Receive
December 2017
This photo is of me on my one year old birthday with brothers and sister bearing gifts. The presents probably didn't mean much to me then, but now that many birthdays and Christmases have gone by I can consider and appreciate the deeper subtleties of giving and receiving gifts. What have been your ...Read More

The Story of Stuff
November 2017
Do you know the Story of Stuff? It begins with the Earth. The short version is that we exploit and extract all kinds of natural resources that we then turn into all kinds of stuff often with the use of toxic chemicals and cheap, hard labor. The result is stuff that is “designed for the dump.” ...Read More

For the Love of Earth
October 2017
What inspires us to love the Earth? What moves us to see and feel Earth as our source, or as some say, our Mother Earth? I don’t know the answer to that—it’s such a personal question—but I can see things that keep us from that kind of close, loving relationship which we need to have if the ...Read More

Drawdown: Game Over or Game On?
September 2017
What is Drawdown? “Drawdown is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on a year-to-year basis.” This is the point, the purpose, and the plan of Project Drawdown—the book, the website and the 100 solutions presented to us to ...Read More

Exposing and Exploring Capitalism
August 2017
“I’m sorry to say we’re capitalists, and that’s just the way it is.” That was the response from Representative Nancy Pelosi to a college student who cited a study by Harvard University that showed 51% of Americas between 18 and 29 no longer support the system of capitalism and ...Read More

Inner Fireworks: Changing How We See
July 2017
We've all had flashes of inspiration, bright ideas, moments of clarity, realizations that the old way of thinking or seeing something isn't "it" anymore. Sometimes this new insight comes from within; sometimes it comes from hearing or reading someone else’s perspective. I want to ...Read More

Looking at the Economy Another Way
June 2017
What do we mean by "limits to growth?" I first read the book Limits to Growth published by the Club of Rome in the mid-seventies. It was the first of many eye-opening books I read beginning with Frances Moore Lappé's Diet for a Small Planet, that shook the foundations of all I ...Read More

Super Bloom of Activists - What do I do?
May 2017
The question for all of us who are wanting to make the world a better place arises regularly. WHAT DO I DO? Like many of you I've been looking at and living this question since before the 2016 election made it clear that we can no longer sit on the sidelines of politics or our planetary evolution. ...Read More

Anxiety, Activism and Self-Care
April 2017
What do I mean by self-care and how does self-care relate to anxiety and activism?
I think it would be fair to say that most of us are reckoning with the very uncertain times we are in and feel various degrees of anxiety and fear. So how do we relieve this periodic angst? ...Read More

Get a Life . . . And Balance
March 2017
Do you know the expression “Get a life”? In my early school years one kid would say that to another, meaning “Get it together, Wise up, You’re really out of it, Don’t be such a ______ " (fill in the blank).That expression came back to me as I was reckoning recently with my own low ...Read More

The Unifying Story: What Are We For?
February 2017
What are the values, the ideas, the vision that unite us? What are those “bedrock commonalities” that we can rally around to create a world that works for all of us and the Earth? We are now over 7 billion people strong and if we don’t work together we will all sink in the same boat. Hear ...Read More

A Love Army
January 2017
What would a Love Army look like? Pictured here is one example. On October 15, 1983 a corps of about 17,000 people joined hands to encircle Rocky Flats nuclear weapons facility near Denver. It was the culmination of five years of activism against this nuclear facility. It was finally closed ...Read More

The Desirable Story
December 2016
I don’t care whom you voted for or against, or even if you didn’t vote at all. What I do care about is:1) that we understand and deal effectively with the pain most people in this country are in, 2) that we use this election as a wakeup call to look deeply at the reality of our present ...Read More

Truth or Con?
November 2016
Can we discern the truth from a con? Can we tell the difference between an honest statement and spin? Up until recently most of us believed that “free trade” and a “free market” were good things for us, things that would benefit and enhance our lives. But we’ve discovered, with the ...Read More

VOTEVOTEVOTE
October 2016
You’re not alone if you’re disgusted with American politics and feel your vote doesn’t count for much these days. Sadly, we’re seeing all too clearly that we no longer have a government by the people, but government by the corporations and the very wealthy. Don’t we still hope ...Read More

Who's a Grownup?
September 2016
“Who in your mind is a grownup?” a sales person asked me as I made my purchase. She had seen the bumper sticker my partner and I produced. I sensed she wanted me to tell her whom I was voting for in the presidential election; I didn’t have time or energy to engage a political discussion so I ...Read More

Violence and Terrorism
August 2016
It has disturbed me for a long time that we do a lot of looking at the dead and wounded bodies coming downstream, and railing at the perpetrators of the violence, but we don’t talk so much about what's going on upstream, and WHY people are committing these atrocities? What’s motivating them? ...Read More

Activism
July 2016
NEVER DOUBT that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has..

Activism is defined as “the doctrine or practice of vigorous action or involvement as a means of ...Read More

Beyond Belief
June 2016
Did anyone ever imagine a round-the-world flight using only solar power? It’s almost unbelievable yet this is the real journey and mission of Solar Impulse 2, pictured here at the end of a 62-hour flight from Hawaii to California. This amazing ...Read More

Fun and Change
May 2016
In the summer of 1961 Dad took my older sister and me to the Tivoli Amusement Park in Copenhagen. As we screamed down a roller coaster mountain, Dad turned around and got this picture. We were having terrified fun! I doubt that our shrieking changed anything except to increase the amount of adrenalin ...Read More

Heaven on Earth
April 2016

What’s Heaven on Earth for you? When have you experienced Heaven on Earth? What was the situation like? The reason I’m asking and raising this unusual topic is that I recently had the pleasure of taking an online course with Martin Rutte and the Shift Network. The purpose of ...Read More

Bringing Food Home
March 2016
Food has been a life-changer for me. The first big shift was not a result of eating a particular food, but from reading a book about food, namely Diet For a Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappé. The second time when food sent me on a new course was gulping down two helpings of bland, pale ...Read More