hdr photography by Alan Briskin

They are being recognized for a partnership among public agencies and various stakeholders in creating "cultural landscapes" that are dynamic in nature and harbor beauty and historical meaning - "layers and layers of history, with our time putting down its own layer."

The physical beauty and the visible element of human design is what distinguishes the outcome of this partnership. The physical sites include Muir Woods, Golden Gate Park, The San Francisco Presidio, and Crissy Field.

The planners were praised for their "mindfulness" and "the elegance of design, sustainability, intelligence of siting and an understanding of the continuum of nature and culture."

Is this not an aspiration for leadership more generally? Is this not what stewardship might represent for a new generation of leaders?

My question, of course, is about how we can re-imagine both leadership and stewardship as ideas that go beyond simply having power over decisions or people, or conversely, being flunkies for invisible forces or simply for our own personal, financial and egoic gain.

Mindfulness, Elegance of Design, Sustainability, the intelligence of siting/sitting (reflecting) and an understanding of the continuum of nature and culture are powerful ways of describing both leadership and stewardship.

I AM NOT DONE.... I SHALL PERSIST.... I SHALL RETURN
~ Alan Briskin
Talmudic Commentary: "Pshh, Big shot.  I'll believe it when I see it."

Dear Friends and Subscribers to Becoming Conscious of Capitalism,

When I first began writing, I sought to discover new perspectives about our social and economic arrangements called capitalism.

I wrote at the beginning:

"At a time when many voices are calling for a new form of conscious capitalism, this is a chance to step back and  consider where we have been and how we can best shape the future."

My intent then, as it is now, was to share my journey of exploration, to clarify, provoke, inform, and at times delight.

I now am entering another period of reflection and discovery, so there will be a hiatus regarding regular posts.  I will continue, through my blog The Power of Our Collective Wisdom, to send periodic musings, quotes, images, and notice of books and events unfolding. If you have not already done so, please subscribe to my blog and/or mailing list to be notified of postings.

We'll let you know when the series begins again.

• Jennifer E. sent a quote that is dear to my heart from Pierre Teilhard Chardin: "There is an almost sensual longing for communion with others who have a larger vision. The immense fulfillment of the friendships between those engaged in furthering the evolution of consciousness has a quality almost impossible to describe.”

• Bill V. wrote "What a helicopter ride to travel vertically between brain functioning and our many higher levels of system; and to travel horizontally from present to past and back. I feel so collectively wise. Charles Dickens is perhaps my all time favorite author. I await Alan's insightful literary servings in ways that may be similar to how much of literate London awaited the serial publishing of his chapters."

• Thanks for the link to the compilation.   I dearly treasure the weekly addition to "Becoming Conscious of Capitalism".  Truly a remarkable set of insights and ideas formulated into an readable,     enjoyable addition to each of my weeks. I also enjoy the HDR photography as a special addition.  Warm regards and hugs; The Cambria Philosopher

• Speaking about my most recent post, Sam I am wrote:  "The murky waters I’ve been plunged in are just starting to have clarity. Ever so slowly I’m acclimating to the scenario of social constructs and your blog is a wonderful guide in helping me navigate. Love the Dr. Seuss “could not, would not” reference. "

• Susan H. wrote early on: "I love the idea of reflecting back on how things came to be. It is so easy to see the present as inevitable, or even "how it's always been." Essential to our healthy evolution is the ability to see the present as a result of choices that we've made at various points--highly constrained choices perhaps, but choices nonetheless. We need that understanding in order to open up choice now."

• John M. wrote: It's more tragic still that Marx, as part of a deeply materialistic culture in the 1800s, was able to make basic assumptions about human behavior that continue to be, on the whole, rather accurate. I hope that Alan will, in further installments, convince me that we're now ready to move past such egotistical behaviors! Many thanks for this, Alan!

• And George W wrote me that I may have been too harsh on Marx but also that, "I have great confidence that together we will overcome the challenges and change the consciousness. But I am really stumped at how to proceed. I know, Alan, the answer is: step by step. You don't have to see the details of the whole path in order to take the first step. But what IS the first step?? Can you describe how you see this happening?

• And Stewart L added "I like the frame Angeles Arrien puts on this with her work "The Four Fold Way.' I translate her idea of "not being attached to outcome" to mean being open to influence which means being capable of learning which requires a mind that's open to other ideas and collaborating on discovering a resolution that addresses all needs and concerns in a situation... As Michael Douglas said in "The American President" "no one said democracy is easy!"

I would like to end with a quote from a book I am currently reading, Notes on the Need for Beauty,  by Ruth Gendler.  She reminds us that wisdom comes from the root word "to see" and there are many ways to see.

"Perhaps there is a clue in the prepositions that accompany the verbs of seeing.  Their precision offers us a place to position and aim our sight.  Watch how the word look becomes more focused as it is paired with various prepositions - at, for, into, out, down, up, over, forward.  At the same time that these prepositions provide a specific direction for the eyes, they remind us of the metaphoric nature of seeing, as well.  Looking forward takes our eyes out in front of us into the future.  By literally moving our eyes, experimenting with direction and focus, we experience new ways of seeing."

I hope my writing has been and will continue to be an experiment in looking backwards, forward, inside, and out.  It has certainly been one of my guiding assumptions that what we imagine, what we see in our mind's eye, can be a source of renewal and a guiding star for how to proceed.

 What is in your mind's eye?

For all of you seeking an image, symbol, or story to help you understand the mysteries of confirmation bias, I offer this YouTube presentation of a woman advocating for deer crossing signs to be moved to places safer for deer to cross. (sent to me by Steve Maybury, further confirming my sense of his humor)
 

"Underneath the many variations of collective folly lie at least two fundamental patterns that alert us to the potential of folly’s emergence. The first pattern is a movement toward separation and fragmentation. In this pattern, group members resist ideas, other group members, or other groups that are deemed “not me” or “not us.”

Sometimes this pull is subtle. Group members ignore divergent perspectives or data, welcoming only the data and perspectives that confirm what they know, or think they know. The cognitive sciences describe this behavior as confirmation bias—a tendency to search for and interpret information in ways that confirm our existing preconceptions."
~ Edited passage from The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly

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The Death and Rebirth of Prosperity's Dream
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In 1905, a nice Jewish girl named Alisa Rosenbaum was born in Russia. She was educated there and came to the United States in 1926. She could have been my father’s older sister, as he was also Jewish, was born in Eastern Europe, and came to the United States in 1925–1926. They both believed in an individual’s capacity via hard work and persistence to shape his or her own destiny. My father’s path was to work in New York City’s garment district selling fabric and wire for hats until he invented a small hand machine that set rhinestones and nailheads into clothing. He called it the Brisk-Set.

Alisa took another path. She became a Hollywood screenwriter and wrote novels. She demanded reverence for her ideas, and her wild mood swings may have been influenced by the amphetamines that she took. She called herself Ayn Rand and in 1957 published her magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged.

FLASH POINTS
April 17, 2012

Paul Ryan Suddenly Does Not Embrace Ayn Rand Teachings
WASHINGTON — Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) tried to send the message this week that, contrary to ‘urban legend,’ he is not obsessed with philosopher and author Ayn Rand. “‘I reject her philosophy,’ Ryan told the National Review on Thursday. ‘It’s an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview. If somebody is going to try to paste a person’s view on epistemology to me, then give me Thomas Aquinas. Don’t give me Ayn Rand.’

“Best known for her novels ‘The Fountainhead’ and ‘Atlas Shrugged,’ Rand advocated a philosophy that emphasizes the individual over the collective, and viewed capitalism as the only system truly based on the protection of the individual. She has been a significant influence on libertarians and conservatives.

“Ryan, whose name has been floated as a possible running mate for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, appeared to be distancing himself from Rand in response to a public letter he received this week from nearly 90 faculty and administrators at Georgetown University. In their letter, they criticize him for misusing Catholic social teaching in defending his budget, which hurts the poor by proposing significant cuts to anti-hunger programs, slashing Pell Grants for low-income students and calling for a replacement of Medicare with a voucher-like system. They also invoke Rand’s name.

“‘As scholars, we want to join the Catholic bishops in pointing out that his budget has a devastating impact on programs for the poor,’ said Jesuit Father Thomas J. Reese, one of the organizers of the letter. ‘Your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her call to selfishness and her antagonism toward religion are antithetical to the Gospel values of compassion and love.’

“But any urban legend about Ryan’s affinity for Rand surely started with Ryan himself, who, prior to this week, had no qualms about gushing about Rand’s influence on his guiding principles.

“‘The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand,’ Ryan said during a 2005 event honoring Rand in Washington, D.C., the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in April 2009.

Excerpt from the Huffington Post

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Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family:  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.  ~ Jane Howard

One of the stories featured in The Power of Collective Wisdom is about the Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants (CERI) in Oakland, California.  Co-founded by Mona Afary, the center has been a tribe and network for Cambodian refugees and their families, many of whom escaped from the brutal regime of Pol Pot and the killing fields.

Mona's initial inspiration for the center came from her observing that in the waiting room of her counseling office, a group of Cambodian clients and their families sat together talking and laughing, knitting together and trading stories.  The possibility for healing was in front of her, in the interconnected web of life and love.

Now, seven years since their founding, CERI has become a life force for the community.  This month, in celebration and gratitude, 49 members  of CERI's community packed into 4 vehicles and traveled to Lake Tahoe for a retreat.  With gratitude to the Devata Giving Circle and Asian Americans/ Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), Mona Afary provides us with these Notes from the Field:

"This weekend was a beautiful gathering and a joyful opportunity for a group of the women members of the CERI mental health community to spend time together, eat, talk, laugh and explore the outdoor activities and natural beauty of the Tahoe area. After a laughter-filled drive from Oakland, we arrived in Lake Tahoe and enjoyed the vistas of the lake, the pine forests and fresh air. Though tired from the drive, everyone pulled together to shop and prepare a delicious dinner for the whole group, which was followed by an evening of dancing and karaoke singing. Laughter rang through the house. Insomnia, a symptom of Posttraumatic Disorder, that most of CERI’s clients struggle with became a blessing as they stayed up till the early hours of the morning, enjoying each other’s company.

The second day, everyone was up and ready early at 7:00 am in the morning, excited to explore the Tahoe area. After an hour of check-in where everyone shared her experiences of the previous day, we loaded into the vans and set off for a waterfall hike. The views of the forests, mountains and the lake were stunning. Even as we struggled to find parking for four large vehicles, we all enjoyed each other's company and the environment. Everyone made each moment such a joy. As the majority of the women at CERI struggle with arthritis and joint pain, Aya had chosen a short trail, which led us to waterfalls, where there was a beautiful opening in the river before the falls. Many people took off their shoes and waded in the water to cool off, having splashing fun. Some even went into the stream entirely! Others enjoyed the view and the fresh air, and laughter with friends. After the waterfalls, we headed to Pope Beach on Lake Tahoe for swimming. We first had a picnic lunch, and then whoever wanted to put on her swim suit tried the Tahoe water! Despite the cold water, everyone had a great time swimming and wading by the beach and playing in the water.

We returned to the house where everyone rested, took a walk in the neighborhood, prepared food or made jewelry, while the men barbequed beef and chicken and graciously served the women. Later, there was more dancing and karaoke, game playing, and lots of laughs! The entire weekend was a wonderful celebration of community, enjoying each others' company and exploring a new area. The love, kindness and respect with which everyone treated each other was truly inspiring. As we were leaving Tahoe, all talked about how much they enjoyed being together. The comment made by a large number of the women was that this weekend was the most joyful and memorable experience in their lives."