A Reckoning
Before we can start with the ending, we experience a reckoning.
Mind
An Offering
My biggest question over the last week has been, “How might I contribute at this time?” The term “CARE package” originated in 1945, when millions of Europeans were at risk of starvation in the aftermath of World War II. It has since become a generic term for humanitarian relief, or a small package of snacks …
Contracting and Expanding
On a conference call today someone said that, after a week of video and phone calls while in isolation, that it felt like “my world has both contracted and expanded at the same time.” I know this feeling. The world has quickly closed in around us. First the shops and restaurants closed, then the crowds …
The Right Question
In training to be a journalist, the first lesson I learned was how to ask the right questions so you can get meaningful answers. Researchers also understand this. From the laboratory to the field, starting with a clear question is critical to reaching a useful answer. The other half of this equation is to create …
Thoughts for a Winter’s Eve
A group of us spent some time together in a “virtual” circle (via video conference) last night, on the Winter Solstice. Tuning in from Boston, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Madrid, São Paulo, and Romania, we gathered to consider what we have learned this past year, what “darkness” in our lives we are prepared to leave behind, and …
Journeys and Discovery
A few years ago, I realized that many of the books to which I gravitated were about journeys. I read about Shackleton’s adventures, and about a group of prison camp escapees. I read Searching for Tamsen Donner, written by a writer-researcher who followed the path of the infamous Donner Party, trying to understand the woman …
Stress Wood
In Biosphere 2, a closed ecosystem experiment that was tried in Arizona, the trees that grew inside this giant greenhouse-like structure were weak because they were never exposed to wind and so didn’t develop the stronger “stress wood” needed to help them grow to old age. In this same way, you need the stress of …