Week 20
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. ~ Albert Einstein
I am more convinced than ever of the power of creative expression – images, story, movement, song – to catalyze creative problem-solving. Brain science confirms this: we have two hemispheres, right and left. By holding only to the rational, linear, and analytical, we treat the right brain as a poor step-child. We need to get over thinking of right-brain pursuits like art, poetry, music, and storytelling as mere “entertainment.” How can you open to new possibilities by honoring the gift of intuition this week?
More: View the fascinating and exciting TED talk by Jill Bolte Taylor.
Read the Weekly Green from Week 19 here.
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Week 19
When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong. ~ R. Buckminster Fuller
Beauty is love made manifest. Approaching a problem with such open-heartedness brings in all the inspiration, creativity, and quantum leaps that are available to us. We are all born geniuses, so when we admire genius in someone like Bucky Fuller, we acknowledge that potential within ourselves. This week, how will you choose to tap the fullness and flow of your natural genius?
More: Bucky Fuller was wonderfully quotable. Read more quotes here.
Read the Weekly Green from Week 18 here.
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Week 13
I am here to be seen. We see you. ~ traditional African greeting
What a tremendous act of trust to step up and be seen – really seen. And what a beautiful act of love to acknowledge someone so elegantly. I love the exchange between the individual and the group here, too. The vulnerability of being one, the gift and power of being part of a larger whole. What can you do to acknowledge others in this way?
More: Watch Wangaari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya and winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, telling a story to answer, “what can we do?”
Watch a 3-minute PBS video about her work.
Read the Weekly Green from Week 12 here.
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Week 11
Enough is as good as a feast. ~ Mary Poppins
This speaks right to my heart as a North American, so used to getting whatever I want, whenever I want it. Some say that sustainability will only be possible when those of us in developed countries dramatically dial back our consumption. Polls show that, even with all our stuff and wealth, our happiness quotient has dropped steadily since the 1950’s. Humans need so little to be truly happy. This week, notice when you are content.
More: Learn about positive psychology and happiness.
Read the Weekly Green from Week 10 here.
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Week 10
We face a series of great opportunities disguised as insoluble problems. ~ John Gardner
I like the notion that the seeds of solution lie at the very heart of our most intractable problems. The Buddhist practice of Tonglen is “poison as medicine.” Going right into what causes the most suffering and finding the gold within it. This can be applied on a personal level, in a company, a community, even a nation. How can you see the opportunity in a tough problem this week?
More: Listen to a 4-minute talk about Tonglen practice (on MP3)
Read an article about Tonglen
Read the Weekly Green from Week 9 here.
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Week 9
Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction. ~ Albert Einstein
Simplicity is a radical idea. Sometimes I think the complexity of human systems is just a smokescreen for a lack of clarity or confidence that we know what we’re doing. I often find myself longing for a world where nobody tolerates the confusion of our man-made complexity. When we use models, analogies, stories and metaphor, we can simplify and understand systems. This week: where can you move towards simplicity and away from complexity?
More: Explore the Santa Fe Institute, which researches complexity theory.
Corollary: Make everything as simple as possible, but no simpler. ~ Albert Einstein
Read the Weekly Green from Week 8 here.
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Week 8
There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace. ~ Aldo Leopold
When we connect with what is real in this physical world, we are so much the richer for it. The land, the soil, the rain, sunlight, heat, cold – these are all conditions of life on earth that we might ignore or take for granted. There is a great, mysterious engine behind all of this, which quickly leads to the spiritual. When we connect with this source, our awe and wonder deepens. This week, connect with wonder by asking: where does your breakfast come from?
More: Find a farmer’s market anywhere in the U.S. by visiting Local Harvest.
Read the Weekly Green from Week 7 here.
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View the dynamic, moving GOforChange: Greening Baltimore video
