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I have noticed a recent resurgence of post-doom angst being discussed by various contemporary thinkers I follow, so I recently revisited John D. Caputo's poetic but difficult book, 2015 book Hoping Against Hope , Caputo asks: If traditional religion no longer convinces us, is hope still possible? He answers: "Yes—but only if we let go of certainty, control, and reward and embrace a fragile, groundless, but active hope rooted in love and justice." He points to mystic Meister Eckhart and addresses the preciousness of life before death. The book is partly autobiographical. The Amazon summary says: " Caputo's conversation partners in this volume include J ean-François Lyotard , Jacques Derrida , and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel , but also earlier versions of himself: Jackie, a young altar boy, and Brother Paul, a novice in a religious order. Caputo traces his own journey from faith through skepticism to hope after the death of God. In the end, Caputo doesn't want to do away with religion; he wants to redeem religion and to reinvent religion for a postmodern time." Religionless Religion Caputo proposes: no fixed doctrines; no supernatural “interventionist” God, and no guaranteed salvation plan. Instead, religion becomes: a way of life; a sensitivity to justice, love, and the future; and a constant openness to what is still “to come.” He calls this a “religionless religion.” Caputo asserts, “God does not exist-God insists”. This is his most provocative idea: God is not a being “out there”- God is more like a call, a demand, or a possibility. Think of God as the pull toward justice; the call to love, and the insistence that things could be better So God isn’t something you prove—it’s something that claims you. The “Nihilism of Grace” Caputo accepts the post-modern insight that there may be no ultimate meaning, plan, or guarantee, but instead of despairing, he flips it: Acts of love, mercy, and hospitality should be done “without why," not for reward, salvation, or divine approval. Grace becomes a pure gift, with no strings attached. That’s what he calls the “nihilism of grace.” "Hoping against hope” really means (borrowed from the biblical idea of Abraham, but reinterpreted) not hope based on promises or certainty; not hope grounded in doctrine, but instead, hope with no guarantees - hope in the face of meaninglessness, suffering, and even extinction. It’s a kind of stubborn, defiant stance: Hope anyway—even when nothing justifies it. Caputo is not abstract for its own sake. His bottom line is care for the poor; practice hospitality; act with compassion, but crucially, do it without expecting reward or cosmic payoff - the action itself is the “kingdom of God.” I asked ChatGPT: "Where did the phrase ' hoping against hope' originate, and what does it mean? It responded: "The phrase 'hoping against hope' comes from the Bible, specifically Romans 4:18, where Paul writes about Abraham. In many English translations, it appears as: “In hope he believed against hope…” The idea is that Abraham kept trusting in God’s promise that he would become the father of many nations, even when, humanly speaking, there was no reasonable basis for hope, because he and Sarah were old. What it means: to keep hoping even when circumstances give you almost no grounds for optimism . It suggests hope that persists despite evidence, odds, or appearances . So the phrase carries two layers: ordinary hope : what seems realistically possible deeper hope : refusing despair even when ordinary hope has run out In common usage, it usually means clinging to hope in a seemingly hopeless situation . Theologians like Kierkegaard, Moltmann, or Caputo use the phrase in related but sharply different ways: Kierkegaard: “hope against hope” becomes the logic of faith at the edge of the absurd . In Fear and Trembling , Abraham is the model: from the standpoint of ordinary reason, he should give up the promise, yet he trusts anyway. For Kierkegaard, this is not optimism, progress, or positive thinking. It is the individual standing before God in a paradox that reason cannot secure. So in his hands, “hoping against hope” means faith when worldly expectation has collapsed . Moltmann: The phrase becomes more historical and political . For Jürgen Moltmann, especially in Theology of Hope , Christian hope is grounded in God’s promised future , above all, the resurrection. That means hope is not just inward endurance in impossible personal circumstances; it is a force that resists resignation and works toward transformation in history. So Moltmann shifts the emphasis from Kierkegaard’s existential paradox to public, future-oriented, world-changing hope . “Against hope” here means hoping against the evidence of suffering, injustice, and death , because God’s future is not exhausted by the present. Caputo: The phrase becomes more fragile, radical, and deconstructive .John D. Caputo uses “hoping against hope” less as confidence in a guaranteed divine outcome and more as fidelity to the call of the impossible . His hope is often stripped of metaphysical certainty. It is hope without strong assurances, without mastery, and sometimes without a settled picture of how God “intervenes.” In Caputo, hoping against hope means remaining open to the event, the promise, the insistence of justice or the kingdom , even when there is no triumphalist guarantee that things will turn out well. It is a more vulnerable hope than Moltmann’s, and less centered on Abrahamic faith as paradox than Kierkegaard’s. A clean way to distinguish them: Kierkegaard: hope as faith in paradox Moltmann: hope as confidence in God’s future for history Caputo: hope as weak, risky openness to the impossible So all three resist despair, but they do not resist it in the same register: Kierkegaard: existential Moltmann: eschatological-political Caputo: deconstructive-apophatic The big difference is this: Kierkegaard asks, How can one believe when reason breaks down? Moltmann asks, How can hope transform history? Caputo asks, How can one remain faithful to a promise without guarantees? I asked ChatGPT: "What does Pierre Teilhard de Chardin believe about hope in Omega as an evolutionary direction? It's repsonse was: "For Teilhard de Chardin , hope in Omega means that evolution is not just random change but a directed movement toward greater complexity, consciousness, and spiritual unification , culminating in Omega Point , which he identifies in a Christological way as the final fulfillment of creation. Sources describe Omega as the goal and direction of cosmic history , not merely a biological endpoint, and as the point toward which personal consciousness is drawn into unity through love. So his view of hope differs from ordinary optimism. It is not simply “things will get better.” It is the conviction that the universe has a deep evolutionary trajectory : matter gives rise to life, life to thought, thought to a kind of planetary consciousness, and this movement tends toward a final consummation in Christ/Omega. In that sense, hope is cosmic and evolutionary before it is merely personal. A key Teilhardian idea here is the noosphere : the sphere of reflective thought and human interconnection that emerges out of biological evolution. Human history, culture, and consciousness are therefore part of evolution’s advance, not side issues. Hope in Omega means trusting that this long process of convergence is moving toward communion rather than fragmentation , even through conflict and incompleteness. But there is a hard truth here: Teilhard’s view is deeply controversial . Many critics argue that he reads too much direction, purpose, and inevitability into evolution, and that this is difficult to reconcile with mainstream scientific accounts that stress contingency and with orthodox Christian theology in some respects. Even sympathetic reference sources note that his Omega vision is partly a mystical interpretation rather than something science itself demonstrates. Put simply, Teilhard believes hope is justified because the world is being drawn toward final personal unity in Christ , not drifting aimlessly. If Kierkegaard’s hope is existential and Moltmann’s is historical, Teilhard’s is evolutionary-cosmic . A compact formula for Teilhard would be: evolution → consciousness → convergence → Omega And the meaning of hope in that scheme is: the future of the universe is not meaningless dispersal, but fulfilled union ." Denis Noble is part of the Third Way movement in evolutionary biology that views natural selection as part of a holistic, organism-centered process. He co-authored Evolution on Purpose , published by MIT Press in 2023, which argues that organisms evolve with intention. Noble sees compelling evidence that purpose may be fundamental to life. He’s determined to debunk the current scientific paradigm and replace the elevated importance of genes with something much more controversial. In a Forbes article, Evolution May Be Purposeful, And It’s Freaking Scientists Out . If you are really into this, watch an interview with Denis Nobel, Science is Reconsidering Evolution.   Denis Nobel and David Sloan Wilson debate in their 2025 book   Is Neo-Darwinism Enough? Steve McIntosh's 2012 book Evolution's Purpose: An Integral Interpretation of the Scientific Story of Our Origins   reveals that evolution's purpose is "to grow toward ever-widening realizations of beauty, truth, and goodness."

AREAS is a framework we developed for the 10F project to map strategic positioning during systemic transformation. "The world isn't breaking down. It's breaking apart—into multiple systems with incompatible rules." ~ 10F Consortium The 10F Consortium is "an independent collective of 20+ futurists, strategic analysts, and domain experts who convened in Singapore in September 2025. "The project operates with complete intellectual independence, funded by the Tingari-Silverton Foundation . They came up with ten strategic forecasts that mapped how unified global systems are fragmenting into multiple incompatible arrangements. They call this the shift from "one game to many games"—where organizations must now navigate competing rules, shifting alliances, and parallel systems that don't interoperate. This is strategic intelligence for organizations making decisions in a world where the old playbook no longer applies." There are the Ten Forecasts: The Ten Forecasts From Agreed Transparency to Engineered Opacity From Political Spectrum to Ideological Fog From Digital Empathy to Localized Solidarity From Special Relationships to Strategic Situationships From Collective Climate Ambition to Fragmented Adaptation From Open Society to Strategic Opacity From Selective Migration to People as an Asset Class From Energy Hegemony to Power Plurality From Dollar Dominance to Money Unbundled From Technology Convergence to Sovereign Systems Domains covered: Trade systems, migration, energy, financial systems, climate policy, civil society, technology governance, political systems, information ecosystems, and global health infrastructure. Self-organized. Open-access. Built for post-2025 disruption. Twenty-plus independent practitioners—no institutional sponsor, no client agenda—came together to produce the strategic foresight that traditional institutions aren't delivering. The consortium convened for an intensive two-day workshop in Singapore, followed by distributed drafting and editorial collaboration across six continents. Project Leads: Scott Smith   — Co-founder of Changeist, author of How to Future   (2020), co-author of Future Cultures ( 2023) , has 25+ years in applied foresight. Ariel Muller  — Founder of Middlegame, strategic foresight, and systems design. Susan Cox-Smith  — Co-founder of Changeist, futures research and strategy, co-author of Future Cultures (2023) Key Contributors:   Lina Srivastava (Center for Transformational Change, US), Aarathi Krishnan (RAKSHA Intelligence Futures, US), Dr. Jake Dunagan (IFTF, US), Cheryl Chung (Tent Futures, Singapore), Dr. Katindi Sivi (LongView Consulting, Kenya), Prof. Ariella Helfgott (SA Futures Agency, Australia), Bernise Ang and Shaun Koh (Zeroth Labs, Singapore), Dr. Vaughn Tan (Singapore), Igor Schwarzmann (Berlin, Germany), and others. "What we're witnessing isn't random chaos but systematic reorganization driven by strategic norm abandonment. When powerful actors defect from established rules—whether tariff frameworks, climate commitments, or information transparency—it signals that old constraints no longer bind. This triggers cascades of imitation that transform entire systems. Organizations assuming a return to normal will discover the ground has shifted beneath them." ~ 10F Consortium

The term "interspirituality" was coined in 1 999 by Brother Wayne Teasdale in his book, The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World's Religions . In 2002, a charity organization known as The Interspiritual Dialogue was founded with Br. Teasdale, and it became the parent of the Light on Light Press . In 2012, Namaste Publishing released Dr. Kurt Johnson and David Robert Orr's book The Coming Inter-spiritual Age . Amazon says: " This book addresses Brother Wayne Teasdale’s vision of "The Interspiritual Age,” a vision that parallels the equally well-known and publicized visions of the world’s developmental and evolutionary consciousness movements (known therein as coming " Integral Age ” or " Age of Evolutionary Consciousness ”) and the international humanist movement (known therein as the emerging Iinternational Ethical Manifold”). As such, The Coming Interspiritual Age is the first synthesis of interfaith and interspirituality with the popular writings of integral leaders Ken Wilber and Don Beck . " The   Interspiritual Network   began at the Dawn of Interspirituality Conference   in 2013, with its website going online in 2000. In 2025, Light on Light Press published a historic two-volume set (available in paperback and on Kindle) . " Volume 1-The Heritage offered a historical tapestry of the emerging interspiritual experience (1999–2015). Volume 2— The Future   traces its evolution from 2015 to the present, spotlighting the next wave of voices, visions, and initiatives of this global phenomenon. The contributions reflect a world in urgent transformation—socially, ecologically, politically, and spiritually—and affirm Interspirituality as a dynamic, adaptive response to our global challenges. "

"In a time of intersecting crises — conflict, climate disruption, displacement, and growing inequality — women and girls are often called upon to carry both material and emotional burdens of survival and care. While much policy attention focuses on structural solutions, far less attention is given to the inner capacities that sustain collective action for justice. This gap becomes especially visible where gender justice work is undermined by backlash, burnout, shrinking civic space, and the erosion of trust and legitimacy needed to carry policy commitments forward." March 12, 2026 - The Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement ( CEIE) with the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities and Episcopal Relief & Development  is having an interactive side event in New York City. : Practicing Hope: Inner Capacities for Gender Justice in Times of Crisis. "Explore hope as a learnable inner capacity that strengthens women’s leadership and collective action for gender equality in contexts of crisis and instability. Drawing on the Inner Development Goals, peace psychology research, and faith-based development practice, the session integrates brief inputs with an arts-based participatory experience led by sound artist Andromeda Turre." "Participants will engage in small-group dialogue to identify how cultivating hope supports collective agency, legitimacy, and sustained action for gender justice and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action , particularly in contexts of backlash and implementation gaps." Learn more and RSVP here "This interactive side event explores hope as a learnable and collective capacity for advancing gender equality, drawing on emerging research, faith-based development practice, and the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) guide. Rather than treating hope as passive optimism, the session frames hope as a collective, political capacity rooted in meaning-making, relationship, and agency — enabling sustained leadership and resistance in the face of structural injustice." "The event combines short inputs from practitioners and researchers with a participatory artistic experience led by singer and sound artist Andromeda Turre, whose Echoes of Hope project gathers spoken reflections on hope from communities worldwide and weaves them into an evolving sound archive." "Participants will engage in small-group dialogue (in triads or groups of four), using principles from Gestalt and dialogical learning, as a method of generating policy-relevant learning by surfacing patterns of burnout, hope, and collective agency often missed in formal data, while reflecting on how hope is cultivated in their own contexts of gender justice work." This event is co-organized by:  Andromeda Turre Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement, Seattle University Episcopal Relief & Development Joint Learning Initiative on Faith & Local Communities "The Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement (CEIE) at Seattle University is rooted in a Jesuit, Catholic commitment to ecumenical and interreligious engagement, spiritual and indigenous pathways, and cultural wisdom. At CEIE, we Engage, Learn, Grow, and Lead... CEIE is rooted in religious and spiritual depth expressed through the ages. In the wake of violence, loss, and deep social strain experienced across communities around the world, our work is to build bridges and provide resources that respond to conflict by integrating the depth of our past for a shared future." Earlier this year, on January 28, 2026,  Seattle University Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement  ( CEIE) and St. James Cathedral Pastoral Outreach Center co-hosted a special ecumenical worship event: “Light from Light for Light”  celebrating our call to be people of light in the world. This was in celebration of the 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,

"At a time when the world appears increasingly turbulent something deeper is also moving — a maturation of awareness, responsibility, and relationship. The spiral is an ancient and universal symbol of evolution. It  honours both continuity and change ,  grounding and emergence. Rather than beginning again, we are integrating what has come before, moving forward with greater coherence, wisdom, and care." This past weekend (February 21-22, 2026), I participated online in Symposium V: Spiralling UP: A New Energy for Planetary Consciousness, hosted by   UNITY EARTH . I was impressed with the palpable love among the speakers and participants, the positive outlook, and no discussion of doom or the current President of the USA. My only disappointment was that the younger generations were largely missing from the event. Spiralling Up was a global broadcast gathering on Zoom and YouTube. It was a "moment of collective transition" that brought together voices from across cultures, disciplines, and spiritual traditions at a moment of profound planetary change." "Each year, the Unity Earth Symposium serves as both a contemplative space and a catalytic forum — a place to reflect, align, and re-orient toward what is emerging in human consciousness and planetary   responsibility.  In  2026, that emergence is clear — even if the pathway is not." "Spiralling Up featured Robert Atkinson, Diane Berke, Ben Bowler, Roger P. Briggs, Adam Bucko, Jude Currivan, Riane Eisler, Tezikiah Gabriel, Charles P. Gibbs, Jeff Genung, Audrey Kitagawa, Mussie Hailu, Kristin Hoffmann, Kurt Johnson, William Keepin, Julie Krull, Rama Mani, Deborah Moldow, Omashar, Jon Ramer, Alexander Schieffer, and Anne-Marie Voorhoeve,  all members of: Evolutionary Leaders: In Service to Conscious Evolution   of  The Source of Synergy Foundation ." "Spiraling Up speaks to e volution without erasure; growth without disconnection; progress rooted in memory, place, and relationship. There were three days of keynotes, panels, and live dialogue around: Planetary consciousness and collective responsibility Interspiritual wisdom transcending religious boundaries Cultural healing, reconciliation, and peacebuilding Inner transformation as a foundation for outer action Partnership, alliances, and collaborative futures" Day 1 – Feb 20, 2026 - Vision & Direction - UNITY EARTH as an organisation: reflected on purpose, learnings, and pathways for 2026 and beyond. Day 2 – Feb 21, 2026, was dedicated to Partnerships, Coalitions, Alliances, and Networks  — because no single movement can meet this moment alone. They explored networks, coalitions, and collaborative responses to global challenges with featured speakers: Jude Currivan , Riane Eisler, and Roger P. Briggs. "The morning session brought together leaders whose work bridges traditions, sectors, and systems. Dr. Julie Krull explored inner coherence as the foundation of outer collaboration. Ambassador Mussie Hailu and Sami Awad drew on decades of peacebuilding across cultures, demonstrating how alliances form through courageous relationships. Syed Salman Chishty embodies the Sufi tradition’s call to unity through service." "Yuka Saionji Matsuura , representing the global May Peace Prevail On Earth movement and the Goi Peace Foundation, demonstrates how shared intention can become living infrastructure — a worldwide network linking governments, communities, and grassroots leaders through a universal prayer for peace." From cosmology to partnership economics,   Dr. Jude Currivan , Roger Briggs , Rama Mani, Alexander Schieffer , Riane Eisler, and Jon Ramer illuminated how networks of cooperation — across governance, spirituality, and social innovation — are shaping a regenerative planetary future. Hosted by Ben Bowler , these sessions reveal partnership not merely as a strategy, but as a lived practice — the essential architecture of planetary consciousness. Day 3 – Feb 22, 2026, turned toward the maturation of interspirituality — how shared spiritual awareness becomes structured, embodied action in the world. From Awareness to Action dialogued with interspiritual pioneers, focusing on how insight becomes embodied, relational, and actionable. Featured speakers were "interspiritual pioneers." Hosted by Dr. Kurt Johnson and Rev. Deborah Moldow,   the morning opened with a keynote from Rev. Matthew Fox , whose Creation-centered theology and prophetic voice call us into a spirituality that serves justice, ecology, and cultural transformation. Morning :  Ben Bowler, Matthew Fox, Matthew M. Cobb, Patrick Carolan, Kurt Johnson, John Calvin Chatlos, Roger P. Briggs; Grove Harris, Jonathan Granoff, Jyotsna Singh; Jeffrey Genung, Diane Berke, William Keepin, Susan Belchamber. Find the session on YouTube here. Afternoon :  Ben Bowler, Sally Mahé, Charles P. Gibbs, Kay Lindahl, Victor Kazanjian Jr., Gard Jameson; Rory McEntee, Netanel Miles-Yépez, Alexandra Warden, Adam Bucko; Yanni Maniates, Deborah Moldow, Robert Atkinson, Karen Volker, and Kurt Johnson. Find the session on YouTube here. Three converging clusters on Day 3 demonstrated how this vision is being carried forward: Cluster 1 – Bede Griffiths Trust Matthew M. Cobb, Patrick Carolan, Calvin Chatlos, and Roger Briggs represent a contemplative lineage in dialogue with science, ecology, and systems thinking — spirituality expressed through institutional continuity and cultural evolution. Cluster 2 – Temple of Understanding Grove Harris, Jonathan Granoff, and Jyotsna Singh show how spiritual principles can influence diplomacy, education, and global cooperation — translating dialogue into structural impact. Cluster 3 – Holomovement & Prosocial Spirituality Jeff Genung, Rev. Diane Berke, William Keepin, and Susan Belchamber explored the integration of spirituality, systems science, and collective intelligence in shaping regenerative culture. In a dedicated segment, Rocky Dawuni shared reflections on the cultural dimension of planetary awakening, followed by one of his songs — embodying the movement from awareness into action through art. The Spiraling Up Symposium V was held in alignment with UN World Interfaith Harmony Week , held February 1-7, 2026. Sessions partnered with the discussion groups from: United Religions Initiative Bede Griffiths Trust Charis Foundation for Interspirituality Temple of Understanding Holomovement ProSocial Spirituality Find upcoming events from ONE World here . Find ou t about the Compassion Games here. Sign up for Compassion Game International here. Find out more about Light on Light' s historic two-volume publications here. Read Light on Light ISSUU here. Unity Earth TV https://unity.earth/tv/ offers " Innovative programming at the intersection of science, technology, spirituality, and the arts, showcasing, celebrating, and connecting remarkable individuals and organizations from around the world. " Ben Bowler is the Executive Director of Unity Earth TV. The key people are Rev. Deborah Moldow (Vision Keeper), Dr. Kurt Johnson (Convenor, Scholar), Pooki Lee (Vision Keeper), and Antoinette Rootsdawtah (Marketing & Public Relations). Board members include Victoria Friedman, Laurence Singer, Yanni Maniates, Emanuel Kuntzelman, and Laura Rose "Every week, Unity Earth hosts two weekly community calls to help span the globe. One on Wednesday at 3 p.m. PT... These calls are the perfect place to weave into the community and get engaged in Unity Earth events ." Find Unity Earth on Facebook here.

Here's a list of some upcoming online and Rogue Valley in-person eco-spiritual activities that may interest you. Check back, as this post will be updated during February 2026 as we get additional information, and a new calendar listing will come out in late February. Don't be intimidated by the scope of this list; choose to participate in just what calls to you. February 2, 2026 – July 2026 : The BTS Center  is offering a series of Chaplaincy Conversation Circles in 12 sessions over 6 months on: Being Chaplains in a Climate-Changed World. " The multi-faceted work of spiritual care is increasingly buffeted by the effects of climate change. In response," Applications are open until January 16th. More information  here . February 3, 2026 , from 10 a.m. to noon PST - Earth Literacies  is offering a four-week program, Thomas Berry: Spiritual Master of the Emerging Ecozoic Age , on Tuesdays, February 3–24, with Sister Kathleen Deignan. More information and registration here. February 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. PST - DeepTime Network (a global community exploring pathways to an ecological civilization) is presenting Being a Lotus in the Sea of Fire. Two leading practitioners of engaged Buddhism from  Beloved Community Circles , Coryna Ogunseitan and John Bell, will share a path that offers just that. " Beloved Community Circles  (BCC)   is a close-knit, decentralized network of people in various countries working towards climate and racial justice in their communities, grounded in nonviolence, emotional healing, spiritual practice, and mindful action." Zoom Link here . February 3, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. PST   - The American Teilhard Association  will be hosting its Annual Members’ Meeting 2026.  The topic for our discussion that evening is To See as Teilhard Sees. Before gathering in Breakout Rooms, they will listen to a few of our members who will share with us their answers to questions that we will be posing. After time in the Breakout Rooms, they will open the floor to a general discussion and sharing from members.  You  can   register here . February 3, 2026 , at 4 p.m. PST - The Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology presents The Rights of Nature . with Tyler Mark Nelson, Program Director of the Living Earth Community, a newly launched program at the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. "The Living Earth Community is an evolving knowledge commons that fosters dialogue between science, law, spirituality, and humanism to evoke wonder and inspire action towards biodiversity conservation." February 3, 2026 , from 4-5:30 p.m. PST - Center for Christogenesis  is offering a webinar How Christianity Got Jesus Wrong   with Reggie Williams . " Throughout history, shifting social, political, and economic circumstances have brought new interests and anxieties to the surface, shaping the questions each era brings to the story of Jesus." More information and registration here. February 5, 2026  - Convergence  is offering   Leading with Spirit: Six Initiations into Soul-Grounded Leadership , a new 6-week online course co-taught  with Dr. Margaret (Meg) Wheatley and Rev. Cameron Trimble. The course will make reference to Wheatley's 2010 book Perseverance . February 7, 2026 , from 9 a.m.-12 Noon PST - Spiritual Wanderlust is offering Night School - a 12 Month Rhythm of Wondering, Wrestling, and Welcoming All the Darkness Has to Offer on Saturdays starting February 7th. These twelve live gatherings, with elders like James Finley, Barbara Brown Taylor, Christine Valters Paintner, and Ronald Rolheiser, will also include small group gatherings beginning 15 minutes after the presentations, from 10:45-11:45 a.m. February 7, 2026 , from 3-5 p.m. PST - SOCAN is offering a workshop to help folks who are interested in influencing legislative directions, but haven’t done it before, learn how to do it and compose an item of testimony for themselves to submit. in the Medford Public Library (Adams Room). If you have a laptop computer, please bring it to make life easier. February 10, 2026, at 9 a.m. PST   - Cameron Trimble will be launching The Commons - a Community of Practice on Tuesdays, starting February 17, for a free, four-week book group where we will read and discuss Life After Doom  (2024) by Brian McLaren. "This book feels even more urgent and timely now than when it was published two years ago. Whether you’ve read this book before or if this will be your first time, join Cameron and others as we explore what it means to embody wisdom and courage for a world that is falling apart." Feb. 10 will be an introduction. Register here. February 10, 2026 , at 11 a.m. PST - Garrison Institute  is having a virtual forum: A Conversation Exploring the Living Earth Community , with Garrison Institute cofounder Jonathan F.P. Rose and Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker, cofounder of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, that helped create the Living Earth Community. February 17, 2026 , from 2-4 p.m. PST - Oregon DEQ Climate Protection Program Equity Advisory Committee Meeting. Meeting materials, including the agenda, will be posted on the  Equity Advisory Committee page   of the  Climate Protection Program  website.     Join Zoom Meeting    February 18, 2026, from 4:00–5:15 p.m. PST - Garrison Institute is hosting the first of five dialogues in their series, Conservation in China for Ecological Civilization . Other webinars will be on March 4, March 18, April 15, and April 29. "This conversation features conservation scientist and environmental anthropologist Gao Yufang in dialogue with Mary Evelyn Tucker of Yale University, moderated by Stephen Posner of Garrison Institute. This forum examines conservation in China as a “nexus” challenge—where ecological science intersects with social realities and cultural meaning, and where lasting success depends on trust, governance, and long-term stewardship." More information and registration here. February 21-22, 2026 , with t wo sessions daily: 7 a.m.-9:30 a.m. and 3-5:30 p.m. PST - Unity Earth is hosting Symposium V: Spiralling UP: A New Energy for Planetary Consciousness . featuring Robert Atkinson, Diane Berke, Ben Bowler, Roger P. Briggs, Adam Bucko, Jude Currivan, Riane Eisler, Tezikiah Gabriel, Charles P. Gibbs, Jeff Genung, Audrey Kitagawa, Mussie Hailu, Kristin Hoffmann, Kurt Johnson, William Keepin, Julie Krull, Rama Mani, Deborah Moldow, Omashar, Jon Ramer, Alexander Schieffer, and Anne-Marie Voorhoeve,  all members of: Evolutionary Leaders: In Service to Conscious Evolution of  The Source of Synergy Foundation . More information and registration here . February 24, 2026 , at 4 p.m. PST - Join Matthew Fox and the international Order of the Sacred Earth community on the last Tuesday of every month for an hour-long council meeting. Join the Zoom Meeting:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88665302478 February 24, 2026 , at 6 p.m. PST - SOCAN's Monthly Meeting the the Medford Public Library will feature a discussion of misinformation, disinformation, and how the credible media deal with it. Bert Etling, Executive Director of Ashland. News, will offer his perspectives on this troubling issue and share advice on how we can recognize this fraud when it appears. February 25, 2026 , at 10 a.m. PST - Project Drawdown Ignite is presenting a webinar: Emergency Brakes in the News: Is mainstream media under-reporting the most urgently needed climate solutions? In this webinar, Project Drawdown Senior Communications Manager Skylar Knight and Arizona State University doctoral student Cody Hays share the results of a recent collaborative research project analyzing the coverage of emergency brake climate solutions in three leading United States-based media outlets. February 26, 2025, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PST - The Scientific and Medical Network is presenting a webinar: The Great Cultural Awakening: Key to an Equitable, Sustainable, and Harmonious Age with Paul Schafer. What If Everything We’ve Built for 250 Years Can’t Save Us – What Comes Next? Note: This is being broadcast on 25 February, 7-8:30 PM (UK) March 16, 2026,  at 11 a.m. PST -   IFTF   is presenting   Fast Futures: Foresight for Beginners   - a fast-paced, 90-minute, online learning experience taught live by Jane McGonigal about signals and drivers of change. $99   Rogue Valley Voice aggregates and curates information from many third-party sources and does not necessarily endorse all aspects of others' work. Still, we find their viewpoint provocative and interesting enough to encourage the reader to engage with and come to their understanding and actions, as they deem appropriate.

Bluesky is an open social network app that gives creators independence from platforms, developers the freedom to build, and users a choice in their experience. Bluesky isn't owned by the techbros at Meta or X, and there's no algorithm to fight, and no invasive "Sponsored Posts, "Suggested Post" that tramples over your feed so FB can make money. Jamais Cascio, in his 2025 book Navigating the Age of Chaos: A Sense-Making Guide to a BANI World that Doesn't Make Sense , notes that "social media is often an engine of chaos", but points to Bluesky as an example of "how organizations can bend and flip a brittle system" using AT Protocol (an open standard for distributed social networking services). Bluesky Social PBC owns the technology, but it has announced that it will soon transfer ownership to the Internet Engineering Task Force. " In 2021, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tapped Jay Graber to lead the Bluesky project, which was spun off as an independent public benefit company, just before Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter. Bluesky CEO Jay Graber has been banning people like Laura Loomer, Musk, and MTG within an hour of them joining. In September 2023, Bluesky only had around 1 million registered users, but this figure climbed to more than 20 million by the end of November 2024 and over 40 million a s of November 2025,  While impressive growth, this is still low compared with X's roughly 560 million users, but high in comparison to Truth Social's base, estimated at 2 million – 6.3 million monthly users . D S Shiffman  and J Wester wrote in 2025:   Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have switched to Bluesky .  Research shows that " many scientists have abandoned it [Twitter] in favor of Bluesky" and that "for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter." Meanwhile, NPR reports in mid-February 2026, "Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand in Los Angeles in a trial that could reshape social media. The plaintiffs are accusing platforms like Instagram and Facebook of being intentionally designed to hook teenagers, sparking a nationwide youth mental health crisis. The case hinges on whether the tech companies engineer “defective products” to   exploit vulnerabilities  in young people's brains." Find Rick Bonetti on BlueSky here.

View of Guiyang from Dongshan Temple "China’s emerging framework of Ecological Civilization is reshaping what conservation can mean—expanding the public discourse beyond protected areas and species recovery to include culture, livelihoods, and the ethical foundations of human–nature relationship." ~ Garrison Institute The Pathways to Planetary Health initiative at the Garrison Institute  and the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology are co-sponsoring a series of 5 webinars. " This forum examines conservation in China as a “nexus” challenge—where ecological science intersects with social realities and cultural meaning, and where lasting success depends on trust, governance, and long-term stewardship." Series Featured Topics: Roots of Renewal: Ecological Civilization in China and the Confluence of  Tradition and Modernity | February 18, 2026 Ecological Civilization: Thirty Years of Work in China  | March 4 , 2026 Reading the Chinese Classics for Self-Transformation and Social Reform  | March 18 , 2026 Daoism and Ecological Civilization  | April 14 , 2026 A New Ecological Civilization Hub for Learning, Teaching, and Action  | April 29 , 2026 Their speakers will explore "how on-the-ground conservation efforts in China—from protected landscapes to human–wildlife coexistence—are navigating the tensions and opportunities created by rapid modernization. What ethical approaches to conservation become possible when ecological values are treated as civilizational priorities? Where do the most difficult tradeoffs arise? What lessons might China’s experiments offer—or not offer—to leaders and communities elsewhere?" More information here . " Ecological civilization is the hypothetical concept that describes the alleged final goal of social and environmental reform within a given society. It implies that the changes required in response to global climate disruption and social injustices are so extensive as to require another form of human civilization, one based on ecological principles. It has become one of the tenets of the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party , often referred to as Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization ." This policy was established during the National Ecological and Environmental Protection Conference, held in May 2018. "The Chinese government views ecological civilization as linked to the development of the Belt and Road Initiative , where sometimes the term "Green Silk Road" is used. The government's view of ecological civilization is focused on cities, under the view that any solution for the climate crisis must focus on cities because that is where most people live, most energy is consumed, and most carbon emissions are generated. China has designated ecological civilization pilot cities, including Guiyang ." "The Belt & Road initiative (BRI) was launched by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Xi Jinping in 2013 while visiting Kazakhstan. It aims to invest in over 150 countries and international organizations through six overland economic corridors and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road ." "The BRI is central to Chinese foreign policy, promoting trade connectivity and China's leadership role in global affairs. As of 2025, participating countries account for nearly 75% of the world's population and over half of global GDP, based on aggregated membership and international economic datasets. The initiative is widely described as having the potential to enhance global trade, connectivity, and economic growth, particularly in developing economies." The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. By harnessing the experience, resources, and reach of its more than 1,400 Member organisations and the input of some 17,000 experts, IUCN is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. Conservation Edgewalkers , launched in 2017, is an interdisciplinary initiative that inspires and empowers emerging conservationists to work across boundaries for sustainable coexistence in the common interest of all life. Robin Wall Kimmerer is the author of the international bestseller Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants   and The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World . Kimmerer is a 2022 MacArthur Fellow. She lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. IPBES performs regular and timely assessments of knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services and their interlinkages, which include comprehensive thematic, global, and regional assessments. The Nature Record is a national initiative bringing together knowledge, storytelling, and public participation to elevate the role of nature in the U.S.

In the Conclusion of her 2020 book, Re-Enchanting the Earth: Why AI Needs Religion , scientist and theologian   Ilia Delio posits that space is “the knot that ties together the complex relationship of technology, personhood, and religion.” The Wholeness of Space  - In the pre-axial period, humans were part of nature rather than separate. “In the first axial period [which originated about 800-200 BCE], the space of nature’s wholeness was contracted into the space of the individual . Consciousness began to retreat from nature and focus on self, giving rise to competing spaces , which became a basis for conflict and violence. Over a long period of time, the first axial person gradually lost a sense of space within the whole ." "Religion unified space for the pre-axial person,  connecting the community to the sacred ground of the cosmic order, the axis mundi... but with the rise of monotheistic religions, the connection to the divine ground became conflicted and competitive. As a result, the space of God (where God dwells) became divided among the tribes. Religious fights became political fights, and political fights became territorial." "The price of evolutionary growth and expansion in the first axial period was division, which spawned urbanization, socialization, and technological development. In a sense, the first axial person developed by unraveling the cosmic whole.  One of the most significant factors in this unraveling was religion!” Sacred/Secular Space  - “By the mid-twentieth century, the world was fractured into a thousand pieces—by war, violence, hatred, nuclear weapons, and the many other tools humans invented to master the earth and one another. We ran out of space to be human; we could not breathe.” Science conquered space and, in doing so, displaced the human person from the center of the cosmos, creating a disorientation of personal identity in space .” The spectrum of space encompasses the cosmic and the quantum mystery and everything in between. It’s all about relationships. Cosmic space - Science has brought new awareness of the vast expanse of the universe beyond Earth, encompassing all matter, energy, galaxies, stars, and planets, representing the entirety of existence, pointing to the universe's grandeur and mystery. Our cosmological understanding is expanding as we attempt to grasp our place in the universe. Posthuman Space  - Human interrelationships are about boundaries as we live “in the splice.... "The posthuman is gender fluid, racially neutral, and interspiritual. The fluidity of boundaries and the recursive loops of ongoing identity construction mean that no category can adequately define personhood. Rather, the self is an ongoing discovery and a creative process; the soul, too, is a psychosocial process of ongoing construction. The soul as the core constitutive being of personhood emerges through growth and development of connections, as one seeks to live by the life of the whole.” "Ultrahumanism is not about perfection of being through artificial means; rather, it is invested with evolution toward more being through interconnectedness. Material can bring about well-being, but spiritual awareness and increasing consciousness bring about more being." "The ultrahuman has consciousness of relational being and so seeks to advance that wholeness in love." Heart Space  - We live in the midst of our whole body operating together in the flow of open inter-communication and participation among our entire being. We have centers of embodied knowing and being. In our collective mystical body, there is an inter-being and interflow among us. Interior Space - "The depth of interior space of mystics is understood both as a metaphorical, internal landscape of the soul and as a physical, cultivated environment that facilitates deep spiritual contemplation and union with the divine. It is characterized by solitude, stillness, and the cultivation of an inner sanctuary that serves as a refuge from the distractions of the outer world." Frederico Faggin sees conscious space in a CIP framework. Cyberspace - “a welcome renewal of nature, a vast, extensive space, a virginal endless exploration where one could create and bring to life things hidden and things unknown, a place where life could be art again." Artificial Intelligence - “AI is the science of nature in its chaotic, informationally driven openness to more intelligent life. It signifies that biological life stretches beyond the limits of bounded existence toward new collective wholeness.” Quantum Entanglement  - Quantum science is the study of atoms and subatomic particles, and how they interact with each other. It examines the very stuff we, and everything around us, are made of.   Quantum entanglement is the idea that particles of the same origin, which were once connected, always stay connected. If something happens to one particle, it affects all the others with which it’s entangled. It is “a phenomenon in which two or more particles become correlated, enabling the transfer of quantum information without physically transporting it. "Reality is nonlocal, and nature is not composed of discrete building blocks of 'matter”, but deeply entangled fields of energy. The nature of the universe is undivided wholeness, but it is constantly changing and evolving. Humans are part of the whole, and we share in this cosmic process of interdependence. Even our thoughts affect the whole."

The Recovery of our Oneness In 1993, Beatrice Bruteau (1930-2014) authored Radical Optimism: Rooting Ourselves in Reality , where she suggested that "by engaging in contemplative practices, we come to know ourselves more authentically, recenter spiritual values in our lives, and find more optimism about the world." Brutreau's book The Grand Option, The: Personal Transformation and a New Creation was published July 11, 2001. Written at the turn of the millennium, the book saw the world shifting to a global, interconnected, holistic community with a vision of a transforming, communion consciousness - a new creation - the evolutionary weaving of a new fabric of global unity. But then on September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States. In the preface to this second edition of Radical Optimism ( published October 1, 2002, one year after 9/11 ) Beatrice Bruteau noted: 'There is a System in place in the world which, almost unnoticed, has gained control of the fundamentals of life; food, jobs, welfare, security, health and safety measures... We need, urgently, to consider all over again what our life is about and what values are important... We need to find our way back to the basic realities, truths, and values." Today, a quarter of a century later, her words seem even more relevant. "In 2016, Orbis Books  released Personal Transformation and a New Creation ,  a collection of essays by scholars examining the writings of Bruteau and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin . The collection was edited by Ilia Delio . " Dr. Bruteau has published twelve books and more than one hundred articles. Her essays have appeared in journals such as International Philosophical Quarterly , Cross Currents , American Vedantist, and Cistercian Studies . Cynthia Bouregeault referred to Bruteau as an " Interspiritual pioneer who loomed large in the contemplative universe."

I am reading Dr. Federico Faggin's 2024 book Irreduc ible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature , in which he " explains his theory of consciousness and the nature of reality and shares his profound insights on the classical and quantum worlds, artificial intelligence, life, and the human mind." He elaborates on an idealist model of reality, "produced after years of careful thought and direct experience, according to which nature's most fundamental level is that of consciousness as a quantum phenomenon." The classical physical world consists merely of evocative symbols of a deeper reality. Federico’s theory explains the relationship between the body, mind, and consciousness. Everything is interconnected - there are no parts. “Quantum fields” may possess consciousness and free will as fundamental properties. Meaning, not information alone, is the foundation of reality. Cooperation and love, rather than competition, emerge as the natural organizing principles in this framework. Consciousness is an irreducible phenomenon; it exists only in C-space. Faggin developed the CIP framework (acronym formed by the initials of C onsciousness, I nformation, and P hysical). "The nature of reality consists of two complementary and irreducible aspects: the semantic space of conscious experiences, called C-space , and the informational space of symbolic forms, called I-space. Symbols are created by conscious entities to communicate and explore their inner meaning for the purpose of knowing themselves even more. Physical space , called P-space is a virtual space experienced by those conscious entities that control living organisms. Federico Faggin is an Italian-American physicist, engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur. He is best known for designing the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004. He led the 4004 project and the design group during the first five years of Intel's microprocessor effort. In 1990, Faggin experienced an awakening that "consciousness is fundamental and beyond matter." In 2011, What I am reading resonates with what P ierre Teilhard de Chardin explains about consciousness and matter, as interpreted by Ilia Delio and others.

This Image was generated by ChatGPT and has errors in only showing 6 Ages (missing the Ocean Age 1,500-1,800 BCE and using a wrong image for the Industrial Age). It is shown here to illustrate both the potential power and problems with AI technology, which has accelerated since Sachs' 2020 book! Jeffrey D. Sachs' 2020 book T he Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions grew out of three lectures given in 2017 at the Oxford School of Geography and Environment. The book was published as the COVID-19 epidemic was emerging, adding emphasis on our current accelerating globalization. Sachs emphasizes the need for new methods of international governance and cooperation to prevent conflicts and to achieve economic, social, and environmental objectives aligned with sustainable development. " Today’s most urgent problems are fundamentally global. They require nothing less than concerted, planetwide action if we are to secure a long-term future." The book traces the Seven Ages of Globalization - distinct waves of technological and institutional change shaped by geography: Paleolithic (70,000 - 10,000 BCE) Neolithic (10,000 - 3,000 BCE) Equestrian (3,000 - 1,000 BCE) Classical (1,000 BCE - 1500 CE) Ocean (1,500 - 1,800 CE) Industrial (1,800 - 2,000 CE) Digital (The 21st century) As a geographer, I love the book because it is full of maps and presents a visual history of humanity's interrelationship with the natural environment as it has evolved and is now facing an uncertain future. It is the book I wish was written 60 years ago during my college and university studies because it integrates cultural evolution, economics, politics, technology, institutions, and ethics/religion. It is consistent with the most recent understandings of science and cosmology of the universe. Sachs' book reminds me of the Human Energy Project's 30 short YouTube videos narrated by Brian Thomas Swimme about the 3rd Story of the noosphere - a planetary mind, an evolving living organism, the unfolding of a mind-like universe with a common sense of meaning and purpose. We have stumbled into the twenty-first century with our "Stone Age emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technolgy." ~ E. O. Wilson Jeffery Sachs  is an economist, the Director of The Earth Institute's Center for Sustainable Development   at Columbia University, President of the United Nations   Sustainable Development Solutions Network , and UN Advocate for the   Sustainable Development Goals  (SDGs) , - a set of 17 global goals adopted at a UN summit meeting in September 2015. Sachs' other most recent book is A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism (2020), where he says: " The American Century began in 1941 and ended on January 20, 2017 [when he was sworn into his first Presidency]... The current turn toward nationalism and “America first” unilateralism in foreign policy will not make America great. Instead, it represents the abdication of our responsibilities in the face of severe environmental threats, political upheaval, mass migration, and other global challenges." Sachs also authored three earlier New York Times best-sellers The End of Poverty (2006), Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (2008), The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity (2011). In addition, Columbia University Pres s has published several books by Sachs: To Move the World: JFK's Quest for Peace (2014), The Age of Sustainable Development (2015), Building the New American Economy: Smart, Fair, and Sustainabl e (2017), and A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism (2020). Sachs is also a contributing editor in Ethics in Action for Sustainable Development (2022), Against Happiness (2023), and Escaping the Resource Curse (2007). #JefferySachs #globalization #Sustainability #SDG #UnitedNations #ForeignPolicy #HumanEnergy #BrianSwimme

The real danger to responsible journalism, free speech, and democracy comes from within the United States, rather than from foreign intruders and social media technology. And we're not talking about the Google search engine bias or Facebook’s partnership with the Atlantic Council to suppress disinformation threatening democratic elections! The 2018 book, Network Propaganda: Manipulation, Disinformation, and Radicalization in American Politics by Yochai Benkler, Robert Faris, and Hal Roberts, “finds that the right-wing media ecosystem operates fundamentally differently than the rest of the media environment,” promoting “disinformation, lies, and half-truths.” For an overview of the book, read the August 28, 2018 article by Jeffrey Toobin in the New Yorker , where he says “The book’s message is almost simple. The two sides [Fox News vs. MSNBC and CNN] are not, in fact, equal when it comes to evaluating “news” stories, or even in how they view reality. Liberals want facts; conservatives want their biases reinforced. Liberals embrace journalism; conservatives believe the propaganda.” Toobin says the authors conclude that “something very different was happening in right-wing media than in centrist, center-left and left-wing media.” Accordingly, they wrote the book “to shine a light on the right-wing media ecosystem itself as the primary culprit in sowing confusion and distrust in the broader American ecosystem.” And there is a self-reinforcing feedback loop between right-wing media and the current President, who increasingly rely on cable news hosts and commentators to make decisions and determine which issues to highlight. When longtime analyst Ralph Peters left Fox News in March 2018 , he sharply criticized the network, denouncing the outlet as a “propaganda machine” devoted to the President, and saying that it was “wittingly harming our system of government for profit.” When the President tweeted on Tuesday morning that Google searches were “rigged: against him, he was probably reading PJ Media, a conservative news site, which published a piece with the headline, “ 96 Percent of Google Search Results for ‘Trump’ News Are from Liberal Media Outlets. ” So who is the puppet - the media owners, the President, or the gullible public? And who is really pulling the strings? And by the way, who still watches cable news channels or reads print media to get their news? At the other end of the spectrum stand the print and digital media bulwarks, The New York Times, respected for reporting depth and integrity, and The Washington Post, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos. Several other regional newspapers, including the Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, have been purchased by very wealthy men. Why do billionaires decide to buy newspapers (and why should we be happy when they do)? “If the [Washington] Post is like Amazon, happy to sell individual slices of its vertically integrated whole, the [New York] Times is perhaps more like Apple, bringing its ethos and voice to a more diverse array of products.” ~ Austin Smith. #FreeSpeech #democracy #responsiblejournalism #NetworkPropaganda #rightwingmediaecosystem

"It’s time for a comprehensive national civic uprising. It’s time for Americans in universities, law, business, nonprofits and the scientific community, and civil servants and beyond to form one coordinated mass movement." ~ David Brooks David Brooks wrote in the New York Times on April 17, 2025: What’s Happening Is Not Normal. America Needs an Uprising That Is Not Normal . He said: A civic uprising has to have a short-term vision and a long-term vision. Short term: Stop the current President. Foil his efforts. Pile on the lawsuits. Turn some of his followers against him. The second is a long-term vision of a fairer society that is not just hard on the current President, but hard on his causes — one that offers a positive vision. Brooks cited  Erica Chenoweth   and Maria Stephan 's 2012 book: Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict , which found that "campaigns of nonviolent resistance were more than twice as effective as their violent counterparts... Successful nonviolent resistance movements usher in more durable and internally peaceful democracies, which are less likely to regress into civil war." Listening to Timothy Snyder is an experience of being dazzled by a creative genius and an intellect of the ilk of Ilia Delio. His April 1, 2025, lecture at the New York Public Library makes an argument about the state of our political world. He makes the point that "if resistance and opposition are all tedium and repetition, then it won't happen!" - "As we are resisting, it cannot be just in the name of against, but in the name of for ... we need to have a clear vision of what we are resisting for ." "The way that authoritarianism is progressing in America is pretty generic. This is not the first time it has happened in the world. It behoves American institutions to get advice from places like Ukraine, Poland, and Slovenia, where there has been progress and regress, but where there has also been progress in coming back ." Institutions need to work together or they will be picked off one by one. You break civilization by breaking one part of society at a time. You have to preemptively band together, and you have to be prepared that "somebody is going to take a hit," and when that happens, be prepared to help. Realize that you never, ever persuade people in a one-off conversation. Try to find a way in the conversation for them to remember that you are a human being - that your concerns have to do with something normal, human, everyday. #DavidBrooks #TimothySnyder #Resistance #Non-Violence

Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility is a combined wind/solar/battery power generation facility near Lexington, Morrow County, Oregon. It is owned by Portland General Electric and NextEra Energy. On July 4, 2025, the President signed the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill into law. JPR reports that passage of the President's OBBB "will impact Oregon with fewer funds to fight climate change . Oregon had been promised nearly $200 million in federal funds to fight climate change through the Inflation Reduction Act, but the OBBB will eliminate much of the federal government’s involvement in climate change response. It stops federal tax credits for people buying electric vehicles or making homes energy efficient, and it restricts programs that seek to limit carbon emissions from industry. Tracking climate change could become more difficult; the bill claws back funding for greenhouse gas reporting programs. Even the Inflation Reduction Act renewable projects that are already in the works could be penalized if not completed by 2027." Oregon will see more logging, less timber money going to local communities, and less support for private forest owners. And renewable energy projects planned for federally owned lands could cost much more to develop and run. OBBB calls for the U.S. Forest Service to boost logging by 75% over the next decade, and a dds new fees for solar and wind projects on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land, and introduces new taxes on the energy generated by those projects. “It’s the most anti-environment and anti-climate bill in history,” ~ Lindsey Scholten, Oregon League of Conservation Voters The New York Times gives a national perspective on How the G.O.P. Bill Will Reshape America’s Energy Landscape . Meanwhile, the New York Times also reports that "In China, more wind turbines and solar panels were installed last year than in the rest of the world combined. And China’s clean energy boom is going global. Chinese companies are building electric vehicle and battery factories in Brazil, Thailand, Morocco, Hungary, and beyond."

How do the policies of Project 2025  reflect the published RNC Platform? How does the Heritage Foundation's blueprint for changing the Federal government, if the Republican candidate is elected, compare with the RNC Platform? Shouldn't objective science be viewed independently from political policy? My July 23, 2024, Rogue Valley Voice blog post  Drill Baby Drill?  focused on how the RNC convention made clear Republican policy intentions to abandon serious efforts to reduce the causes of man-made climate change in favor of fossil fuel interests. The July 19, 2024, edition of Scientific American takes a broader look, spelling out What to Know about Project 2025’s Dangers to Science.   The Republican Platform On July 8, 2024, the Republican National Committee (RNC) Platform Committee adopted the former President’s 2024 Republican Party Platform. That day's press release lists " 20 GOP Principles, Roadmap to Make America Great Again ." Republican "America first" priorities regarding the economy favor a smaller federal government; fewer restrictions on fossil fuel production; stimulating American manufacturing growth and American job creation; protectionist international trade policies; strengthening border security, fighting immigrant crime; and an isolationist foreign policy of dominance through increasing armaments (an iron dome missile defense shield). Conservative social policies emphasize traditional binary gender and family identity; an anti-abortion stance; controlling school curriculum; resistance to gun control; and reversing current voter rights. Appeal to Christian nationalism underpins support for this agenda. Project 2025 Although the 2024 Republican Presidential candidate now attempts to distance himself somewhat from Project 2025, " in 2022 the former President said the Heritage Foundation—the think tank that authored Project 2025—would ' lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do.'" "Although Trump is not among its 34 authors, more than half are appointees and staff from his time as president; the words “Trump” and “Trump Administration” appear 300 times in its pages. At least 140 former Trump officials are involved in Project 2025, according to a CNN tally . It’s reasonable to expect that a second Trump presidency would follow many of the project’s recommendations.' " ~ Scientific American Project 2025 - Presidential Transition Project - Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise is about "taking the reins of government" with proposed changes of specific Federal governmental Departments in common defense, general welfare, the economy, and independent regulatory agencies. Their " goal is to assemble an army of aligned, vetted, trained, and prepared conservatives to go to work on Day One to deconstruct the Administrative State." The 2023 book of 878 pages is a conservative blueprint for "creating policy solutions... based on the core principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. The closing word is"onward", but many Americans believe it is actually "backward." On July 9, 2024 PBS News offered A look at the Project 2025 plan to reshape government and Trump’s links to its authors Resources Here's a link to the 2024 Democratic Party Platform (note: although this was released August 18, 2024 , references in the document are primarily to President Biden rather than Kamala Harris.) Our Economy from the Bottom Up & Middle Out Economic Progress Investing In America Good Jobs Small Businesses Agriculture Fighting Poverty Ending Special Interest Giveaways 2. Rewarding Work, Not Wealth Cutting Taxes For Working Families Making The Wealthy & Big Corporations Pay Their Fair Share 3. Lowering Costs Health Care & Prescription Drugs Child Care, Home Care, & Paid Leave Gas & Groceries Corporate Greed Housing Education Social Security, Pensions, & Medicare 4. Tackling the Climate Crisis, Lowering Energy Costs, & Securing Energy Independence Producing Cleaner, More Affordable Energy Lowering Energy Costs Creating Clean Energy Jobs Reducing Pollution & Making Polluters Pay Environmental Justice Building Climate Resilient Communities Conservation Global Climate Leadership 5. Protecting Communities & Tackling the Scourge of Gun Violence Gun Safety Policing & Public Safety Criminal Justice Violence Against Women 6. Strengthening Democracy, Protecting Freedoms, & Advancing Equity Judges Voting Rights Stopping The Influence Of Special Interests Reproductive Freedom Women’s Rights Racial Equity Lgbtqi+ Disability Tribal Nations Combating Hate & Protecting Freedom Of Religion Freedom Of The Press Arts & Humanities D.C., Puerto Rico, Territories 7. Securing our Border & Fixing the Broken Immigration System Securing The Border Expanding Legal Immigration & Deterring Illegal Immigration 8. Advancing the President’s Unity Agenda Beating The Opioid Epidemic Investing In Mental Health Protecting Kids Online, Strengthening Americans’ Data Privacy, & Promoting Competition Ending Cancer As We Know It Meeting Our Nation’s Sacred Obligation To Veterans And Military Families 9. Strengthening American Leadership Worldwide Europe Indo-Pacific China The Middle East & North Africa Western Hemisphere Africa Strengthening The U.S. And Global Economy Leading With Diplomacy And American Values Strongest Military In The World PBS News offers a broad perspective on What is a Party platform? Here’s how they’re made and what you should pay attention to. CNN offers an annotation of the 2024 Republican Party platform, noting it is their first new platform since 2016, which "mainlines the former president’s policies and makes Trump himself a focus of the party. It is a fraction of the length of the 2016 platform and written in Trump’s voice." Trump’s signature motto, Make America Great Again," is now the official tagline of the Republican Party. The Non-profit and non-partisan American Presidency Project hosted at the University of California, Santa Barbara has an analysis of the 2024 Republican Party Platform (as of July 8, 2024) and the 2024 Democratic Platform (as of August 19, 2024). Although now out of date, Diffen attempts to catalog recent differences between Democrats vs. Republicans. One still relevant reader comment is that "The Republican Party is  not conservative. The Republican Party has no platform anymore. The platform, since 2020, is whatever Trump says it is. It has become a cult, not a political party."

I write about the current U.S. trade war with China in order to try to make sense of the incomprehensible. Will we ever again have an amiable agreement? Will a standoff lead to a global recession? Will tariffs lead to an economically stronger China globally as Moira Weigel suggests? In 2000, as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) prepared to enter the World Trade Organization (WTO), the U.S. Congress voted to extend China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR). This meant that the Chinese state-run economy received preferential tariff treatment under U.S. law, opening the door for the mass influx of products made in the communist nation. A quarter of a century later there is a complete reversal The United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission was created in 2000. The Commission’s 2024 Annual Report to Congress Summary states: "Under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continued to pursue a technology-focused strategy to drive rapid military modernization, expand internal political surveillance and suppression of dissent, and assert China’s political and economic agenda in the international arena.... Although Xi has consistently emphasized the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises in providing jobs and accelerating innovation, the data show that the CCP’s post-COVID policies have strengthened the position of state-owned enterprises (SOE)s." "China is reinforcing its longstanding, market-distorting approach of massive subsidies to targeted industries, this time focusing on high-tech manufacturing in order to unleash “new quality productive forces” and generate more earnings through its exports and traditional dumping approaches. Designed to strengthen self-sufficiency and achieve global dominance in key sectors - including but not limited to advanced and legacy semiconductor chips, aviation, advanced batteries, robotics, and artificial intelligence - China’s strategy is also intended to integrate it more deeply into global supply chains and continue to increase every other country's dependence on it for a wide array of goods and materials." "As the United States and its partners move to further curb access to military and dual-use technologies and address China’s blatant disregard for global norms and international agreements, China is shifting production overseas to circumvent restrictions while expanding its own access to critical minerals, markets, key enabling technologies and tools, and labor. Because its subsidized goods undercut foreign competitors, China’s approach comes at the expense of both advanced and emerging economies." The 2024 Report recommended that " Congress repeal Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for China. The PNTR status allows China to benefit from the same trade terms as U.S. allies, despite engaging in practices such as intellectual property theft and market manipulation." Instead, by executive order, the President entered into a trade war on "Liberation Day" (April 2, 2025), imposing and quickly escalating tariffs on China, which retaliated in kind. Meanwhile, some smaller countries were trying to make a deal with the current President. Later that week, the stock market plunged. The New York Times quoted Trump saying on Tuesday night, April 8, 2025, that global leaders were coming to him “kissing my ass” in search of deals. . But " a rapid rise in government bond yields, caused Mr. Trump to blink and on Wednesday afternoon pause his “reciprocal” tariffs for most countries for the next 90 days leaving a 10 percent tariff rate in place for most countries while increasing tariffs on China to 125 percent. The current President met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent , Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick , and Kevin Hassett , the director of the National Economic Council . 'They discussed with the president the 10-year Treasury yield, emphasizing concern about the health of the broader U.S. financial system.' Robert Reich explains the importance of the rise of Treasury note rates. New York Times global economics correspondent Peter Goodman notes on April 13, 2025: " Shocked by Trump’s trade war, foreign investors are selling U.S. government bonds, long the world’s safe haven. Investors buy U.S. Treasury bonds on the assumption that, come what may, the federal government will endure... Last week, the yield on the closely watched 10-year Treasury bond soared to roughly 4.5 percent from just below 4 percent — the most pronounced spike in nearly a quarter century. At the same time, the value of the American dollar has been falling, even as tariffs would normally be expected to push it up." US stocks got crushed on Thursday, April 10, 2025, pulling back from the previous day's historic rally amid concerns that the President's broad trade offensive has become a direct confrontation with China. Next , cell phones, chips, and laptops get a reprieve from tariffs as China hiked its tariffs on US goods to 125%. What a ride the first two weeks in April 2025! Inflation and stagnation are likely to be part of an uncertain future. This video below gives a perspective of U.S.-China Relations two years ago under the Biden administration. by Foreign Policy Association.

In the YouTube video above, Project Drawdown Executive Director Jonathan Foley, Ph.D., discussed the importance of putting our energy toward new approaches and finding the right levers to solve climate change. He shared information on new leadership and new approaches, including: Steering away from a top-down geopolitical approach Prioritizing emergency brake solutions Geographically focusing action Enhancing health, well-being, equity, biodiversity, and the economy while also pursuing climate goals Here are the top takeaways from the webinar: Although we are already beginning to see setbacks for climate change action in the United States due to recent political changes, there are other levers we can pull to ensure we are continuing to reduce emissions and advance climate solutions. We need to combat misinformation and greenwashing so that we can direct resources to the most effective solutions currently on the market. Smarter, faster, and more targeted climate action is essential to meet global targets. Collaboration across sectors and geographies is key to accelerating progress.  We must consider (and prioritize) human well-being co-benefits when choosing climate solutions.  Hope is vital to making sure we reach our goals. The future depends on committed, inclusive efforts that are guided by science and data. Key links : Drawdown Foundations Drawdown Climate Solutions Library   To get back on track, we need new climate leadership and approaches Project Drawdown   New York Times climate journalists Lisa Friedman , Coral Davenport , Brad Plumer , Rebecca F. Elliott , and Eric Lipton regularly help unpack the impact of the President's executive orders regarding climate change, explaining what can be accomplished without Congress changing existing laws and what cannot be easily undone.

David Korten , in his 1995 book When Corporations Rule the World , tried to make a case for the unworkability of current economic systems on several grounds: Impoverishment of the majority of the population Need for indefinitely expanding credit, leading to the debasement of the currency The finite limits of energy and material resources Korten critiques current methods of economic development led by the Bretton Woods institutions and asserts his desire to rebalance the power of multinational corporations with concern for environmental sustainability and what he terms "people-centered development." Korten started the quarterly Yes magazine  in the summer of 1996. Korten's 2006 book The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community argued that "the development of empires about 5,000 years ago initiated unequal distribution of power and social benefits to the small portion of the population that controlled them. He also argued that corporations are modern versions of empire, both being social organizations based on hierarchies, chauvinism , and domination through violence." "The rise of powerful advanced technology , combined with the control of corporate as well as nation-based empires, is described as being increasingly destructive to communities and the environment. Korten postulated in 2006 that the world is on the verge of a perfect storm of converging crises, including anthropogenic adverse climate change , post-peak oil production decline , and a financial crisis caused by an unbalanced global economy. This will precipitate major changes to the current economic and social structure." Korten believes that these crises will present an opportunity for significant changes that could replace the paradigm of "Empire" with one of " Earth Community . " Although recognizing the potential that the opportunity may not be seized, Korten hopes that this opportunity will result in the emergence of an "Earth Community," based on sustainable, just, and caring communities that incorporate the values of mutual responsibility and accountability, and he advocates for that. In 2015, Korten's book, Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth , was published, calling our current story "Sacred Money and Markets" - money being the sole measure of all worth and the source of all happiness, while inequality and environmental destruction are unfortunate but unavoidable. We need a new guiding story that aligns with our deepest understanding of the universe and our relationship to it. 2015 was the twentieth anniversary republishing of Korten's 1995 book, in which he shared insights from his personal experience as a participant in the growing movement for a   New Economy . A new Introduction documents the further concentration of wealth and corporate power since 1995 and explores why our institutions resolutely resist even modest reform. A new Conclusion chapter outlines high-leverage opportunities for breakthrough change. In Ecological Civilization: From Emergency to Emergence (2021), Korten says: "The drive to grow money imperils the human future. Money is a number that has value only when other people offer something to sell that we need or desire. Useful as a tool, money becomes dangerous when embraced as a purpose. Making the growth of monetary exchange and financial assets the defining purpose of society is an act of collective insanity. The majority suffer, so the few, mostly those who already have more than they need, can grow their financial assets. The process leads ultimately to human self-extinction. There are no winners on a dead Earth." In March 2024, David Korten wrote on his website: “ Eco-nomics for an Ecological Civilization ,” warning that society must eliminate financial extremes.” Korten's January 27, 2025, post: When Billionaires Rule the World asserts not only are "for-profit corporations surpassing democratic governments as society’s most powerful governing institutions,, the world is now witnessing  an alliance   of tech and financial billionaires that has taken control of the administrative, judicial, and legislative branches of the world’s most powerful government. We have a billionaire problem." In April 2025, President Trump unleashed global economic chaos through his executive order Regulating imports with a reciprocal tariff to rectify trade practices that contribute to a large and persistent annual United States goods trade deficits . Meanwhile, on April 5, 2025, Congress passed H.Con.Res 14 - "establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034." According to PBS News Hour - Politics: News Wrap , "This is a Republican bill that advances the President's proposed tax and spending cuts....The bill lays out a possible $5 trillion in tax cuts, raises the debt limit, and calls for $350 billion to fund mass deportation efforts and to build up the military. Democrats argue the bill will lead to cuts in social safety net programs. The measure now heads to the House, where Republicans are taking a different approach, including $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and envisioning changes to Medicaid, food stamps, and other programs.” April 5, 2025, on Bloomberg , Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, said " most CEOs he talks with think we are in a recession," offering buying opportunities long term . Robert Reich also believes we will have a recession and "Trump and his billionaire buddies — the American oligarchy — have a plan... a recession is not necessarily bad for Trump and his billionaire buddies. America’s oligarchy depends on periodic recessions. Recessions are opportunities to buy up real estate, companies, and shares of stock at bargain-basement prices. Recessions also give political cover to Trump, Musk, and Republican efforts to reduce labor and environmental standards." Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim , authors/producers of the Journey of the Universe book and film, are currently on tour in China showing the JOTU film and engaging in discussions about how China is building an ecological civilization. China is widely considered by many in the United States to be an economic and political enemy. This is complicated because of our economic supply-chain ties and the President's raging tariff battle. In a post-Cold War environment, many politicians find it convenient to focus on threats to justify larger military budgets and other actions. Americans used to be champions of democracy and fear autocracy and a surveillance state. Now the real threat is internal as well as external. The Institute for the Postmodern Development of China ( IPDC) is "a local non-profit that serves as a bridge between the US and China, focusing especially on process thought and ecological civilization. The leaders, Meijun Fan and Zhihe Wang, organize conferences locally (like the annual International Forum on Ecological Civilization at Pitzer College), and bring leading thinkers from China to Claremont, CA as visiting scholars." Current United States politics is not moving us toward an "Earth Community," but other nations will readjust alliances and economic ties. What can Americans do to regain a positive balance toward the common good, which has been lost in the current administration? "If we want a society in which the sense of belonging is strong, people are concerned for one another, and there is strong commitment to the common good, we need a metaphysics that shows that we are in fact part of larger societies and have no existence apart from our relations to others." ~ John Cobb # people-centereddevelopment #EcologicalCivilization