Blog
Analogue Networking
Last week, I had a conversation with a thoughtful business owner about the Potluck for Democracy. We discussed the impact of social media on our society and how machine learning programs have learned to exploit our outrage, feeding us more of it to keep us on their platforms and generate more ad revenue. These platforms…
Read MoreBe the Chicken or the Egg
We often want to know what “started it.” We want to know what is the chicken and what is the egg. We do need to analyze what is happening. But sometimes our desire for complete understanding keeps us from acting. In a recent book by Robert Putnam, The Upswing, he shows how our nation went…
Read MoreSharing Positive News
Our brains are wired to pay attention to what threatens us, which is usually a good thing. It helps us stay alert when we’re on a ladder, crossing the street, or facing a danger to our families. Most of the time, this instinct is beneficial. However, we’re constantly bombarded with negative news from political leaders,…
Read MoreNew Orientation
I almost always know what direction I am facing. As I write this, I am facing north by northeast. I learned this skill when I was driving a wheat truck in sixth grade. The farm I worked on was in the Palouse hills, and the farmers owned thousands of acres. They would tell me to…
Read MoreLouisville Potluck
We held our first Potluck for Democracy in Louisville, KY last week. We were hosted by Mosaic, a church that is also an art gallery and community space. By gathering people across many wisdom traditions, we had a broad range of political perspectives. But we did not focus our conversation on policy, ideology, or party…
Read MoreUnder Fear
This week, I’m at the Episcopal Convention in Louisville, KY, together with our Dir. of Youth Engagement, Hannah, and our Dir. of Media, Ean. We are meeting with current and prospective partner organizations and testing how PTU’s Potluck for Democracy initiative can serve communities in the social context of Louisville and that region. As we…
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