I read an article recently describing what can only be described as a ‘feeding frenzy’ over the name and legacy of Nelson Mandela—one of the great leaders of our generation. This isn’t different from the kind of greedy infighting between family, friends and constituents that happens far too often when patriarchs become unable to manage their own affairs or
By Jim Selman | BioIt seems to me that there are three
fundamental relationships that we all share as human beings: 1) our
relationship with ourselves and other people, 2) our relationship with
our circumstances, and 3) our relationship with time. When we are
inflexible or stuck in habitual ways of being in any of these areas, we
become trapped in a condition from which we cannot extract ourselves: we
are caught in a ‘self-referential’ spiral in which the more we attempt
to improve a situation, the more intractable it becomes. In the extreme,
this condition becomes an addiction— whether to a substance, a behavior
or an ideology.[Read More]
Martti Ahtisaari on the right to security and the fight against poverty. Fourth in a series of short videos from The Elders supporting one goal: education for all.
Mary Robinson on a human rights approach to the Millenium Development Goals. Third in a series of short videos from The Elders supporting one goal: education for all.
[Read More]
Dr. Gro Brundtland on the right to health and the link to poverty. First in a series of short videos from The Elders supporting one goal: education for all.
By Jim Selman | BioThe Fourth of July is a uniquely American
holiday. This weekend, I felt a little bit like I was a part of a Bill
Geist segment on small town celebrations on CBS’s Sunday Morning show.
My father is a World War II veteran. He joined the Army Air Corps in
1939 and retired after a career in the military in 1968. Yesterday, the
community of Lake Kiowa, Texas honored him and 31 other survivors of the
‘greatest generation’ for their contribution. It was a very
moving experience to witness[Read More]
By Jim Selman | BioI was playing a trivia game and had to answer
what the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are. I got three out of four,
but had to go to go to Wikipedia to get them all: War, Famine, Conquest
and Death. These traditional Biblical symbols mark the ‘end of time’,
when all things are put right and presumably all karma is erased and
this journey will be complete. In researching each of them, I learned
that ‘conquest’ is best translated in today’s language as ‘corruption’.
The ancient notion of ‘famine’ can also be understood to encompass
epidemics and plagues. ‘War’ represents violence in all forms and Death
is pretty self-evident. These seem to me to be a good list of the dark
side of “The Force” which threatens our way of life and our collective
future.[Read More]
By Jim Selman | BioResentment and disappointment are two of
the most unproductive moods we can have. Resentment kills relationship. It is a mood that has embedded in it an
accusatory frame of mind that someone or something is ‘against’ what we
believe or want and will continue to be a threat in the future.
Resentment is a
By Jim Selman | 
By Jim Selman | 
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