Category Archives: Wisdom in Action

Learning Across Generations

We had a wonderful conversation last night with my daughter Lauren (who is graduating from college this week) and two of her friends. The mood was celebratory with lots of speculation about Lauren’s future and so forth. The conversation became focused and very interesting as we began to talk about how her generation uses and participates in the ‘technological space’ of the Internet. Specifically, we ‘older folks’ were wondering why the young seem so intent on putting everything about

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Listening & Learning

Life happens while we’re having conversations with ourselves and other people.

Listening is the context that makes life intelligible, allows anything to have meaning, and forms the basis for all communication (both written and spoken). It’s a whole lot more than just ‘hearing’ the words that are spoken. It’s about listening with an open mind, listening without already having an answer, listening to the person and noticing what they are not

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Rate of Change

I came across an extraordinary six-minute YouTube video called The Shift—a presentation that blows one’s mind with factoids about the rate of change in the world. The Shift they are talking about is a ‘paradigm shift’, meaning our entire worldview, indeed our whole reality, is being turned upside down and inside out by virtue of technology, population and the exponentially accelerating rate of change. Whether we like

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Changing Patterns and Art

By Shae Hadden
Bio

How often do we take time to look a little closer at beautiful works of art? To learn about the culture that shaped the images we see?  I recently had an opportunity to visit a unique gallery in my community. Founded and run by a Canadian who is committed to bringing Australian Aboriginal art created by women to North America, the Jan Townend Art Gallery features paintings, textiles, weaving and basketry. The British art critic John Ruskin once said, “All great art is the work of the whole living creature, body and soul, and chiefly of the soul.” The powerful paintings I saw at the gallery amply conveyed the soul of the Aboriginal people—its beauty, strength and hidden meaning. The deceptively simple style is grounded in a complex ceremonial tradition. Consider that these people have no written languages, so their art is a visual record, a way to communicate their history and culture: the images help them tell their creation stories, their ‘dreamtime’, their explanation of the world they live in. Pausing to view the creative work of these women made me realize how my hectic, technology-driven life has left me disconcertingly out of touch with my own soul.  And in speaking with Jan, I gained a greater understanding of what this art means to the artists and their communities. Until the 1970s, the Aboriginals painted on their bodies, on rock, bark, the ground and on implements used for ceremonial purposes. Historically, an individual had to earn the right to paint an idea, design, pattern or ‘dreaming’ from an elder. Men were predominantly the ‘sources’ of these dreamings. In the early 70s, a white schoolteacher in Pupunya (west of Alice Springs) introduced acrylics and canvas to the community. Adults and children began to record their stories on this new surface, and the wide variety of colours and mobility of this new medium began a major shift—not only for the artists, but also for the whole fabric of the communities. As their art became known and recognized around the world, the work and the profits they realized had a profound effect on both Aboriginal culture and society.  Today, many female Aboriginal artists paint while sitting on the ground, talking with each other about old times and ways of living with the land, ways that have endured more than 40,000 years. Some, without any formal training, have created paintings that have been exhibited in Paris, New York, Zurich, Singapore and beyond.  Breaking tradition by expressing themselves in this way, these women are empowering themselves: they are becoming leaders, providing financial resources for their families and communities, enabling people of all ages to heal and revitalize their culture. And as the people change, their culture changes and so does their art. These women are shifting their world, creating a legacy, sharing their wisdom and their perspective, and courageously leading the way for a whole new generation of Aboriginal women and children.  What an inspiring way to make a difference…kudos to Jan for supporting these women and for bringing this art to us. read more

Respecting Children

I had an extraordinary visit with my oldest daughter last week. She is an elementary school teacher in Houston, and an excellent one by all accounts. She and her husband have a lovely home and friends. Their lives are good. What made the visit special for me was that Cindy and I had one of those heart-to-heart talks that parents and children can have from time to time, and I realized how much there is for me to learn from her.

Perhaps this is just me, but I can see how easy it is to get so caught

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What to Do?

I was reading the findings from David Suzuki’s latest environmental awareness campaign. It’s a series of conferences and town hall type meetings called “If YOU were Prime Minister…”. It’s a good idea in terms of expanding the discourse and engaging lots of people in an important, even critical aspect of our public life. It grabbed me in part because I’m with my parents this week and listening to

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Responsibility

I am fed up with the media’s obsessive coverage of disasters and tragedies almost exclusively in a context of blame (and occasionally credit) for whatever it is that they are covering. We’ve been subjected to a week of ‘windbagging’ about who is responsible for the shootings at VA Tech. The killer’s justification was, “You made me do it.” He took no responsibility for his actions: he acted irresponsibly. We know the guy was nuts and, no

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New Series: Wisdom in Action

Wisdom doesn’t count for anything without action. For example, we all know it’s good to maintain a positive attitude about life and the future, but it doesn’t help much to know that when you have a bad attitude.

I’m going to start a new section at Serene Ambition called “Wisdom in Action”. I want to challenge everyone to share some bit of wisdom they’ve learned along the way. Submit it as a comment to this post or as a story (see the left sidebar).

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The Tonic of Provocative Conversation

By Don Arnoudse
Bio

I
get paid, and quite handsomely, for listening and talking to people. As
a Personal and Executive Coach, I’ve engaged daily for the past six
years in the most intimate, often surprising, and always intense
dialogues with very interesting people who are dealing with high-stakes
dilemmas in their professional and personal lives. Part of my process
is to intentionally provoke them. Provoke them into thinking in
unconventional ways, into

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Mother

I visited my Mother this week. She is 87 and not well. A lifetime of smoking has caught up with her and she is fighting emphysema every day. For the first time in a while, I came face to face with the reality that she is dying. Her comment to me is that “I don’t mind dying but don’t like dying this way”. These thoughts aren’t about not smoking, although as an ex-smoker, it is remarkable how that addiction can warp our judgment. My mother continues smoking to this day—now protesting

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