Navigating a Web where “nothing to hide” doesn’t help you or democracy be safe
Having nothing to hide is no guarantee of avoiding trouble due to NSA surveillance, which can create an environment of fear, a …
Exploring many perspectives on the Newtown tragedy
There’s a lot of public conversation cropping up in response to the massacre in Newtown. Although not all of it is as creative as it could be, the health of democracy depends on us talking together and opening ourselves to many relevant perspectiv…
What about Newtown? What about America?
It is horrendous. We so easily identify with the children – and teachers – and mother – killed in the Newtown massacre – and with those who knew and loved them, who no longer have these loved ones in their lives. We find ourselves deeply moved by …
We need to reformulate political power now!
We need to reformulate political power. We need to do it now and we need to focus on it as central to our work on every issue, every vision, every outrage and hope. Our goal in reformulating political power must be to move from governance that pri…
Emerging EcoNomics #5: Gifting – and the gift economy
For years I’ve known people who gave away their professional services as a gift, explicitly encouraging (though not requiring) gifts in return to allow them to continue their work. I’ve also loved the idea of “paying it forward” – enjoying as a gi…
A big breakthrough for all group process folks…
For almost 5 years I’ve been involved with envisioning and creating a “pattern language” for group process. (A pattern language is a set of design factors to guide people in creating things that are wholesome and life-giving – vibrant communities,…
Pattern Languages: Social DNA for conscious evolution of social systems
More and more I think of my transformational work as a DNA-modifying RNA molecule, tweaking the changes needed for conscious evolution. The dominant social DNA – the society-shaping designs and dynamic patterns that replicate and evolve – are all …
Strategies to rein in corporate power?
There are many emerging strategies to counter corporate control of our political life (quite in addition to efforts to counter their control of our economic lives). Seeing this as a necessity if we are to have effectively empowered public wisdom, …
A threat to the Internet, and naming the right problem
A THREAT TO THE INTERNET, AND NAMING THE RIGHT PROBLEM by John Abbe President of the Co-Intelligence Institute The Internet is in an uproar over proposed U.S. House bill Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and it’s corresponding bill in the Senate, the…
Exploring #Occupy 2.0 – Part 3 – Initiatives within and inspired by OWS
There is SO much going on in and around the Occupy movement – even in the midst of and aftermath of the many recent evictions – and even as the holiday season gets seriously underway. The diversity of local dynamics and initiatives exceeds my abil…