Gandhi’s life, his powerful and indomitable adherence to his ideals reverberated throughout the Earth in his lifetime. Whenever a human being strives with their utmost courage and integrity to embrace their ideals through every means at their disposal, they have an atmospheric effect. In that effort, his intention Continue reading →
Speech is the most potent weapon and tool that we have in our persons. To help maintain peace in society and among all aspects of human relations, speech has had careful prescriptions, restrictions and safeguards placed upon it, sanctioned some way in all religions, indigenous societies, cultures, common sense, and conscience.
Critically examined, it is clear that Gandhi worked Continue reading →
I had the chance today to cogitate on an article written in Transcend Media Services by Dr. Anthony Marsella, called: “Total War:” Weaponizing and Exporting USA Popular Culture”. Those of you who have traveled a bit and seen the tremendous, powerful, good, and not always to the good, influence of our country’s popular culture abroad, will be interested in Dr. Marsella’s thoughtful research on the topic. Having children, who grew up as impressionable teens Continue reading →
Wikipedia has much to offer under “aging”. Highly recommended are the 10 points by the world’s oldest living man, 114, Walter Breuning. However, older persons, like me at 86, know their own aging best. Less trouble with “oxidant stress” as a major cause, having used anti-oxidants based on blueberry skin–no chemicals–for decades. 20,000 blood stem cells renew my blood, but they are dying. Problematic.
Rule no. 1: Keep mind and body active; maintain a good nutrition. Continue reading →
Green Mountains under rising Fog, VT, USA Gandhi’s Birthday, 2016
There are gentle thoughts that come
to each, during a day
To take us further,
make us broader,
deeper, maybe wiser,
on our way
These are mine, I post them here
To find my Loves, both far and near
And if such musings come to You
Do let me know, too.
India, it seems, has turned her back on Gandhi, and what his life and message have meant for people across the world. It is a hard thought to bear. Is it possible that the great heritage of India, encapsulated through Gandhi’s life, for India, and for the world, that this jewel of inestimable value is being discarded? Continue reading →
One of the big areas of confusion about Gandhi, are his views on technology and machines, and how they relate to his ideals. This angle on Gandhi, like the food-chain, finds building-blocks with duty, varna (social ordering), trusteeship, his vows of non-possession and non-stealing, education, and much more. Indeed, to paraphrase one of our great American sages, John Muiri, it is difficult to pull out a single subject in Gandhi’s thought, without finding that it is hitched to everything else.
For Gandhi, his views on machines were guided by his certainty that:
“God of truth and justice can never create distinctions of high and low among His own children.”ii
At age 55, Gandhi returned to India in 1915, after nearly 27 years abroad in UK and South Africa. Industrialization had dawned heavily in the western nations, noisily processing the spoils of resources and labor from the colonies. His two community experiments in South Africa had shown him the value of communal living in pursuit of high ideals, bodily labor for the common good, simplicity, austerity, and a close relationship with Nature. Continue reading →
Business and education are two huge forces propelling individuals and society into action. In trying to understand the right role of business, and righteous business creation, we have uncovered many gems, and found new paths.
In life, we meet so many heroines and heroes. We had the great fortune to meet Kerstin Utas (1946 – 2013), whom we fondly called Justine, as justice seemed so much part of her nature and personality. Justine was part of the initial working group in Sweden that started Humana People to People.
She was a person devoted to action, to getting things done, rather than time wasting, shoulder-patting committee meetings.
I only knew her for the last 10 years of her life, and recognized always that I was in the company of someone with great depths, with much to offer, as yet, unexpressed. We sought out her thinking in India, and later in Sweden, on business creation that would have as its goal the upliftment of society. At my urging, she wrote down the guidelines and principles that she and her friends humbly followed to create Humana People to People, now a multinational organization.