by Ken Low Photo by Denys Nevozhai The holiday season is so meaningful because we get to spend time with people we enjoy, we get to eat good food, and we get to feast on a diet of transcendent level experiences, images, stories and emotions. These experiences can be anything, like listening to a Christmas carol, or looking out your … Read More
Taking time to reflect on your life meaning and purpose
By Eleanor Finger In June 2021, the Human Venture Associates participated in a reflection exercise using questions adapted by Laura Kennett and Mark Hopkins from the Presencing Institute and which they had used as part of their work as Fellows at the Energy Futures Lab. The exercise was meant to help us take a moment to assess our current context, … Read More
What kids need…. or, things I wish I knew about parenting
by Kim Rowe There is not much that I can think of that tests and changes you more as a human than parenting. To me it is the ultimate adaptive challenge, needing the adaptive capacities of a Zen master. As soon as you think you have something ‘mastered’ or at least partly figured out, the environment and/or the child dynamically … Read More
Part 3: Ethics and Responsible Strategy
by Nick Kalogirou This is Part 3 of a series on responsible strategy. Here’s Part 1 on Responsible Analytics and Part 2 on Grand Strategy. How can we help the communities we are a part of act in ways that are wiser, less ignorant, and less likely to be destructive? This question is close to the center of what I … Read More
On Memory
On memory and ground penetrating radar: Ken’s reflections on the remains of Indigenous children found The recent discovery of the remains of Indigenous children at a number of residential school sites has reverberated through communities across Canada and around the world this summer. Ken and members of the Human Venture community discussed their learning and reflections during the regular Friday … Read More
Thank you to our volunteers
by Laura Kennet Did you know… Human Venture is supported by a team of volunteers? Did you know… Further explorations into human learning ecology and development of resources that are shared with the community are undertaken by volunteer Associates who draw on the Human Venture framework in an effort to think, see, and care differently? Did you know… By reading … Read More
Part 2: Strategy, Grand Strategy, and Values
by Nick Kalogirou This is Part 2 of a series. Part 1: Pursuing Responsible Analytics. What is strategy? Strategy is derived from the Greek word “strategos” – the skill of a general. In a military context, a general is trying to achieve a goal while being surrounded by the fog of war (ignorance). Not only is the general trying to … Read More
Complexity Shock, Finding Patterns, and Adapting
by Laura Kennett and Eleanor Finger Introduction What a year! Full of disruption and adaptation, over and over again. If this sounds like a pattern, then you are correct. Although life is full of patterns, the emergence of COVID-19 has given us an excellent opportunity to hone our pattern recognition skills. Large-scale, sustained and rapidly spreading global “shocks” like the pandemic trigger a … Read More
Part 1: Pursuing Responsible Analytics
by Nick Kalogirou Analytics and strategy help us navigate the fog of war, but don’t necessarily make us responsible or wise. The ascendance of analytics and its importance in strategy today is truly remarkable. One only needs to admire the seemingly simple act of a Google search to marvel at how analytics is affecting our ability to adapt and learn. … Read More
Recommended Reading: 2020 Book List
The Human Venture publishes a list of books annually. The list of books includes those that were either drawn on in 2020 to support our on-going explorations and programming or were acquired in recognition that they filled a gap and could be useful in the future. The Human Venture community has read all of the books on this list and … Read More