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Do you find yourself tearing up when you see videos of people singing to one another from their balconies? Are you moved by the multiple acts of kindness and solidarity we’ve seen over the past few weeks?  Disasters bring enormous suffering, anxiety and chaos – but they also bring some vital gifts: They wake us up from the slumber of

The following list of books includes those that were either drawn on in 2019 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. There is some overlap with 2018 selections and a few that were acquired to be read in 2020.   I have read many

There is a lot of messed up stuff going on in this world and it’s overwhelming to think about it, let alone do anything about it.   It’s so much easier to retreat into a life of hustling to submit that annual performance review, rushing to recreational hockey games, and shopping for that special outfit to make a splash at the next social event. These are some

The winter solstice is upon us, or more accurately, we’ve arrived at the solstice once again. The winter solstice is the point when the changing elevation of the noonday sun stops its downward course, appears to pause then begins to climb again. The change occurs slowly – almost imperceptibly – at first, then picks up speed. As the sun climbs

by Anonymous This is a collection of poems from someone named Xu Lizhi. He was a Chinese migrant worker who worked at Foxconn corporation.  Foxconn is one of the pillars of our western society. It manufactures many of our smart phones, computers, monitors, televisions, videogame systems, and other electronics. A lot of the high tech stuff that we personally value, and that

Memory is a critically important part of adaptive intelligence. The function of memory is to record and store relevant aspects of experience and observation, providing the material out of which we construct the lessons that guide our actions and further learning. Some lessons come almost automatically, like not touching a hot stove, some require a mentor or instructor, and others

We recently kicked off our ninth Human Venture Leadership Alumni Program. The Alumni Program provides us an opportunity to support each other’s learning, and work harder toinoculate ourselves against ignorance. Like our immune systems need exposure to viruses to create antibodies, our community requires ongoing exposure to a steady diet of significant life challenges and great adaptive resources as a

There is a show on Netflix called Churchill’s Secret Agents: The New Recruits. The reality show takes people from today and puts them through the Special Operatives Executive (SOE) training implemented by the British during WWII. Imagine pulling on your itchy wool socks and heavy felted uniform to master the art of using a hair pin to pick a lock,

It is 8:30 am when I roll my sleepy self out of bed. Sorry people, I have yet to figure out this whole waking up early part of adulting. I get in my grubby clothes, jump in the car and drive out to our farm just outside of town. Feed the chickens, look for eggs, look out in the field

This past year, the Human Venture Institute has been exploring the rise of Donald Trump as the President of the United States. There have been a variety of opinions and there are many resources out there that attempt to explain how and why he became President. Few resources dig deep enough to understand the causal architectures, or the reasons that