What I learned from mystical language: In Search of Truth in a World of Language
It struck me in philosophy class. Ancient Philosophy. The year was 1993. Bang, how do you solve Zeno’s paradox? Hmmm, what is wrong with most philosophical questions? It came again in the course on knowing. A priori, A posteriori. Humbug.
We construct these arguments and logic with a language we created. It is meant to point to the world, but it is not a direct correlation with the world. Language is not bound to the same logic as the universe. If it was, we would not have A Wrinkle in Time or even the whole genre of Magical Realism. And yet, we play with this language, pointing toward a world we can’t really gain direct access to (it is always mediated through our senses and filtered through our culture… always and already. Inescapable).
And we can get some sort of post-modern laughter from it, sometimes slightly uncomfortable and disturbed laughter, and other times hilarious gaiety. Sure. However, unlike the laws of math or physics which strongly intend to accurately portray the world, language is not created to do so. It is not bounded, tied, strapped on to the world as it is. Instead language is the arrow we throw at what we sense and feel, the metaphors we use to describe experience, the expression of our creativity, and the communication medium of some of our emotions.
What can I know? Hmmm, answering that question means I have to answer the question “what do these words even mean?” I may describe something or make an assertion, but I can’t mistake that map for the territory. I am simply pointing toward and can never point directly at… My location isn’t fixed, the thing described isn’t fixed, and the relationship between the two isn’t fixed.
In graduate school, my first course was Language and Negativity. We studied a bit about mystical language. In particular the book Mystical Languages of Unsaying by Michael Sells. To know God by saying what he is not is to talk apophatically. To assert and then remove the assertion. God is all knowing, but he is not all knowing, he is more than that. We point toward the thing and then acknowledge it is not that thing at all, it is beyond that. It is something we can’t even point at directly. And really, this is how language works in relation to the world. We can point toward the world, but we can never surely say the world IS that or DOES that or PERFORMS that way. It seems as if…. From all that we know, it seems like the case that…. Transcend your paradigms of explanation.
Where does this leave us? Living in paradox? Living with approximation? Truth as the most useful thing we can understand and communicate. Does this mean we should rest, dejected and surely wrong about our approximations? No, just as Bonjour argued that while we might be brains in a vat, it is highly improbable that we are; it is highly probable that we are pointing ever closer to the thing we really mean to approach. Asymptotically. We strive for ever more accurate approximations. Always understanding that the truth is likely between or beyond our language.
or What I learned from mystical language: In Search of Truth in a World of Language
It struck me in philosophy class. Ancient Philosophy. The year was 1993. Bang, how do you solve Zeno’s dichotomy paradox? Hmmm, what is wrong with most philosophical questions? It came again in the course on knowing. A priori, A posteriori. Humbug.
We construct these arguments and logic with a language we created. It is meant to point to the world, but it is not a direct correlation with the world. Language is not bound to the same logic as the universe. If it was, we would not have A Wrinkle in Time or even the whole genre of Magical Realism. And yet, we play with this language, pointing toward a world we can’t really gain direct access to (it is always mediated through our senses and filtered through our culture… always and already. Inescapable).
And we can get some sort of post-modern laughter from it: sometimes slightly uncomfortable and disturbed laughter and other times hilarious gaiety. Sure. However, unlike the laws of physics which strongly intend to accurately portray the world, language is not created to do so. It is not bounded, tied, strapped on to the world as it is. Instead language is the arrow we throw at what we sense and feel, the metaphors we use to describe experience, the expression of our creativity, and the communication medium of some of our emotions.
What can I know? Hmmm, answering that question means I have to answer the question “what do these words even mean?” I may describe something or make an assertion, but I can’t mistake that map for the territory. I am simply pointing toward and can never point directly at… My location isn’t fixed, the thing described isn’t fixed, and the relationship between the two isn’t fixed.
In graduate school, my first course was Language and Negativity. We studied a bit about mystical language. In particular the book Mystical Languages of Unsaying by Michael Sells. To know God by saying what he is not is to talk apophatically. To assert and then remove the assertion: God is all knowing, but he is not all knowing, he is more than that. We point toward the thing and then acknowledge it is not that thing–it is beyond that. It is something we can’t even point at directly. And really, this is how language works in relation to the world. We can point toward the world, but we can never surely say the world IS that or DOES that or PERFORMS that way. It seems as if…. From all that we know, it seems like the case that…. Transcend your paradigms of explanation. They are already and always formed through a fallible language of approximation.
Where does this leave us? Living in paradox? Living with approximation? Truth as the most useful thing we can understand and communicate. Does this mean we should rest, dejected and surely wrong about our approximations? No, just as Lawrence BonJour argued that while we might be brains in a vat, it is highly improbable that we are; it is highly probable that we are pointing ever closer to the thing we really mean to approach. Asymptotically. We strive for ever more accurate approximations. Always understanding that the truth is likely between or beyond our language.
The conference is ending, and I am leave right before the final dinner. Vans take us to the train station. I plug in my ticket confirmation number to the machine to get my ticket printed. (Someone points out the little British flag, so it displays in English.) However, I can’t read my ticket – which word is train car and which one is seat? No matter, someone is always around to help kindly with these things. I sit in a strange glassed in area of first class. In my compartment at the table is a gentleman from Switzerland who works with an international labor organization, Mertin. He was raised in Bolivia, schooled in Germany, and now lives in Geneva. We talk all the way to Stockholm (over 2 hours). I learn all about his organization, his travels, and his city. We discuss thrivability, microfinance, and effective training and development programs (on and offline).
I arrive in Stockholm around 7pm. I am tired. Not as tired as you might imagine I would be, but tired. I have not prepared. I don’t have a clear map to Nadia’s place. My phone isn’t working properly. I give up calling her, and I take a taxi to her address. However, ringing her doorbell has no effect. I sit on my luggage looking around at this strange city. My technology is failing me. Foreign rates on data while roaming are significant, so I don’t turn data options on. What to do?
I pull out my computer and search for free and open wifi. Luckily, I find some. (You usually can in residential areas – some kind soul leaves it open.) I use skype to contact Nadia. She comes to the door apologizing for not giving me the code to get in. And immediately everything feels in flow again. We drop my stuff in her place before going out to eat. The restaurant she wants to take me to has a sign saying “gone for long weekend” on it. So we head to our second choice. Huh, gone for long weekend? What a quirky place! I like it. We eat Indian (although they say they are about to close, they stay open for us).
I met Nadia about a year ago. She wrote the page on Power in the Thrivability book. I asked her to write to that because when I met her, it was so evident to me that she exudes it and understands how it flows. She studied user interface and design, and that makes total sense when you get a sense of how much she understands about cognitive science. She is brilliant, beautiful, charming, and funny. We talk about Swedish politics, mutual friends we adore, generational change, and human dynamics. We dig into each others stories as dessert. We have drinks in a place where all the customers are women (accidentally).
We stay up until 3am laughing and talking in her apartment. When we awake in the morning there is just enough time for a shower and walk before I head to the train again. Off to Malmo. But first, a walk by the water. Stockholm is a city of water – there are many islands. We walk past a military fort where soldiers in odd costumes (like band uniforms) march in a line while people lounge in the grass on the other side of our path. the grass is full of sunbathers of all ages, gazing out at the water where many boats float. One boat has a set of couples eating pretty formally at a table. It is so picturesque.
We walk too far, and we are pressed for time getting back. Instead of taking the subway, we order a taxi. Nadia sees me off at the train station once she has fixed the ticket. (I could not buy the ticket in Sweden – something about them knowing it was a US buyer…ordering from a Swedish IP?) So Nadia had bought my ticket for me, and there was some trouble transferring it from her mobile ticket to a paper ticket for me. We work it out though.
Now I have a 5 hour train ride to Malmo….
The conference is ending, and I am leave right before the final dinner. Vans take us to the train station. I plug in my ticket confirmation number to the machine to get my ticket printed. (Someone points out the little British flag, so it displays in English.) However, I can’t read my ticket – which word is train car and which one is seat? No matter, someone is always around to help kindly with these things. I sit in a strange glassed in area of first class. In my compartment at the table is a gentleman from Switzerland who works with an international labor organization, Mertin. He was raised in Bolivia, schooled in Germany, and now lives in Geneva. We talk all the way to Stockholm (over 2 hours). I learn all about his organization, his travels, and his city. We discuss thrivability, microfinance, and effective training and development programs (on and offline).
I arrive in Stockholm around 7pm. I am tired. Not as tired as you might imagine I would be, but tired. I have not prepared. I don’t have a clear map to Nadia’s place. My phone isn’t working properly. I give up calling her, and I take a taxi to her address. However, ringing her doorbell has no effect. I sit on my luggage looking around at this strange city. My technology is failing me. Foreign rates on data while roaming are significant, so I don’t turn data options on. What to do?
I pull out my computer and search for free and open wifi. Luckily, I find some. (You usually can in residential areas – some kind soul leaves it open.) I use skype to contact Nadia. She comes to the door apologizing for not giving me the code to get in. And immediately everything feels in flow again. We drop my stuff in her place before going out to eat. The restaurant she wants to take me to has a sign saying “gone for long weekend” on it. So we head to our second choice. Huh, gone for long weekend? What a quirky place! I like it. We eat Indian (although they say they are about to close, they stay open for us).
I met Nadia about a year ago. She wrote the page on Power in the Thrivability book. I asked her to write to that because when I met her, it was so evident to me that she exudes it and understands how it flows. She studied user interface and design, and that makes total sense when you get a sense of how much she understands about cognitive science. She is brilliant, beautiful, charming, and funny. We talk about Swedish politics, mutual friends we adore, generational change, and human dynamics. We dig into each others stories as dessert. We have drinks in a place where all the customers are women (accidentally).
We stay up until 3am laughing and talking in her apartment. When we awake in the morning there is just enough time for a shower and walk before I head to the train again.
Off to Malmo. But first, a walk by the water. Stockholm is a city of water – there are many islands. We walk past a military fort where soldiers in odd costumes (like band uniforms) march in a line while people lounge in the grass on the other side of our path.
The grass is full of sunbathers of all ages, gazing out at the water where many boats float. One boat has a set of couples eating pretty formally at a table. It is so picturesque.
We walk too far, and we are pressed for time getting back. Instead of taking the subway, we order a taxi. Nadia sees me off at the train station once she has fixed the ticket. (I could not buy the ticket in Sweden – something about them knowing it was a US buyer…ordering from a Swedish IP?) So Nadia had bought my ticket for me, and there was some trouble transferring it from her mobile ticket to a paper ticket for me. We work it out though.
Now I have a 5 hour train ride to Malmo….
https://thrivable.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/TS-Right-Horizontal-Full-Color-1920x1080-Logo-Padding-300x228.png00Thriverhttps://thrivable.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/TS-Right-Horizontal-Full-Color-1920x1080-Logo-Padding-300x228.pngThriver2010-06-13 04:12:422010-06-13 04:12:42Europe Tour Post 4
Last night was quite a sight. First, it doesn’t get dark here until past midnight and starts getting light by 3am. So when I say sight, I mean you can see clearly. I also mean to say – there was something to see. The 1700 participants at Rework are housed between three cities – in cottages, hostels, and hotels. These are small towns. I am staying in Leksand Strand, a 2.5 km walk from the event. We take buses at the end of the evening. I sit down next to Issac from Ghana. He and his pal Gabi (from Cameroon)are here as part of a ten person multiple country team to talk and learn about youth, ecology, and entrepreneurship. I share a bit about thrivability. Isaac is convinced I should talk to the World Bank guy that arranged for him to be here. He is animated and enthusiastic. When his contact calls, he hands me the phone. I agree to meet this gentleman later.
A bus of people arrives, and we all have to find our shared rooms. The staff has a non-alphabetized list which has changed from the plans they sent out to some earlier. It is chaos. A long line. Another bus arrives. The line is longer. Line-mates start to talk. We start to brainstorm how we are going to improve the situation. One person says we should just go to a room – whatever room – and go to bed. Maybe we should organize ourselves to make it easier on the staff. They try to improve it by opening a second desk, but the light is not quite good enough to read by and everyone wants to see it at the same time. However, this, I think, is actually a wonderful opportunity to get to know people near me. The woman behind me is Elina. She is a student in Southern Sweden. She has a warm and easy way about her, which makes her delightful to talk with. Eventually, I get my cabin number and go to my cabin. The door is locked. I have to run back, push through the line and ask for a key. Someone from staff takes a golf cart over to the cabin and opens the door. My cabin-mate is sleeping already.
In the morning, she is in my group for the nature walk. After breakfast, we form into small groups of about 10. A guide takes us into the nature reserve next to our cottages. We walk together, then in pairs, then in single line. We pause by Lake Siljan. We focus on our senses. First of skin, feeling the wind, our clothes, and feel of the ground. Then we focus on sound, sight, smell and taste. Our guide is specific about something to sense, so we can really focus on the sensation. Then she invites us to have our own sense experience. Next we bring in the symphony of all the senses.
The landscape reminds me of Minnesota – the land softened by glaciers and full of lakes. The climate is cold, and the trees are mostly birch, pines and cedars. There are woodland flowers blooming, and the sun creates sparkly speckled ground, as it is filtered through the trees, with their bright green branch tips.
Our guide gives us space to sit alone with nature. Later I discover that Elina has a sunny spot. Mine spot was a tad chilly. I sit calmly and meditate for 15 minutes. This is a divine experience. So later, when I am at the conference, I get quickly tired of being talked at. I even grow tired of the open space that forms on the lawn outside a session grown too full. I walk away to sit in the grass and just BE. Reflect. Soak it in.
But first… Hans Rosling speaks. His talk is amazing. I have tracked his work for over 5 years now, so I didn’t expect anything new. But it was fresh! He didn’t use powerpoint to start it – he used some big boxes to represent a billion people each. How many billions can afford shoes? A bicycle? A plane trip to Malta? 50 years ago? Now? In the future? Then he showed gapminder, revealing how those people can be divided by age ranges and locations. Fascinating. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to explore.
Bo Ekman interviews Elinor Ostrom. I am so excited to hear Elinor speak live. But no, Bo went on and on about things.. and finally, when he gave her the floor, it was all too brief. Very disappointing. Not Elinor mind you, just the way it was handled. And one of the questions she was asked at the end, got a really interesting answer that sticks with me. Someone asked, “What models do you think work?” And Elinor replied something to the effect of – we are in trouble as soon as we have models… Days later I would point to it again and again – we prototype, then practice, then prototype again. Let us be agile rather than static. I even think this is a piece of holding thrivability – it is not a static plan or set of practices – instead it is an aim, where we will evolve our plans and practices over time. Practice with me.
For lunch, I walk over to the meal tent with Cilia. She does intercultural awareness work with organizations and has her MBA from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. This event speaks to her. We sit together to talk more. Our seats are with two friendly folks – an Ecuadorian (originally from Kentucky) and an Australian (management consultant). The older gentleman from Ecuador has a school there, about 2 hours canoe trip… And he knows of the Twists and the Pachamama Alliance (mutual connections abound in the oddest places). The conversation moves focus from one person to another. The discussion is lively. We discuss thrivability as a concept, testing out each person’s feel for it. (This happens in nearly every conversation I enter – people want to play with the idea. And I am happy to engage.)
In the afternoon, I have been sitting in the HUB popup rather than attending sessions. I didn’t come to this conference because of the speakers. I came to meet people. So meeting is what I am doing. Christina Jordan, from Brussels, says that Simon from the HUB in Brussels is at the HUB popup. I introduce myself. And then I meet Jay Standish. It is funny to meet people you already follow on twitter. After a half hour of talking, we had uncovered dozens of mutual connections and interests. Niclas Ihren meets me there too. Then Juan Carlos is there, standing at the Zanby desk talking with Leif. What? I had to take a deep breath. I met Juan Carlos in Mexico in March of 2008. Could it get richer? Oh yes, so then Jay knows Juan Carlos too. So all of us go together to dinner. And we are going to sit with someone Juan Carlos knows names Morel Fourman. It is a small world. Morel is with Gaiasoft (where my friend Mushin works). This is all magical. The conversation is fast and intense. We hear Juan Carlos speak his idea, and we discuss it.
Then there is dancing… to Saulti Sol. Time to play…
June 3 – Thursday – Reworking the World
Last night was quite a sight. First, it doesn’t get dark here until past midnight and starts getting light by 3am. So when I say sight, I mean you can see clearly. I also mean to say – there was something to see. The 1700 participants at Rework are housed between three cities – in cottages, hostels, and hotels. These are small towns. I am staying in Leksand Strand, a 2.5 km walk from the event. We take buses at the end of the evening. I sit down next to Issac from Ghana. He and his pal Gabi (from Cameroon) are here as part of a ten person multiple country team to talk and learn about youth, ecology, and entrepreneurship. I share a bit about thrivability. Isaac is convinced I should talk to the World Bank guy that arranged for him to be here. He is animated and enthusiastic. When his contact calls, he hands me the phone. I agree to meet this gentleman later.
A bus of people arrives, and we all have to find our shared rooms. The staff has a non-alphabetized list which has changed from the plans they sent out to some earlier. It is chaos. A long line. Another bus arrives. The line is longer. Line-mates start to talk. We start to brainstorm how we are going to improve the situation. One person says we should just go to a room – whatever room – and go to bed. Maybe we should organize ourselves to make it easier on the staff. They try to improve it by opening a second desk, but the light is not quite good enough to read by. Everyone wants to see it at the same time. However, this, I think, is actually a wonderful opportunity to get to know people near me. The woman behind me is Elina. She is a student in Southern Sweden. She has a warm and easy way about her, which makes her delightful to talk with. Eventually, I get my cabin number and go to my cabin. The door is locked. I have to run back, push through the line, and ask for a key. Someone from staff takes a golf cart over to the cabin and opens the door. My cabin-mate is sleeping already.
In the morning, Elina is in my group for the nature walk. After breakfast, we form into small groups of about a dozen. A guide takes us into the nature reserve next to our cottages. We walk together, then in pairs, then in single line. We pause by Lake Siljan. We focus on our senses. First of skin, feeling the wind, our clothes, and feel of the ground. Then we focus on sound, sight, smell and taste. Our guide is specific about something to sense, so we can really focus on the sensation. Then she invites us to have our own sense experience. Next we bring in the symphony of all the senses.
The landscape reminds me of Minnesota – the land softened by glaciers and full of lakes. The climate is cold, and the trees are mostly birch, pines and cedars. There are woodland flowers blooming, and the sun creates sparkly speckled ground, as it is filtered through the trees, with their bright green branch tips.
We each meditate at a distance from each other for 20 minutes. Sublime peace.
Our guide gives us space to sit alone with nature. Later I discover that Elina has a sunny spot. Mine spot was a tad chilly. I sit calmly, soaking it all in. This is a divine experience. So later, when I am at the conference, I get quickly tired of being talked at. I even grow tired of the open space that forms on the lawn outside a session grown too full. I walk away to sit in the grass and just BE. Reflect. Soak it in.
But first…the conference. Hans Rosling speaks. His talk is amazing. I have tracked his work for over 5 years now, so I didn’t expect anything new. But it was fresh! He didn’t use powerpoint to start it – he used some big boxes to represent a billion people each. How many billions can afford shoes? A bicycle? A plane trip to Malta? He uses giant props for shoes, a bicycle, and a plane. What about demographics 50 years ago? Now? In the future? Then he showed gapminder, revealing how those people can be divided by age ranges and locations. Fascinating. If you haven’t seen it, be sure to explore.
Bo Ekman interviews Elinor Ostrom. I am so excited to hear Elinor speak live. But no, Bo went on and on about things.. and finally, when he gave her the floor, it was all too brief. Very disappointing. Not Elinor mind you, just the way it was handled. And one of the questions she was asked at the end, got a really interesting answer that sticks with me. Someone asked, “What models do you think work?” And Elinor replied something to the effect of – we are in trouble as soon as we have models… Days later I would point to it again and again – we prototype, then practice, then prototype again. Let us be agile rather than static. I even think this is a piece of holding thrivability – it is not a static plan or set of practices – instead it is an aim, where we will evolve our plans and practices over time. Practice with me.
For lunch, I walk over to the meal tent with Cilia. She does intercultural awareness work with organizations and has her MBA from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. This event clearly speaks to her. We sit together to talk more. Our seats are with two friendly folks – an Ecuadorian (originally from Kentucky) and an Australian (management consultant). The older gentleman from Ecuador has a school there, about 2 hours canoe trip… And he knows of Bill and Lynn Twist and the Pachamama Alliance (mutual connections abound in the oddest places). The conversation moves focus from one person to another. The discussion is lively. We discuss thrivability as a concept, testing out each person’s feel for it. (This happens in nearly every conversation I enter – people want to play with the idea. And I am happy to engage.)
In the afternoon, I have been sitting in the HUB popup rather than attending sessions. I didn’t come to this conference because of the speakers. I came to meet people. So meeting is what I am doing. Christina Jordan, from Brussels, says that Simon from the HUB in Brussels is at the HUB popup. I introduce myself. And then I meet Jay Standish. It is funny (brain tickles) to meet – accidentally – people you already follow on twitter. After a half hour of talking, we had uncovered dozens of mutual connections and interests. Niclas Ihren meets me there too. Then Juan Carlos is there, standing at the Zanby desk talking with Leif. What? I had to take a deep breath. I met Juan Carlos in Mexico in March of 2008. Could it get richer? Oh yes, so then Jay knows Juan Carlos too. So all of us go together to dinner. And we are going to sit with someone Juan Carlos knows names Morel Fourman. It is a small world. Morel is with Gaiaspace (where my friend Mushin works). This is all magical. The conversation is fast and intense. We hear Juan Carlos speak his idea, and we discuss it. Brilliant!
Then there is dancing… to Saulti Sol. Time to play…
https://thrivable.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/TS-Right-Horizontal-Full-Color-1920x1080-Logo-Padding-300x228.png00Thriverhttps://thrivable.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/TS-Right-Horizontal-Full-Color-1920x1080-Logo-Padding-300x228.pngThriver2010-06-13 03:37:122010-06-13 03:37:12Europe Tour Post 2
I am sitting in seat 32 of a bus I didn’t plan to take. This is an accident. However, 32 is my lucky number, so let’s say it is a happy accident. I sat here without knowing I was choosing my lucky number. And so it goes. We often don’t even know when happy accidents happen. A whole series of them brought me here. This is Stockholm. I am on a bus instead of a train to Leksand for the ReWork the World conference.
Background: This conference is put on, in part, by the Tallberg Foundation. I heard about them about a year ago when my friend Leif Utne attended the Tallberg Forum. Someone mentioned thrivability to the Executive Director of the Tallberg Foundation, Niclas Ihren. And Hans Peter Meyer notified me of a quote from his response. I will see Leif and Niclas here… many months later. Both contributed to the Thrivability book.
I sat with Rufina on the bus. She sat in 31 and introduced herself. We explored our passions and purpose, eventually discovering that she was at NTEN and knew Beth Kanter and several other social media nonprofit tech folks.
We arrived at the arena after the first round of talks (from Leksand Major…).
Poonam Ahluwalia (President, Youth Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, USA) and Carl Mossfeldt (Executive Vice President, Tällberg Foundation, Sweden) present the vision of the summit.
Includes a welcome to Leksand and Dalarna from Ulrika Liljeberg (Mayor of Leksand, Sweden) and Julia Tollin (Young Enterprise, Dalarna).
Just in time to get some water, settle in, and listen to Majora Carter (President, Majora Carter Group, USA). Who I immediately recognize from her TED talk. She talks about The South Bronx. “We can pretend we don’t live here…. or we can be a part of the solution and stay.” Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training – green jobs program.
Hey, I agree. It is our one earth. There is no planet B. (Thank Hans Peter Meyer for the sign). We can pretend we don’t live here on the ground of earth… or we can be part of the solution and stay.
I am sitting in seat 32 of a bus I didn’t plan to take. This is an accident. However, 32 is my lucky number, so let’s say it is a happy accident. I sat here without knowing I was choosing my lucky number. And so it goes. We often don’t even know when happy accidents happen. A whole series of them brought me here. This is Stockholm. I am on a bus rather than the intended train to Leksand. We go to the ReWork the World conference.
Background: This conference is put on, in part, by the Tallberg Foundation. I heard about them about a year ago when my friend Leif Utne attended the Tallberg Forum. Someone mentioned thrivability to Niclas Ihren of the Tallberg Foundation. Hans Peter Meyer notified me of a quote from his response. I will see Leif and Niclas here. Both contributed to the Thrivability book.
I sat with Rufina on the bus. She sat in 31 and introduced herself. We explored our passions and purpose, eventually discovering that she was at NTEN and knew Beth Kanter and several other social media nonprofit tech folks.
We arrived at the arena after the first round of talks. Just after Poonam Ahluwalia (President, Youth Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, USA) and Carl Mossfeldt (Executive Vice President, Tällberg Foundation, Sweden) presented the vision of the summit. [Including a welcome to Leksand and Dalarna from Ulrika Liljeberg (Mayor of Leksand, Sweden) and Julia Tollin (Young Enterprise, Dalarna).]
And, just in time to get some water, settle in, and listen to Majora Carter (President, Majora Carter Group, USA). I immediately recognized this passionate woman from her TED talk. She talks about The South Bronx. “We can pretend we don’t live here…. or we can be a part of the solution and stay.” See the Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training – green jobs program.
Hey, I agree. It is our one earth. There is no planet B. (Thank Hans Peter Meyer for the sign). We can pretend we don’t live here on the ground of earth… or we can be part of the solution and stay.
ps. Loved Majora saying something like: I see you there and know my time is up. You will give me 2 more minutes, and I promise you will be happy about it.
thanks to HansPeterMeyer
https://thrivable.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/TS-Right-Horizontal-Full-Color-1920x1080-Logo-Padding-300x228.png00Thriverhttps://thrivable.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/TS-Right-Horizontal-Full-Color-1920x1080-Logo-Padding-300x228.pngThriver2010-06-06 13:37:232010-06-06 13:37:23Europe Tour Post 1
