There Really is Enough: Money, Life, and So On.
I always seem to have big epiphanies while flying. Maybe it's the altitude. En route from DC to Los Angeles today I realized that despite all the tremendous beauty in my life, I rarely experience, really experience, what I have. Instead, there is an all-pervasive, nearly constant state of needing to get to somewhere else – as if where I am at any given moment is lacking something, or isn't enough. The impact of this on the quality of my life is profound. I'm always on the go, always in motion, and (while deeply grateful for my life), never really satisfied. It always seems like there is something more that I need to achieve, experience, or get that will make me experience satisfaction or fullness.

I recently had the privilege of spending a few days with the phenomenal Lynne Twist – global activist, fundraiser, and author of the extraordinary book "The Soul of Money." So, while my airtime epiphanies seemed spontaneous, they were probably just aftershocks from my time with Lynne. It's no wonder it took a while for her wisdom to sink in. Lynne is confronting one of the biggest lies in our culture, what she calls the great lie of scarcity. And it's everywhere. I may have thought I was oh-so-conscious while in the room with her, but sitting on the plane today – SLAM. I caught up to myself and got it – really got that I live most of my life in the belief that "there is not enough and more is better." (2 of the myths that she says make up the lie of scarcity.) The script in my head goes something like: There is not enough time to do all I need to do, there is more I could be contributing, I'm not doing enough, he's not enough, I need to be more productive, I need to do more, I'm not [insert adjective] enough, I'm not enough.

Yeah. Deeeep. And I now understand why the heart of Lynne's work centers on the principle of sufficiency – the experience or expression of enough. (Which I clearly need to revisit!) Even just the idea of sufficiency (let alone getting into what that means in practice) seems like a pretty radical shift in perspective that would impact not just our personal happiness, but our relationship to – well – everything. (Particularly in a culture that swears by supersizing). So if you haven't read "The Soul of Money" yet, do. Taking on your relationship to money (and all it encompasses) may truly be a revolutionary act.

Check out http://www.soulofmoney.org/ for more info on the book/Lynne!

---

A Morning With Buckminster Fuller

I woke this morning with a Buckminster Fuller quote repeating itself over and over again in my head. The words began quietly and then escalated to a determined intensity, asking:

“If success or failure of this planet and of human beings depended on how I am and what I do...How would I be? What would I do?"

As I went through my morning, I discovered that the quote wouldn’t leave me alone. So I decided to do the only thing I could think of to make it stop… I answered the question.

How would I be/What would I do???

I would get in action. I would stop pontificating in journal entries and in conversations with friends, and would start publishing.

I would stop “figuring out” what it is I’m supposed to do with my life/my resource/my talent and just do something (and then complete it).

I would start speaking out & stop silencing and censoring myself for the fear of being seen, of being visible, of being vulnerable, or of being open to critique and attack. I would speak my truth, even in the face of disagreement.

I would stop dedicating my life, my creativity, and my energy to the fulfillment of other people’s visions and would finally start putting energy behind the fulfillment of my own.

I would hold myself accountable as the person totally responsible for my health, happiness & wellbeing.

I would stop waiting for the perfect moment, circumstance, and/or people and just get up and start.

I would value and honor my word as a creative act. I would be what I say I am and would do what I say I’m going to do.

I would be in action.

Link to the Buckminster Fuller Institute & this quote (and others) sold as a poster

---

dogmatism & dianat

Back when I was studying at the Institute for Social Ecology, I stumbled across a rather profound debate over nature philosophy.

Nature philosophy, in general, seeks to define a definition of both humanity and nature and how they relate to each other. A coherent nature philosophy is very important when approaching the implementation of sustainable practices in, say, forestry or agriculture. In many ways, nature philosophy defines cultural-cognitive boundaries which, through both discourse and "social engineering", become a the means in which future generations will view, and interact with, the world around them.

---