By Tom Peterson A recent piece in the Los Angeles Times asks why residents of Loma Linda, California, live longer than the rest of us. I like where this article led me for a couple of reasons. First, it was for me a reminder that words and phrases (like Blue Zone) are powerful and […]
Archive | Social Change
Happy Earth Day?
By Tom Peterson A Ben Sargent cartoon In 1977 when I was a student I thought highly of Austin American Statesman editorial cartoonist Ben Sargent and felt it would be cool to own an original. So I called and he invited me to the paper to pick out one for a small price. At […]
Should We Be Hopeful?
“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. The most you can do is live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides.” — Barbara Kingsolver, from Animal Dreams In 1982 I spent a memorable Easter week with Salvadorians in a refugee […]
Movember: Beginnings over Beer
So it’s November or, for many, Movember. Did you know that Movember is the largest effort to save and improve the lives of men affected by prostate and testicular cancer? That last year they raised $22.9 million in the U.S.? That to date, this mustache-obsessed organization has raised $559 in 21 countries? That its beginnings trace back […]
Use Inspiring Statistics to Move us to Action
What could be more boring, less likely to move us to action than a fact? There’s no such thing as an inspiring statistic. Right? Well, not always. In her book Resonate, the best book out there on presentations, Nancy Duarte tells us to create S.T.A.R. moments. That is Something They’ll Always Remember. One STAR […]
Wendell Berry on Movements
In Citizenship Papers, writer and farmer-prophet Wendell Berry tells of his distrust of movements. They “lapse into self righteousness and self-betrayal” and it adherents too easily deny other the rights they expect themselves. For Berry the movements aren’t radical enough. And they fail because they try to address effects instead of causes. In […]
Agency: You Can Go Any Direction You Choose
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” —Dr. Seuss By Tom Peterson The other night, a few of us stayed up late discussing what direction we should go in our little world-changing movement. We wondered who could help with certain […]
Do it Differently: San Antonio’s Mental Health Squad
I love it when people take the time to truly question an obviously broken system. And then look for a better way. There’s a great story by Jenny Gold on NPR about a Mental Health Squad. The report begins with this sobering fact: ten times many mentally ill people are in jail than in […]
World Building for a Cause
“If this world does not have a place for us then another world must be made.” —Zapatista saying By Tom Peterson George R.R. Martin’s world, Game of Thrones, has captivated many of us, with its wonderful geography, seasons, languages, cities, ships, attire, customs and strange creatures. Most novelists tell their stories in familiar settings. But some—particularly […]
Avoid Cynics, Pessimists and Other Downers
By Tom Peterson Hanging out with positive people who give energy to the world will gives us energy, as well. The more we’re around them, the more we find ourselves reaching for our own best. However, by the same token, nothing can be more counter-productive than having negative people on your team. Negative people […]