In the May issue, we feature people who are doing good things for the world. Being good, kind and generous is a choice that we make. Can there ever be one humanity? A world without war and genocide?
I must ask the same question of you that I ask of myself in the middle of the night: Why do we make the same mistakes over and over? Maybe you know the answer. I welcome your thoughts. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
For Zabine Van Ness, the news from Mariupol, Ukraine brings back traumatic memories. Zabine knows firsthand what war does to innocent people. Her earliest childhood memories are of being rushed to the cellar to take cover during bombing raids.
The Unity Museum offers rotating exhibits, presentations and public discourse on local and global topics of relevance and historical significance to the advancement of civilization.
It hangs vertically, next to the altar where I meditate. It is an old, cloth, “hippie” belt worn proudly fifty years ago, woven of yellow and green cotton fabric, with tassels at both ends, and measures about five feet long.
With the public gravitating toward insular hostile camps, bipartisan cooperation is rare in our current politics. Mónica Guzmán building a bridge between such groups. She has experience in doing so as the director of digital and storytelling at Braver Angels, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging the partisan divide in our democratic republic.
With spring comes optimism, including around the challenge of COVID. We see people returning to art exhibitions, sporting events, visiting the famous cherry blossoms on the University of Washington campus, even attending the annual Gridiron Dinner in Washington D.C., most without masks. Others are returning to movie theatres, or coming out for ceremonial events like weddings, and funerals.
In the April issue we explore money as the harbinger of power. He who has the wealth makes the rules. Who has it? Who wants it? Why do a few people have so much money? And finally we ask: Why is freedom a constant struggle?
