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Hope … in a Hopeless World?

By Randall Amster

Abstract: Writing an essay about hope in these times feels like an indulgence of privilege. Still, with full awareness of the implications, I want to insist that we not lose hope, that we make it meaningful, and that we go so far as to make its cultivation a central focus of our lives and work. This essay is intended to serve as a calling card for like-minded inquirers to reach out across time and space, to find ourselves and one another in the engaged optimism of meaningful work in the world, and as an acknowledgment of appreciation for all of those who do so.

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Spare Changing the World: The Inner Challenges of New Paradigm Organizations

By Timothy Clayton

Timothy Clayton looks at the internal workings of NPO’s (New Paradigm Organizations) to see how they might respond to the experiences of operating in a world structured by capitalism and traditional business practices. His insights produce an impressive and thoughtful list of ways in which some NPO’s, despite a flashy mission statement, might not practice what they preach, and can fall into traditional modes of operation.

This essay explores the challenges facing organizations intent on fostering peace, justice, and sustainability when incorporating traditional business practices into their operational modeling. The implications of these practices on internal organizational community conditions are examined, as are the possible impacts on mission-intended transformational capacities.

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Visions of Sustainability: A Dream for My Students

By Kathy Lamborn

Kathy Lamborn shares her profound wilderness moments with us, much like she does with her middle school students in the classroom. But she goes on to make the case that the value of wilderness is not just for its own sake but for its power to elicit these moments and thereby bring us “to our knees with reverence,” helping us to recognize the call for a just and compassionate—“sustainable”—life.

Kathy Lamborn comparte sus momentos profundos en la naturaleza con nosotros, justo como ella hace con sus estudiantes del colegio en la aula. Pero ella lleva mas allá la idea de que la naturaleza no tiene valor solo en si, sino por su poder de inspirar estos momentos y así llevarnos a “nuestras rodillas con la reverencia,” ayudándonos a reconocer la llamada para una vida justa y compasionada—así “sustentable.”
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