In the Presence of Changemakers

I've been harping on hope versus despair and action versus apathy in my recent blog posts because I believe the major hurdle we face is our willingness to change. We humans are stupendously creative. I have not a shred of doubt that we have the capacity to change our often dysfunctional and outdated systems (political, economic, agricultural, medical, legal, corporate, energy, structural, etc.). We also have the capacity to change ourselves. In fact, recent brain research has demonstrated unequivocally that the human brain is plastic, that neurons develop new pathways, and that neuronal stem cells, thought to be non-existent, do in fact continue to generate new brain cells throughout our lives.

This capacity to change, however, must be cultivated. At Bioneers, the most exciting possibility, the most fantastic opportunity came, not from a specific talk or idea, but from the reality that thousands of changemakers joined together to learn from one another. While less than 100 actually spoke or led workshops, virtually everyone was engaged in actions and virtually everyone had positive ideas to share. This confluence of effort was so profoundly inspiring and energizing that I venture to guess that all the participants, speakers and participants alike, went home ready to do more, with more wisdom, greater commitment, and growing enthusiasm.

It’s very important that we gather with others who are working to create a MOGO (Most Good) world. We need to be in the presence of changemakers other than ourselves in order to provide fuel and create those new neuronal pathways that enable us to change and grow. It is how we become wiser and more effective.

If you are able to attend a workshop, conference or gathering in your area, do so. In addition to the MOGO workshops that we offer at the Institute for Humane Education, please consider attending one of the Green Festivals. It’s a fantastic event with amazing speakers and changemakers. Here’s an upcoming schedule:

Nov. 8-9, 2008: Washington, DC
Nov. 14-16, 2008: San Francisco
March 28-29, 2009: Seattle
May 2-3, 2009: Denver
May 16-17, 2009: Chicago

~ Zoe

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