What Kind of Leader Are You?

Dear Friends of Kosmos, Sometime ago my son asked, “Mom, what kind of leader do you think you are?” I was taken aback as I had actually never thought about myself in this way. I automatically began thinking about political leaders such as Mikhail Gorbachev and Kofi Annan, or business leaders such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, or media prophets such as Bill Moyers, or religious figures…

Journey to Wholeness

Moving the edge together . . . We are discovering that in our deepest essence we are travelers on a journey to wholeness (holiness). Each step along the way is a new revelation and a co-creation that involves changes in all dimensions of our lives and in all fields of endeavor. In the 60s, the growing edge embraced the world of interior individual development derived mostly from Eastern…

Birthing Planetary Civilization

The moment everything changed… was it really just one moment when everything changed? Or was it a silent, invisible struggle—questioning, reflecting, enduring, shifting to try to make everything work—that finally led to the critical moment when the changes became visible and our lives were transformed forever? Many of us have experienced the uncertainty and turbulence that precede…

Spiritual Discovery

There is something paradoxical about crisis. Why is it that at our most dark and despairing moments, some mysterious force enters our psyche to pull us forward, to elevate our consciousness and invite a brand new perspective? This is what I discovered over and over again as I served the role of spiritual guide to hundreds of aspiring individuals for twenty years in the 1970s and 80s. Those…

Evolutionary Entrepreneurship | Engaging Collective Will

This article gives a brief overview of what needs to happen if we— individually and collectively—are to wisely and effectively engage in shaping the future of our planet and our species. The community of evolutionary entrepreneurs has a rich toolkit of models, maps and approaches to work with, but they can be effective only if we deeply understand the habits of the living systems in…

From Priesthood to Partnership | The Rise of Public Insight Journalism

Fifteen years ago, ­ I flew to Nairobi, Kenya as Africa correspondent for National Public Radio, a non-profit radio network in the United States. On the way, I stopped in Paris, where a Rome-based correspondent­ passed on a large bag containing a bulletproof vest and helmet. Within two days, I was in Somalia. Being a foreign correspondent back then meant seeing for yourself what…

Global Commons Goods | Civil Society as Global Commons Organizations

Effective management of global resources is not possible under our present multilateral system. Because national jurisdictions and institutions rarely line up with the actual geographical regions that contain ecosystems and social and cultural groups, many of the world’s transboundary resource areas lack responsible public oversight. Even the international treaties and conventions that…

Global Passports: The Mark Gerzon Story

Salute to Mark Gerzon Kosmos salutes Mark Gerzon for living his life as a global citizen and for his remarkable skills in facilitating large-scale global change.  His pioneering work in developing global leaders will be a model for future generations. How do I, or you — or, for that matter, anyone — develop global identity? Why am I so dedicated to fostering “global…

Institutional Corruption | When Purpose and Trust are Misplaced

Increasingly, I feel like a passenger on a plane watching a pilot flirting with a flight attendant during a thunderstorm. My surgeon seems more concerned about her tee time on the golf course. Half of the drivers around me incessantly talk on their cell phones. I feel this incredible impatience with all the critical problems we face that will require serious attention and, simultaneously,…

Integral Education | A Guide For The Academically Perplexed

"In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." Eric Hoffer We are indeed in times of change, and at an historical first. All of the world's cultures are now available to us, with the totality of human knowledge open to our study.1 What an auspicious and robust setting for post-secondary study;…