Dennis Kucinich

Having been elected to Cleveland’s City Council at age 23, Dennis J. Kucinich was well-known to Cleveland residents when they chose him as their mayor in 1977 at the age of 31. At the time, Kucinich was the youngest person ever elected to lead a major American city. In 1978, Cleveland’s banks demanded that he sell the city’s 70 year-old municipally-owned electric system to its private…

Chung Hyun Kyung

Associate Professor Chung Hyun Kyung, graduated from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul with the B.A. (1979) and the M.A. (1981). She holds the M.Div. from the School of Theology at Claremont (1984), a diploma from the Women’s Theological Center in Boston (1984), and the Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary (1989). She is a lay theologian of the Presbyterian Church of Korea, as well as once having…

The Biology of Wonder | Finding the Human in Nature

Of course, the animals need humans. They need us like old parents, against whom we have revolted for a while and who one day, weakened, deprived of their former power, request to be protected by us. ~ Brigitte Kronauer1 Subjective Feeling as the Moving Force in All Life For 150 years, biology, the ‘science of life,’ made no great effort to answer the question of what life really is. Biologists…

Earth-Based Wisdom: Learning the Original Idea from the Living Earth

Traditional cultures “are what shaped us and caused us to be what we are now,” writes Jared Diamond in The World Until Yesterday.1 All the necessities of modern living—electricity, store-bought food, pharmaceuticals, cars and planes—are relatively new. But much of yesterday is still with us, and we might take a lesson from those traditional cultures that remain indigenous to relearn how to live…

Lifecycle of Emergence: Using Emergence to Take Social Innovation to Scale

Despite current ads and slogans, the world doesn’t change one person at a time. It changes as networks of relationships form among people who discover they share a common cause and vision of what’s possible. This is good news for those of us intent on changing the world and creating a positive future. Rather than worry about critical mass, our work is to foster critical connections. We don’t…

A Dark Night of the Soul and the Discovery of Meaning

Anyone may go through a period of sadness or challenge that is so deep-seated and tenacious that it qualifies as a dark night of the soul. Not long ago I was giving a talk at a university when a man shouted at me from back in the crowd: “I’m terribly depressed. It’s been years. Help me.” I shouted back my email address. In his voice and body language I could see that this man was not caught in…

Steven Lovink

Steven Lovink is a visionary entrepreneur, peace builder, whole system thinker, and outside of the box change maker. Committed to accelerating wholes greater than the sum of their parts, he continues his life’s journey sensing humanity’s emerging future, assembling its building blocks a piece at a time. Steven’s passion is to ‘connect the dots’ by developing path breaking projects, partnerships,…

Margaret Wheatley

Now in my 70s, I can look back and appreciate what a rich and blessed life I've lived. I've been able to give my curiosity free rein and to be with extraordinary teachers. I've been able to explore a wide range of disciplines and lived in several different cultures. I've learned from an incredible diversity of people, from indigenous peoples to the Dalai Lama, from small town ministers to senior…

Joanna Macy

Eco-philosopher Joanna Macy PhD, is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. A respected voice in the movements for peace, justice, and ecology, she interweaves her scholarship with five decades of activism. As the root teacher of the Work That Reconnects, she has created a ground-breaking theoretical framework for personal and social change, as well as a powerful workshop…

Call for Proposals | Kosmos 2017 Seed Grants “The New Activism”

Dear Applicant, Kosmos is pleased to announce the third year of the Kosmos Seed Grant initiative. Seed Grants of $2,500 will be awarded in Spring 2017 to individuals or organizations working to advance social change using new and experimental approaches to break through cultural barriers. Guidelines for applicants are as follows: All Members of Kosmos Community are eligible to apply.…