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Original Blessing

For several years as a child, my bedroom was also my father's library. I think this might account for the fact that, to this day, there are a thousand books or so in my bedroom. I can also trace key components of my philosophy of social change to the years I spent among my father's books. One of the authors to influence me the most was a thirteenth century Christian mystic named Meister Eckhart. The core of his theology was a four fold path: the via positiva or path of joy, the via negativa or path of loss, the via transformativa or path of inner change, and the via creativa or path of external change. Often, when I see dysfunction in an organization, it is because they have invested in one path at the expense of others, such as when an organization cannot deal wisely with failure and will only speak of their successes or when an organization focuses only on making change in the world and not on changing themselves. My favorite modern interpretation of Meister Eckhart's work can be found in a book by Matthew Fox called Original Blessing. Frankly, from my frame of reference, this is the best balanced scorecard anyone has come up with yet. Posted: 9/19/05; 2:05:09 PM #

The Active Life

I am a long time fan of the theologian Parker Palmer and his 1990 classic, The Active Life, continues to help ground and inspire me in my work. Too many people see contemplation and action as being in opposition to each other and this book is both a critique of completely private or monastic spirituality and a celebration of a life of active engagement. For nonprofits, I particularly recommend the chapter entitled "Loaves and Fishes" which tackles our culture of scarcity head on. Posted: 9/19/05; 2:04:59 PM #

Friendly Fascism

I have been dusting off some books published during the Reagan presidency, books that helped me understand the dynamics at work in politics and civil society at the time. Those same dynamics have grown to cancerous proportions in the last few years. One of the most provocative and insightful titles of the time is a book called Friendly Fascism by Bertram Gross. As part of my ongoing quest for analyses that make sense of a great many issues at once, this book has few peers. Gross has a keen understanding of power and he doesn't let the nonprofit sector off the hook in any way. Posted: 9/19/05; 2:04:38 PM #