“What Time Is It? Part 2” video is online

We’ve gotten a lot of thumbs-up on the first two videos (Introductions and What Time Is It? Part 1). Here’s John Graham commenting on the CI Facebook page:

“Well, I wasn’t at the live presentation, but I’ve seen the video edition and it is brilliant. I don’t mean ‘brilliant’ in that Robert is a genius, which he is. I mean ‘brilliant’ in that he has found the words and the technology to get across some very important but highly complex concepts in a way that will make anyone say, ‘Why, heck, why didn’t I think of that?’ Carl Sagan never did it better. Well done all around.”

The next in the series – What Time Is It? Part 2 – is now online. This 23-minute video introduces what I call the Outline of History: a way of understanding the flow of history in terms of three cultural system domains – Tribal/Empire/Planetary – and the transitions between them. It then uses this core framework to explore the first big transition, Tribal To Empire. It’s a powerful start to a journey that, in subsequent videos, will move all the way into the Planetary Era – and how we can be part of creating a thriving sustainable future.

First “What Time Is It?” videos are online

How’d the Feb 12 presentation go?  The best answer comes from those who were there:

  • “I attended ‘What Time is It?’ last week in Seattle, and over the several days since I have been humming with excitement about Context Institute’s work and purpose.”
  • “Wow. Amazing stuff. I work in sustainability, and Robert’s synthesis was profoundly insightful.”

There is so much discouragement and misunderstanding in the world today – at a time when we can ill-afford it. In this context I’m grateful that the Foundation Stones are proving to be a practical, grounded, constructive alternative – providing encouragement, new understandings, new tools and a purposeful way forward.

If you’d like to see for yourself, go to “What Time Is It?” Videos, where you’ll find the first two of what we expect to be a total of six videos to come from the Feb 12 presentation:

  • a 10-minute video that introduces the whole Foundation Stones project, including an introduction of yours truly
  • an 18-minute video that starts the main talk with a look at the dramatic changes in behavior that systems can go through – and how humanity likely went through such a change in the late 20th century

We’re working hard to get the rest of the videos finished. We’ll upload each as it’s ready and use CI News, Facebook and Twitter to announce the new arrival. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to connect with us through at least one of these. We’re excited by this start and hope these videos will serve you, and the world, well.

This work needs your backing

As we launch these videos, we’re at a crucial time in the life of the Foundation Stones project. Our impact is about to grow … and our costs already have. The time has come when we need your backing. If you’re ready to help, please accept our gratitude and use our easy Donation Form to give what you can.

If you’d like to hear more before offering your support, please take a look at A Message From Ann Medlock.

Thanks!

Thank you

Over the past few months we’ve gotten a fair bit of supportive feedback on the Findhorn presentation and more generally on the Foundation Stones project.

A wonderful example comes from my long-term friend David Spangler who used his monthly column in September to talk about the work he used to do in relationship to the “Big Picture” and his sense of what CI is now doing. Among other things, he was kind enough to say:

“Among the many ‘Big Picture’ thinkers of whom I’m aware, Robert stands out for his optimism about our future as a species. It’s not a Pollyanna, wishful-thinking, in-denial kind of optimism either. His positive vision is informed by a wealth of information and insight. … In painting this picture with hope and promise, no one does it better than Robert Gilman and his Context Institute. I encourage you to explore what he has to offer.”

Getting this kind of supportive feedback is deeply nourishing and I want to thank David and everyone else who has offered such encouragement. It touches our hearts and fuels our next steps.

Thank you.

Welcome Eldan

Eldan GoldenbergOne of the most significant milestones in the past few months came at the start of October when Eldan Goldenberg started working with CI as a part-time consultant and thereby converted what had essentially been a one-man-band into a team.

Eldan is currently helping with organizing the Foundation Stones presentation series because that’s our next step and Eldan understands the quiet aspects of service. Yet Eldan brings more than his helpful operational experience. He comes with a deep commitment to acting for a sustainable future and a wonderful alignment with the CI approach.

Let me tell you just a few things about him and then send you to a link where Eldan says it much more beautifully.

Eldan went from a psychology degree from the University of Sussex in England to work at Case Western Reserve University on a PhD involving dynamical systems models of lower animal nervous systems. The more he learned about dynamical systems, the more worried he became about climate change and the risks of passing tipping points in the climate system. Eventually he became convinced that the problems of human society and their environmental manifestations were more urgent than the work he had been focussed on, and left academia to become a full-time sustainability activist.

On this path he has worked at the NW Environmental Training Council and Sustainable Seattle. He co-founded the Happiness Initiative and continues to assist it along with a number of other worthy project. I’m delighted that CI is now one of the places where he is putting his good energy — and delighted to introduce him to you.

So those are the outer contours of his story. I encourage you to look here for Eldan’s own more inner telling of this good story.

“What Time Is It?” – Lessons from history for a sustainable future – Feb 12 in Seattle

Event image

If you are (or will be) in the Seattle area, save the date — 6:30 pm on Feb 12, 2014 — for the first of the Foundation Stones presentation series. You can register for the event at contextinst.brownpapertickets.com or just come. At the door, tickets are $10 for individuals, $7.50 per person for two or more, and $6 for students, unemployed people or those over 65. Scroll down for “Advice for attendees”.

We start the series with Foundation Stone 1. Here’s the event description:

What Time Is It? — Lessons from history for a sustainable future.

“I’ve never been more encouraged about the future than I am today.”
That’s Dr. Robert Gilman, former astrophysicist and long-time sustainability thought-leader, drawing a surprising conclusion from his study of 16,000 years of human history. On February 12 he’ll talk in Seattle about the reasons he’s so encouraged and what they mean to you personally, to the way you see the future and what you can do to create a thriving future for yourself, your community and the world.

Come and discover what you can do to work with the momentum of history.

You can download a PDF flyer for the event here and email it to friends.

The presentation will cover much that was in the Findhorn presentation but will also add important new material.

The event will be in Hildebrand Hall at the Plymouth Church in downtown Seattle. The church has a great lounge if you need a place to hang out between work and the event.

If you know people in the Seattle area, please encourage them to come.

If you can’t come, there will be freely-available videos of the event — not quite the same as being there, but still a good reason for you to cheer us on.

Advice for attendees:

  • Arrive early:
    We have a full evening and need to start on time. Sign-in for the event will start at 6 pm. The Church lounge will be available from 5 pm. If you would like to bring food to eat before the event, you can do so in the lounge.
  • Getting there – Public Transit:
    Your eventual destination is Sixth and Seneca. If you don’t already have a route, Google Transit or Metro’s Trip Planner can help. Every bus that runs through downtown stops within 2-4 blocks of the venue, as does Link light rail. Simply get off at University Street station or the stop closest to University Street / Benaroya Hall / the Downtown Post Office.

    Finding the hall – Walk uphill on University Street. Turn right at Sixth Ave and enter the Church through the second door, closer to Seneca Street, which will take you directly to the hall we will be using.

  • Getting there – Biking and Walking:
    Head toward the intersection of Sixth and Seneca. Enter the Church through the door on Sixth closer to Seneca Street, which will take you directly to the hall we will be using. Bikes can be stowed inside the hall.
  • Getting there – Driving:
    Getting from I-5 to the church is quick and easy. You will find a helpful map and directions here.

    Coming from the north – Take the Union St exit off of I5. Go a few blocks on Union to 5th and turn left. Go one block to University, turn left but get in the right lane. Parking is about half-way up the block on the right.

    Coming from the south – Take the Seneca St exit off of I5. Go a few blocks on Seneca to 4th. Turn right and go a block on 4th. Turn right on to University and get in the right lane. Go up the hill past 5th. Parking is about half-way up the block on the right.

    Coming from I-90 – Exit I-90 heading north on I-5 and take the Madison St. exit. At light, turn left and go down to 4th. Turn right and go three blocks on 4th. Turn right on to University and get in the right lane. Go up the hill past 5th. Parking is about half-way up the block on the right.

    Parking – There are two parking garages used by the church. You don’t want the first one, which has an open-air ramp and is run by IBM. The second one that goes under the church building is what you want. Tell the parking attendant that you are there for a “Plymouth Event” and you won’t be charged (presuming you arrive after 4 pm). There is no attendant in the garage after 6:30 pm, so don’t leave valuables in the car.

    Finding the hall – Take the elevator from the parking garage up to the 2nd floor and you will be right at the entrance to the hall.

  • Seat cushions:
    The seating is on standard metal folding chairs. If you would like some padding, please bring whatever you like.
  • Mugs:
    If you prefer to bring your own reusable mug for tea, please feel free to do so. Otherwise, feel free to use the compostables we provide.
  • Video:
    The event will be video recorded and eventually put up on the web. If you have personal issues with appearing in publicly-available video, you should get in touch with us directly.

Updated 7 Feb 2014

Foundation Stones presentation series

The success of my presentation in June 2013 at Findhorn inspired me to look at doing more presentations covering all of the Foundation Stones. Since then we have been hard at work laying the groundwork for such a series.

If you aren’t yet familiar with the Foundation Stones project, it is Context Institute’s response to the core challenge of our times: to bring our cultures into sync with the 21st century reality around us. You can find out more about the project here.

The plan is to video record each presentation, edit the video well, and then make those videos freely available on the web. The goal is to get the basic concepts of each Foundation Stone out to the public in an easily digestible form.

We will begin in early 2014, in Seattle, starting with Stone 1: What Time Is It?, and then over the coming months move through all of the Stones. Please see the “save-the-date post for the details on the first event.

Organizing these presentations on our own (rather than doing them at conferences) gives us the opportunity to create a comfortable pace. Our current plan is to build the presentations out of 10 to 20 minute chunks with time for Q&A in between.

I’m really looking forward to what we can do with this series and the videos that will come out if it! I expect this to be my major focus for 2014.

Dynamic Planetary Context video is up

I’ve just posted the video of my well-received keynote presentation for the International Communal Studies Association 2013 conference. I invite you to take a look.

Update July 27, 2013: I’ve added a 3-minute trailer and a PDF of the slides to provide options for a quick overview.