By: Dinka Utomo on January 25, 2024
Leaders make a difference. They move people to new places – physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually – that they could not have achieved alone. They provide inspiration, courage, conviction, hope, and comfort. -Annabel Beerel- About a week ago, I saw a news ticker on one of our national television networks. The news ticker contains news…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on January 24, 2024
Defining Culture I read a book about 20 years ago for one of my Graduate Programs. The book, Culture Matters, is a collection of essays written by social scientists, scholars, journalists, and practitioners. I read it from cover to cover, long before inspectional reading was introduced to me. It is worth mentioning that it was…
By: Cathy Glei on January 24, 2024
“Leaders need to have complex cognitive structures so that they can adapt to, accommodate, and transcend challenging circumstances. On the one hand, they need strong egos to tolerate the tension of standing alone and not being easily overwhelmed. On the other, they need to be sensitive to their inner drives and ego defenses and be…
By: John Fehlen on January 22, 2024
In the Amplified Version of Ecclesiastes 12:12 Solomon says: “But beyond this my son, [about going further than the words given by one Shepherd], be warned: the writing of many books is endless [so do not believe everything you read], and excessive study and devotion to books is wearying to the body.” To that end,…
By: Kim Sanford on January 22, 2024
Written against the backdrop of the COVID19 pandemic, Rethinking Leadership: A critique of Contemporary Theories by Annabel Beerel succeeds in its stated goal. In her opening pages, Beerel stresses the need for “sharp leaders who are cognitively savvy and emotionally astute” to lead us into the future.[1] She writes to emerging, learning leaders in order…
By: Dinka Utomo on January 18, 2024
As humans we are designed for greatness, and we have the capacity to make far greater creatures, ones that are even more human than us, not less. -Eve Poole- My denomination underwent a significant shift in theological framework. Since its founding in 1948, our denomination has consistently positioned humans as the focal point of…
By: Mathieu Yuill on January 18, 2024
As a frequent visitor to the Ontario Science Centre in my youth, I was always drawn to the “Computer psychiatrists” exhibit. These early forays into artificial intelligence, albeit rudimentary, sparked a lifelong fascination with the field. Fast forward to today, where AI has evolved to an extent that it almost blurs the lines between human…
By: Todd E Henley on January 18, 2024
Consider the following headlines, which are all based on true policies: Homeless Shelters Perpetuate Homelessness Drug Busts Increase Drug-Related Crime Food Aid Increases Starvation “Get Tough” Prison Sentences Fail to Reduce the Fear of Violent Crime Job Training Programs Increase Unemployment1 What is going on here? Why do seemingly well-intentioned policies produce the opposite of…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on January 18, 2024
“It is frustratingly clear to those who seek to eliminate mystery from life that the spirit and soul bring us right up to the edge of some of the most profound mysteries of our existence.”(1) Whew! This discussion about souls is a heavy one. I confess that I have a healthy fear of AI. I…
By: Adam Harris on January 18, 2024
In the original Jurassic Park film, where prehistoric titans are brought back to life and wreak havoc on an island, Dr. Ian Malcom famously says, “Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” This question seems to be on a…
By: Jenny Dooley on January 18, 2024
I am a bit chagrined to admit that I haven’t given AI much thought. I am not the most technologically minded person. I find the concepts of AI hard to grasp. My understanding is limited to what I have been exposed to through our reading last semester, the very helpful Zoom session last week with…
By: Cathy Glei on January 17, 2024
“By the time you read this, there will be several more lists of new laws, and the regulation debate will have moved on yet again. but the argument of this book is less about these details and more about how we need to rethink our first principles. Well first generation AI may require Draconian control,…
By: John Fehlen on January 15, 2024
Spoiler Alert: The following post contains spoilers for Eve Poole’s 2024 book entitled Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity, as well as for the 2024 Netflix movie Leave the World Behind starring America’s Sweetheart Julia Roberts. I consumed both at approximately the same period of time (the week after our final Spring semester class), and the…
By: Kim Sanford on January 15, 2024
The title says it all. Robot Souls. In her latest book, Eve Poole explores questions like: What would it take for robots to have souls? In order to answer that question, we have to define what a soul really is, which she discusses at length. [1] Then the next question is, would it even be…
By: Dinka Utomo on January 11, 2024
This gives all of us a moral obligation to listen to each other with full attention and an open mind. But the point of this hard work is communication, not deference -Yascha Mounk- I will commence this article by emphasizing two significant aspects that, from my point of view, should not be casually disregarded.…
By: Mathieu Yuill on January 11, 2024
Yascha Mounk’s, Identity Trap[1], is not just a treatise on the dynamics of identity politics; it’s a mirror reflecting the challenges and opportunities in harmonizing a company’s mission and vision with the richness of its employees’ identities. Complexity of Identity Politics and Company Vision Integration Mounk’s narrative around the complexity of identity politics parallels the…
By: Adam Harris on January 11, 2024
Before there was the “bi-racial” box on examines, as a kid I felt the need to find a creative way to show my race when filling out the pre-information before answering questions in English, science, or math. Most of my friends would simply color in the “white” box. Most expected me to fill in the…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on January 11, 2024
I want to share a story with you. It came to mind as I read the introduction of The Identity Trap. As I have shared in other blogs, I am a Consultant and I work with non- profit organizations, churches, and charitable foundations. During the pandemic, in July of 2020, I worked with a CEO…
By: Todd E Henley on January 11, 2024
I have always enjoyed preaching, teaching, training, podcasting, and hosting workshops. About 90% of the time, I am asked to speak on topics such as: Trauma’s impact on the body, brain, immune system, or nervous system. How to help the body heal from childhood trauma? How pornography and/or sex addiction wires the brain. Generational trauma…
By: Jenny Dooley on January 11, 2024
The Identity Trap: A story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, by Yascha Mounk, offered a clear perspective on the discord and polarization I encountered when I returned to the USA in 2014. Something had drastically changed over the years that I could not put my finger on and left me fearful of speaking…
