Frank Stolarz, a member of the greater Golden Civilization community and Registered Life Planner with the Kinder Institute, shares mindfulness principals that guide him in his own practice of yoga and meditation and reflects on his transition into retirement. In this new phase of his life, Frank is more determined than ever to impact the world around him positively. He shares an original poem to close out the post.
Samana Benedetti on A Golden Civilization
Joan Luzier on A Golden Civilization
Joan Luzier, a member of the greater Golden Civilization community, shares a personal reflection about what she has learned through being a part of the movement. Citing her own personal transformations of thought, Joan’s story comes from a place of mindfulness and deep connection to her surrounding community.
Nat Warren-White on A Golden Civilization
Nat Warren-White, a member of the greater Golden Civilization community, shares a personal reflection about the innocence and curiosity of his grandson as they spend one on one time in Hawaii and how Nat sees the ideals of a Golden Civilization lived out in these quiet moments spent in nature. His story is an inspiration to all of us as we slow down and enjoy the world around us.
Golden Civilization Conversations Continue in Hong Kong
Michael Au, Managing Director at District Capital, attended George’s Golden Civilization Conversation in Hong Kong last August and has since facilitated a few of his own Conversations, the most recent of which at an event hosted by Dream Impact in Hong Kong. He shares his experience below in a guest blog:
I was invited by a friend, a renowned Hong Kong-based impact investor, to hear George Kinder talk in Hong Kong. I was not aware of George's work prior to attending but was told to expect a methodology to create and foster meaningful dialogue and positive activism in a community. At the time of George's talk, we were just witnessing the very beginning of the protests triggered by the government's Extradition Bill, the city's citizens felt powerless against a government who seemed to be deaf towards the people's concerns, and in the months that followed, that feeling of powerlessness eventually escalated into fear, revolt, and physical violence.
I have been using the Golden Civilization Conversation methodology in various configurations throughout these months to empower a range of our society's stakeholders to re-engage with their communities in these times which feel increasingly violent and hopeless. Earlier in January, I was asked to lead a session at an inaugural gathering for social entrepreneurs, impact investors, NGO staff, and other purpose-driven community actors hosted by Dream Impact, a Hong Kong impact business incubator. My topic for discussion was on finding common goals across organizations. The Golden Civilization Conversation methodology came immediately to mind as a way to engage a group of strangers to think and reflect deeply in a collaborative fashion. Similar to the outcomes of many conversations I have hosted, priorities in the Vision exercise were equality, respect, opportunity, and trust. As I was only allocated 30 minutes to conduct this session, we had a highly condensed version of the conversation, but I was pleased to hear that when tasked with defining personal action, one-third of the participants decided to host their own gatherings and Conversations as they personally witnessed the power of the exercise.
As our city continues to wrestle with unrest and now compounded by the viral outbreak, I believe that continuing to advocate for the conducting of GCC-powered gatherings will help us cross the bridge between hopelessness to personal action to rebuilding our community ties with a renewed focus on well-being and equality.
You can read more about Dream Impact on their LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dreamimpacthk
View Michael’s post on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/michael-au_impactcommunity-dialogues-together-activity-6622291298047098880-EyFx
Michael Au presents the Golden Civilization Methodology at the Dream Impact event in Hong Kong.
Click through for more general photos of the event shared via LinkedIn
A Golden Civilization Conversation for Those Over 75
Last week, in a local bookstore in Tempe, Arizona, Mary Zimmerman hosted a public Golden Civilization Conversation for her local community, asking that her friends, especially those over 75 years of age, come together for a heartfelt discussion about their vision of a Golden Civilization.
Mary, having worked closely with George, has read A Golden Civilization and the Map of Mindfulness, and already participated in two Golden Civilization Conversations, one in Irvine, California, and the other in Laguna Beach. She has hosted a Golden Civilization Conversation with a diverse audience in central Phoenix and one informally with four generations of her family in Austin, TX. She was inspired how each achieved stimulating, apolitical conversation.
Inspired by her sister, who would have been 75 this year, Mary wanted to gather an insightful group with some real life experience (those at least 75) to hear their great wisdom, insight, and perspective.
The resulting group shared a non-judgmental participatory conversation about what they did for fun growing up (and where), what they wanted from a Golden Civilization, one thing from the past they wanted to bring forward, and their action step to live into their shared vision for a Golden Civilization.
