Reflections on nature, culture & the inner life
Dear Friends, The first thing to overcome with the coronavirus is fear. The virus is certainly dangerous. The likelihood is we will need to learn to live with it. A "new normal" will emerge with its own protocols for traveling, meeting, caring for each other, grieving...
Dear New School Friends: Walter Murch is a film editor and sound designer. His work includes Apocalypse Now, the Godfather series, The Conversation, and The English Patient. He has won three Academy Awards from nine nominations. Roger Ebert called him "the most...
Leonardo Da Vinci, The Annnuciation Dear New School Friends: I am reading poetry. A friend sent me this poem by Denise Levertov: AnnunciationDenise Levertov We know the scene: the room, variously furnished, almost always a lectern, a book; alwaysthe tall lily. ...
December 15, 2019 Dear Commonweal Friends: I hope my personal Winter Letter finds you well. You have already received the winter edition of our Commonweal News . Commonweal has never been stronger. Our 20 + programs in health and healing, education and the arts, and...
Former Commonweal Program Director Heather Sarantis is just returning from doing humanitarian relief work for asylum seekers near the Texas-Mexico border through Bay Area Border Relief. Heather shares her story here: I had been accepted to do support at Annunciation...
From Stanley Wu, Commonweal Resilience Project Coordinator When Pacific Gas and Energy (PGE) was determined to be responsible for the devastating Camp Fire that killed at least 86 people and resulted in tens of billions in damage, they filed for bankruptcy and changed...
Dear TNS Friends: We authentically need your help. For many years we have managed our modest TNS budget with the support of a few core funders and generous small contributions from many of you. Over the past few years, our wonderful core funders (deep gratitude to...
Dear Friends, As summer ends, as the fall of 2019 begins, where are we? The world is on fire: the Amazon, Siberia, Indonesia, and much more. Some fires are deliberately lit to clear land for grazing and agriculture. Many more are accidental or spontaneous. Global...
Dear New School Friends: I'm spending much of the summer on Whidbey Island, north of Seattle. Here are some notes about how life and the world look to me right now. First, life. My 75th year offers opportunities for reflection. I care about what I am reading, what I...
Dear Commonweal Friends: I hope this Spring Letter finds you well. I write you this personal letter twice a year. Commonweal thrives in our 44th year. You will soon receive the Commonweal News. This personal letter focuses on four projects I guide—the Commonweal...