I think today we are just sensing a bit of that: encouraging in each other and with the people we get to work with, and live with, that sense that the human is a never-ending unrealized potential of new permutations, connections, and possibilities.
And if a bit of that conversation is rubbing off on you, and you're inspired to discover that, please do share with us, here at Portals of Perception, your thoughts, and your inquiries, and inspirations. We want to expand the conversation as all of us are in the inquiry of: what does it mean to become human through these times of change?
In this series, Aviv Shahar and a global group of "weavers" with varied academic, professional and life backgrounds, bring together the hidden threads and themes behind new possibilities emerging across all aspects of human experience.
So maybe the 21st century is a similar time [to the Renaissance], that maybe influences are coming from the East and the West and the North and the South, and in and out and up and down, from the laymen and the scholars, from one average person to another average person. Maybe these influences can now create something that is more - today, new - the next opening of civilization...
Dr. Alan Litchfield
Being born with an intense curiosity about the world and at the same time confused by contradictions and unexplained patterns in society has led to a restless life of seeking and searching, penetrating into the purposes and reasons of existence throughout material and subtle worlds.
Also, this is expressed through the philosophy of science and the philosophy of technology in which there are enduring questions about the relationship between what people have expressed of themselves and created, what they thought would be the outcomes, what we all have to show for it, and what are the opportunities for betterment.
Elizabeth Lyell
Early on, I wondered what I was doing here, in a body on a planet! It seemed good, yet strange. While I enjoyed people, I was particularly fascinated by the animals, all the way from the tiny (ladybugs) to the large (elephants). I longed to be able to converse with them. My (ingenious) efforts toward making this happen were probably my first spiritually oriented forays!
Since then, I’ve worked with humans in different capacities (teaching philosophy, and now in working as a counselor). I’ve learned a lot about the mind and the heart. I now know that while good reasoning is essential, the heart has its reasons, which reason does not know (Blaise Pascal)! Life’s mysteries still fascinate and astound me… while I continue to ask, why are we here?!
Kyriaki Nikandrou
When I was a child, staring at the starry night skies, I was filled with awe and wonder, about the mysteries of the Universe, Life, Time, the Human and its place in the Cosmos, trying to connect the dots that link everything with everything…
Some years down the line, I still do. I am seeking to be in conversation with others in search for keys, for tools of understanding and application and for the real questions, the ones that become portals to contemplative journeys, leading to uncharted territories that feel like home.
I believe we are on a trajectory of multiple and unpredictable changes; it is up to each one of us to rise to the challenge of our times. Now, more than ever before, is the time to be true to ourselves and fulfill our potential.
Aviv Shahar
Aviv is the Founder of Aviv Consulting, helping leaders unleash strategic innovation, and is the author of Create New Futures: How Leaders Produce Breakthroughs and Transform the World Through Conversation.
