Reflections

The new Public Agenda/USA TODAY Hidden Common Ground poll offers important data about how Americans view racism and racial justice.

Originally published in USA Today December 6, 2022

We must fan the flames of spiritual renewal within our religious traditions to help them overcome dogmatism and division and to become their best, most life-affirming selves.

The story

Love is a pretty big part of our workplace vocabulary, but that’s probably what you would expect from a place with a mission to help build the spiritual foundation for a loving world! But honestly, love can have a place in any workday and any type of workplace, no matter whom or what you’re working for, be it customers, patrons, patients, the public, students, a constituency, or a mission.

What would it mean to have a compensation philosophy grounded in our organization’s values of love, trust, authenticity, and inclusion? In 2019, we set ourselves on a course to address this question by establishing the Pay Philosophy Project. The goal? To create a compensation structure that is equitable and transparent, that creates a deeper sense of community among staff, and that is aligned with our mission.

“All are welcome!” From our unique corner of the hospitality world, retreat centers like to picture themselves throwing open our doors and our arms to all. Indeed, many of us have put special effort into expanding the reach of our welcome, with sliding scales or pay-what-you-can rates, representation from a wide range of sacred experiences, and more.

Yet, the dominant demographic among retreat center leadership and guests remains relatively homogenous in many ways. What more can we do?

“Please describe how you intend to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in your proposed group retreat.” In 2019, we added this invitation to our simple group retreat request form for GilChrist. We wanted to begin gathering information from our facilitators on how folks were thinking about the connection between contemplative retreats and DEI work. Responses have ranged from very thoughtful and detailed to (perhaps) a little put off or confused. All responses have been helpful for us to see where our community is and what the opportunities are. 

Walking into Wisdom 2.0—a conference where the Silicon Valley tech scene converges with a profoundly sacred mindfulness scene—is like entering an alternative reality. One minute, you might be trying on a BrainTap wearable headset to build your “brain fitness,” and the next, you’re sitting on a meditation cushion listening to a 77-year-old Buddhist monk.

War, environmental degradation, racism—it appears that polarization has a death grip on every aspect of our world, including our democracy.

More than two years into a global pandemic we continue to witness the effects of the Coronavirus, and one of the groups that has suffered most is children.