A Difficult Choice Brings Unexpected Consequences I believe that one of the most fundamental principles we can learn in this life is embedded in the tenet: “We are free to choose, and willingly accept responsibility for our choices.” Agency is the ability and privilege to choose and to act for ourselves. Even though we are…
A quilter carefully chooses fabrics of different colors and patterns to piece together in a variety of shapes in order to create something whole and cohesive. Historically quilts have been as expressive as they were practical. The patchwork told stories, and the final products created protection and warmth. In a similar way, religious pluralism involves…
Ever hear of a cottage industry bursting into existence with immediate impact and results? This month we share such a story, that of our Houston Cottage. Nikki Brown encountered Big Ocean as she researched the work done at United Nations. It struck a chord with her. “After observing Big Ocean Women for nearly a year…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beP3-1AM3Lw&feature=youtu.be
Imagine a neighborhood floating on water, where roads look like rivers, and where children play on vast bridges and verandas and rafts. Imagine a community where you take a boat to school, where you rely on water for employment, for transportation, for nourishment and sustenance. Makoko is a fishing village floating on the vast Lagos…
The theory of opportunity cost was one of the ideas that struck me the most in the high school economics class I took 20 years ago. It is something that I have considered over the years as I’ve tried to make good choices in my life, and I am thankful that it was an idea…
I’m on the elevator when the girls get on, a tightly clustered group of young women, heads together, poring over a map of the college campus, excitement and anxiety in every line of their tilted heads, in the eager way they gaze around, and reluctance with which they approach strangers and other students. It is…
As humans, we are faced with making choices every single day. They’re often simple: what should we eat for breakfast, what should we wear, should we put on makeup or not, et cetera. Some of them are bigger than others. Whom should I marry? Where should I work? Should I be a working mom? Should…
Eve and I found a tiny bird egg while digging underneath a Blue Spruce this week.She carefully rolled the white egg over in her small grubby hands, tenderly inspecting each minuscule speckle. Then, looking to me for answers, she asked, “Where mommy-daddy bird go?” I could tell she was deeply troubled that the egg was…