Study Circle – Restoring Our Ancient Bond
**Events may have been canceled or postponed. Please contact the venue to confirm the event.
Date & Time
Tue, Oct 04 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Address (map)
1407 Chapala St., Santa Barbara, CA 93111
Venue (website)
Concord House World Culture Institute
The Institute of World Culture Study Circle meets Tuesday evenings at 7:30 pm in-person and via Zoom.
The Study Circle meets each Tuesday from September to May, but the topics change all the time.
For October, our theme is: Restoring Our Ancient Bonds. Feel free to join anytime.
Institute of World Culture
Concord House
1407 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara, CA
For more information: http://www.worldculture.org
In October 2022 we will be taking up several chapters from two books, Sacred Nature: Restoring our Ancient Bond with the Natural World by Karen Armstrong, and Reimagining Global Philanthropy by Kirk S. Bowman and Jon R. Wilcox. “Sacred Nature” tells us that many of our ancestor’s myths taught them how to revere the natural environment. Unlike in our modern environmental discourse, nature was presented and experienced imaginatively and aesthetically rather than scientifically, and this involved the emotions and the body. Different cultures across the world saw nature as imbued with the sacred in remarkably similar ways. “Reimagining Global Philanthropy” provides the critical analysis we have needed for decades, but had not had until now, explaining why global philanthropy so often fails, and why dropping the ego and instead identifying and supporting grassroots actors will always be the most impactful, empowering and cost-effective way to make change. If our goal is really a world where everyone is able to lead a healthy and fulfilling life, ensuring our collective well-being in ways that preserve diversity and that promote belonging and care for our communities and ecosystems, not only reimagining, but actually realizing, a de-colonial approach to philanthropy is imperative. After a brief summary of the chapters, there will be time for discussion. Please feel free to join us at any time. Check our website for more information and links to the readings: http://www.worldculture.org
OCTOBER 4, 2022
Reading: Sacred Nature: Introduction and Chapter 1: “Mythos and Logos”
OCTOBER 11, 2022
Reading: Sacred Nature: Chapter 4: “Our Broken World”
OCTOBER 18, 2022
Reading: Reimagining Global Philanthropy: Chapter 2: “Everybody wants to change the world”
(to be posted)
OCTOBER 25, 2022
Reimagining Global Philanthropy: Chapter 3: “Lessons from Contemporary Global Philanthropy Practice (to be posted)