Most of us perceive warfare as the single-most horrific tool employed by nations in the settling of disputes. But how often do we hear convincing counter-narratives that offer hope for a better way? Listen to my interview with scholar John Horgan, author of "The End of War" to hear a unique perspective on cultural evolution, and his conclusion that a warless future could be humanity's next step.
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Ai Wei Wei
The best art will often take us not further from, but instead, closer to, reality. Chinese artist and activist Ai Wei Wei is a prime example. His artistic statements demonstrate a rare boldness, often pointing to the repressive underside of his society, putting him dangerously at odds with the Chinese communist state. A key element of his remarkable career has been powerful use of the internet.
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Tenth Anniversary
A crowd was assembled around St. Paul's Chapel on Broadway. One block west, behind the chapel, the tenth anniversary ceremony to honor the victims of 9-11 was taking place; its sound system spreading indistinct reverberations through the blocks. Only the 9-11 families and government dignitaries, including Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, were admitted to ground zero. The rest of the public milled around the perimeter of St. Paul's to be nearby the epicenter of remembrance.
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Acumen
The engine of globalization is a remarkable phenomenon. Enormous talent is being unleashed across the developing nations. But in its wake, a spectacular number of people are being left behind. They have little or no access to healthcare, education or public debate on issues affecting their lives. Ever wonder how the future will look if the gap between the world's rich and poor continues to widen?
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Photographer Vivian Maier
Who is Vivian Maier? It just might be, that she herself didn't really know. Maier was completely unknown until a young Chicago real estate agent, John Maloof, discovered her work in an attic space after her death at age 83. Many are saying that the treasure trove of street photography she left behind ranks her as one of the master image makers of our age.
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Egypt's Uprising
The towers of fear, erected upon six decades of dictatorship, were cracked and giving way on Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.Over eighteen days, glued to our electronic gadgetry, we watched a huge diversity of Egyptians pour onto the square in unity, to protest corruption of the Hosni Mubarak regime, and to sing. An eruption of freedom was bursting along the fissure of universal human desire
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The Lost Dream (Podcast)
The year's end brings reflection on the power of great creative work. This December, I Interviewed Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehan Harney about her film "Dream of America," which documents Iraqi men who fled to America after risking their lives in defiance of Saddam Hussein. Listen to how the men's story literally made Washington Post headlines earlier in 2010. The resulting publicity garnered welcome support for the film's main subject, a father of four, whose fidelity to the U.S. led him into serious and continuing personal struggles.
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Joel Meyerowitz
For his project "Aftermath: The World Trade Center Archive," photographer Joel Meyerowitz created an historically relevant and poignant record of ground zero. To photograph at the site was prohibited, so his project was resisted from he beginning. Had Meyerowitz not persisted in his vision, the 8000 image archive, traveling and touching others across the world, would not exist.
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JR
JR is a young innovative French photographer who stays below radar. He offers few words about his work, but his enormous black and white portraits loom large in highly populated public communities. He directs his subjects to make exaggerated facial expressions that somehow, amidst the amusement, raise questions about identity, poverty, sexism, boredom or violence.
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Daniel Pearl World Music Days
Loss and creative power seem to be inextricably connected. This month of October marks the 9th year of concerts performed globally in memory of Daniel Pearl, a journalist (and musician) who was brutally murdered by terrorists in Karachi, Pakistan, in early 2002.
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The Ground Zero Debate
The high octane debate over Park 51, the proposed Islamic community center of lower Manhattan, rages on. The Americans I know have only compassion in their hearts for the devastating losses of September 11. In fact, one Muslim-American friend of mine, born in Cairo, was especially grief-stricken on that day, due to her love of America and the provenance of those terrorist acts.
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Women of the World
A dazzling collection of art by women from across the globe was originally intended to be auctioned off in 2003. New Orleans collector Richard C. Colton, Jr. was so moved by the power of the assemblage, however, that he bought it whole in order to keep it that way, and to share it with the world.
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Ambivalence Over Afghanistan
Barack Obama is edging closer to a decision on whether to reinforce the 68,000 U.S. troops who will be fighting in Afghanistan by year's end. Since routing out Al Qaeda and their Taliban hosts in Afghanistan after 9-11, the Taliban has made a steady comeback, fueled by failures of the Bush administration, profits from the opium trade,
Read MoreU.S. Muslim Engagement Project
A cross-section of American leaders met recently via the U.S. Muslim Engagement Project in order to address the underlying causes of terrorism, and to help set a new course of action in the Middle East. Terrorism measurements are difficult to pin down. But most intelligence data suggest linkage between the “war on terror” and significant increases in terrorism worldwide.
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Charter for Compassion
In follow-up to my Gateways post on September 25th, Scholar Karen Armstrong is leading the call for a “Charter for Compassion” to be created by people all over the world. As every religion has a history of intolerance, so each religion has principles for overcoming intolerance. The Charter aims to shift religious conceptions and relieve
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