Ecomapping...

photo by grassrootsmsw
NYC, 1992

"Making mental connections is our
most critical learning tool, the essence
of human intelligence: to forge links;
to go beyond the given; to see
patterns, relationship, context."

Marilyn Ferguson

Opening the lens...

photo by D. L.
Kenya, Africa

"A Senegalese poet said 'In the end we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.' We must learn about other cultures in order to understand, in order to love, and in order to preserve our common world heritage."

–Yo Yo Ma, White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy-

As health care practitioners, as caregivers, as human beings, it is our responsibility and our greatest privilege to embrace the concept of 'multiculturalism.'

This is a process, overlapping and occurring over time, where we open ourselves to recognizing, understanding, and appreciating differences and similarities in the various cultures we experience and encounter. It is a process ultimately creating transformation and openness to a broader way of living, thinking, and behaving.

There is a rich, varied, and beautiful world beyond what is 'known' to us...waiting to enrich and expand life possibilities and truths...

-grassrootsmsw-

Fluidity

photo by grassrootsmsw

“Like a graceful vase, a cat, even when motionless, seems to flow.”

George F. Will

Quentin

photo by grassrootsmsw

"There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat."
Tay Hohoff

Belief in the unknown...

photo by grassrootsmsw

“During periods of discontinuous, abrupt change, the essence of adaptation involves a keen sensitivity to what should be abandoned - not what should be changed or introduced. A willingness to depart from the familiar has distinct survival value.”

Peter F. Drucker

The Precision of Clarity

photo by D.B.L.
Africa

Andrea Ayvazian:

A reporter interviewing A.J. Muste, who during the Vietnam War stood in front of the White House night after night with a candle…one rainy night asked,"Mr. Muste, do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night with a candle?" Muste replied, "Oh, I don't do it to change the country, I do it so the country won't change me.”