Feb 31st?

I just ate a Clif bar whose expiration date was printed as "Feb 31, 2007." Next year may be stranger than I thought...

Facial vision and other subtle senses

I was speaking with a blind man recently, who told me of facial vision -- the ability to sense an object's location without direct visual feedback. He can do this, as can many blind people. In looking it up, I found that in 1986 the phenomenon was doubted, but a more recent source presents it as fact. Apparently it has to do with hearing; the blind man mentioned a study showing that it goes away in blind people when their ears are blocked (I couldn't find a link to this).

I have noted facial vision in myself also, although I am a sighted person. If I enter a pitch black room or cave, I can still have a sense of how large the space is-- it just feels big or small.

This reminds me of a subject I have noted many times: Sensory perception is incredibly subtle, diverse, and overlapping, far more so than is generally admitted in the sciences (neuroscience, psychology, biophysics, medicine). The phenomenon of touch, for instance, includes not only perception of things like pain, pressure, heat, and cold, but also perception of proximity, location relative to gravity, internal flows and movements, weight, contraction, expansion, and tension. Vision includes this elusive facial vision (or perhaps it might be mixed phenomenon of touch and hearing). Hearing includes a component of touch -- don't some sounds tickle a bit, or grate, or give a good punch?

This is not your imagination. This is not some flaky, fluffy thing that your mind is inventing, which can never be measured "scientifically." It is real, and the reason the language seems vague and unscientific is that sensory perception is a deep, nonverbal phenomenon. Words are always clumsy in this case. Because scientists rely on precision, they have imposed strict categories (five senses) that are supposed to be independent and nonoverlapping.

But the reality is not like that. I am coming to see more and more ways that our scientific descriptions are impositions and not reflections of reality. And that's OK.

John Olson - let's relive the 15 microseconds

For a class I am taking, we watched the movie Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. We were to look for examples of both congruency and incongruency in the characters as presented. Sure, there are the obvious examples of Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay, as well as the other main players like whistle-blower Sharon Watkins.

But I noticed that my attention was naturally drawn to the analysts of the story, given that I have worked as an analyst for the last 7 years (not in the high-pressure world of securities, but at least a similar job -- an industry and technology analyst). I was impressed with John Olson of Merrill Lynch, who refused to give Enron a "buy" rating in the late 1990s because he felt he did not have enough information about how Enron was making its money.

He did not make any accusations, but he was unwilling to endorse ENE without appropriate supporting data. This takes deep integrity, and his verbal statements about what he was doing are congruent with his actions.

So I went and looked up some more information about him. I love this:

Olson told U.S. News & World Report that Enron was "not very forthcoming about how they make their money," and added: "I don’t know an analyst worth his salt who can seriously analyze Enron."

Lay’s response came in the form of a handwritten note to Olson’s boss, Donald Sanders. "John Olson has been wrong about Enron for over 10 years and he is still wrong," Lay had scrawled in the margins of the U.S. News story. "But he is consistant [sic]." It was signed, "Ken."

According to The New York Times, when Sanders showed him the note, Olson replied, "You know that I’m old and worthless, but at least I can spell consistent."

(Source: UPenn Gazette 2002)

There is also some pretty interesting Congressional testimony from Olson from the 2002 Enron hearings.

Analysts have some authority as "neutral public commentators" about companies, and are therefore pressured behind the scenes to say certain things by the companies. I regularly got calls from marketing and PR folks "advising" me about how they wanted to present themselves, and "suggesting" things I might highlight when I made public comments. I am thankful that my own firm supported its analysts in maintaining integrity-- in fact, we were discouraged from making public statements in press releases or in other places where our comments could be construed as favoring or disfavoring particular products.

It is worth noting that John Olson was fired from Merrill Lynch in 1998 due to pressure from Ken Lay. He accepted this fate because he stood by his own integrity. That is congruency.

He mentioned at one point in 2002 that he felt he was getting his "15 microseconds of fame" in life. I'm pleased to relive them here. Thank you for the inspiration, John.

Green fatigue, and the coming green crash

Stephen Balogh has written an excellent piece for Groovy Green entitled Green Fatigue. It's about the fading of that initial "green buzz" that people feel when they get turned on to environmentalism, green living, and other worthy themes of our times. People make some lifestyle changes, get interested in reading new blogs and books, and meet new people that are fun and exciting.

But then, as will happen in life, these things become a bit routine. We have been living off the "high" that comes from any change, any new thing in our lives. Green reveals itself to be just one more passion-- like the time we thought we were going to learn Italian, or when we resolved to get really good at tennis, or when we discovered online investment and started a portfolio that we were going to track every week.

Even projects that are started with great enthusiasm have a tendency to peter out, don't they?

Don't worry, this is very human. It happens quite often, and it need not be a source of guilt or self judgment. You're not a bad person because you have unused Italian tapes sitting on your bookshelf, and you're pretty sure you're never going to get up the gusto to go through them. It is important to ackowledge the fatigue.

In fact, this sort of thing happens on many levels. Businesses, societies, and countries also go through fads, cycles, and passions that come and then go. And it is occurring in the case of "green" activities too. Right now the venture capital community is enamored with photovoltaics (solar energy) technology, as well as other "clean tech," as it's called. Billions are being invested.

Previous fads have been the dot-com boom and biotechnology. Both of these resulted in initial busts/crashes, followed by a slow regathering of energy that may actually produce some viable businesses.

It will be the same with environmental businesses. Right now, this is a hot trend, but -- mark my words -- it will crash. People and institutions will get fatigued. Those seeking short-term results will realize that this is a long-term effort, and will get disillusioned. You mean we actually have to work at this? It doesn't just appear automatically after I get all excited about it?

No, it doesn't. It takes a long time. It takes genuine effort. And it will take some uncomfortable changes. It isn't just about buying organic fair-trade coffee and kicking back in a sustainably-produced eco-chair in your comfortable house.

But after the "green crash" (which is unfortunately coming around the time I finish my degree in Sustainable Business), we will slowly enter a phase that is more genuine and less trendy. Those who are willing to stick with sustainability for the long haul will start to have success in making substantial changes that actually matter.

As one commentator on Groovy Green stated: It's like dieting. A lot of people diet hoping for the quick fix, and end up jumping from trend to trend. They lose a little bit, then find themselves unable to maintain it. For them, "green" is just one more thing to be enamored with for a little while. Others understand that altering their bodies (or the global economy and our attitude about the environment) takes a little more effort than that, and isn't quite as comfortable as reading a book and having a special shake for breakfast.

It's OK to be fatigued. Let it come: that is a normal "let-down" response after the initial high of doing something exciting, fun, and new. But don't get caught in the fatigue. Pick yourself up and keep going. Dare to have the longer-term vision. We'll get there, especially if we do it together.

International Day of Peace

Today, September 21, has been declared an International Day of Peace.

What is peace? It is something we can explore deeply, both individually and in community. An important aspect of peace is its dynamism. It is more a process or way of acting than a static goal far in the future or an intangible concept. Peace is something we do, and we must do it each moment. The peaceful person stands in the stream of everyday life, connected with what is happening (for ignorance is surely not peace), but not drowning in it. There is no peace in hatred, anger, desperation, lust, arrogance, or fear.

Think of people like Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King, Jr. They refused to be swayed by the inevitable currents of life, while still acting strongly in the world. This is the essence of dynamic peace. We can all strive for it, whether we are world leaders or simply computer programmers, parents, teachers, electricians, or hairdressers.

It's not so simple to think about: Being peaceful as we engage in arguments, as we struggle with the pains of the body, as we delve into the tedium of relationship management. But when we stop thinking about it, and just do it, it becomes more managable. We need only get out of our own way.

But peace can also go farther. Can we imagine that peace is deep enough, wide enough, and powerful enough to extend beyond the daily life we experience? Timeless peace. What might that look like?

It is said that those who experience this type of peace all do so simultaneously because it is all the same moment. Even a glimpse of it before we plunge back into the torrent of life can provide inspiration for a long while. Perhaps you have felt this at a moment of exceptional clarity. Don't forget.

For me, peace is a deep motivation. I am drawn to it in all forms, and have invested considerable effort in experimenting with it. Much more effort remains. How about you? What does peace mean to you, and how have you experienced it?

Buddhists in business?

One group activity we did at Channel Rock was some improvisational games, designed to get us away from our self-conscious, "I'm-too-cool-to-be-silly" attitudes. In other words, to get us away from our Selves.

The facilitator was Peggy Taylor, co-author of Chop Wood, Carry Water, a book on finding the Buddhist path in everyday life. She was wonderful. Very free, dynamic, happy... and contagious. We all felt a little less Self because of her encouragement.

Thanks, Peggy!

Muddy boots and Earth charters

On September 10, I went to the Muddy Boot Organic Festival in Portland OR. What fun! Businesses and organizations related to sustainability had set up booths and demonstrations. We saw photovoltaic roof tiles, handbags made of recycled plastic bags, natural furniture and construction materials, and new designs for city buses. And of course, there was food. Everything from an organic catering service (what a great wedding idea!), to fresh ice cream sandwiches, to organic beer and wine. We picked up a few lovely fair-trade brownies also, including one with spicy chili peppers embedded.

One table I stopped by was promoting The Earth Charter, a collaborative document laying out social, environmental, and ethical guidelines that we can use to live and work together in a global world. Perhaps the effort can be charged with a certain idealism, but I felt pleased that these conversations are going on. The people who have worked together to create the drafts of the document have no doubt benefited greatly -- if the rest of us can gain even a fraction of that benefit, we'll be better off.

Channel Rock rocks

I am just back from an orientation trip for BGI. We spent 5 days at an eco-retreat center called Channel Rock up on Cortes Island in British Columbia.

Channel Rock is located on 140 acres of beautiful forest, part of which is said to be a sacred Native American burial ground. To be honest, I don’t doubt it. There is something special about that place that is palpable in the air. It is off the grid, with only solar power and generators. The wells are gravity-fed, except for a new one with a pump that was just getting fired up as we were there. The accommodations are sort of rustic, mostly tents, tipis, and yurts. There is one actual building called the Robyn’s Nest, perched up on a hill, where an artist (named Robyn of course) lived for a while. I was actually assigned to sleep there (with two other people), and was grateful given the chilly temperatures. There were only outhouses, plus one composting toilet. There was a solar shower (not always quite warm, but usually OK!) and a propane-driven one in the sauna that we were encouraged to use sparingly.

One main building is a cob house with a full kitchen, root cellar, and big open area for sitting in a circle. There is also a place called the Venture House, where we had class. The food they served was awesome. All organic, delicious, mostly vegetarian food (some fish was included), in great quantities. We were fed five times/day and could snack anytime (as if we needed that!). Yum. The final dinner was a feast of local salmon, roasted veggies, quinoa, fresh-baked bread, and some kind of chocolate mousse torte. How the heck they made that in a solar-powered kitchen, I don’t know, but there was some serious culinary talent there.

During the day, we had classes in the Venture House. We did group exercises to get to know each other, and got information from faculty about the classes we’d be taking. One class is a 1-credit one called Leadership and Personal Development (LPD). They feel that it gets short shrift with only 1 credit allowed, so they started us on it during this week. We were formed into 6-person teams that we will stay with during all 2 years and learned about the framework of the class. It sounds pretty interesting and deep; we are encouraged to do personal exploration, figure out our strengths and weaknesses, and start developing things like ethical insight, empathetic listening, and a holistic view of the world. I was impressed with how seriously they demand that we work on ourselves even as we strive to "change the world." After all, the greatest changes come inside, and without any inner change it is unlikely we can bring about effective outer change.

I like the members of my LPD team. We seem generally compatible as well as willing to address any differences that might come up. I’m sure we will have our strains as the pressure piles on during school, but I hope we’ll stay together psychologically as a group. Interestingly, we realized early on that all 6 of us are introverts. We are the calm, quiet group, I guess. BGI has more than its share of introverts for a business school, but have no doubt -- there are some serious extroverts among us! More than half the group, I’d say.

There were 31 people from “Cohort 5” (the 5th class at BGI) on this retreat. Total class size around 52, so I guess I’ve met 60%. I’ll see the rest at the first intensive in October.

When we weren’t in class, there was hiking, frisbee golf, kayaking, email (they have wireless), and napping. It was a tiring week. I found at least 4 other people who do/have done meditation. Several of us starting getting together an hour before breakfast to sit together, which was nice. I bet we can do that at Islandwood (on Bainbridge Island) too.

One particularly moving thing that all of us did was a nature meditation. We headed off into the woods in silence, where we sat alone, settled down, and were asked to contemplate a couple of questions by ourselves. We connected with the natural world in which we live and explored the concept of “right livelihood,” which is acting wisely in the world through one’s profession. (I am intrigued at the use of this term, which actually comes from Buddhism). It was quite profound, actually, to do that at such a wonderful place as Channel Rock. Afterwards, we could share our insights with the group or just keep them inside. It was a really nice exercise and most people seemed quite affected by it, even if they don’t do any kind of regular meditation.

I am thrilled to be attending a place where meditation is considered normal, people are encouraged to deepen their personal ethics, and business is seen as a natural way to do good in the world. And the people going to BGI! Not a dull one in the lot. Anyone who finds their way there must have something special going on inside. Gifford and Libba Pinchot have created something really great.

Finally the day came when we had to depart. The day started with a crazy boat ride out to the Cortes ferry. We took Gifford’s outboard motor-boat, which is tiny thing that seats perhaps 6 people. And it was raining! Everyone and everything (luggage-wise) got soaked. But we saw a seal and two loons out on the water. Cool. I spent the rest of the day trying to get dry and warm, but didn’t fully shake off the chill until I got into the warm bed at my aunt’s place in Portland. We arrived around 11:30 pm after leaving Cortes Island at 8:30 am. Long day!

Classes start on Sept 25th. We’ve just gotten our reading assignments and book lists, so I have to start ordering stuff. The first intensive at Islandwood is in four weeks. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the next 2 years!

Ben Franklin's Tercentenary

Ben Franklin would be 300 years old in 2006. A Philadelphia non-profit has created the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary to celebrate this and encourage us to continue the vision he put forth -- a country of practicality, curiosity, and tolerance.

This is a great opportunity not to forget the best parts of humanity, which are still present and need only to be remembered in order to be embodied once again.

NetImpact's Guide: Business as UNusual

NetImpact has released a report based on data gathered by surveying students in various business school programs across the US. The schools were selected based on the presence of at least some interest in socially or environmentally responsible business, and the ratings are based on curriculum, student activities, and career services.

It's called Business as UNusual: the Student Guide to Graduate Business School Programs.

BGI was rated Number 1! Granted, it's a student opinion survey, meaning that schools that are explicitly focused on environmental business will naturally garner high marks from their students in this area. But still, I feel pleased to be participating in the top-ranked program.

It's also interesting to notice the schools that are included. Some are well-known "gray pinstripes" programs like Harvard, Yale, and MIT. Others are not so well-known. This focus on responsible business is clearly not quite mainstream, but a few traditional programs are starting to think about it.