Introducing "Connections": Conversations With People of Intent

The importance of a healthy, functioning system is a fundamental concept of living with intent that we'll revisit again and again. A system can be thought of as a collection of different elements, both animate or inanimate, which work together to achieve the system’s goals. An eco-system (e.g. a garden) is one such example. Those that are bio-diverse tend to be more productive, robust and resilient. Each element has a primary role (and perhaps others as well) to play in the eco-system’s performance. A web of relationships also exists between elements, which helps contribute to the system's overall.

The same is true for human systems or networks. In a Night at the Theater we saw how a community comprised of diverse participants, each respected and valued for their contribution, created an opportunity that allowed everyone in the theater that evening— performers and audience alike— to benefit and experience something magical.

For this reason, I am pleased and excited to introduce Connections, an interview series featuring conversations with people who work to create inclusive, thriving communities. Through their work with others, whose abilities or contributions may have often been overlooked or devalued by society, they demonstrate how we all win by being open to the possibilities everyone has to offer. We’ll also sit down and chat with people whose work incorporates some aspect of the six Building Blocks of Intent first introduced last year— Health, Knowledge and Skills and Spirituality, Philanthropy and Arts & Culture.

Our inaugural conversation will feature Bronx poet John Maney, Jr. who conducts creative writing workshops. In addition to working with the general public, he also works with those who have often lacked opportunities to develop their creative voice, as well as to share and contribute their perspectives and experiences with others. Join us next week to find out how, through the written word, John has helped his students to connect with themselves as well as their wider communities, enriching both their lives as well as his own.