Islands of Coherence

““When a complex system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the capacity to shift the entire system to a higher order.” Quote by Ilya Prigogine, Nobel Prize-winning chemist. From March 15 to 17, 2023, a group of about 80 leaders gathered at the Garrison Institute for a Pathways to Planetary Health Symposium focused on the commons. Systems change was a recurrent theme at this meeting. One participant mentioned Ilya Prigogine’s quote above about “islands of coherence” as a way to think about shifting social systems.

Dr. Bayo Akomolafe on “Postactivism”

In this talk with Garrison Institute Fellowship Director Dr. Angel Acosta, “Contemplating Postactivism: Reframing Our Approach to Social Change,” Bayo Akomolafe began by asking the provocative question: “What if the way we respond to the crisis is part of the crisis?” Dr. Akomolafe is a celebrated philosopher, writer, activist, professor, and international speaker. His work produced the concept of “postactivism,” which refuses the “us vs. them” thinking of traditional activism.

Susana Mendoza on Clarity and Human Relationships

Welcome again to the Compassionate Leadership in Finance Podcast. This collaboration with Mindful on Wall Street presents illuminating discussions with successful financial decision-makers on how they apply mindful leadership in their everyday life and work.

In this episode we chat with Susana Mendoza, MD Private Equity Capital Markets at TD Securities. She’s also a founding member of Mindful on Wall Street, a grassroots collaboration of mindfulness champions across the financial services industry.

Zen, Contemplative Practice, and the Emergence of Black Queer Joy

This narrative essay offers an exploration of the ways in which contemplative practice can be part of a strategy for nurturing health, well-being, meaning and joy in our everyday lives as Black contemplatives. Drawing on my experience as a Black queer scholar and college professor, attention is given to the notion of contemplative practice as a way of cultivating our internal emotional, intellectual and spiritual resources.

Igniting Action at the Intersection of Art, Ecology, and Contemplation

The Garrison Institute was honored to welcome the work of Paz Perlman and artists from the Think About Water collective into the ensemble of contributors at our recent Pathways to Planetary Health Symposium in March. These critically acclaimed artists are known for their powerful bodies of work that grapple with today’s most profound societal and environmental challenges.

Introducing the Compassionate Leadership in Finance PODCAST

We are excited to collaborate with Mindful on Wall Street to share a series of podcasts of our conversations with leaders in finance. These discussions will illuminate how successful decision-makers apply mindfulness and compassionate leadership in their day-to-day life and work. To quote one of Mindful on Wall Street’s taglines: “Mindfulness: It starts with you.” In this first podcast, Howard…