A Crisis of Vision

Scientifically, goldenrod is a photoperiodic plant—meaning it blooms in the late summer when it senses daylight hours are diminishing. Folklore says that once it blooms, there are approximately six weeks before the first frost. Some of us anticipate those cooler days of Fall more than others.

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Note: I actually wrote two blog posts this week. I had one almost done, sitting in my drafts, when, at 4:00 Thursday morning, I woke up from "stress-writing" in my sleep and got the entire thing typed into my notes app on my phone before dawn. Needless to say, that is the one that made the cut for this week with only a fair bit of revision.  

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Beyond the obvious moral decay and erosion of empathy in this country, I find myself wondering why so few are addressing a deeper, more dangerous crisis: a failure of imagination and creativity.

You need look no further than the personal attacks, insidious rumors, and bigotry—xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, racism—hurled about in place of fresh, innovative ideas to see that originality is no longer prioritized. 

The readiness to instigate drama, nastiness, name-calling, and plain old bullying against those with an actual vision tells me everything I need to know. There's no genuine interest in anything beyond the self; only a willingness to grasp for power, spread fear-mongering propaganda and hate speech, and chase the long con of grift. Most tellingly, there's no real intellect behind it—no capacity for the kind of empathetic, inventive originality that can solve the challenges facing society. 
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I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about why we’ve reached this impasse. But given my criticism of our current White House and our educational system, you can probably guess where I land. 

In this TED Talk from several years ago, the late Sir Ken Robinson explains why a lack of creativity is so damaging to society as a whole. 

I believe we can emerge from this crisis stronger—more resilient to future attacks on progress and creative ingenuity. However, we first need to recognize the dangers of banality, hypocrisy, and the lack of imagination, and how they affect our ability as a society to prioritize progress. 

Creativity is not a luxury reserved for artists and inventors; it is the baseline for compassion, open minds, critical thinking, and change itself. Without it, we fall back to the familiar, the divisive, the fear-mongering and propaganda that require no imagination at all. If we want something different, we have to believe it is possible—and then find the determination and vision to create it, one person and one innovative idea at a time. And we must support those brave enough to step up and conceptualize a new way forward. 

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DRC News

Another quiet week at the Center—gearing up for the beginning of the academic year on September 8th.. 

A new box is always a good distraction while Digby Doo somehow endures the long-awaited return of his kiddos.

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Volunteer Opportunity
With summer coming to a close, are you looking for something that will keep you engaged and connected through the long, dark days of fall and winter?

Deep Root Center is seeking volunteers to share their talents, skills, and interests and facilitate projects and activities with our student members. This is an opportunity to build relationships and support our goal of community-driven education.

DRC is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday from 9-3. Our goal is to host one volunteer each day between the hours of 10-2. Beyond that, we are completely flexible and happy to work within your schedule.

Get in touch or find the volunteer form linked here.

We look forward to meeting you!

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It is hard to believe that there are only a bit more than two weeks of summer break left! DRC opens on Tuesday, September 8th. In addition to in-person programming, we also provide homeschool consultation services.

​Reach out to [email protected] to learn more.