By Rupal Soni | Principal and Co-Founder
Our world is on fire, and the violence and harm we are experiencing are shifting fast. Our communities, our health, our neighbors, our safety, our families, our environment, our bodies, our cities; new day, new target. It is hard to know what any one of us could do.
I work in philanthropy, where we work with those ready and able to invest in good. I have worked with many who have more resources than they could spend in a lifetime. And yet, no one seems to have the answer.
Whenever I have felt lost, I turn to the arts. So, I started giving presentations on what I learn from my arts practice at national philanthropy conferences.
Alongside other amazing artists in my field — including Francisco Martinez, co-founder of Sovereign Good — I have facilitated dynamic programs with a room full of professionals in the field who brought their honesty, gratitude, and imagination.
Unfortunately, these presentations have not yet changed the world. Harm is still out here, harming. However, some new possibilities, partnerships, and paths opened up in ways I could not have expected.
I believe the era we are living in requires each of us to think out of the box. Is this the way it has to be? The only way it could be? New possibilities can open up when we choose a new path. We can be creative in how we use our voices to speak up, how we stand up as our bravest selves, how we find each other, and how we work toward the world that could be, instead.
I wanted to put a reminder into the world, as we stand in the middle of all this shape-shifting violence and as we are threatened with escalation.
This is not the only way. This is not the way it has to be. We simply cannot continue “business as usual” anymore. I’m ready to stretch my imagination of what we could make possible instead. What about you?