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Looking Back and Looking Forward
Nurturing Our Inner Fire: Keeping those flames of hope, passion, commitment, and dreams burning
Photo credit Ollie Bailey-Pratt via LinkedIn
A Keynote address
The Opening Ceremony
14th GCGI International Conference and the 4th Joint GCGI-SES Forum, Lucca, 2018
Tuesday 28th August, 2018
By Prof. Kamran Mofid*
Founder, The GCGI
Dear friends,
Let me begin the day by reading you a short statement, the introduction to my address, if you will.
Serving the Earth, Serving One Another
In a world of spiraling ecological and social crises, where does one find hope and wisdom?
Where can we search for, and discover our spiritual calling?
I don’t know about you, but for me, my search has been a journey of self-discovery, allowing myself to be inspired by wisdom, the wisdom of others, past and present. This has led me to be an activist, a storyteller and a long-life student, always searching for answers, always asking questions, wondering, pondering, reflecting and contemplating on what this journey we call life is all about.
This is why I firmly believe that my job as an economist/activist is to find the truth. But we must also be storytellers, first and foremost.
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*This posting was published first in May 2012 under the title of 'America was Great when America was Socialist.'
It was updated on 5 November 2025
Photo credit:NYC-DSA
The Dream and reimagination has started
A Better New York is possible
A Better US is Possible
A Better World is Possible
On the evening of Tuesday, November 4, 2025, New York was described as a "beacon of hope" following the historic mayoral election victory of Zohran Mamdani, the city's first Muslim and youngest mayor in over a century, an immigrant in the city of immigrants. Zohran was elected with more than 50% of the votes in the biggest turnout since the 1960s.
A Historic Moment
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It's only you that can make tomorrow better
Will we ever learn how to lead a good life and build a better world?
Now is the Time to Talk Openly about What it Means to be Human
Photo: Mohamed Nohassi
Global Crises are Spiritual: A Time for Awakening
A Journey to the Hub of Humanity
This is the Journey that offers Renewal and Hope
In modern economic thinking, greed and selfishness are upheld as guiding the ‘invisible hand’ of the market and are therefore exempt from moral consideration. It is time for us to redefine our values and build a just economy for the common good and a better life for ourselves.
A Manifesto for a Good Life and a Better World
The Two Wings of Humanity
The Secret to a Good Life
Spiritual and Material-They must be in Harmony
This priceless, life changing concept is found in Persian literature, philosophy, mysticism and spiritual traditions.
Yes, indeed this manifesto is both simple to understand and easy to follow: A bird, to be able to take off and fly and land safely, needs to have two wings. We, too, need to have two wings to navigate our lives. If either is neglected, the balance is lost and the crash is certain. Such an outcome and result cannot be what we desire our lives to be.
Material well-being is of vital importance and cannot be ignored. But, if we only concentrate on this aspect of our lives, then, the end result is losing our sight on what it means to be human. Spirituality provides the way to restore this balance within ourselves and our humanity.
“What does Spirituality Mean to You?”
Photo via Medium
‘What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.’-William Henry Davies
And whilst reflecting on the beautiful and timeless words and sentiments noted above, let us also reflect on what the modern day life tells us to be of importance:
…‘The greed-motivated neo-liberal capitalist world is out of control. Perhaps it is time for us to redefine our values by acknowledging that the marketplace is not just an economic sphere, ‘it is a region of the human spirit’.
‘Although self-interest and economic considerations are an important source of human motivation, driving the decisions we make in the marketplace every day, those decisions nevertheless have a moral, ethical and spiritual dimension, because each decision we make affects not only ourselves but others too…
‘Many sages, philosophers and theologians throughout history have reminded us that there are two forces at work in society, the material and the spiritual. If either of these two is neglected or ignored they will appear to be at odds with one another; society will inevitably become fragmented, divisions and rifts will manifest themselves with increasing force and frequency.
'It is clear that this is exactly what has happened today. We have a situation of disequilibrium and disharmony. Only the reawakening of the human spirit will save us from our own worst extremes. Physical wealth must go hand in hand with spiritual, moral and ethical wealth...
'The greed-motivated neo-liberal capitalist world is out of control. Perhaps it is time for us to redefine our values by acknowledging that the marketplace is not just an economic sphere, ‘it is a region of the human spirit’.
'Although self-interest and economic considerations are an important source of human motivation, driving the decisions we make in the marketplace every day, those decisions nevertheless have a moral, ethical and spiritual dimension, because each decision we make affects not only ourselves but others too...'
Spiritual Crisis: What is to be done?
Global Crises are Spiritual: A Time for Awakening
World in Chaos and Despair: The Healing Power of the Simple Things in Life
The beauty of living simply: the forgotten wisdom of William Morris
A moment that changed me: The day I discovered William Morris
World in Chaos and Despair: Let Wordsworth be Your Teacher
What a blissful day it was visiting "The loveliest spot that man hath ever found"
Journey to Healing: Let Me Know What is Essential
A Walk Through Serenity: The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto. Photo:NewLifeDiscovery
- Economics in the age of Demagogues, Fakers and Supercharged Populists
- Economic Growth for the Greater Good: Bringing the Human touch into Economics and Politics
- The Tragedy of Loneliness and Social Isolation Epidemic: Me, myself and I, my social media and my IPhone
- If you want to live a life of meaning and purpose be tree-like
- Drowning in Plastic:Will we ever learn how to lead a good life and live in harmony with Mother Nature?