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"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not need to remain as they are." - Saint Augustine

A notebook about how we work, learn, love and live.

Yes, I am very angry at and very afraid of the way things are.

Yes, I see that they do not need to remain as they are.

This is one of the reasons I write this letter.

Happy Friday.

Civics, Social Intelligence
One reason people have a hard time seeing each other is that people are at different levels of psychological development.

Still from The Banker, 2020. Director George Nolfi, Director of Photography Charlotte Bruus Christensen

Why do some people have such skewed political worldviews?
Why are some societies still racist in the 21st century?
Why are some individuals so egotistic and self-centered?

Ebrahim Haque Bhatti has a pretty simple answer: "It is because everyone has a different level of psychological development."

He uses Spiral Dynamics, a model of evolutionary development based on the emergent cyclical theory of Clare W. Graves, to frame how our consciousness and awareness evolve in stages with time. The model has gotten a lot of attention by those concerned with the psychological health and potential of individuals and organizations. I like Bhatti's emphasis on societies.

It really helps to understand that evolution is not merely biological. Our values, morality, beliefs, and psychology also evolve with time. It really helps to understand that as we mature our understanding and thinking about reality enlarges. With each stage we get more open-minded about taking others’ perspectives. And it really helps to understand that the accident of birth plays a huge role in our understanding of the world. If you are born in a community where people are already at a higher stage, they will help you move up the spiral. Contrarily, if you are born into a lower stage community you will face enormous resistance to move forward.

His big take away? We are all learning, and are all trying our best. Let's do what we can to stop judging ourselves and each other. Let's help each other to see why and how to grow instead.

Article: 10 Things You Must Know About Spiral Dynamics

Personal Development
Ram Dass on learning to see ourselves (and each other) without judgement

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ram Dass. Photo by Joan Halifax CC by 2.0

”When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You appreciate it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying, ‘You’re too this’ or ‘I’m too this.’ That judging mind comes in. So, I practice turning people into trees—which means appreciating them just the way they are.” — Ram Dass

Q&A: Ram Dass on Self Judgement

Civics, Social Intelligence
Commerce without morality is a "social sin".

Frederick Lewis Donaldson (1860-1953) was a Church of England priest and Christian socialist recognized for his work for the poor, women's suffrage and world peace. Image via National Portrait Gallery, London

"Seven Social Sins is a list by Frederick Lewis Donaldson that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi published in his weekly newspaper Young India on October 22, 1925. The Seven Sins are:

- Wealth without work.
- Pleasure without conscience.
- Knowledge without character.
- Commerce without morality.
- Science without humanity.
- Religion without sacrifice.
- Politics without principle."

As Seth Godin said in a recent post: "One hundred years later, (the list) is more relevant and more urgent than ever."

Wikipedia Post: Seven Social Sins

User Experience
Humanizing the hospital experience by improving its sound.

Screenshot from the video “Hospital of the Future”

Yoko K. Sen is an ambient electronic musician classically trained since the age of three. She says that she hears "any sound as a musical note". So she was shocked when an illness brought her to the emergency room of her local hospital. She was terrified by the cacophony of a constant barrage of audible alarms. "Lying on a hospital bed I thought 'Why does it have to be this way? Could it be better?'".

This experience is the genesis of Sen Sound, a design studio "that transforms the experience of sound in healthcare. We collaborate with hospitals and medical device companies to help improve patient and clinician experience via participatory research and design."

Website: Let's Imagine The Future of Hospital Sound Together.

Commerce, Corporate Social Responsibility
How do we integrate nature into business and investment decision-making?

According to the World Economic Forum, over half of the world’s GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature. This highlights the link between a healthy environment and economic prosperity. Isn’t it time for companies to start to value nature and see it is a business opportunity rather than simply a risk?

Recently Sustainable Brands interviewed Ephi Banaynal dela Cruz, co-founder and CEO of Context Nature, to find out how they are supporting companies to integrate nature into business and investment decision-making to build a nature-positive future.

Article: Meet the Company Helping Brands Give Nature a Place on the Board

Brand, Marketing
Brand marketing has a new operating system.

There are a dozen shifts in the new brand marketing operating system. One of these shifts is the recognition that loyal fans are far more valuable than just an audience. Still from Elvis, 2022. Director Baz Luhrmann, Director of Photography Mandy Walker

While written primarily about consumer product brands ("The main purpose of brand marketing is to make commodities aspirational..." -ouch) this summary of how brand marketing is changing is very useful to anyone who wants to have their message heard.

Ana Andjelic watches and reports on how changing values change business, and she is very good at it. Amongst other changes she's noticed are a dozen shifts in the new brand marketing operating system. Here's four that jump out for me:

She says that the new brand marketing is "bottoms-up rather than top-down, as brand marketing has been known for; circular rather than linear; collaborative rather than promotional; value-creating rather than an overhead; and future-facing rather than immediate.

"The new brand marketing is less about communicating (just) the brand identity and values and more about activating this identity and values as a consistent, encompassing, and entertaining brand world that people aspire to be part of and identify with."

Article: New Rules of Brand Marketing

Communication, Visual Identity
Wilco Loft Sans is a high contrast sans serif typeface made for the band Wilco.

The Loft, Wilco's recording studio in Chicago. The orange, blow-molded sign was originally made for a small guitar shop in a Chicago suburb called Guitar Fun. To create a new typeface its characters were expanded into a full alphabet.

"Wilco Loft Sans includes 4 weights: Treble (based on the GUITAR sign), Midrange, Low End, and Bass. It’s all caps, with numerals, punctuation, diacritics, and additional European language support.

"Working with the Wilco team over the last several months on this has been a true joy. A very special thanks to Spencer Tweedy, Crystal Myers, and Mark Greenberg for collaborating on what I think is a fun homage to a beloved band, city, musical heritage, and type. You can purchase the fonts in the SimpleBits Shop or over at the Wilco Store." - Dan Cederholm

Article: Wilco Loft Sans

Related webpage

Somebody on the Wilco team cares enough about visual identity to curate an Instagram account dedicated to the fonts found on their vintage equipment.

Instagram page: @fonts_of_the_loft

One-liners

Article: An electricity distribution cooperative in New Mexico is breaking up with fossil fuels.

Article: 2/3 of Americans believe that they are smarter than the average person.

Article: A publishing company dedicated to celebrating L.A.’s cultural history has been acquired by the Los Angeles Public Library.

Article: Over the past three years the average public company that gives employees choice over whether to come into an office outperformed companies with more restrictive policies by 16 percentage points,

Article: At the hight of Seinfeld's run Kramer's style was so popular that costumers had a hard time sourcing the vintage clothing that made up his look.

Playlist

Video: Mayra Andrade - Tan Kalakatan (Live for MTN Bushfire 2021 Digital Festival)

Born in Havana, Cuba, to parents from Cape Verde, Mayra Andrade has also called Senegal, Angola, Germany, Lisbon and Paris home. She cites Caetano Veloso as a musical influence, and the fact that she sings in the native Cape Verdean Crioulo language and plays with musicians from around the world gives her music a unique and beguiling groove.

Weekly Mixtape
Quiet grooves from Cape Verde to Brazil, and a lot of places in between

Playlist: Simplement

Image of the Week

Boyhood pals, USA, by Roger Ballen, circa 1970s. The image appears in a new and expanded edition of his widely acclaimed 1979 photobook, Boyhood.

"When I see two boys together, I often think of Don Lowey, my first real boyhood friend. One day we decided to form 'the Club.' We partitioned off part of the inside of my family's garage with a white sheet. Within its walls important decisions could be made. We brought in our loudest rifles and our best throwing stones and whittled sharp sticks with our Cub Scout knives. The next day, Don came over again. This was the important day - we had decided to become blood brothers. At first, we decided to use real blood, but when we had to prick ourselves with needles, we chickened out. Instead, we mixed crayon, wine, ink, rifle caps, brick, berries, and cough medicine. After shaking the mixture together and saying 'abracadabra,' we went downstairs to the garage. Just as we got to the driveway, my father, who was raking the leaves around the garage, lifted his head to ask what we had been doing. Don looked at me, I looked at him, and we both broke into wide grins. I said to my father, 'We're Pals'." - Roger Ballen

Article: Exclusive Interview with Roger Ballen about his Book Boyhood

Artist's Web Page: Roger Ballen Photographer

What's Love & Work?
Love & Work is the weekly newsletter by me, Mitch Anthony. I help people use their brand - their purpose, values, and stories - as a pedagogy and toolbox for transformation.
If you get value from Love & Work, please pass it on.

You can learn more about me and my work here: mitchanthony.net

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