Hey folks – as we feel the lurch and pull of getting the New Year into motion, I’m reminded that we live moment by moment with choices. Often they can seem fairly mundane; in what spirit will we communicate with those around us, what will we make a priority in the day or evening ahead, how will we approach whatever our tasks might be? Yet it’s in the midst of making those everyday decisions that we give shape to the future. It’s not determinism; we’re not guaranteeing a particular outcome by our choices. But somehow, the shape of the future is connected to the steps we take, and the steps we don’t. Somehow, our small decisions are connected to those of others, and together we have a lot of agency in giving shape to the world – not just for ourselves, but for all humanity.

If there’s some merit to that perspective, then perhaps it’s also worth exploring some of the themes that might guide our choices, pointing us together toward a less alienated, more connected, more interdependent future. That’s how I want to spend this week’s Talky Bit – exploring five of those themes.

Also, at a NEW TIME this week, we’ll meet for our Sunday “And Lunch After” Zoom hangout at 12:15 (not the usual 12:30). It’s a shift based on feedback indicating that the gap between the online gathering and the hang out can be an awkward length (too short to do anything, too long to just chill), so we’ll give this a try.

And we’ll also meet online on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m., as has become our custom.

Links for the Zoom gatherings are as follows: