Late in December I learned that my good friend David Bryen had suffered a stroke. Early in January I was able to visit him in his home. He was in an amazingly good attitude, which he almost always is. By early February he had recovered sufficiently to present Intolerance, Polarization, and the longing for Community at Open Circle, which I attended. In March we twice met at Pranzo's for a couple of hours of meaningful conversation.
Pat and I were able to get our booster shots of the AstraZeneca vaccine in January.
Last year Vladimir Putin initiated staging Russian military assets on the border of Ukraine. 2022 began with a lot of speculation on whether Russia would invade or not. On February 24th the world got an answer. My attention was almost completely captured by the war for a few weeks. I wrote an essay, About the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, which recorded my thoughts in detail. We are now living with a heightened possibility of a WWIII and the use of nuclear weapons, although this worst case scenario remains unlikely.
The war has shattered my last illusions of progress. Global warming has not united humanity and neither has the coronavirus pandemic. This latest war has largely united the West and for the moment boosted American hegemony. But the state of the world is not good. Yet personally I am living the best years of my life.
I wrote two other essays during this period.
I also wrote another article, From Game B to Liminal.
And I found time to read and report on the Ajijic Book Club selection for March, The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert by Shugri Said Salh.
Another book I read and reported on was Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious by Antonio Damasio.
I worked on two projects and started a new one. I added April to My Diary and I added to My Conversations with Henk Wilms - 2022 - 1st Quarter. Also, I initiated a look at My Big Five Test Reports.
And I spent a lot of time involved with my favorite online community, Emergent Commons. I post regularly and often read and comment on the posts of other members. I am developing a significant number of meaningful relationships. Three articles capture some of this experience - Crafting Communitas - Reflections, About Bryan Winchell and An Intergenerational Dialogue Backgrounder. Also, a rapidly deepening relationship with one member led me to read and report on a book, Seeing Through the World: Jean Gebser and Integral Consciousness. I now lack the time and motivation to participate in other online communities that I have joined.