Yesterday’s Gospel was the parable of the Prodigal Son. This is historically interpreted in the following way: no matter how much you sin, you can always return to God, who is welcoming you with open arms. This is a nice interpretation, but I am beginning to think Jesus had something far more personal in mind.

Here’s an alternate interpretation: the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church is the Father, and the LGBTQ+ community is the prodigal son.

Until Church leadership realizes that its role is to welcome the LGBTQ+ community back with open arms, fully and completely, the Church will remain irrelevant. Unless it changes its doctrine (which has changed before and can change again) to better include, embrace, and respect the decisions, autonomy, and freedom of LGBTQ+ individuals, it will continue to contract. Why? Because everybody who loves someone in the LGBTQ+ community will eventually leave the Church unless things change. This will soon be an entire generation.

Unless doctrine changes (along with the attitudes of homophobia and transphobia), the Church will continue to wither and die, eventually shrinking to the point where the only people ministered to are wealthy, white, and straight. Just like it used to be. And if you think that’s who it should be, you have to ask yourself if Jesus dined with people on the margins or the conservative Pharisees who upheld ancient doctrine that no longer complied with the changing world.

This song should be how the Church sings to the LGBTQ+ community (source: Genius):

“There is room for you here, it don’t matter how long you’ve been gone. I will always welcome you with a smile.”

“I wanna sit down and listen to you. Take your turn and share your unrefined song.”

“There are so many dusty seats at my table, and I made this one especially for you. So I’m gonna save it even if we’re never able to have us a sit-on-down and talk this whole thing through.”

“It hurts so bad when I see how I contributed o the empty seats around me. But somehow they’re exactly as they’re supposed to be.”

There is only one path forward to the not-so-holy Roman Catholic Church, and it’s one of apology, inclusion, and embrace. There is no more room left for othering. There is only room for togetherness.

And to make people feel truly welcome, you have to change.

Does it mean to give your money? Your resources? Your attention? Your time? Your self?

Or does it mean to simply care about others. Not yourself, but others. “Others” can be anybody, but can they be everybody? Your partner and yours neighbors–those are real others in your life. But what about the others across the world? Do they count? What about across the galaxy? Can we really care when we don’t know somebody, don’t see them as a part of our community, family, team? Does our caring, our giving heart, really do anything?

Some people are generous. They volunteer. They give gifts. They donate. They care. Their life is lived in service of something other than themselves, be it a creed, an ethic, a god, their family, their partner. They devote themselves, albeit fully or partially, to something or someone not themself.

But what if they are generous because they are obligated to be? If they don’t give, it disobeys scripture, and God will judge them. Generosity becomes necessity to save from the fires of disobeying the Great Other, the one who determines what happens to you when you die by judging your actions while you live.

If generosity is compulsory, it becomes transactional–I give because it gets me something. Is that special? I mean, generous people are still givers, no matter the intention behind their generosity. But doesn’t that seem less…generous?

What if we tried to be genuine in our generosity?

The root “gene-“ means “give birth, beget.” Think “genus” and “genealogy” and “generation.”

“Genuine” means “natural, not acquired.” It’s associated with the Latin “genu” meaning “knee” because of the ancient tradition of a father resting a newborn on his knee to demonstrate paternity.

“Generous” means “of noble birth.” Nobles became people who shared their resources widely for others.

Being disingenuous in our generosity means to do something because you are supposed to, because it will get you bonus points with God (who is always watching). It comes from a rational decision, an intellectual weight coming from balancing judgements. It comes from your mind.

Being genuine in our generosity means to give from your heart. To give birth to a natural gift, one from within you. It’s generated holistically from your deepest wants, desires, and hopes–that of a better world–and from this deeply rooted desire bears the fruit of your gift. You give because you are willing the good of another from your innermost truth, not because you want anything in return.

The world needs your gift. We need your contribution. But we cannot promise you anything in return.

Rather, we can be clear about what we need, then tell a true story that moves your heart. From this movement comes the birth of genuine generosity–a self-giving, like that of a mother. Your gift, the one that only you can give.

Perhaps reflecting on the prayer of St. Ignatius might help:

Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous;
Teach me to serve you as you deserve,
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wounds,
To toil and not to seek for rest,
To labor and not to seek reward,
Except that of knowing that I do your will.

Amen.

St. Ignatius’ prayer for a more just and generous world

I’d been in student leadership positions since 8th grade when I was class president. That part of myself continued into high school, where I was a leader in different student groups, athletic teams, and for the school. I didn’t know much about what leadership actually was back then, I just knew I could do it. All it took was getting over the hump of being uncomfortable being the first to stand up, then having the courage to do what I said I would do. Not too complicated.

When researching for the talk, I came across this TED Talk from Simon Sinek where he said that leadership is a choice. That made sense to me. People fall into positions of authority, but nobody falls into leadership. To be a leader is to choose to do your best for the people you serve. It’s about building trust by being a good person, then helping others get what they want. That’s what I focussed the talk around–the idea that we can all be leaders if we want to. All leaders do is choose to make people’s lives better.

Fast forward through more student leadership roles in college and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership where I studied leadership theory & practice for two years. I learned a lot, and my education became alive as I worked as a teacher at the same time. But nothing I learned was more important than that Simon Sinek talk. Leadership is a choice, and it’s all about trust. I now understand more about the why of leadership, but the that remains the same. To be a leader is to choose to be better for others.

Leadership is a choice.

This phrase used to refer to the men and women who died in the armed forces. They sacrificed their entire lives so that we might get the chance to live. At least, that’s what we’ve been told. I’m not sure it qualifies as sacrifice if you’re forced against your will.

But times have changed. Freedom comes at different costs now, one of them being our safety as ordinary citizens. At Independence Day celebrations across the US, dozens of people were shot. Too many were killed.

In Philadelphia where my friends and I were celebrating, two police officers were shot by the Art Museum as fireworks began. We were 3 miles away in South Philly, watching the celebrations from different neighborhoods all across the city. A friends texted in a group chat asking if we were okay. We then went to Twitter. “ACTIVE SHOOTER ON PARKWAY.”

Right away, we made sure everyone knew about the situation and how to get home safe (avoid 76 West). Maybe the celebration could’ve continued, but when people are fleeing for their lives only miles away, the proper response is to shut down the party and get home safe.

This was the second time in as many months we were a couple miles away from a shooting…that was nationally televised. There are plenty of shootings in Philadelphia that don’t make the news. Philadelphia’s Office of the Controller maps all fatal and nonfatal shootings. As of July 4, there’ve been 267 homicides (down 5% from last year), 957 nonfatal shootings, and 242 fatal shootings in Philadelphia.

The shootings over the holiday weekend were devastating, unjust, and horrifying. So are the shootings that happen every day. When someone is shot, an entire network of family and friends feels the wound. Why does national news only care when it happens on the Parkway or South Street?

As we grapple with a more dangerous world, we are faced with many intolerable questions: Is it safe to go out? Am I prepared if something goes wrong? How will I protect my family? It’s upsetting to see safety nets around us fall apart, but the reality is the world is a dangerous place. We must stay alert, well informed, and ready to act. As calm as possible, we have to be ready to respond and make sure everyone gets home safe.

And we need to creatively reimagine how we can make a safer world. With urgency. Before more people are killed. We need to figure something out together–because a bullet doesn’t care who you voted for.

Cap’s character flaws are evident throughout the Avengers movies. His stubbornness, inability to compromise, and naive belief that people can always change caused a lot of conflict. Though a battle tested leader, he certainly had his dark side which, which was often fueled by ignorance. However, when it came time to direct the fight at Thanos, only one person said the long anticipated line of the esteemed group of heroes: “Avengers, Assemble.” It was Steve Rodgers, Captain America, the leader of the Avengers.

So after Cap helped saved the world, he went on a solo mission to return the Infinity Stones to their rightful place in history. Then he passed the torch, giving the shield, the symbol of the fight to protect people from evil, to Sam Wilson—The Falcon. It was more than a formality; Steve wanted Sam to be the next Captain America.

As one might suspect, when events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier begin, Sam has fully doubted the appointment. There could only ever be one Captain America, he thought. So he donated the shield to the Smithsonian. Days later, it was given to somebody else, someone who didn’t deserve it and wasn’t chosen by Steve.

The miniseries follows the journey of Sam and Bucky Barnes as they combat a revolutionary group who’s fighting for the rights of people displaced by the blip. We also follow as their alliance, once united by Steve, is suffering because of Sam’s surrender of the shield and Bucky’s traumatic past.

Without giving too much of the show away, I’d like to claim that the struggles of Sam and Bucky throughout these 6 episodes is filled with lessons in leadership—and how to respond when a leadership position is left vacant.

Here are 5 leadership lessons exemplified by the events of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier:

1. If somebody you follow, admire, and respect sees leadership potential in you, you owe it to yourself and them to take their vision seriously. Their belief in you comes with a responsibility. You can choose to ignore that responsibility, but expect that to come at a cost.
2. You must believe in yourself and your abilities to lead first. Only then will anybody be convinced enough to follow you.
3. Leaders must make themselves trustworthy, reliable, and ready for the fight. They do what they can to make sure they’re prepared for the challenges ahead. Leadership is not a passive role; it’s active. You have to continue to train physically, mentally, and intellectually if you want to be a competent leader. If not, there’s nothing for you to place your confidence in.
4. Leaders make sure everyone’s voice is heard. If people affected by critical decisions are left out of the conversation, this lack of consideration may threaten the ground on which the leader stands on. If you want to lead, you have to lead everyone.
5. As a leader, you are always standing on the shoulders of giants. No matter who you are, the color of your skin, or the personal history of your people, many have gone before you. Many have suffered, sweat, bled, and died so you can stand here in your leadership position and have the privilege to lead others. Those people, all of them, must be considered. An ignorant leader is a danger to society and themself.

There are always lessons to be learned from the shows, movies, books, and stories we watch or read. But the most important lesson to be learned from this show was in the conversations in the final two episodes about what it means to be black in America. It’s exciting to see Marvel finally attempt to tackle these important conversations. I’m anticipating what other social issues the Marvel team will address in the future.

Cheers, and happy learning.

I expected more of the later. I got more of the former.

Eyes glued to the projector screen, mask-covered mouths agape at birds diving for mackerel, flamingo chicks racing 30 miles for freshwater, wildebeest running from wild dogs, birds dancing for mates in choreographed splendor. 75% of the class was fully invested, more than in any other video shown so far. Most teachers would agree–that’s a resounding success in a pandemic classroom.

Sir David has captured the hearts and minds of tens of millions of people throughout the years, maybe more. I’ve been no exception. He’s showed me how beautiful the world’s complexity and power is, and made me want to help mitigate the disruption caused by mankind. Being able to share one of my greatest inspirations with my students was nothing shy of magical.

Thank you, Sir David, for never failing to help us see the beauty around us.

• What am I good at?
• What can I do others can’t?
• How can I be of most value?
• How do I want to spend my time?
• What would my ideal workday look like?
• What am I motivated by, and why?
• Who do I want to serve?
• What industry do I want to help?
• What mission needs my talents?
• What do I want to do?

Something I’ve been beyond fascinated with since the pandemic slowed my life down is TV shows and movies. Most likely I began watching more closely because there wasn’t much else to do. But there’s also something beyond real through these on-screen stories–there’s truth. These stories, whether fictional or not, hold deep truths about our humanity and our individual/shared experience in this life. That’s important. It’s substantial.

I’m struck by another question as I consider a career telling stories:

• How much do these stories really matter? Are they truly impactful in changing how people live their lives or are they merely entertainment for the masses?

I think about the story of Christ. And William Wallace in Braveheart. And Iron Man throughout the MCU. These myths are far beyond entertainment. They make people want to be better. They make people more heroic, more inspired, better than they were before. Their impact is real, and the masterful power of the literature or cinematic experience is real. It counts, for something. Not always, but sometimes.

It’s really been making me think.

Given that speed limits were initially constructed to save money during wartime (55 mph is the sweet spot on the bell curve of gasoline used per speed graph), the idea that an aircraft (with a much higher carbon footprint than cars traveling 20 miles over) is monitoring speeds on an interstate is not only counterintuitive–it’s absurd.

I guess the chance that people might slow down and save a life is worth the cost of a couple signs.

In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is the event where Asgard, the home of gods such as Thor, Loki, and Odin, is destroyed. However, the story of Asgard and Scandinavian gods doesn’t end there. After Ragnarök, Asgard is renewed.

Variations of these Norse myths are told throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) through the heroic God of Thunder, Thor, an original member of the Avengers. In Thor Ragnarok, well, you can guess what transpires. After Odin’s death, Thor’s sister Hela escapes her imprisonment in the underworld and tries to take over Asgard. Several other events lead to the inevitable destruction of Asgard–Ragnarök itself. Luckily, many Asgardians are saved through the likes of timeless and unlikely heroes (and their large spaceship borrowed from a distant planet).

During Ragnarök, the great Heimdall–the gatekeeper god who can see and hear throughout the cosmos while controlling the Bifröst (rainbow bridge that connects worlds)–assures Thor of what his father, Odin, conveyed in his final moments:

“Asgard is not a place, it’s a people.”

Heimdall to Thor

And so Asgardians were saved even though Asgard was destroyed. They were together on the safe harbor of their ship until their inevitable and unfortunate encounter with Thanos. After the events of Infinity War & Endgame, Asgardians set up a new home in the town of Tønsberg, Norway. A long way of Asgard–in a different realm, but enough of them to remember who they are.

What’s the moral of the story? No matter where you go, you will bring your people with you. Your family, your ancestors, the people who sacrificed so that you could be alive. They are you and you, them. People are not determined by where they live in the cosmos but by who they are. While your location impacts how you live, that you are alive will always unite you with your people, your culture, your home.

Asgard is a people, not a place. Asgard was destroyed, but Asgardians not. Now in the MCU, there is hope for Asgardians under their new leader, Valkyrie. They are rebuilding their home because they never lost it–it just changed location.

Moving away from home–be it destroyed or intact–doesn’t change your cosmic identity. While it may change how you live your life, you will always be the sum of all the people and choices that made you, both throughout the past and during your lifetime. You are quite a marvel, and you will always be more than your address.

While this is concerning to those who have sustained a special connection to the land, it’s less concerning to the industrialists, the men and women at the top of our social hierarchy. They are concerned with the future and getting us there. Perhaps this is for our own good. Perhaps there’s a lot we don’t know, and for good reason. Regardless, wherever humanity is going, however great the industrial revolution will blossom, we must not forget our roots.

We are human beings of planet earth. We have been sustained by the earth since before We (the royal we–life itself) existed. And the earth has been created and sustained by the cosmos. We have a role to play in maintaining the natural world, the unseen but ever present interstellar forces through and by which we’ve arrived at today. This is the land that holds our ancestors, the land where our dead have been buried and transformed since We left the ocean. This is the water that gives life, flowing from springs of life eternal. Without the earth, we would not get to play “space.”

There’s a new industry emerging, one that will compliment the industrial revolution as it progresses indefinitely forward. This industry will keep humanity’s feet touching the ground, ever aware of the world we’ve come from before we venture into worlds unknown. For now, we’ll call this new industry Ecosystem Conservation. There have been conservation projects since the dawn of man, though the scale has tipped towards resource accumulation in favor of environmental restoration. This is about to change.

In the past 100 years, conservation jobs have been saved for the government, the public sector. The private sector has broken through with an abundance of nature-inspired media. From Sit David Attenborough to National Geographic, we have educated the world about the world, the source of our existence. But the confinement of nature-restoration to the public sector is about to be turned on its head.

“It is my belief that the next 1,000 unicorns—companies that have a market valuation over a billion dollars—won’t be a search engine, won’t be a media company, they’ll be businesses developing green hydrogen, green agriculture, green steel, and green cement.”

Larry Fink, CEO and chairman of BlackRock. BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager, with ~$9.46 trillion USD in assets under management. (Quote I’m Pondering from Tim Ferris’s 5-Bullet Friday newsletter, issue 1/14/22)

Our planet is warming, natural disasters are worsening, and humans are left arguing about why and how bad. In 5 years, there will be no more debate. In 10 years, the first companies will have made strides in profitably restoring natural landscapes and aquatic ecosystems. Then, once we see tangible results, we’ll start investing in earth-saving solutions to these age-old problems. In 25 years, we will start thinking about how to modulate the climate to our–and nature’s–benefit on a global scale. We will become agents in the sustainability of our entire planet on the cosmic scale, but only if we learn how to work together.

The field of Eco Conservation is about to explode. I want to be there when it does, hard hat at the ready.