Think Again

Thursday, April 21, 6:00 pm potluck picnic  |  7:30 pm dialogue  |  Dialogue leaders: Kristen Rogers Iverson and Ed Iverson Mark & Elizabeth England's home at 1194 South 500 East in Salt Lake City. We will initially meet at the giant sycamore tree on the northwest corner of the Liberty Park tennis courts. Plan to sit on the grass, or bring something to sit on. We will share food with each other at 6:00 at the tree, at 7:30 we'll begin the dialogue and finish the evening at the England home.   Discussion: On Friday, April 22nd, another earth day will come and go. Will it matter? Should it? Bring your brains and hearts and explore with us.  We live on an incredible planet, diverse, beautiful, abundant—and in trouble. It is easy to be overwhelmed over the state of the environment and of the beings, human and  non­human, on the earth. Humans, air, animals, plants, water, bacteria, rock...we are all intertwined. So in one sense the...

Thursday, March 17, 7:30 pm  |  Dialogue leader: Noah  Rasheta Mark & Elizabeth England's home at 1194 South 500 East in Salt Lake City. Late-comers, please use the back door.   Discussion: The Dalai Lama has a wonderful quote about Buddhism. He say’s "Do not try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are." – Dalai Lama. This interactive discussion will explore the basic Buddhist philosophical concepts as explained through a Secular Buddhist lens. Secular Buddhism is very pragmatic in it’s fundamental teachings and it's like a method to be investigated and tried out. It proposes a set of practices to understand the human dilemma and work toward a resolution. It is founded on a passionate recognition that "I do not know”. Our discussion will focus around a world view that values wisdom and compassion above all else, a world view that promotes kindness as it’s ultimate teaching. ...

Thursday, February 18, 7:30 pm  |  Dialogue leader: Leslie Hadfield Mark & Elizabeth England's home at 1194 South 500 East in Salt Lake City. Late-comers, please use the back door.   Discussion: Instigated by university students in 1968-1969, the Black Consciousness movement sought to liberate black South Africans psychologically and stressed black self-reliance.  In the early 1960s, major opposition organizations such as Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress had been virtually silenced by government repression.  In 1969, Steve Biko and other black students frustrated with white leadership in multi-racial student organizations formed an exclusively black student association.  Out of the South African Student’s Organization (SASO) came what was termed Black Consciousness.  This philosophy redefined “black” as a positive identity and taught that black South Africans had the ability to make meaningful change in their society. ...

Thursday, January 21, 7:30 pm  |  Dialogue leader: Dave Shuler Mark & Elizabeth England's home at 1194 South 500 East in Salt Lake City. Late-comers, please use the back door.   Discussion: A brief review of certain historical and current scholarly efforts made in understanding and describing human happiness from a holistic and anthropological perspective. This will be followed by discussion and exploration of potential determinants of what the Greek philosophers called Eudaimonia, which we will define as a meaningful and fulfilled life. About Dave: Dave Shuler is an anthropologist, believer, teacher, farmer, every-day-philosopher and friend. His academic and professional studies have been centered mostly on international development, world cultures and religion, which naturally guided him to take up the academic study of happiness. Dave genuinely loves the mountains, good conversation, and difficult questions. He is delighted by his grand...

Thursday, October 15:   |  Dialogue leader: Karen Pool Mark & Elizabeth England's home at 1194 South 500 East in Salt Lake City. Late-comers, please use the back door.   Discussion: This interactive workshop will jump-start development of short- and long-range goals using imagination and creativity. Making progress on paper, participants will identify resistors, increase in clarity, and experience breakthrough moments. This session will widen world-view perceptions, options, and create new bridges of thought. About Karen: Formerly a university administrator, teacher educator, and adjunct professor at Utah Valley University, Karen Wilson Pool is an author and motivational speaker. She teaches a Life Creation Process that encourages individuals to invent their lives by creating a flexible 5-year plan. She’s the author of Transformational Thinking, Celebrating Women’s Voices, Designing Your Life Vision, and The Golden Thread. She is currently wo...

Friday, September 11, 2015 The Whys and Wherefores of Cowboy Poetry Thursday,  September 17:   |  Dialogue leader: Rod Miller Mark & Elizabeth England's home at 1194 South 500 East in Salt Lake City. Late-comers, please use the back door.   Discussion: What is Cowboy Poetry, and does it matter? How does it fit into the larger tradition of poetry and what sets it apart? Is it a subject deep enough to dive into?  About Rod: Rod Miller’s first collection of poetry, Things a Cowboy Sees and Other Poems, won the Westerners International award for poetry and was named Best Poetry Book by the Academy of Western Artists. “Tabula Rasa,” a poem from the collection, won the Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Western Poem. A poem from his latest collection, Goodnight Goes Riding and Other Poems, “Song of the Stampede,” was a Finalist for the WWA Spur Award. His poems have appeared in several periodicals and antholo...

Art in the Key of Wonder: a discussion of the value of the visual arts   Thursday, August 20, 7:30 pm  |  Dialogue Leader: Judith McConkie Mark & Elizabeth England's home at 1194 South 500 East in Salt Lake City. Late-comers, please use the back door.  Discussion: Art is in the eye of the beholder. Or is it? What does art do for you? What has it done for the advancement of our species? What is art anyway?  About Judith: Besides a long career in teaching on secondary and university levels beginning in 1969, Judith has been a studio artist and a visual arts administrator/curator. She studied at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, DC. and completed an MFA at BYU in 1984. Her paintings and prints have been exhibited widely; they are in held in a number of public and private collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. She studied in London at the Royal College of Art and exhibited at the Henry Moore Gallery there....