Hey, Alex McManus here.



THE FUTURE OF DEATH

I've written several pieces on
Human Longevity and the future
of expanded life spans and Ways
longer lives will change us.

Longer lives are coming, but death is
more than a problem to be fixed.

It is a mystery to be encountered.

In our era of religious "nones" --
that growing portion of our population that
does not affiliate with any religion -- we are 
still at center humans asking the same
questions: What are we? Is this life
all there is? Is there a purpose, meaning
or plan behind our existence?
 
This opinion piece, Why We Never Die,  
from the pages of The New York Times --
which is an advocacy journal for the
secular, progressive, left-wing of American 
political and cultural life -- gives us a
glimpse at the contours of secular thinking
about death.

In a word, secular thinking about death is
no more rational than faithful thinking.

We live on in others, through our legacy,
in the memories of our intense moments
together.  In other words, once you work
past the writer's confusion between the
individual facing death and that same
individual's impact on those around him,
you get to reality: we do not live on. 

I explained death to my son,
Michael, one Resurrection Sunday many
years ago in terms less soothing
than the New York Times philosopher:
The Dead Do Not Return.

That's why a Christ-following faith
anchored in the resurrection of Jesus
doesn't make sense.
It makes a new world.

The Future of Death is that it is defeated.
Not in the technological sense that the
problem of death is fixed, but in the sense
that a song of a new creation
rises from the cloud of mystery.


CLIMATE CHANGE AND ART

Mutated flowers that can bite pedestrians?
Kelp covering street signs in the Seattle of the future?
Check out the Gardens of the Anthropocene,
a combination of art and Pokemon Go.

I recently heard a young leader state that
climate change is the most critical human
rights issue of our lifetime.

Not.

But that doesn't take away from this new
augmented reality app that enables a visitor
to the Seattle Art Museum envision a
climate-change-garden of plants that-will-eat-you
in a future post-climate change Seattle.
 

HUMAN CAPACITY

OPTIMIZATION

Spiritual formation? Discipleship?
Human Capacity Optimization is an
IMN designation for the art and science
of these disciplines.


The latest addition to the IMN's mentoring
is an introductory experience.

This new three-hour mentoring bundle,
Exploring the Contours of Your Leadership,
helps you explore your vision, your passion,
and your talent. I invite you to enroll in this
bundle this fall. If you're in or near Southeast
Michigan, you can participate in this coaching
live and in person. If not, you can participate 
online.

ONLINE
"Exploring the Contours of
your Leadership" --our newest
coaching bundle. 
Enroll before September 30 for a discount.


ONSITE
If you're in or near southeastern
Michigan this fall, we have four live-and-
person spots starting this next month for
Exploring the Contours of Your Leadership.

Again, Enroll before September 30 and
receive a seasonal discount.