Brad Rourke’s Blog
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Chasing After Banners
Not because it is election season, I have been thinking about Dante’s Inferno these days. In case you have not read it, the book is a depiction of Hell. It goes into great detail about the various punishments awaiting those who have sinned while they were alive. I would not say that I am a…
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Time For A Conversation
A good friend writes on Facebook: Now is not the time, but sometime soon, while the searing memories are still fresh, we must have a candid conversation about how we all will live in the new world climate change is bringing to us. After a disaster, there is a defiant urge to remake what was…
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Creating Values Skeptics: My Latest Column at Ethics Newsline
Students these days continually are bombarded with messages throughout school and extracurricular activities that remind them of what their “core values” ought to be. There are posters in the hallways with acronyms designed to generate pep and morals all at once. There are T-shirts, stickers, decals, pencils, and more — all boasting aspirational lists of…
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On Hyperpolarization
I was recently asked to respond to the question, “What trends have you been seeing in democracy?” I thought I might share my response more broadly. One of the core experiences when it comes to democracy in the U.S. context is the effect of hyperpolarization. This is a pathology that goes beyond simple ”partisanship” (which…
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The University of Virginia and The New Transparency: My Latest Column At Ethics Newsline
The announcement was terse. “On behalf of the Board of Visitors, we are writing to tell you that the Board and President Teresa Sullivan today mutually agreed that she will step down as president of the University of Virginia effective August 15, 2012.” Later in the announcement, a statement from President Sullivan referred to “a…
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Only Divided Because We Think We Are: My Latest Column At Ethics Newsline
As some know, I have begun a monthly column published at Ethics Newsline, the flagship publication for the Institute for Global Ethics and one which I helped develop when I worked at that organization. This month’s column is about recent research that sheds light on just how divided we are — in public vs. in private life. Only…
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New Case Foundation Report: "To Be Fearless"
I’m pleased to announce that the Case Foundation has released a new report co-authored by me (with Cynthia Gibson) titled To Be Fearless. The report, commissioned for the Case Foundation’s fifteenth anniversary, is an exploration of what it means for organizations in the social sector to be fearless.
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Clarity and Inspiration
At my most recent yoga teacher training weekend, our teacher challenged us to find the essence of what drives our commitment to teaching yoga. We were asked to complete a simple sentence: “My name is __________ and I am a commitment for __________.” The invitation came at a funny time for me. I had traveled…
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Latest Work: New Report For United Way Worldwide
I am delighted to announce the release a new report I co-authored for United Way Worldwide with my friend and colleague Mike Wood at UWW. From my announcement at the Mannakee Circle Group site: Last week at a national conference held in Nashville, TN, United Way Worldwide released its latest report, Voices for the Common Good: The World…
Brad Rourke 