Kosmos Winter 2022 Gallery of Poets
Gloria Heffernan
The Navajo Way
Dark eyes averted,
tongues silent,
the children listen
as their grandmothers
taught them to
while the schoolteacher
prods and pushes,
demanding answers
to validate her
good intentions.
Listening to the Earth
they trust the answers
to reveal themselves
in the stories of the elders,
the bird song at dawn.
Listening to experts
she dictates answers
trusting in tests
to…
Kosmos Gallery of Poets for the Sacred Season
Andrea Potos
When the Consolation of a Word Comes to You
Not detach, which sounds too much
about the retina, and this is not about the eye
but the heart, and its gates––
unlatch and allow yourself to roam
beyond what is hurting you, further into the fields
and meadows––there, find a spot
to kneel down in the deep, fragrant grasses,
make a bed for your body where the summer
is still singing…
Redefining philanthropy’s purpose and role by centering social movements
By Chung-Wha Hong and Sara Mersha
This essay delves into the pivotal relationship between philanthropy and social movements, challenging traditional paradigms. Emphasizing the need for philanthropy to move beyond mere funding and engage in true allyship with movements, the authors envision a praxis of solidarity philanthropy rooted in liberation.
Ineffective Rationalism and Effective Alibis | Part 1
By Alnoor Ladha and Lynn Murphy
In this two-part essay, Ladha and Murphy track the rise of the Effective Altruism and Longtermism movements, and their current influence shaping philanthropy and policy. The essay reveals how the underlying logic and approaches of these “extreme rationalists” is structured to avoid addressing the root causes of social issues.
Other People’s Children
By Colin Greer
A poem by Colin Greer, President of the New World Foundation. He has published several social science books as well as numerous books of poetry. He was a founding editor of Social Policy Magazine and Change Magazine, and wrote a column for Parade Magazine for almost 20 years. He wrote this poem in response to the myriad, often silenced, crisis affecting children in the US and around the world.
The Double Objective of Democratic Ecosocialism
By Jason Hickel
Delving into the systemic roots of capitalism contributing to the metacrisis, economic anthropologist Jason Hickel advocates for a revolutionary shift towards Democratic Ecosocialism, proposing the democratization of finance and production; universal access to essential services; and re-prioritizing well-being and ecology as the primary aims of the political economy.
Wealth as Responsiveness to Earth Wisdom
A Lakota elder challenges the prevailing Western notions of ownership and wealth by advocating for a return to the holistic understanding of existence found in Indigenous cultures. He emphasizes the importance of unlearning Western ideologies of possession and relearning Indigenous ways of being, which prioritize community, reciprocity, and harmony with the Earth.
Ineffective Rationalism and Effective Alibis | Part 2
By Alnoor Ladha and Lynn Murphy
Moving beyond the narrow metrics and techno-utopian fantasies of the Effective Altruism and Longtermism movements, and through a systemic and historical lens, Part Two of this essay advocates for an alternative logic, one expressed through a post-capitalist approach to philanthropy.
Cracks in the Wealth Extraction System
In a world plagued by extreme wealth inequality, a surprising movement is stirring among the ultra-wealthy and their advisors. Chuck Collins explores the emergence of dissent within the ranks of the privileged, highlighting efforts to address the harms of concentrated wealth and racial capitalism.
Paraphilanthropy | Giving Money its Freedom Papers
Dr. Báyò Akómoláfé explores how mainstream critiques often fall short by focusing on surface-level diversity and inclusion, rather than addressing deeper structural issues rooted in white coloniality and neurotypicality. Ultimately, he calls for a paradigm shift in philanthropy towards a more fluid, experimental, and emancipatory approach.