Why Root Systems Institute?

TO FOSTER RECONNECTION

One of the most significant contributing factors in the personal, social and environmental
challenges we are facing is our disconnection-our disconnection from the natural world,
from each other, and from ourselves. The purpose of Root Systems Institute is to foster
reconnection and to provide some of the resources we need to:

    approach our decisions and our lives in a holistic and integrated way;

    rediscover what is truly fulfilling and meaningful and organize our days around that;

    explore what it means to voluntarily care about people we may never meet;

    acknowledge that our actions have global, systemic consequences; and

    take pleasure in making the world a better place.

BECAUSE I MUST

The simplest answer to why I created the Root Systems Institute is "because I must." I
value my integrity above all else, which means that I strive, and sometimes fail, to ensure
that my beliefs and behaviors are in congruence. I also grew up in an environment which
demonstrated that talking about how to live was not as important as embodying those
values in the way that George Fox, the Quaker founder, described as "letting your life
speak."   I believe that a better world is possible and I feel deeply compelled to discover
how I can contribute to that vision. The Root Systems Institute is my attempt to be in
integrity and "let my life speak." I don't claim to have figured out exactly how to succeed in
creating a better world; but I do know that I would rather die trying than live knowing that
there was something that I might have done and didn't.

BECAUSE I CAN

As far back as I can remember I have longed to understand why things and people are the
way they are, and how I can as an individual, and as a member of a larger community,
contribute to the greater good.   This quest has led me down many paths, and it seems to
me that some of the knowledge and experience I have obtained in my travels might be
useful to others who may be looking for ways to create change in their own lives. Many of
us feel exhausted and overwhelmed by our daily responsibilities and we hardly have time
in our busy schedules to relax, let alone "make a difference." So my goal is to make readily
available some of the resources that will help us all manifest our own sense of caring and
purpose and integrity. The Root Systems Institute is what I can do, right now, to move in
that direction.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The story of how the name "arrived" is a long one, but suffice it to say that it just occurred to
me one day when I was trying to represent who I am, what I do and (hopefully) where I am
going. I enjoy symbolism as much as the next guy, so I'll mention a little bit about what
each of the individual words mean to me:

ROOT
The importance of attending to, connecting with and understanding our personal, family,
community, and global roots cannot be overstated. And, I believe that in attempting to
change ourselves or the world it is essential to get to the "root causes" of problems (and
solutions!) because merely attempting to mask symptoms creates only superficial, partial
and temporary results at best. And of course there are plant roots...alive, growing, and
drawing their lifeblood, as do we, from the very earth and water and air that we all share.

SYSTEMS
Nothing on this planet exists in isolation; we are inextricably bound to one another and the
environment in which we live. A human beings' body is itself a system nested within ever
smaller and larger systems. Everything that we might seek to understand must be
considered in the systemic context of which it is a part. And we now know that viewing the
world as an interconnected system is a more accurate representation than imagining
things being divided into discrete areas or disciplines.

INSTITUTE
That this word has several "official" meanings worked out well. According to my 1971
American Heritage Dictionary to "institute" something is to initiate it or begin it, or to
establish or invest in a position; an institute can be an organization founded to promote
some cause, it can be an educational institution, or a short, intensive seminar on one
specific subject. And if I have anything to say about it, RSI will be all of that and more...