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The Future Depending on the background, interest and focus of the person making the presentation, the future will either be characterised by the progress in biotechnology and genetic manipulations, AI, space colonies, ecological disaster, quantum computing, a global integrated culture, virtual reality, or simply doom and brimstone!  In the same…

A few general reflections and four points for consideration Primum non nocere – or how to avoid brain damage in Scouting! When I say brain damage, what do you think of? Possibly someone who took a fall without a helmet, or someone subjected to some James Bond villain-like electrode-prodding torture…

In a previous blog entry I was arguing that we can imagine replacing what is now called “spiritual” development with a more appropriate and inclusive term: metaphysical development. Based on the assumption that a spiritual quest is nothing more than a persons’ attempt to give their life a meaning, by answering some…

I was recently invited to a meeting called “Learning Planet Assembly” –  a sort of assembly of various – and I mean REALLY various – stakeholders in the business of advancing SDGs-based education. The announced goal of the meeting was  “The launching event for a revolutionary, open-source approach to SDG-focused…

I have a friend whose mother-tongue is an invective-rich language. Therefore he is quite accustomed, and almost immune, to the standard name-calling; in his country this practice is, more often than not, considered a sign of familiarity or even affection. There is only one phrase which always hurt him at…

Am avut ocazia să urmăresc o serie de apariții media ale cercetașilor în ultima vreme și am remarcat un, printre altele, apariția unui nou tipar de imagine în ceea ce ne privește: cercetășia reușește să smulgă copiii din fața telefoanelor, a ecranelor, în general. Deja mă bucură că am evoluat…

Some years ago, I was manning a flip-chart paper with the title “Spiritual Development” written in bold characters on top at one of the strategy-defining European Symposia. Row after row of people came by, leaving their ideas about what this might be and what could we do in Scouting about…

It takes leadership skills The world does not change (for the better, that is) by itself. The law of entropy applied to human society means that, left by itself, social networks and society in general tend to break down over time, moving from cooperation and advancement towards conflict and chaos.…

Scouting is education for life – this is what everyone involved in our Movement learns at their first contact. And though this is somehow useful when deciding about the content of our programmes, it remains a vague definition unless we manage to clarify two issues: what education? what life? (i.e.…

Defining agnosticism Agnostics are an interesting assortment and there are more and more of them. The Western style of life is pushing people away from established religions and the rise of  “SBNRs” (Spiritual But Not Religious) is a significant social trend. This could be due to rising interest in Eastern…