*Cosmic Compost

The challenge and art of standing in the middle

To see and hear the VWBPE presentation, please click HERE or on the image above.

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“Maybe history wouldn't have to repeat itself if we listened once in a while.” - Wynne McLaughlin

I spent the past week and a half preparing to talk about my 17+ years working in virtual worlds and what my latest initiative, We Stand in the Middle, has taught me. Two of my biggest takeaways were:

• History repeats itself until we are ready, willing, and able to put a stop to what doesn’t work; and

• There ARE healthier, saner, more respectful and loving ways to co-exist with one another, other species, and the planet.

It was an intense and humbling experience.

In preparation for the presentation I chronicled my evolution as a multimedia storyteller and educator through the lens of a project I started working on over 15 years ago. That same project continues in greatly expanded form and multiple genres today as We Stand in the Middle.

I don’t want to spoil the story of how that 15-year adventure has unfolded and what I’ve learned as a result. However, I’d like to urge you to take a good hard look at the issues, challenges, and themes we are struggling with today. If you strip away their outer packaging and names, how are they any different from what our ancestors were grappling with?

Then let’s ask ourselves how we might do things differently - stop seeing one another as rivals; stop believing some are better and more deserving than others; stop being afraid of differences; stop believing that how much we own determines our worth; stop thinking that buying things will make us happy; and most important of all stop looking outward; stop comparing ourselves to others and look instead for the one bright spark that each of us can contribute.

Let’s remind ourselves - and others - that we are each a gift and our job is not to compare, compete, or fight for power, but to work together to identify and weave the multi-colored threads of our collective story into a magnificent tapestry.

Let’s ask one another, as Mary Oliver did, "…what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” and then use the answers to transform this moment in history into a turning point for humanity.

HUGS!
Jena

*The phrase “cosmic compost” was borrowed from Robert Fulghum,autor of All I really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

Copyright 2025 by Jena Ball. All Rights Reserved