The Ananda College of Living Wisdom, of which I've written a few posts lately, is seeking to expand its Board of Directors with two new members.

If you explore the College's website linked above, you'll see that the College is very much part of a new movement in higher education to approach subjects from the standpoint that consciousness, not matter, is the fundamental reality of creation. As a result, the College and its cirriculum accept and embrace the need for spiritual awareness and personal, inner development, rather than rejecting such concerns or confining them to a few courses on "religious philosophy."

For those of us who have taken such steps in our own lives, being part of a larger effort--and watching it grow from nothing more than an idea in early 2003--is truly inspiring. Having been involved from the beginning myself, and participating in the College's "Travel Abroad" program with the students and faculty, I'm very much looking forward to its development in the years ahead.  What might it be 15 years from now, when my own young son is ready for his higher education? In some ways I feel that my efforts as a member of the Board of Directors is to serve him, or at least many others like him who will find such a College transformative for themselves and, through that, transformative for the world at large.

So we're inviting others who are also so inspired to join us in the development of the College by volunteering to serve as a Director or by simply nominating others who might be interested. The kind of people we're seeking is described below. If you're interested or have suggestions, please contact myself (kraig (at) kraigbrockschmidt.com) or registrar (at) anandauniversity.org

I also want to mention that we're looking to build our newly-created Advisory Board whose first member is Dr. Amit Goswami whom I wrote about in an earlier post. This board will be composed of those who are inspired by what the College is doing and want to participate at a level of influence, but are not otherwise able to commit the time and energy as a full Director.

I'll also suggest, in my capacity as a Director, that if you are inspired by the college too but aren't in a position to serve, do consider a tax-deductible (and employer-matchable) donation. As noted in my prior post, we are a pioneering effort and deeply appreciate the support of people like yourself. Indeed, as Dr. Goswami would point out, waht matters so very much at this early stage is not so much the size of the gift, but the very fact of a gift. For taking such a step gives tangible expression to a new consciousness in higher education that is trying to manifest on our planet at this time. Contact information for the college is found at http://www.anandauniversity.org.

My heartfelt thanks to you in advance for your consideration.

Ideal Qualities for Prospective Board Members:

1. A passion for launching a new approach to higher education for higher consciousness, integrating non-dogmatic, non-sectarian, and universal spirituality into an intellectually stimulating curriculum. This passion extends the development of higher consciousness in oneself through personally chosen spiritual practices.

2. A willingness to bring a new level of creativity and intuition, in addition to the necessary time commitment, to help build and guide this new paradigm of higher education.

3. A background that ideally includes experience as a board member, professor, consultant, or fundraiser in a contemporary if not progressive higher education setting (colleges, universities, and non-profits). Fundraising abilities within spiritual venues are especially desirable at this time.

4. A network within their fields or professions that may include:

   1. Fundraising ties with science, business, and industry.

   2. Business and industry ties that are looking for interns and/or graduates trained in ethics, holistic approaches, sustainability, entrepreneurship, a unitive world view, and other key values expressed in the Ananda College of Living Wisdom curriculum.

   3. The ability to spread awareness of the College and its unique offerings and goals within that network.

Current Board Members:

• Nischala (Sara) and Nakula (Paul) Cryer, directors of the Ananda College of Living Wisdom
• Devi Novak, co-director of Ananda Sangha worldwide
• Walter Cruttenden, founder of the Binary Research Institute
• Nayaswami Seva Wiberg, also of Ananda Sangha and representing the spirit of renunciation
• Henry Huta (retiring from the Board), founder and CEO of EcoEarth Energy
• And myself, Kraig Brockschmidt, Senior Program Manager at Microsoft Corporation

Cases of terminal childhood diseases often awaken our pity, and even dismay at the apparently unfairness of the universe. But in some cases, at least, there is the possibility of real purpose behind what otherwise appears to be a life cut short, a purpose to awaken in us not mere pity, but a deeper compassion and understanding.

This article explores that possibility more deeply. I'd originaly written it in November but neglected to announce it; at least it gave me the chance to make a few edits just now.

Comments are welcome here.

Call it "New Blogger's Dilemma." Many people start a blog with high hopes, yet get stuck early on because of how prominent these first posts will be in the overall mix. I've been facing this with my own here--though I have much to write about that's not related to my work at Microsoft, the question is, where to begin? What subject shall I choose? Spirituality? Politics? Science? The Arts? What do I want to stand out in my tag cloud in the early stages of this blog? It's been a hard choice, but eventually one must choose or perish, blogwise.

So I've finally chosen to start with the subject of children. With a toddler in my life (Liam is almost three), children have been a significant part of my reality in recent years. He's also a primary reason why, as I noted in my "returning to Microsoft" piece, that I'm back at Microsoft in the first place. Recently, too, some friends of mine forwarded a link to Tim Kreider's The Referendum (NY Times blogs) whose ponderances on the fates of the childless (with "an obscene amount of free time") and the child-laden (whose "next thousand Saturdays are already booked") provides much mental fodder.

In recalling my thinking on the subject from some years ago, what might have been a short blog post turned into a longer article, which is posted on my main site. The basic thesis is that the question of which life path is more valid (which is more or less what Kreidler is asking) is not about having children or not having children, but about living either path on auto-pilot versus living either path consciously. Conscious living--making clear, conscious choices based on realities larger than ego-gratification--is really the solution to the perpetual doubt of living on auto-pilot.