Daniel Lubetzky

"It’s impossible, that’s for sure. So let’s start working."

                                        -Phillip Petit from Man On Wire

This week’s quote of the week is an excerpt that I came across in the Yizkor Service on Yom Kippur and found particularly moving :

When I die give what’s left of me away

to children and old men that wait to die.

And if you need to cry,

cry for your brother walking the street beside you.

And when you need me, put your arms around anyone

and give them what you need to give me.

I want to leave you something,

something better than words or sounds.

Look for me in the people I’ve known or loved,

and if you cannot give me away,

at least let me live in your eyes and not in your mind.

You can love me best by letting hands touch hands,

and by letting go of children that need to be free.

Love doesn’t die, people do.

So, when all that’s left of me is love,

give me away.

                                                              – Meritt Malloy

I also appreciated another concept from the prayer book that speaks of the power of generations, and provides an element of comfort when thinking of those who are deceased:

If some messenger were to come to us with the offer that death should be overthrown, but with the one inseparable condition that birth should also cease; if the existing generation were given the chance to live forever, but on the clear understanding that never again would there be a child,or a  youth, or first love, never again new persons with new hopes, new ideas, new achievements; ourselves for always and never any others- could the answer be in doubt?

I loooved reading this article that my team member Elle forwarded to me.  It does describe a certain crazy gene you have to have in order to start a new venture – whether business or social – particularly when you are trying to challenge conventional wisdom, or fill in a gap or prove something can be done which others think cannot.  The funniest thing is looking back as if facing down a precipice after climbing a mountain, and wondering how you were so crazy to go for it. Yet once it’s done, hopefully it all makes sense to others!  They may never know how perplexed you actually are, upon reflection, that it actually worked out!

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by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

“Daily Show” host, Jon Stewart announced that he will be running a rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., according to the New York Times.  The rally, first dubbed “Rally to Restore Sanity” and now called “Million Moderate March,” is meant to offset the extremist opinions that dominate the majority of political debate and promises to be as good a show as his regular one!

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Earlier tonight at a reception by the Skoll Foundation on the occasion of the CGI conference, I had an interesting conversation with Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America.  One of her insights is that the key to improving our education system is not in undermining teachers, who are far stronger than the stereotypical condemnations would lead one to believe. The key is to empower students with the vision that they are worthy and deserving of a higher education and a brighter future – to increase their self-worth through visualization about the possibilities before them.

What I found interesting is that, like OneVoice’s 2018 insight about visualization of a two-state solution as key to get there, here in education an ability to visualize a better future is again central to getting there.

Like Thoreau wrote, "If you have built clouds on the sky your work need not be lost.  That is where they should be. Now build the foundations under them." (I paraphrase from memory so don’t quote me)

I have always thought that the keys to improving our education and giving young people an "edge" is to teach kids about IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY, about how to be INTROSPECTIVE AND SELF-CRITICAL, about how to do CRITICAL THINKING and evaluation of issues before them – questioning all assumptions, and to be RESILIENT/PERSISTENT, and GOAL-ORIENTED.  Wendy agreed all of these are very important aspects of growth in education.

But a prerequisite seems to be the ATTITUDE.  And that attitude can emanate from a positive view of ourselves and our future.

Cone Communications is behind another study that claims consumers buy products because of their social mission – this time emphasizing mothers and young people are at the forefront of this trend.  As much as I am a committed social entrepreneur whose life is dedicated to find creative ways to advance social goals using market mechanisms, I have from my experience always been skeptical of this claim.  There are enormous benefits to being socially conscious, not the least of which is that it gives you meaning.  And it attracts the best team to join you on your journey, and generates loyalty, goodwill, word of mouth, media attention, and more.  But purchases ultimately are made by consumers primarily based on whether a product fits their personal lifestyle, and price, quality and taste are foremost facts when these choices are made.  That said, I do sense over the last 15 years that consumers are becoming more educated and supportive of socially conscious ventures, particularly when they can be seen to be sincere.  So whatever the actual behavior has been, it certainly is shifting more and more towards enlightened capitalism.

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by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

In a recent article in Food Business News, Mintel International recently came out with a report titled “Attitudes Toward Sodium and High Fructose Corn Syrup Reduction,” which proves that companies working to develop products with reduced sodium and less amounts of high-fructose corn syrup are excelling. The report quotes an article in the New York Times which claimed that the amount of American’s avoiding this substance has risen by 13% in 2010 alone.  It goes without saying that the companies who will be most successful will be those that heed the preferences of their consumers.

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Now, Meditalia lovers can follow their favorite brand on its Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as on its YouTube channel.  Be sure to stay tuned to learn more about what this exciting addition means for fans of the brand!

by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

Check out this great PBS piece featuring PeaceWorks and Daniel’s efforts to end the Mideast conflict with OneVoice! Thank you Fred De Sam Lazaro for showing how entrepreneurship can enhance relations between Israelis and Palestinians (as well as in other conflict regions) while being lucrative as well.  With the persistence of others who share Daniel’s unyielding passion and belief that economic cooperation can lead to peace, we hope to see a decrease in Mideast tensions soon.

Is it just silly parents who find this amusing, or is this one of the funniest video songs anyone has ever listened to? Make sure you listen to all the words – and the deep tone of seriousness with the hip music.  Forget about Coldplay. This is a Lubetzky home favorite now!