Matthew Schutte

The promise of a better world motivates many of us to strive in pursuit of “abundance.” But what are the downsides of framing our pursuits in this way? In this interactive salon, I guided participants through an exploration of the relationship between abundance, pain, scarcity and steering — and presented an alternative foundation for harnessing noble ambitions as well as a different framing of what it takes to truly “thrive.”

The salon was held at The Embassy Network‘s flagship location in San Francisco as part of their “Meeting of the Minds” series.

Their website describes the Embassy as:

People and spaces experimenting with culture and commoning.

The Embassy Network is designing new ways to manage resources and govern space together. Our member spaces are embassies of a future that is abundant, collaborative, and transparent.

At the heart of that statement is a desire to create an abundant world.  The fact that they invited me to host a conversation calling that very ambition into question speaks volumes about their openness, as well as their commitment to conversation and exploration.

This was the first event in a series of CLLBRTV Conversations I am looking forward to hosting over the next several months.  Which of the following topics should we focus on for the next event?  Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

1. Risky behavior: a discussion of thrills from speed to sharks to sex.
2. How does utility shape morality? And how does morality sculpt utility?
3. We have inherited everything. Which “inheritances” should we reject?
4. We are all one. We are each unique. An exploration of the tensions navigated in physics, metaphysics and identity.
5. What are the downsides of biomimicry?
6. Why doesn’t she tip her husband? an exploration of the nature of relationships.