15. Conclusion Part 1: Strategies for Thinking the Present

In this episode, (part one of our two-part conclusion), we aim to tie together – like a nice bow on a Christmas present, know what we mean? – a number of themes (“thoughtlines”) raised throughout the series that present a diverse number of strategies for thinking the present. We engage the notion of thinking strategically relative to scale, and compassionate readings as preferable to egocentric ones. We recur to the theme of “sitting with” rather than getting things done, a spiritual demand the ego resists. How to affirm community rather than technology; the importance of thinking in critical, two-sided terms rather than in polarized terms; and equally, the importance of identifying resources to deal with the present moment rather than a focus on solutions.