Part 1 of 2 (1:36)

Part 2 of 2 (1:09)

Who knew a symposium could be so intimate, deeply moving, and fun! ~ M.B. 

The Radical Aliveness and Belonging Symposium was inspired by the life and work of Br. David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine Monk and co-founder of A Network for Grateful Living, known as the “grandfather of gratitude” and one of the most important figures in the modern interfaith dialogue movement. Brother David, whose papers are in the Libraries’ Special Collections and are part of their significant holdings documenting social change movements and activists, traveled from Austria to participate in the symposium.

In addition to Brother David, the event featured:

• The Rev. Dr. Gregory Ellison II,  Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Emory University and founder of Fearless Dialogues, a non-profit organization that creates unique spaces for unlikely partners to have hard, heartfelt conversations on taboo subjects like racism, classism, and community violence

• Mirabai Bush, founder of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, co-developer of Search Inside Yourself at Google, and recent author of Walking Each Other Home with Ram Dass

• Lucas Johnson, Executive Director of On Being’s Civil Conversations Project and former leader of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, the world’s oldest interfaith peace organization

• Rachel Bagby, J.D. (Stanford Law School), award-winning performance artist, poetic innovator and creator of Dekaaz Facilitation™, and author of Daughterhood and Divine Daughters: Liberating the Power and Passion of Women’s Voices

• James Crews, mindfulness workshop and retreat leader, award-winning author of two poetry collections, The Book of What Stays and Telling My Father, and editor of Healing the Divide: Poems of Kindness and Connection. 

The symposium included a slideshow featuring inspirational quotes on spirituality and social change accompanied by stunning photography. We invite you to enjoy and share the slideshow .

The quotes in the symposium slideshow are from our Word the Day collection, which offers a daily curated quote 365 days/year. If you would like to receive an inspirational Word for the Day quote each day, a poem each month, or learn about upcoming events and featured content every couple of weeks, please subscribe here.

In loving memory of Robert S. Cox (1958 – 2020)