Highland Institute

For many years City Club has been envisioning, discussing and taking small steps to launch Highland Institute, often without knowing what our desired institute should look and function like. But every once in a while we get a glimpse of what’s possible, a light bulb goes on, a sigh is heard, and a piece of the puzzle falls into place.

Right after death, we are more afraid of an uncertain future than anything else. To create a Secures Locus, or a safe place for our members, we strive to bring meaning, if not order, into the universal chaos. For those of you who missed it, last week’s topic of Steve Smith’s Monday Member lunch, A Post-Pandemic World, was a great example of what Highland Institute is potentially capable of.

Please take the time to read Steve's March 20th, 2017 book review The Fourth Turning, practically predicting the situation we are in today by saying “our country will shortly pass through this current rights-mongering, entitlement-oriented, politically-dysfunctional, military-overextended, environmental-despoiling, anxiety-ridden, bankrupt era of Unraveling and emergence into a new High."

Add to this list other imbalances like creating new gods by enabling three people to own more wealth than the bottom 50% of our population, mortgaging the future of our children by racking up multi-Trillion dollar national debt, massive homeless and mental health issues, the loneliness epidemic, drug and alcohol addiction, and no wonder something big was bound to upset this imbalanced system, and the COVID-19 virus proved to be it.

Member Douglas Gardner posits Highland Institute should strive to envision in more detail, and potentially influence the post-pandemic world we are going to inherit. In short, in addition to just talking about problems and their potential solutions, Highland Institute will strive to do something about them.

They say the greatest journey starts with a small first step. With help from members like Steve, Doug and Parker Johnson, City Club is finally ready to take a small step towards the creation of Highland Institute for the Advancement of Humanity.

I want to invite members who are interested in this topic to help us breath life into this vision.