A R C H I V E

It's a jungle out there. Chaos reigns. Russia and Ukraine are fighting a bloody war. China has one eye on Taiwan and the other on America. A near-term war in the Middle East seems inevitable while global military spending hits $2.24 trillion. Inflation is eating us alive from the inside. Suicide and drug overdose stats are off the charts. More than half a million of our American brothers and sisters live and die on our streets.

Just when one is ready to give up all hope in America, a few rays of hope shine through, encouraging us to remember that America is less of a place and more of an ideal we strive to achieve. This shining city on the hill has attracted three bright, driven, and controversial immigrants to its shores to demonstrate that the promise of America is still alive and well. 

Today the South African-born Elon Musk’s Tesla is valued at more than all of the other car companies combined, making him one of the wealthiest men in the world. As a side gig, he buys the rarely profitable Twitter for double what it was then worth and proceeds to chop its headcount from 8,000 to 1,500, striving to build another behemoth company as a vehicle for a First Amendment fight. For fun, Elon builds large multi-billion dollar rockets only to watch the maiden flight blow up in less than four minutes, breaking out the champagne in celebration of “the success of our phase one rocket and the millions of pieces of data collected for analysis.” …

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Highland Institute for the Advancement of Humanity strives to understand the way humanity has evolved, hoping to help expedite this process. 

Throughout history, Master Teachers such as Moses, Jesus, and Buddha have guided us in the understanding and appreciation of law, love, and the mind. In addition, humanity has advanced and evolved through various cultural avatars in the areas of science, medicine, politics, and technology. My favorite examples are Leonardo da Vinci, George Washington, Mozart, Sir Isaac Newton, and Benjamin Franklin.

The Persian culture has also featured its own avatars, such as King Cyrus the Great, the poet Rumi, and Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Sīnā, otherwise known as Avicenna in Arabic, or simply Ibn Sīnā, whom I was named after. Since most folks can’t pronounce my name, let alone know its origins, I’ll share what I know.

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With global political unrest raging, especially in democracies such as Israel, France, Mexico, and America, this may be a good time to use Highland Institute’s Securus Locus perch to look at what’s going on. Since historically the Jews have been the canary in the mine, let’s take a critical look at Israel to indicate what lies ahead in America.

With an estimated global population of fifteen million, the Jews barely represent two-tenths-of-one percent of the world population. Yet, they exert an influence 100x their size, as measured by education, accumulated wealth, and the number of Nobel prizes.

Is.ra.el literally means he who struggles with god. Since its founding in 1948, Israel has fought, won, or survived six major wars. This David & Goliath story reflects the struggle of fewer than ten million Jews against 1.5 billion Muslims. Yet, today, at the pinnacle of its economic and military power in over two thousand years, Israel is tearing itself apart internally!…

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We think of Highland City Club as a complex multi-faceted community providing our diverse membership with a place to work, socialize, dine, entertain, and bear new ideas.

While City Club’s original members may have been older, wiser, more experienced, and financially well-off, our new members tend to be young, smart, and driven to launch a host of  new ideas awaiting merely the right kind of environment and support. View the club’s two membership levels in terms of creating the perfect synergetic environment for innovation.

We feel fortunate to apply the concept of AbraCadabra (I create as I speak), to the attraction of brilliant, creative, and experienced members like Todd Minnis, Matt Harder, and other such motivated members to launch a new idea lab with fundamental trust that if we build it, they will come…

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Nature demonstrates that everything is subject to cycles and duality is inherent throughout.  Every coin has two sides, summer turns into winter and the pendulum swings from kinetic to potential energy. Likewise, just as the ocean tides ebb and flow, everything is subject to expansion and contraction. 

Chaos might be defined as the transition from one state to another; neither a caterpillar nor a butterfly. The King is dead; long live the King is Shakspeare’s way of telling us that the only constant is change. As such, I posit that we need to be smart to thrive during times of expansion, and wise to survive during times of contraction. 

One need not be a philosopher to realize that once again our world is transitioning from nearly eighty years of relative peace, prosperity, and expansion, to one marked by chaos whether it is represented by the war in Ukraine, by high inflation threatening the meltdown of the global banking system, or by near civil wars in Israel and France. Meanwhile, Germany and Japan are arming, while China brokers a fake peace between Iran and Saudi Arabia to ensure it can buy plenty of cheap oil from both…

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Most of us know the magic word Abracadabra from Disney films wherein the hero opens a secret door, or lets a genie out of a bottle to grant it three wishes. In fact, this is a Hebrew word with Aramaic roots meaning “I will create as I speak.”

In the past, member Kevin Townley has extensively spoken about the power of the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, along with the Jewish belief that words have power, allowing us to create our reality by the words we use. A-Bara (I will create) Ke-Dab’ra (as I speak) is a personal reminder to monitor one’s speech and to watch out for what we wish.

Even the agnostics amongst us realize the power of prayer lies not in it’s communication with some higher power in the hope and expectation to create magic in our lives. Instead, the act of prayer is the vehicle through which words allow us to define and create the reality we seek to manifest…

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Spring in the Rockies is my favorite time of the year, and there is no better place to experience spring than in Highland’s gardens.

The combination of the harsh weather and the third year of the pandemic made this a tough winter, but by now that’s all behind us, and spring is ahead.

March 21 also happens to be the Persian New Year and City Club’s 18th anniversary. During this period we survived The Great Recession, The Great Resignation, a Global Pandemic, and still managed to renovate and convert the historic Highland School building from an office to a club, and grow our membership to ~300, hoping to grow it to ~1200…

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“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” is the immortal refrain yelled by anchorman Howard Beale in the 1976 film Network. Please take four minutes to watch this video before continuing to read.

When Tectonic societal forces clash, when revolutions and civil wars break out – when it finally gets so bad we just can’t take it anymore – we must turn around, look at ourselves, and ask why and how did we get to this point?

How did America, the land of law and order, become so lawless? How could the richest country in the world let so many of its citizens live unhoused? How could America, the land of compassion and philanthropy, let its mentally ill and drug addicts live and die on its streets? Why are we not dealing with the fact that 70,000 Americans annually die from the use of fentanyl? Why can’t we defeat inflation and stop the brutal war in Ukraine? Why does Islam treat its women like chattel?

There are three ways to exist in the world in which we live and will eventually die…

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The recent devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria were a timely reminder of the damage caused by continental drift when clashing tectonic plates create destructive forces hundreds of times more powerful than an atomic bomb. 

This analogy applies to our global political infrastructure as the clash of civilizations gives rise to the death of old empires and the birth of new ones. Innocent wartime casualties, societal effects of climate change, and significant technological disruptions are part and parcel of shifting power structures.

After 75 years of peace and prosperity, Russia, China, and Iran have challenged America’s global leadership. While the current flashpoint for this challenge is Ukraine, Taiwan represents the next potential powder keg ready to explode. 

With Iran supplying Russia drones for use in Ukraine, and given its near-term ability to build an atomic bomb to target Israel, it does not take a historian to realize Israel may soon be forced to preemptively bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities just like she did in Iraq and Syria. Having failed to bring Europe to its knees by shutting off the gas valves, Putin has become desperate in his attempt to stop the flow of oil from the middle east to the west, in the expectation it would damage the western economies by tripling the price of gas…

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Everywhere we look, there seem to be tents and makeshift shelters in our public spaces. The issue of homelessness is taking a greater toll on our psyche, dividing us between our desire to be our Brother’s Keeper, while striving to prevent the Tragedy of the Commons.

This is a complex problem because America’s growing population of the unhoused is made up of a toxic combination of the economically disadvantaged, the non-confirming Hobo, the mentally ill, the drug addict, and the outlaw.

As I write this note there are seven tents within 100 feet of my bedroom window, with nightly fights and screams, along with the occasional knife stabbings, clubbing, overdosing, rounded out by the random Meth Lab featuring an indoor gas tank with a protruding chimney…

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'tis our fast intent

To shake all cares and business from our age,

Conferring them on younger strengths, while we

Unburden'd crawl toward death. 

King Lear, Shakspear

George Washington is remembered as possibly the greatest figure in American history, not as much for his great achievements leading the Continental Army to victory over the British against unbelievable odds, but because he voluntarily gave up power, fearing that if he were to die in office, Americans would view the presidency as a lifetime appointment, like that of a king.

George Washington’s September 1796 Farewell Address to the nation, written with the assistance of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, the principal authors of The Federalist Papers, is a must read for every American, young and old.

Unlike King Lear and George Washington, Donald Trump and Joe Biden do not appear to have gotten this message and are still fighting to hang on to power long after the wise would go from Age-ing to Sage-ing, from action to wisdom…

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“We dig our grave with our knives and forks.” French proverb

No one needs to be told the extent to which our lives have been upended over recent years with Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, and social upheaval. Technological innovations like lightning speed internet and cloud computing have dramatically changed the way we work, allowing roughly half of all office workers to avoid the daily commute, resulting in ~ a billion square feet of vacant office space.

But today I would like to draw your attention to changes in our food, nutrition, and eating habits with the consequent effects on our health, as I invite you to consider the following data points:..

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Like Aspen Colorado, Davos is a small ski town in the Swiss Alps that for the past 53 years has hosted the World Economic Forum, bringing together leaders from the business, political, academic and civil society sectors to discuss and collaborate on global issues.

Professor Klaus Schwab, the Founder of the World Economic Forum, is a visionary and a true global citizen, evidenced by the fact that this year the forum attracted dignitaries including the Presidents of the European Commission and European Parliament, the German Chancellor, as well as the President of the International Monetary Fund, heads of European and Japanese Central Banks, CEOs of global corporations, and other dignitaries wanting to see and be seen.

As a student of history, I believe everything is subject to cycles and, with that, posit that the world needs a new forum in a new place to discuss, debate, and advance the cause of human evolution. This belief is based on noting such hypocrisy as attendees flying private jets to rant about the dangers of global warming, or career diplomats and virtue-signaling limousine-liberals talking about the benefits of stakeholder capitalism…

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I am more of a reader than a watcher, but on a recent trip to LA to visit my family for the first time since the pandemic, I was forced to binge-watch an Israeli TV series on Netflix called Fauda.

Fauda in Arabic and Hebrew means Chaos. This 2015 award-winning series about a unit of undercover Israeli soldiers operating in Palestinian territories highlights the madness of the chaotic world we live in. The success of this series is due to its effective representation of the impossible position both the Israelis and the Palestinians currently find themselves in, where the lines between good and evil have blurred.

Last week I wrote about the perils of democracy and suggested that Israel is on the verge of civil war. A few members accused me of exaggeration and inquired why I thought this was the case. The story, acting, and cinematography of Fauda drives home this message…

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Like newborn babies, Democracies are fragile man-made constructs that need constant nurturing. The January 6, 2021 attack on our Capital, followed by copycat efforts in Brazil revealed the dark forces intent on destroying the foundation of democracy, and the will of the people, through fabricated stories of rigged or fraudulent elections.

Israel is a young, small, divided democracy on the verge of civil war. Like Catholics and Protestants, like Shias and Sunnis, the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews of Israel are fighting amongst themselves and disagreeing on the future course of their new state.

So here is the big question: Is Benjamin Netanyahu a Right Wing extremist destined to tear the country apart (Thomas Friedman), or is he Israel’s equivalent of Abraham Lincoln, destined to prevent or to incite a civil war? While only time will tell, here is an excellent article that sheds light on the topic. This is an essential issue because it is a harbinger of what might be in store for America…

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From its inception, City Club has had fun baked into its Vision Statement and its Charter. In fact, the central piece of art defining our community is a large diptych painting by Frank Sampson called “Celebration.”

I’ll be the first to admit that in the past we have focused more of our attention on foundational tasks like planning, building, and intellectual pursuits, over simply having fun. But, I am pleased to say, we are now more focused on celebrating and having fun by taking the following actions:

— The recent acoustic salon music series led by member Glenda Luck has served as an  excellent cultural gathering opportunity. This is the closest we have come to our ideal of a modern day18th-century French music salon…

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Last week I shared A Vision For The Future. This week I want to reflect on the crazy year we just lived through. If you don’t consider yourself a Stoic by the end of this list, you might want to investigate this Greek philosophy further.

— Getting through the third year of a pandemic, we learned that everyone, including Anthoney Fauci, essentially lied to us. The mental and financial damage done to the next generation is enormous.

— Generation Z members, born between 1997 and 2012, have “a high degree of anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicide and fragility.” The damage caused by social media, and what City Club member Oak Thorne calls “nature deficit disorder,” has caused this generation to valorize victimhood.

— The nation now suffers from massive inflation, far from “transitory,” due to an economic system flooded with cash purportedly to address the pandemic lockdowns…

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As I found myself struggling with the desire to build a community, in October 2003 I signed up for a week-long silent meditation retreat at Sunrise Ranch, near Loveland, Colorado, where it is said John Galt, the protagonist of Ann Rand’s Atlas Shrugged allegedly took refuge.

One day on a long hike, I was caught in a rainstorm and took shelter in a small log cabin which happened to be the ranch library, featuring a modest bookshelf on each wall, four worn leather reading chairs arranged around a coffee table, on which lay a book at the center called A Cosmic View Of The Bible, by Grace Van Duzen.

Hours later I returned to the ranch, bought a copy of the book, and asked whether Grace would be willing to sign it. The next day, book in hand, I knocked on Grace’s door and was greeted by her secretary who led me to her office where a Margaret Thatcher-like figure sat, fully erect, hair perfectly coiffured, with full makeup, oxygen tube in each nostril. I had barely recovered from my shock when Grace asked, “What’s on your mind?” Unable to answer quickly, she asked again, so I mumbled something about wanting to build a community like Sunrise Ranch.

Thereupon Grace opened my newly purchased book and asked “What is your name?” So she proceeded to write, “To Sina.” Then she asked, “What’s the name of your community?” After a few seconds of hesitation, I said “Highland something.” So she wrote, “at Highland Community.” Then she asked, “how many members do you plan to have?” Unsure of the answer, I mumbled, “ A couple hundred.” Seemingly irritated, Grace looked up from the page and said, “if you want to make a difference, you need to attract 144,000 members.”

By that point I was not sure whether Grace was cosmic or crazy and was ready to leave when she asked, “So what’s holding you back? What are you afraid of?” Without missing a beat I said, “I am afraid if I build it, they will not come.” Grace shot back saying “I’ll tell you what you should be afraid of – that you build it and the wrong people come.”

At this point Grace closed the book, her secretary stood up, and I was ushered out of the room where I proceeded to open the book to see the following message:

To Sina, at Highland Community, with Love as we serve the Lord and let His Light reach all corners of the Earth.

Grace Van Duzen

Nov. 1, 2003…

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I rarely re-publish my newsletter introductions but striving to come up with a relevant subject for this time of the year, I couldn’t help going back to the following piece I wrote two years ago based on Leonard Cohen’s song. Meanwhile, I am working on my year-end report our vision for next year.

— Sina.

You Want It Darker

Leonard Cohen

If you are a dealer, I’m out of the game

If you are the healer, it means I’m broken and lame

If thine is the glory then mine must be the shame

You want it darker

We kill the flame

Poet musicians like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen have a way of getting us in touch with subjects we rather avoid, like love, lust, betrayal, and death…

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Our vision for Highland, from its very inception, consisted of two mutually-reinforcing parts. The first was the Highland City Club, the premier social and business establishment you see today with great food, beautiful art, enchanting gardens, and enlightened members. The second was the Highland Institute, dedicated to furthering the Advancement of Humanity in ways yet to be defined.

Recent revelations have suddenly provided some clarity regarding the second part of this vision, highlighted in the above graph forwarded by member Stephan Van der Mersch for our review and discussion. Once I grasped the importance of the new and explosive field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), I realized its relevance as an element of the Highland Institute.

Coincidentally, AI happens to be the topic of Steve Smith’s upcoming Member Monday for 12/19/22, Chat GPT, specifically the way AI is rapidly finding its way into using deep learning to produce human-like text, voice, and creativity…

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