The aim of this Member Monday experiment is the establishment of an engaging discussion forum. Articles are only catalyst -- the starting point. There is no end point. It's the interaction that counts -- a way for members (and guests) to relate beyond the "good-and-you?" stage.

And such is the ambition behind tomorrow's selection of the somewhat whimsical subject of "Goat Man." 

http://lithub.com/speaking-with-the-legendary-goat-man/

To paraphrase the title of the old Lance Armstrong book, It's Not About the Goat. The discussion will likely weave in and out of what it means to be human and maybe touch on the existential. 

Or maybe not. I look forward to providing some structure as facilitator but that's the nature of an organic discussion. At the very least you will have enjoyed a themed social lunch and learned a bit more about the other participants.

The following Monday (8/8) is set aside for Marty Kaegel's travel series, this time featuring member Octavio Reyes and his adventures in Namibia -- one of the less well known and least visited parts of wild Africa -- with a slideshow presentation of the last nomadic tribes, the Himbas.

The Member Monday following that (8/15) is centered around that vast, elusive, fundamental yet anxiety-inducing, class-separating, metaphysical subject of money. Some members have professed little interest in the topic. But wait. That might mean it's just being viewed in strictly linear terms. 

The session will be facilitated by member Duncan Horst, author of the attached introductory article -- a deep-dive into the subject. But don't be put off. Duncan represents he could distill the discussion introduction into a ten-minute summary :) Plus we have reserved the red room on Tuesday (8/9) for a few of us to maybe tame the subject before the wider Monday Member (8/15) session.

Yet, just like the Goat, It's Not About the Money, but rather the ensuing discussion that is the "point." We may be lucky enough to include Kevin Townley (of Western Mysticism fame) and Bob Davis (our very own Harvard economist) among our attendees.