Our planet and its citizens are quickly approaching a cross-roads where the need to confront emerging crises invites us to collaborate in ways that we have never done before. UPLIFT Festival has been dubbed the “Visionary TED” for bringing together diverse voices including indigenous wisdom, science, spirituality, art, and youth to dialogue together across disciplines. This is cultivating a community filled with possibilities, excitement, and solutions-oriented action. We are witnessing a growing movement of collaboration and co-creation and Uplift Festival is leading the way. If you are like me then you are probably thinking, “It’s about time!”
The event is being streamed on a global webcast December 11-14 and will include Dr. Bruce Lipton, Lissa Rankin, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Charles Eisenstein, Ta’Kaiya Blaney, Satish Kumar, Patch Adams, Grandma Agnes, Scarlet Lewis, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Jamie Catto, Joshua Gorman and others. If none of these names ring a bell for you, then let me introduce you to some of them here!
Capitalism has brought great abundance, yet we are also seeing the shadow-side of greed and environmental destruction that unregulated capitalism is causing. Charles Eisenstein is a global thought leader in new economies that promote regeneration rather than resource depletion, generosity instead of greed while reminding us that authentic value can not be measured in dollars alone. His book, Sacred Economics, Money, Gift, and Society in the Age of Transition holds a powerful vision of how we can embrace economics in our quest for a sustainable future.
There are few scientists who speak with such overt excitement about their work and the possibilities that these discoveries imply for all of us as Bruce Lipton. Lipton is an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. Stem cell biologist, bestselling author of The Biology of Belief and recipient of the 2009 Goi Peace Award, he has been a guest speaker on hundreds of TV and radio shows, as well as keynote presenter for national and international conferences. Finally there is science to prove how our beliefs about the world effect health and biology. Never before has there been such a powerful invitation to explore our internal beliefs, cultural stories and attitudes and revise them in a way that promotes personal and planetary health.
Ta’Kaiya Blaney is an indigenous youth activist, at 12 years old she is an accomplished speaker and singer songwriter. Uplift Festival is allowing room to showcase that people with passion and talent are not limited to just science, or art, or speaking but that brilliant minds often transcend many different expressive avenues to have their message heard. Ta’Kaiya is witty, intelligent well beyond her years, entertaining and will also make you laugh, she presents her beautiful gift with the humility and grace of her Indigenous Sliammon upbringing.
I advocate changing not only the human condition, but also in the condition of our planet. In my culture it’s a fact, and an understanding of life, that everything is connected, and we were put on this earth to be stewards and caretakers of the environment. In my culture, it’s a teaching to do more than connect the dots, to see the picture as a whole.
Patch Adams’ work is popularly known through the film named after him where Robin Williams played his character. His book Gesundheit, lays a foundation for re-imagining healthcare with an emphasis on human contact, humor, and compassion rather than pharmaceutical profits. The mission for his Gesundheit Institute states, “We are a model of holistic medical care based on the belief that the health of the individual cannot be separated from the health of the family, the community, the society and the world.”
As you can see, I have only showcased 4 of the many diverse and visionary voices that will be coming together to present and dialogue with each other at UPLIFT Festival. If you are interested in learning more or registering to watch the lifestream, you can click on this link. Our global paradigm is shifting from one of competition to one of cooperation and the stakes are high as we face many global crises. Your perspective, your voice your action is as important as anyone else’s and we hope that you will join us in this most magical transformation. I will leave you with a quote from Barbar Marx Hubbard who will also be presenting at Uplift Festival:
