Currents #2: Heroes, humour and everyday hate
Professor Lucian Hudson, our Chair of Council at the Tavistock Institute, selected this month’s Currents.
“Just a snapshot of things that have stimulated my thinking this month,” said Lucian.
“Seeing clearly where we can take action, when there is a daily torrent of information and often difficult news, isn’t easy. But some people help to spark inspiration.”
I followed and supported friends running in the London Marathon, including Harry Barton, tireless CEO at Earthwatch, where I have been Chair for a decade.
Marathon runners say it is never just about speed: it’s about pace, conserving and not just spending energy.
We value the thought - invisible to the naked eye - that informs purposeful action.
In his speech to US Congress, The King showed how a speech sprinkled with humour can loosen defences and build trust. Seriousness was commingled with lightness of being.
Perhaps when we speak of exploring liminal spaces, we can be receptive to the hidden truths that humour reveals.
Has the U.K. reached an inflection point in addressing the rise of antisemitism?
Vivienne Stern leads Universities UK. In this article, she argues that universities can be part of a way forward – especially through our opportunity to educate a large number of young people on effective disagreement, and where the boundaries between legitimate protest and antisemitism lie.
Universities can be both containers of crisis and catalysts for change.
Universities UK: Actions not words: Universities and antisemitism
