LCL
flips our way of thinking and acting ...
about ourselves, others & the world
"What if we focus at least as much on life as we do on death?"
In our daily lives & institutions we pay huge attention to what hurts, harms, or kills us.
'Death' is a key focus, in public health ('mortality & morbidity,' 'leading causes of death'),
the social sciences ... and, of course, in religious motifs ('guilt,' 'shame,' 'sin,' etc.).
Life needs just as much attention ....
See/read more on the 'Five Causes' here ...
Our Work
What we do, at one level, is ... nothing but connect
people and webs of people ... in a very loose collaboration.
With purpose, and a style ... mycelial, emergent.
Catalytic Convening
Facilitating safe open spaces for complexity and novelty to emerge in small gatherings.
Network of Networks
A productive web of international fellows across diverse disciplines and practices.
Publications and Resources on LCL
and other congruent ideas & practices
Sharing ideas & experiences
Moving towards where life is breaking forth.
Bringing it into contact. Trying to support it.
Thinking hard about what we learn in the process.
Acting harder where possible.
Leading Causes of Life Initiative
At LCLI, we foster a collaborative network exploring agency, connection, coherence, hope, and intergenerativity for transformative growth.
Our Collaborative Approach
Whatever our fields of work or our normal obligations and commitments, what binds every gathering we hold, whether in person or virtually, is a passion to look for where life breaks forth in ways that are generative for persons, groups or communities
... and for everyone else at the same time.
Not an institution. Not a research centre. Not an organization in any normal sense either.
It is a loose (sometimes very loose) collaboration. Across many kinds of borders, diverse experiences and training or practice, different contextual and conjectural challenges, it links those who nonetheless find themselves wanting to be in touch, however loosely or irregularly at times ... with others who, in the face of hurt, harm, damage and even destruction caused by others, share a vision of a world that is motivated by a passion for life, the life of all and of the whole.
Our key strategy is to create open spaces, driven by generosity and humility, that allow innovative ideas to flourish, actively embrace complexity and encourage novelty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 'leading causes of life'?
The five leading causes are agency, connection, coherence, hope, and intergenerativity. Together, interacting with each other, they form a robust trellis for seeing where life, personal and social, is breaking forth ... and acting to support and enhance it.
What is the LCL Initiative?
Who can join the initiative?
What is the purpose of convenings?
How does the LCL initiative operate?
The LCL initiative is a collaborative network fostering generative conversations across various disciplines and practices. Among those who help shape its thinking and activity are a number of Fellows, close to eighty at the moment, representing a wide range of interests, specialties and contexts across multiple fields of research and practice.
Mainly through building connections and, whenever and wherever possible, convening people to pursue our vision and purpose. Our convenings are normally designed to create open spaces for complexity and novelty, encouraging organic discussions without rigid agendas. They often result in various kinds of related actions, including publications, learning modules, briefings, and local, regional or international initiatives undertaken by one or more Fellows and supporters.
Anyone interested in the leading causes of life can support our initiative and contribute to the network. This simply means being in touch, sharing your own interests and work that you think fits our vision and purpose, and figuring out how to work with the 'leading causes of life' in your own spheres of activity or personal and social worlds.
The purpose is to explore and cultivate the leading causes of life, allowing new ideas to emerge organically.