Reflections
We learn through conversations. I share my perspectives and welcome responses from those who agree and disagree with me. This is what I am thinking about. What are you reflecting on?
I am inspired by chrysalis, the process of caterpillars becoming butterflies. We witness disintegration, creation and invention. Transformation requires hope, vision, action and patience. I think of chrysalis as the auto workers strike for a seat at the table ...
Some adventure thrills us while too much risk terrifies. How do we balance our need for security with a hunger for adventure? Our daughter gave me a gift with the words “You can’t steal second base while keeping one foot on first.” The baseball analogy helps ...
I’m offended when comedians and rock stars say “If you remember the sixties, you really weren’t there” as if drugs defined the Vietnam generation. It’s personal for me and more. In 1960 I volunteered in JFK’s presidential campaign and spent the mid-sixties in ...
“Good Government is no substitution for Self-government“ M.K. Gandhi
Reflecting on male control of women, racism and economic exploitation of developing countries I am reminded of something Gandhi wrote in 1920; twenty-seven years ...
Excellent leadership requires as much self-consciousness as confidence. Omar Bradley’s advice to “set your course by the stars, not the lights of passing ships” reminds me “True north is the internal compass that guides you successfully through life. It ...
Thomas Merton wrote “The white man, says Lauren Van Der Post came into Africa (and Asia and America for that matter) like a one-eyed giant, bringing with him the characteristic split and blindness which were at once his strength and torment and ruin… The ...
Growing up in a progressive white family I developed a commitment to social and economic justice yet missed the breadth and depth of my own caste privileges. As a New Yorker witnessing the Civil Rights Movement on television I believed segregation and racism ...
In this season of graduations and reunions I am reminded of a scene from the movie Jane Austin Book Club. A wife returns from her high school reunion still angry at a classmate who stole her adolescent boyfriend. The husband asks why she still cares. She ...
Walking into any woods I clear my mind, refresh my soul and emerge more focused. In Japan they call this forest bathing. I reflected on this concept while watching a new film, An Above Average Day, about two local men who’ve climbed 400 mountains. Ray O’Conor ...
“Peace is coming because the people are making peace.”
I saw this banner when I joined the antiwar movement as a Vietnam Veteran. It gave me hope. I wanted peace for the Americans I left behind, all civilians, our allies and those we fought.
Americans came ...
New York is union strong. The quality of the building trades union work comes from their classroom and on-the-job paid training of apprentices. Think of the teachers educating our children, healthcare professionals caring for all of us; police, firefighters ...
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” – Emma Lazarus
About Ed
Ed Murphy has a long history as a leader in public policy, organized labor, economic and workforce development.
He lives in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Recent Posts
Ed’s Books
92 Newberry Ave: 100 Years of Murphys
Vietnam: Our Father Daughter Journey
Working Stories
Becoming a Leader
