Presence, Art & Science

It was such a privilege to attend this beautiful meeting in Vancouver, Canada, profoundly named A Joyous Celebration of Ideas, the Arts, Science and Efforts to Make the World a Better Place. Four days of fascinating talks and tons of inspiration to last me awhile.

Let me give you some background. Prof Adele Diamond (whom you see in the picture above) was instrumental in kickstarting an entire field in neuroscience - the cognitive developmental neuroscience . She has devoted her career to studying how children’s brains develop thinking capacities, what helps them learn and regulate, how the environment in which they learn shapes these abilities, and importantly what helps to improve them… Her research informs education policies and has a far reaching effect around the globe.

Adele also happened to be the first professor I worked for, when straight out of uni I was fortunate to land in her lab, which has transformed my life…

Adele is just an incredible human being. She was diagnosed with lymphoma, which has become the saddest yet powerful catalyst to gather some of the most incredible scientists, physicians, artists, educators, philosophers, even the Nobel prize winning economist and Dalai Lama’s former translator to talk about some of the most pressing issues, such as disconnection, social injustice, the effects of poverty, stress, trauma and adversity on children’s and our potential. And to talk about solutions and hope emerging from the work that many of these beautiful courageous, smart and creative people do to serve the light in the world.