Intersections

I just finished this month's Fast Company, and I simply had to rip out two articles for my files: the one on Al Gore's surprising resurrection/reinvention, and the one on whether bottled water is good or evil.  It occurred to me after I'd filed the articles away that this is why I like Fast Company so much: it trades in the space that represents the intersection between financial profits, environmental stewardship, and social virtue. 

Far from pitting one against another, it seeks to shine the spotlight on people, places, and things that seek all three at once.  Gore's now-famous slide show, whether you believe it or not, is a profound nexus of his political savvy, his quant side, and his love for the environment; the media business and venture capital fund he co-founded are, if less well-known, equally motivated and equally meaningful.  And bottled water, with images of mountain purity and healthy living, has a tainted side that must be considered: Fiji Water, for example, is transported thousands of miles from its island source, while far too many of the residents of that very island lack for potable water. 

I'm reminded of the many ways I've actively chosen to hang my shingle on the crossroads of one or more worlds.  I want to be the best professional and the best parent.  My job requires an understanding of how the public, private, and non-profit sectors play with each other.  Even in my faith, I want to see the secular in the spiritual and the spiritual in the secular.  Given how often I like to sit in the intersection, it's no wonder I like Fast Company.