The Politics of Being: Bridging Spirituality and Practical Solutions

Thomas Legrand is a wisdom’s seeker, a social scientist and sustainability practitioner. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed book “Politics of Being. Wisdom and Science for a New Development Paradigm” (2022), an invitation to radically rethink our model of development, which received the Grand Prize of the Nautilus Book Award in 2024. His spiritual journey began at the age of 23 with an encounter with native spirituality in Mexico, before embracing the wisdom of a wide range of traditions and practices, including meditation, energetic healing and Tai-chi-chuan. He lives with his wife and their two young daughters near Plum Village, the monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in the South West of France, his country. He is currently the Lead Technical Advisor for the UNDP-convened Conscious Food Systems Alliance. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded November 9, 2024 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction to Thomas Legrand and His Work  00:03:27 Integrating Politics and Spirituality    00:07:32 Radical Restructuring for Humanity’s Survival    00:10:43 Prophecies of Transformation and Enlightenment    00:15:14 Exploring Spiritual Solutions for Society  00:19:22 The Necessity of Consciously Attending to Ethics in Spiritual Practice  00:23:51 Spirituality and Science Collaboration    00:27:12 The Influence of Sri Aurobindo’s Spiritual Work on Global Events    00:31:11 Spiritual Practices and Deep Forces    00:34:53 The Need for Spiritual Transformation    00:39:07 Theory X and Theory Y: Workplace Dynamics    00:43:34 Prisons as Factories of Stress and Recidivism    00:48:32 The Importance of Relationships in Happiness    00:52:40 The Impact of Collective Consciousness    00:56:18 Emerging Sciences for Happiness and Peace    01:00:30 Integrating Wisdom and Science for Unity    01:04:21 Healing Patterns on a Societal Level    01:09:00 Transformation Through Breakdown and Regrowth    01:12:06 Introducing the Concept of a Politics of Being    01:15:30 The Shift Back to Human Dimensions  01:20:37 Implementing Spiritual Solutions in Everyday Life    01:25:51 Economic Inequality as the Root of Social Issues    01:30:39 The Necessity of Change in Society    01:36:22 The Baha’i Vision and Progressive Revelation    01:39:03 Understanding the Soul of a Nation in a Globalized World  01:43:25 The Destiny of Unity and Diversity    01:48:08 Conversations on Conflict and Harmony in Israel    01:50:45 Healing Trauma as a Gateway  01:53:37 Presidential Apology and Indigenous Healing  01:56:00 Navigating Economic Growth and Conscious Transformation    02:00:23 Exploring Our Website Offerings