Good news for humankind!

From the week of July 24 - July 30 2023 C.E.

Ghana ends capital punishment

The West African country currently has 170 men and six women on death row, whose sentences will now be replaced by life imprisonment. Until now, execution has been the mandatory sentence for murder in Ghana.

World’s largest wind turbine is now fully operational and connected off coast of China

With a mind-boggling 260-meter (853-ft) rotor diameter, this towering colossus will supply clean energy for about 36,000 Chinese homes.

Number of EV charging points in the U.S. has nearly doubled in three years

In the first quarter of 2020, the U.S. had roughly 80,000 public charging stations nationwide. In Q1 2023, it surpassed 140,000 public stations.

Medical abortion pill to become easier to access across Australia as restrictions scrapped

The MS-2 Step mifepristone medication was previously only allowed to be prescribed by a doctor with specialist certification and then provided by a pharmacist registered to dispense the product.

Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic form body to regulate AI development

The Frontier Model Forum will focus on the “safe and responsible” development of frontier AI models, referring to AI technology even more advanced than the examples available currently.

Size doesn't matter

In the Western world, maybe especially in the United States, we are strongly encouraged if not outright pressured to "dream big." Imagine the most audacious, ambitious, powerful version of yourself you possibly can and then spend your life striving toward it, we are told.

There are a few things off about this for me.

First, and maybe most obviously, why does everyone need to be ambitious and audacious with their lives? What's so wrong about a more modest, humble existence cherishing the "smaller" beauties in life? And what's so noble and good about a "big" dream? The constant need for bigger and more so often leaves us exhausted, discouraged, and unfulfilled.

But maybe more than that, just as with our sleeping dreams, we rarely if ever truly choose our life's aspirations. Sleeping dreams simply arise in our consciousness, almost as if a gift from the universe or from the unconscious aspects within us. We can think of our life's aspirations as just like this. They arise within us, waiting to be caught and acted upon. We do not choose what we dream. At best, we can choose which of our many dreams we pursue.

So here's my invitation: Don't pressure yourself to dream big. Just dream. Dream all the dreams that come to you. Some may be "big" and audacious. That is wonderful. But they are just as likely to be "small" and modest. And that is just as wonderful.

In the grand scheme of the universe, all our dreams are impossibly small. And in the context of our time as individuals here on Earth, they are all significant. So allow yourself to follow whichever ones feel most true, most alive, most beautiful to you, whatever the size may be.

Peter Schulte

Purpose & Leadership Coach

Founder & Executive Director, Spark of Genius

he/they

More of Peter's story