Savor the World Essays
Essays by Lisa Bennett on how good people rise to great challenges in tough times.
Savor the World explores how we can stay clear, present, and able to act amid rapid change, uncertainty, and repeated setbacks. These pieces examine the stories that shape what we believe is possible, the capacities that help us meet pressure, and the role of wonder and savoring in sustaining engagement with the people, places, and purposes we care about.
Why We Need to Safeguard Our Capacity for Caring
As someone who has spent decades working in and around purpose-led organizations, it has taken a long time for me to come to this conclusion, but come to it I have:
One of the most important things we need to safeguard in today’s worrisome world is our own capacity for caring.
With Grace and Gusto
One of the joys of researching how good people rise to great challenges is discovering just how many ways there are to do it—and how many inspiring examples there are of people who have done it, across professions and periods of time.
Consider the late, great food writer M. F. K. Fisher.
I recently picked up the 50th anniversary edition of her collected writings, The Art of Eating, in part to have a better answer to the question: Isn’t savoring just about food?
Side note: It isn’t.
Is Wonder Beside the Point?
A return to the works of Rachel Carson shows what it takes to keep doing the vital work of safeguarding the natural world amid what I can only, most generously, call ever-greater foolishness.
Navigating Challenges with Grace
“We need work that, to your point, is not just about saving the world, but savoring the world. If we don’t get in touch with that from time to time, then it’s really hard to keep up the fight, to keep up our spirit, and do it again and again and again.”
The Power of Emotional Honesty
What does it take to stay emotionally honest in a world full of hard truths — without burning out or looking away? In this conversation, I speak with Miranda Massie, Founder and Director of The Climate Museum — the first of its kind in the United States — about the power of holding both the weight of what's difficult and the possibility of what's good.
Together, we explore why suppressing either kind of emotion undermines our resilience, what the hindsight bias reveals about positive uncertainty, and why envisioning a better future — even for just 10 seconds — is not escapism. It's a practice. Miranda has spent over a decade creating art installations that transform people who walk in freaked out about climate into people who walk out with a sense of possibility and agency.
Her insights apply far beyond climate — to anyone doing meaningful work in complex times. This conversation is part of my ongoing exploration of savoring the world: the idea that attending fully to what is good, what is possible, and what is precious is one of the most powerful things we can do for ourselves and for others.
The Bedrock of Resilience
Cultivating positive experiences is “the bedrock of resilience,” Fred Bryant, Loyola University Emeritus Professor of Social Psychology, told me last week.
Ignoring the positive in difficult times, he suggests, is like only exhaling and never inhaling.
Standing Strong in Stormy Times
In stormy times—when uncertainty, disruption, and division seem to dominate—it’s easy to feel powerless. Yet moments in nature and history remind us that resilience is possible when we connect to something greater than ourselves.
Finding Clarity and Courage in Divided Times
In a world marked by uncertainty and division, it’s easy to focus on what we should do next. But sometimes the more important question is who we want to be. Finding clarity and courage in divided times begins not with strategy, but with identity—within ourselves, our organizations, and our shared humanity.
How to Cultivate Hope in Hard Times
Hope has long had a bad rap, as if it’s the sandpit of the naïve. Yet in times like these, when many feel despair about the state of our democracy, climate, and future, cultivating hope may be one of the most radical acts we can take.
Dominique Browning on Leading with Hope and Courage
This month, in my new series Conversations with Courageous Leaders, I speak with Dominique Browning, Director and Co-founder of Moms Clean Air Force, about hope, integrity, and the power of “mobilizing love” in the fight for clean air.
Why Courage Is the Key to Leading Through Uncertainty
Courage isn’t something you’re either born with or without. And believing it is can quietly hold you back—especially in uncertain times. While we still have more to learn about how the brain processes courage, science already shows it’s something we can cultivate through action and awareness. Consider the example of Alex Honnold, the world’s most renowned free-solo climber.
How to Lead (and Live) with Courage and Compassion
Leading with courage and compassion may sound like a no-brainer. Who wouldn’t want to be seen as brave and kind? Yet truly courageous leadership—whether at work, in our communities, or at home—is harder than it looks. In this essay, we’ll explore what gets in the way of courageous, compassionate leadership and how understanding the six types of courage can help each of us strengthen our capacity to lead and live with integrity in uncertain times.
How Our View of Power Shapes Our Ability to Do Good
When I think about power, I tend to think about people who use it badly. The worst politicians, oil barons, instigators of hate, and the like. But what does this mean for people interested in being positive changemakers—leaders who work to advance well-being, equity, the environment, or any other good cause?