It's been a while since I posted a blog. It's not that there hasn't been tons to say (there has) but not enough time in which to do it. And I've been lacking a sort of crystal clarity in terms of what exactly I SHOULD be saying.

The stated mission of JUST CAUSE is to share stories about innovative solutions to the world's problems. We look at solutions. (The problems, we figure, are a self-evident.) Our thinking is simple, by praising the individuals, organizations and corporations who are making positive change, we give you examples that you can replicate in your own life. We're going to make it "sexy" to be smart, innovative, positive. Doing GOOD, we think, should be more important than doing WELL. But - and this is important - we think they go hand in hand, that you can do well by doing good.

Seems simple. However, what do we do if there is a great story that doesn't have a solution? What if someone is doing great work that creates more questions than answers, but that I know - in my heart of hearts - is good, positive and indeed part of the solution.

What if the first step of the solution is simply paying attention? Is that innovative enough to merit editorial attention?

Case in point. Wade Davis. Yum. (Did I say that outloud.) This is good meaty stuff. Wade is an anthropologist and ethnobotanist who has traveled the world in an attempt to understand indigenous cultures NOT in an effort preserve them, necessarily, but to understand what they bring to the world that we should not lose. Granted, I have a degree in anthropology, I love this stuff. But even the non-geeky-anthropologists of the world can groove on Wade's work.

So what is it about anthropology as a science that is, in and of itself, a JUST CAUSE? And that's where I am stuck. I believe that the knowledge Wade is gathering - and sharing with us - has intrinsic value. I believe that it is part of the solution to a wide variety of problems. The question is, how can I tell all of you to use it?

I think the answer is simple: just pay attention. That's it. It's not as immediately tangible and gratifying as bringing cloth bags to the store, driving a biodiesel car, eating locally or changing your light bulbs to compact fluorescents. But it does have value. Here's why.

Over a glass of wine last night, Wade and I spoke at some depth about the "value" of indigenous culture and the ripple effects of it's destruction.

It is not a question of preserving indigenous culture so that we can go over and look at the cute natives in their cute costumes and have our minds blown. It's not that at all. Wade is a breed of anthropologist who's perfectly in favor of progress and understands that culture is in a constant state of evolution. He does not equate preservation with freezing something in the thick resin of nostalgia and crippling it. But, he does frame progress through the lens of Human Rights, environmental responsibility and unintended consequences. (Those are easily Just Causes!)

Case in point. Marginalized populations who have been kicked out of their traditional lands and lifestyles by invasive outsiders tend to push back, one way or another. When a major industrial interest destroys the habitat of an indigenous culture, where do they go? What do they do? What does it cost the larger society? What impact does their disenfranchisement have on the larger world? Especially when their beliefs are in opposition to the larger industrial society that destroyed their land and their lifestyle? (Hint, they're likely to fight back. Historically, that hasn't played out well.)

Sure, there was a proposal made about jobs and revenue and what not. But, Wade asked me (knowing that no one has an answer), where is the line item for the unknown costs of supporting a disenfranchised population that is irrevocably changed and unable to support themselves? Where are the line items for the cost of an environment that is irrevocably changed and as such unable to support itself?

It's a question. Not just one of human rights, but one of very real costs and negative impact to the world at large.

What of the knowledge of the natural world that is lost. Wade is one of the foremost ethnobotanists in the world. He tells a great story about being in a distant land and swearing up and down that he was looking at a single species of a native plant. The natives swore there were 17 species of that plant, right in plain view. The natives, of course, didn't have a Harvard education and the best science training money can buy. The natives were right. The plant doesn't matter, what matters is that we have no way to assess - to "value" - the loss of that knowledge. To be overly pragmatic and simple, what if the cure for cancer is in species #15? And the way to prevent that cancer in the first place is in species #16. It's a selfish way to look at it, but it makes a point.

So, as the founder and editor-in-chief of JUST CAUSE, I had this amazing conversation with Wade Davis. We discussed things that I know can change the world. (Maybe even save it!) But there is no clear-cut solution. There is no way for me to say, "if everyone just stop snorting cocaine, we can restore the indigenous diet and intrinsic health of an entire population and if we do that, you'll be richer and happier." (Because the American ban on growing Coca eliminated not only the major source of Vitamin C to a population that can't grow oranges, but also an essential nutrient that makes it possible for them to digest - at high-altitudes - a diet that is heavily laden with simple carbohydrates because all they can grow is potatoes. Didn't expect that consequence of us blaming a plant for the drug crisis in the US, huh!) I can't tell you to just buy a product, protest a development, elect a politician..... There's nothing I can tell you that is directly actionable.

Except, "pay attention." There is wisdom in these cultures. And there is great danger when we shove them aside like flotsam and jetsam in the tide of progress as we define it in terms of the acquisition of goods and stuffs from the land and hands of labor.

If I tell you the stories of Wade Davis, will you pay attention. Can I ask you to see value and solution in "paying attention" to the ways of others?

It's an important question for us as we define our editorial platform. We are, after all, about solutions, and we always will be. But I'm thinking that there's room for good old-fashioned mind blowing stories that are not directly actionable. What do you think? Is there room in the mix?

I hope so, because I am going to write a killer feature article about the work that Wade Davis is doing.

And we'll keep delivering actionable stories too. I promise.
But please, tell me what you think. I'm really asking. And I want to hear from YOU GUYS, not just our team and board....

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By the way, it's worth noting that Wade Davis was in Seattle as part of the National Geographic Live! Lecture series. If you are lucky enough to live in a city where you can attend these lectures, you should. We've subscribed for years (thanks mom, for this eco friendly and intellectually stimulating Christmas gift each year!) National Geographic is a great non-profit organization the funds research like Wade's, and countless others. They are paying attention - and I support their efforts to ask that we all do the same.