The World Imagined is the Ultimate Good: Launching The Book Tour

The World Imagined is the Ultimate Good
Launching The Book Tour

Peter Karoff began his comments with lines from this poem by Wallace Stevens:

Light the first light of evening, as in a room
In which we rest, and for small reason think
The world imagined is the ultimate good.

He then asked his audience, “Is there such a room? Perhaps this is one. And if it is, why are you here?”  This provocative question began an evening of energized dialogue and engaged discussion among more than 150 members of the local and national philanthropic community.  This distinguished group gathered at The Boston Foundation to celebrate the official launch of The World We Want on September 19.  Hosted by TPI and The Boston Foundation, it signified the beginning of Peter’s national tour to promote the book and its goal “to awaken the citizen within, to wake those who are sleepwalkers, those who choose to walk by the infinite collage of a world that is hurting.”

Paul Grogan, President of the Boston Foundation, opened the evening by commenting on the impact of TPI’s work over the last two decades, saying “It has been a stunning success, a pioneer in philanthropic advising.  Their impact has been enormous.  Many have tried, few have succeeded to emulate what they have done.” Peter Karoff gave a dynamic commentary on the book’s implications for the future of philanthropy, and issued a call to action.  He engaged in a public conversation with John Abele, co-founder of Boston Scientific and The Argosy Foundation, one of the book’s distinguished contributors, who shared his unique expertise operating across business and social sectors.  A recurring theme throughout the conversation was that of the increasingly fluid relationship between the sectors, and of an “Open Source” approach to philanthropy.  Peter’s prediction for the future?  “The number of formal and informal collaborative social investment efforts, and the intermediary organizations established to support them, will dramatically increase. Some will be internet based, but… more will be locally and community-based. They will become a hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit endeavors, and will increasingly look and feel like social movements.”

The evening’s Question and Answer sequence with the audience left everyone energized to follow the book’s message: go downstream, break out of the box, abandon comfort, and change the world.

View a video of this event on the WGBH Forum website.

Download the full transcript of Peter’s speech.