ABOUT

MODE OF BEING

Flume is not merely interested in data-driven decision making, best practices, evidence-based practices, or industry standards, but first in the philosophical beginnings those very concepts assume. It is in this way, Flume integrates and orders the natural relationship between the humanities and the social sciences—qualities and then quantities—thus allowing it find insightful, creative, and holistic flourishing-focused solutions to the many problems we face. To actually solve them—first in the world of ideas and then in the world of reality.

Said another way, Flume is rooted in the Great Tradition and born to further the Great Conversation in fresh ways that are relevant to our current cultural moment and thus cultivates the good, true, and beautiful in all areas of culture. Not just to make problems go away, but to foster fullness and flourishing in their space. We refer to the particular, holistic, and ordered nature of this integrative framework as The Human Experience, which is summarized in the Human Experience Poster Collection.

It is out of this mode of being our varied divisions, works, words, ideas, and efforts flow—like a flume, taking the inherent nature and potential of the human person and the human experience, and fostering its flourishing even further—first in our minds and then through our hands.

VALUES

HUMAN DIGNITY

Seen fundamentally in our ability to use reason, all humans are equally human. This ability to think critically must be respected, affirmed, and encouraged, as it is where our foundational value and dignity is revealed.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

All people have the right to be treated with dignity as essentially equal beings. And just like the flip side of the same coin, every person also has the responsibility to treat others in the exact same way.

HUMAN DIVERSITY

All humans are equally human and then, in that context, come in a range of wonderfully diverse forms. Understood in this order, our diverse talents and abilities can be appreciated and drawn together towards our common good.

MEANING

Upon grasping the essential meaning of things we as people can grow to have true knowledge. As we grow in knowledge we gain discernment, insight, and the ability to create otherwise unimaginable realities. This is the cultivation of the best kind of life–a meaningful one.

CLARITY

The human mind longs for clarity like a fish does water; and nothing is more freeing or empowering than finding it. Clarity does not just come about by chance, however, it is the byproduct of seeking truth above all else. Upon understanding the meaning behind and within the human experience we grow to have true knowledge. As we grow in knowledge we gain discernment, insight, and the ability to create otherwise unimaginable realities.

REDEMPTION

 When it comes to life's hardest experiences we cannot go back in time and avoid them. We cannot "re-do" them. As often as we may wish otherwise, they happened. Our options moving ahead, therefore, are simply to"move on" or redeem them. We choose the latter. We seek to cultivate recovery from addiction and illness, restoration of broken relationships, and the reformation of self-destructive behaviors. That is, we aim to bring so much good out of the bad that it blows your mind and everyone who is watching.

BEAUTY

As the capstone and reward of seeking and finding the true and the good, beauty and our need for it is hardwired into the human experience. We seek and enjoy it intuitively, and intentionally cultivating it even further is a large part of our calling as human persons. Beauty is simple in how it describes the very tone of voice our world is created through, and it is also complex in how it includes all the finer parts embodies.

CULTURE

Like beauty, culture is both simple and complex. It is that which is so basic we are simply brought up into any given culture and subculture and we don’t even notice. It is like the air we breathe. It also manifest the accumulative nature of our worldviews as they have integrated with our generational stories and geographical realities throughout decades, centuries, and millennia of particular manifestations of the human experience.

COMMUNITY

No one likes fake relationships. And no one likes being taken advantage of in relationships that lack boundaries either. Our aim, therefore, is to grow professional and meaningful relationships with those we serve–intentionally and organically. In time, therefore, we also aim to build a vibrant community of people helping people be the best possible version of themselves. In truth. In love. And in authentic, judgment-free, service.

INTEGRITY

An application of the examined life we are to strive to have consistency between what we believe, what we say, and what we do, which are the necessary prerequisite to having unity in our selves and with others.

HOPE

Humans only work for something if they have hope it will actually bring forth the results or rewards they desire. Much of the work we do, therefore, is simply to grow hope. Hope that good can overcome evil. Hope that cruelty and neglect can be redeemed. And hope that trauma can be overcome. There is great hope, true hope, and we want everyone we serve to be enlivened by it.

EMPATHY

You are the expert of your own life. No one can fully understand what you have seen and experienced in your life in the way you do. Pain hurts. Suffering confuses. And frustration engulfs. In tune to these realities, therefore, our position is to empathize with you in your challenges and support you in your dreams as you move to grow through your unique challenges toward a more vibrant and meaningful life.

CREATIVITY

The human capacity to imagine and create is limitless. To understand this and put it towards thoughtful goals lays our greatest hope to achieve our highest good and most beautiful good. Further, everyone is beautifully different and has diverse capacities and abilities to be creative in different ways. For these reasons we are always exploring amongst ourselves and with those we serve to derive fresh, innovative, and person-centered solutions that bring out the best in all of us.

FREE MARKETS

As a natural extension of free people in a free society the free markets of ideas and commerce are to be cherished and protected. Manifestations of selfishness and evil in the free market illustrate a human problem not a market problem.

STEWARDSHIP

Humans are called to be good stewards of all they are responsible for. Thus, the earth and all that is in it, including our relationships with each other, ought to be respected, cherished, and cared for as we grow in knowledge of all that it reveals.

EMPOWERMENT

Humans do not need to just be told what to do. We do not just need a laundry list of rules and guidelines to follow blindly. What we do need, however, is understanding, inspiration, and enlivenment to love ourselves and others as dignified, equally valuable, and uniquely equipped human persons. 

EXCEPTIONALISM

As creatures with the capacity to be rational and virtuous humans are responsible to thrive towards their highest potential. This includes striving with true hope through the personal, local, and global challenges we are faced with today.

LIBERTY

Human liberty is defined by the ability to freely choose without restraints. We are not free to do whatever we want, however. Instead we are responsible to be good stewards of our freedom by pursuing truth and adapting our lives to its light.

SUBSIDARITY

The macro includes the micro. To see flourishing on any social-wide scale inherently means to see (and the reward of seeing) the flourishing of the many individuals and smaller communities that which make up the broader hole. This is the flourishing of the unity of human diversity.

THE GOOD

Listed last only because it includes everything before it… What is good for something is based on its nature. What is good for human is based on human nature. Because humans are thinkers, thinking and reaching knowledge is the essence of what is good for us as it embeds itself in all other goods. To know. To be known. Knowledge of the transcendent, the highest reality, therefore, is the highest good for humanity, and it is what we must seek for its own sake.

ARCHITECT

Life is beautiful. Reaching the place where that truth is clear, is not.

I grew up in the quasi-rural farmlands turned suburban Mecca known as west Phoenix. Nothing fancy. Neither rich nor poor. Neglected nor spoiled. Just plain Jane Americane, I suppose. Still, something was in me. It is still there. I am a dreamer. Til' death. While that might sound great, it is not always so. 

In school, it meant never reaching my potential because I saw no point to the rat race. The system. It's rigged! Or, so I thought. It also means isolation. Even amongst friends, I was a loner. 

In responsibility, it meant always being distracted. Hating chores. Chasing sparrows. Not only getting lost in the sky but doing it from under the water. Still one of my favorite ways to view the world by the way.

In my mind, it also meant being discontent with all that is. Perpetually wanting something different. Something better. Something. Deeper.

In all, I became the wanderer I was born to be and it came with costs. It caused pain. My own and that which I inflicted. Oh, the regrets. The shame. The loss of time and potential! Still, there is mercy—because it also came with rewards.

Yes, it is true, I unraveled. I admit it. But this is exactly what moved me to seek. To find answers. And you know what? I found them. Tell me, from what is there a sweeter satisfaction than finding understanding? Then finding answers to the questions that burn holes in our souls? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Work has been another big and often weird piece of my story. The means to all my wandering loose ends, I guess you could say. Full-time, part-time, on-call, in fancy restaurants, night clubs, furniture delivery, schools, non-profits, state governments, you name it, I've done it and chilled with those who have. I tended bar on the beaches of Cape Cod, on the ski slopes of Jackson Hole, and in the wild golf lands of Scottsdale, for example. I also got through school running my own little pool cleaning company. You should have seen it.

Perhaps more relevant, I have also taught college courses in prisons, worked as a Research Analyst for the Arizona State Governor’s Office for Children, Youth, and Families where I helped the state of Arizona develop curriculum, write reports, and evaluate over 40 federally funded programs. I also served as a group counselor in the areas of domestic violence with court mandated clients. And now? For the past ten years I have been a Professor of Social Work at Spring Arbor University in Michigan where I have taught at both bachelor’s and master’s level courses and have also had the privilege to lead several three-week global learning courses where I helped immerse students in the institutions and diverse cultures of such places as Cambodia, Morocco, Greece, Jamaica, and Chicago. It’s epic. My wife and I also started Flume’s sister company, Flourish: Center for Cultivating Human Potential, which offers meaningful and humane counseling to those seeking to grow through their suffering.

I have gone to school a lot too. Taking eight years or so to find my niche in studying philosophy, of course, I was floored to get my bachelor's degree in integrative studies, with a concentration in counseling and philosophy. Kind of weird but that is because I am. From which point went on to earn a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Social Work from Arizona State University, and most recently a Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities from Faulkner University. In translation, I take a more humanities-rich approach to social work, which is seemingly rare in a more socially scientific discipline. It also highlights how I love thinking and doing.

In sum, it took much heartache, soul searching, trial, error, blood, sweat, tears, and mental unrest to get here, but all those experiences and inroads led to me teaching around the world and now led me to create Flume. And it’s a privilege to do so. And I hope you enjoy what we are going to create.

Peace,