Why are we attracted to fat and sugar when it is not good for us. If it was unhealthy, why wouldn’t natural selection have factored it out? Cross-cultural research shows that, on average, regardless of culture, men are more violent than women. Why is this? Why are men so interested in sports? As it turns out, human beings do have a nature. Ninety to ninety five percent of our history was formed in our life as hunter gatherers. Whatever habits we formed there carries over into the last 10,000 years of human history. Evolutionary mismatches help to explain that much of human conflict can be explained by what I call the Darwinian Unconscious. So many of our problems arise because industrial capitalist societies force us to adapt to situations that are far from our long existence as hunter gatherers.

Recommended Reading:  Buss, David, Evolutionary Psychology, Any Edition, Alan and Bacon

Your instructor: Bruce Lerro has been a night-school college teacher for 27 years. He has taught in alternative college settings, in prisons, in the Air Force and in the Navy. Bruce has taught in community colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bruce has written eight books, including three on the application of Russian Lev Vygotsky’s work on world history. Bruce is also a pen-and-ink artist.

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How do you want your life to be in 2026?

• What are ways to use your personal time to restore your energy?
• How do you want to build relationships with those you know or would like to find?
• What do you want to learn about or contribute to in face-to-face and online groups?

This class provides a framework for deciding on ways to increase your appreciation of life, contribute to life in meaningful ways, and create a sense of balance in the year ahead. Engaging in planning with others expands your vision of how you might use your time in the coming year as you share with others and hear their plans. The older we become, the more we treasure the time we have left.

Your Instructor: Marty (Martha) Worcester is a Consultant for Aging with a rich background in Growth and Development in the decades of life after age 65. She works with individuals and groups to acquire information needed to meet the challenges and find enjoyment unique to each decade of late life. She fosters appreciation of the age you are and valuing all those on the journey with you as you create your own Late Life Design. All are welcome. Questions? Email keysaging@gmail.com or visit website keystoaging-latelifedesign.com

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This course will be a fun and interactive exploration of our personal habits so we can root out the feel-good behaviors that block us from thriving.  Each week, we’ll study meditation and mindful, in-the-moment techniques to help us feel whatever is “bad” without surrendering our values, personal agency or joy.  Through practice, we’ll learn to train our minds to identify and unlearn the habits that direct us towards feeling pleasure (or distraction or numbness) rather than thriving through acceptance of ourselves and others, even in the worst of times.  As a result, we can experience tremendous growth in the ways we handle bodily pain, navigate relationships, adapt to change or refresh our lifestyle.

Your Instructor: Margo Benedetto is a certified mindfulness instructor and veteran classroom teacher in Washington State. She was a leader in bringing mindfulness education to the Centralia School District from 2015-2020 and continues to provide personal and professional development on mindfulness for individuals and groups. She enjoys the variety of classroom settings she finds for her work, including Thurston County Dog 4-H, Olympia Senior Services and North Thurston Public Schools.

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This six-week course continues our journey into Indigenous lifeways, expanding our lens to include global Indigenous educational movements and cultural exchanges. Inspired by the 2025 World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE) in Aotearoa (New Zealand), we will explore how Indigenous communities across the world are reclaiming knowledge systems, revitalizing languages, and renewing relationships with land and spirit.

Through stories, scholarship, and community dialogue, we’ll connect the Pacific Northwest’s rich Indigenous heritage with global movements of sovereignty and healing. Each session invites participants to reflect on their own place in the story—honoring the wisdom of elders, the resilience of youth, and the responsibilities we carry forward.

Themes include Relational Sovereignty: How Indigenous peoples define and live sovereignty through kinship, land, and education; Language as Breath: Revitalization efforts from the Northwest to Aotearoa; Healing Across Waters: Indigenous approaches to wellness, cultural continuity, and environmental stewardship; Educational Pathways: What Indigenous-led education looks like today—and how it shapes tomorrow; Global Solidarity: Lessons from WIPCE on intercultural exchange, Indigenous futurism, and shared resistance; and Living the Teachings: A closing reflection on how we walk forward together in relationship with land, story, and community.

This course is designed for honored life long learners seeking meaningful engagement with Indigenous knowledge, history, and contemporary movements. No prior experience is required—only a willingness to listen, learn, and participate in respectful dialogue.

Course Features: Guest speakers and recorded presentations from WIPCE 2025; Land-based learning and place-based reflection; Optional readings and multimedia resources; and Group discussion and community storytelling.

Your instructor: Professor Ron Johnson is an enrolled member of the Makah Nation in Neah Bay. His mother, Julie, is an enrolled member of the Lummi Nation. Ron has worked in a variety of natural resource fields, has three beautiful children and is currently pursuing his Doctorate degree. Ron has taught courses at The Evergreen State College and currently teaches at Northwest Indian College.

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