Institute for Research on Unlimited Love

The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love enjoyed a stellar year of research and publishing, and supporting academic conferences of note. Dr. Jo-Ann Triner published her book Soulful Work 2.0, a book about meaning and purpose in work and education in a time of widespread alienation due to meaningless work. Her focus is on love and purpose at work. For the entire year Jo-Ann, and board members, Ensign Cowell and Stephen Post, have participated in an hour-long discussion of love and the workplace with a group of ten colleagues as organized by Gary Schoeniger, one of the finest scholars in the U.S. on the topic of meaning and entrepreneurship. VP Matthew T. Lee now of Harvard and Baylor, has procured a major grant for the study of love in the tradition of Thomas Aquinas from the Templeton Foundation. Dr. Lee is the leading researcher on the topic of human flourishing and where love fits into it consider across cultures and globally. His speaking and writing on this topic have been nothing short of fabulous. Joni Marra had continued her important work on love in the context of death and dying, actively engaged as a death doula and leading the way with a major movement in this field. Dr. Susan Wentz, M.D. continues to teach and write on compassionate care in medicine and more generally in healing. She co-authored a major article on compassionate care and medical education with Dr. Post. Thomas Jay Oord continued writing and publishing major books on the very important theme of freedom in relation to love, including love for the Source (aka God), and is increasingly recognized as one of the top theologians in the world. Dr. Oord convened a conference on the theme of love at Drew University School of Theology, drawing more than 100 leading scholars, both theologians and pastors, from all across the U.S. Dr. Post attended this three-day conference at Dr. Oords invitation. Dr. Post continued on with the theme of love for deeply forgetful people (aka with dementia) in many venues, including a period of several days at Baylor University as an annual visting scholar. The Institute received a major gift from a former Institute-supported researcher who passed away. The Institute also had another successful fundraising campaign by letter in the fall of 2023, receiving many small gifts from its large public following. Dr. Post also completed the draft of a book that presented the research themes of the Institute since inception. Working with an agent in NYC, we hope this will be published in 2025. Dr. Post worked with consultant, Morgan Adams, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, to revamp the Institute website and keep it up to date. We convened our annual in-person board meeting in Cleveland in July of 2023, and planned our next meeting for August 13, 2024.