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Founding and Leading Global Peace & Development Initiatives, Author and Business Consultant, now President of the World Academy of Art and Science: Meet Garry Jacobs
This December we feature the luminaries, the light bearers, the peace-makers and those who give us hope as we approach this season of short days and long, dark nights. Join us to meet the people and organizations who can unify, uplift and inspire you this holiday season and in the year ahead.
Early Roots in a Time of Upheaval
I was raised as an upper middle-class Californian and studied psychology and pre-med at UC Berkeley during the mid-1960s, a period defined by the hippy revolution and the rise of the Free Speech Movement. Students protested the Vietnam War and demanded equal rights for women, Black Americans, and other marginalized groups. Youth won then. Today, youth confront a similar challenge—a world grappling with the backlash of extreme conservatism rejecting much of the progress achieved since the end of the Cold War. The revolutionary fever for freedom that began at Berkeley spread across universities in the U.S. and around the world.
Searching for Purpose
I entered medical school but dropped out after a month, realizing it wasn’t for me. I spent the next two years reading, reflecting, and wondering what I should do with my life. Eventually, I decided to pursue a more traditional path: I reapplied to medical school and proposed to my girlfriend. But fate had other plans. One day, a book titled Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness fell off a shelf in a bookstore near UC Berkeley—and it changed both our lives.
A Transformative Journey to India
I completed a year of medical school before my wife and I traveled to India to experience its spiritual culture and values firsthand. We joined a spiritual community and met two extraordinary mentors who fundamentally reshaped our lives. Over the next 20 years, guided by their wisdom, I devoted myself to becoming a better person while engaging in projects that supported India’s development. I wrote two books, developed a business management consulting firm based on what I learned in India, and helped establish the International Commission on Peace and Food.
Witnessing History and Working for Global Peace
Throughout these years, I organized international conferences—including one co-hosted by Mikhail Gorbachev—and witnessed pivotal moments in global history: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the reunification of Germany, the end of the Cold War, the dissolution of the USSR, and the founding of the European Union. I also edited a UN report on global peace and development strategies. All of this work was rooted in the values, consciousness, and insights I had gained in India.
A Life of Meaningful Aspiration
In 1995, I was elected to the World Academy of Art and Science, and I have spent the past 30 years exploring how to improve myself and contribute to a better world. My wife and I have never doubted that we chose the right path—one we could never have imagined. The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that it is not necessary to know exactly what we should do with our lives. I never dreamed of doing anything I’ve done. It is enough to hold a deep aspiration to live meaningfully. That aspiration led me to the right book, the right teachers, and a lifelong journey of service, learning, and purpose.
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