Excited about the possibility of connecting with other way showers and action takers. I play well with others but have never been in the box, at least not as an adult, so outside the box feels like home. For me, focusing on the changes I want to see help me create them. It also attracts my tribe as I find I do not attract what I seek but more who I am. Have partnered with a nonprofit group all about the vision of creating the world we want instead of getting bogged down in the mire of where we are now. Change of this magnitude requires vision plus action. Thank you for your blog which is action ... I look forward to each and every one.
Music to my ears. I've had stranger in a strange land energy from my childhood, when I was the only Jewish child in my school system at at time when antisemitism was more rampant than today. I think the child I was, that didn't understand why I was the wrong thing, got me to be the adult I am that works toward a world where caring about each other prevails. What's the nonprofit group?
Hi Suzanne, It was nice to meet some of the community on your first zoom call. I am looking forward to participating and contributing to what comes next. Count me in!
Yes, let's get unstuck!! Our approach at VillageCo.org is to do that by reconnecting where we're disconnected. By creating Village community spaces, we support the ongoing relationships and connections needed for the long-term work. My story was about how building more connections at a neighborhood brought the feeling of being in a Village to every neighborhood, which started changes locally that changed larger systems from within. Probably a bit optimistic lol
With loneliness at epidemic levels, the opportunity you offer is right on. In my dossier of what we can do, another version of the villages you are creating is Circles of Trust, where 8 people are committed to listening to each other an helping each other. I wonder if among the subscribers here, you could recruit a Village? Want to write up a brief invite that I'd put into a Substack along with a link to your good essay that has the Villages changing the world -- https://suespeaks.org/it-took-a-village?
Presumable these circles could be differently themed. Maybe one of them could be on a mutual understanding of how substack really works. I have been thinking about this lately.
Glad there is movement beyond the writing challenge. I tried to indicate this during the challenge, to make it sustainable requires some infrastructure. If you are interested, happy to contribute. Be well!
The writing was a step on the road I'm on to help us get where we need to go. More Zooms to come, but these comment sections, that I stay in touch with, are places to put any ideas you have about how to structure what we can do.
So nice to see you here, where I'm usually in your turf, on Wordpress..You have one of the most intelligent voices and are so welcome in any thinkfest of mine. Everyone should read your latest, where, "Treating symptoms does not cure the dis-ease caused by the industrial-consumerist political economy." It's got some of the best insight into we got to the unworkable state we are in. "We go about our modernist lives as if we had conquered Nature. We don’t notice that we are sitting on the tree’s branch that we are sawing off," is just the start of that in "Back to Basics: Can We Return to Reality?" https://thehopefulrealist.com/2024/03/27/back-to-basics-can-we-return-to-reality.
Hi Suzanne. You know that my interest is in sustainability and the renewal of personal inner strength, so that people are liberated and equipped to manage change adaptively (bounce forward). If you are willing to have me in your swimming group, I am very keen to be involved in a RE-ENERGISING sort of a way. No downers - agreed !
I'm Casey - I work as a physician in Asheville. My work is mostly with critically or terminally ill persons, navigating the minefield of modern health care. These are ordinary people, dying, yet nevertheless seeking "health" - a notion that often seems incoherent in our modern world. I also direct a course for medical students in ethics and humanities.
I wrote about a special kind of dialogue that emerges out of these encounters with medicalized dying, as people seek to "die healthy." What exactly characterizes these dialogues? That's a mysterious question, but I have some ideas. I would love to discuss this question.
I believe these dialogues represent an extraordinarily salient model of what could save us, and over the coming generations, could usher us toward a transformation of consciousness. I worry nothing short of such a fundamental transformation could save us from our own self-destruction.
Hi Casey -- I want to tune you into the Scientific and Medical Network https://scientificandmedical.net, that I urge people to belong to, which is the best place for dealing with the combo of spirit and matter. Nobel Prize winners are members who participate in their member conversations talking about about what's beyond the materialist science that holds sway. You would be a valuable participant. What we deal with here is what you characterize as the fundamental transformation that you are right on about.
I am often wondering how to get the right people in the room to go from good intentions and smart scenarios into practical action.
For you and other Substack readers, here is our civilizational-shift paper, published today by a team of indigenous and western scientists, historians, thinkers, futurists and artists: "Earth at risk: An urgent call to end the age of destruction and forge a just and sustainable future" - https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/3/4/pgae106/7638480?login=true
Some media hoo-ha about it, so far, but much of it predictable and a waste of oxygen, other inputs are good. I do wish I had nine lives to help organize a new civilization. At the same time I am down with flu and, possibly, malaria. Gotta be realistic. Three global initiatives is more than enough!
I stole some words from your paper for my paper. Here's mine, to substitute for yours: "How do we achieve these goals of a global cultural shift in social and economic values? Now what?"
With my best well wishes for your health, maybe you could defect, with one of your lives, from that team getting us nowhere, to think with me about how to move ahead???
I didn't participate in writing an essay but I've been working on and building a STRATEGY for global and national transformation since 1993. In May of that year I experienced a life changing insight, how our current System is CAUSING most of the big impossible-seeming problems in society ... both nationally and globally ... and how to fix the System as well as these Monster Problems! In 2002 I wrote a book describing the fix ..."Society's Breakthrough! Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People," which was mostly aimed at transforming the U.S. System through a U.S. Constitutional Amendment. But the ideas mostly took off overseas. (e.g Two states of Austria have adopted this strategy into their state constitutions) Through adoptions and experiments we've discovered that 1) the process works at large scale; 2) We don't need an amendment to make it happen; 3) The global process can be set in motion by just a few of us ("just us") who understand the new principles of change, plus we need a few million dollars! This week my new wife and I were interviewed on this global strategy in a fun podcast by "Dr and Mrs Future" see https://futurepeak.net/audio/58_FutureNowShow_JCRough.mp3. Descriptions for the national and global cases are available at the website for our nonprofit organization, The
Center for Wise Democracy, www.WiseDemocracy.org. I hope this information helps inform your conversations.
Beautiful work you do. Your Wisdom Councils is a systems model, that would slowly come into play, that makes sense as a fundamental way to run the world. Mine is what could happen tomorrow. My Wisdom Council would be the most respected people in the world, where one volunteer starts it -- say MacKenzie Scott. She gets one more. Maybe Bill Moyers. The two of them get the third, and so on. If this group deliberated on what to do, everyone would listen. I'd love to generate conversation about that.
Ervin Laszlo ran the process you describe for many years. I don't think it resulted in anything. He called it the "World Wisdom Council." This is why I don't use that term. I refer to the "GLOBAL Wisdom Council PROCESS," because they are so different. Yes, the global Wisdom Council Process is meant to become a new inclusive SYSTEM of thinking, governance, economics, culture, etc. But it offers short order change as well, largely because the process is "choice-creating" instead of deliberative. Deliberative thinking generates "recommendations," but there is no ultimate authority to act on them.
My comment was about how long it would take to institute your process to get it into action. Mine could happen overnight. And I can't find any reference to what Ervin did, but it wasn't my process which I've never seen anywhere, where someone volunteers to start, like let's say Oprah. She picks one and then the two of them pick the 3rd, the 3 pick the 4th, etc.
I'm not sure what "overnight means" but we have a plan and already a group of "conveners," seven people from around the world. (We have no money yet, but we haven't asked yet either!) But we are meeting and aiming for the first global Wisdom Council to address the issue: "Global Earth Repair" in May 2025.
until the essay contest, not a whole lot of traction in any meaningful direction. I know there are a lot of forward thinkers out there who may feel isolated, or are active in small, isolated groups. I’m all for organizing connections…find out who’s doing what that amounts to more than wailing about the problems.
I’m dedicating myself to following in Leo Buscaglia’s very big footsteps. I’m writing, speaking, eating, sleeping and promoting kindness, caring and RESPECT. Big shoes to fill, but I’ve got a good decade or two left in me to at least march in Leo’s direction.
If you don’t know who he was, or even if you do, Google him. Watch his 3-part (6 min each), “The Eleventh Hour” for some great, honest inspiration … and SIMPLE.
Thank you for posting this with a link that shows all three segments that can be viewed together. It’s so worth the short time it takes to watch and feel this man’s exuberance and love for life and the human experience produced with such honor and celebration.
I took my four-year old son to see him in person once, and when he was finished my son jumped up and pushed his way through all the grown-up legs and ran up on stage to hug this master of kindness.
I’m interested. Damn interested. It’s the only game in town, to borrow an old expression. I agree with you. Lots of pundits and theorists and hand-wringers, but
Excited about the possibility of connecting with other way showers and action takers. I play well with others but have never been in the box, at least not as an adult, so outside the box feels like home. For me, focusing on the changes I want to see help me create them. It also attracts my tribe as I find I do not attract what I seek but more who I am. Have partnered with a nonprofit group all about the vision of creating the world we want instead of getting bogged down in the mire of where we are now. Change of this magnitude requires vision plus action. Thank you for your blog which is action ... I look forward to each and every one.
Music to my ears. I've had stranger in a strange land energy from my childhood, when I was the only Jewish child in my school system at at time when antisemitism was more rampant than today. I think the child I was, that didn't understand why I was the wrong thing, got me to be the adult I am that works toward a world where caring about each other prevails. What's the nonprofit group?
Maybe it's a good idea to listen to the old crones for new ideas.
Too Damn Right, along with supporting the young uns as we go, n'est ce pas. Maurice
Hi Suzanne, It was nice to meet some of the community on your first zoom call. I am looking forward to participating and contributing to what comes next. Count me in!
Yes, we are on our way. That was fabulous to watch and listen to and to be inspired by. I support you all. Love, Adonnah.
I look forward to joining the next Zoom call, barring unforeseen circumstances :)
For getting involved, send me your email: suzanne@mightycompanions.org
Yes, let's get unstuck!! Our approach at VillageCo.org is to do that by reconnecting where we're disconnected. By creating Village community spaces, we support the ongoing relationships and connections needed for the long-term work. My story was about how building more connections at a neighborhood brought the feeling of being in a Village to every neighborhood, which started changes locally that changed larger systems from within. Probably a bit optimistic lol
With loneliness at epidemic levels, the opportunity you offer is right on. In my dossier of what we can do, another version of the villages you are creating is Circles of Trust, where 8 people are committed to listening to each other an helping each other. I wonder if among the subscribers here, you could recruit a Village? Want to write up a brief invite that I'd put into a Substack along with a link to your good essay that has the Villages changing the world -- https://suespeaks.org/it-took-a-village?
Presumable these circles could be differently themed. Maybe one of them could be on a mutual understanding of how substack really works. I have been thinking about this lately.
Any takers out there ?
Will do!
Hi Jason, delayed response as I have been quite ill this last two weeks. Lets chat soonish, Maurice
Glad there is movement beyond the writing challenge. I tried to indicate this during the challenge, to make it sustainable requires some infrastructure. If you are interested, happy to contribute. Be well!
The writing was a step on the road I'm on to help us get where we need to go. More Zooms to come, but these comment sections, that I stay in touch with, are places to put any ideas you have about how to structure what we can do.
The essay contest was enticing, but already overcommitted, I did not submit.
I do think the Zoom continuance of the themes engendered is a great idea.
Count me in.
So nice to see you here, where I'm usually in your turf, on Wordpress..You have one of the most intelligent voices and are so welcome in any thinkfest of mine. Everyone should read your latest, where, "Treating symptoms does not cure the dis-ease caused by the industrial-consumerist political economy." It's got some of the best insight into we got to the unworkable state we are in. "We go about our modernist lives as if we had conquered Nature. We don’t notice that we are sitting on the tree’s branch that we are sawing off," is just the start of that in "Back to Basics: Can We Return to Reality?" https://thehopefulrealist.com/2024/03/27/back-to-basics-can-we-return-to-reality.
Hi Suzanne. You know that my interest is in sustainability and the renewal of personal inner strength, so that people are liberated and equipped to manage change adaptively (bounce forward). If you are willing to have me in your swimming group, I am very keen to be involved in a RE-ENERGISING sort of a way. No downers - agreed !
Trevor, your fine mind is very welcome, where your unique Emotional Logic work, that gets people tuned into their power, could be in play for getting us unstuck. People can read your essay here: https://suespeaks.org/we-saved-the-world-one-relationship-at-a-time.
Hi Suzanne,
If I wasn't overcommitted in both my on and offline lives, I'd be in like a dirty shirt.
Thanks for sharing that choir piece -- I loved it!
I also love strategy, and recently read one of the best books on it ever -- 'Practical Radicals' by Deepak Bhargava and Stephanie Luce.
I look forward to reading about what you and your group come up with. We need good strategy so badly right now.
Just keep showing up here, in the big group, where you make good contributions!
I'm Casey - I work as a physician in Asheville. My work is mostly with critically or terminally ill persons, navigating the minefield of modern health care. These are ordinary people, dying, yet nevertheless seeking "health" - a notion that often seems incoherent in our modern world. I also direct a course for medical students in ethics and humanities.
I wrote about a special kind of dialogue that emerges out of these encounters with medicalized dying, as people seek to "die healthy." What exactly characterizes these dialogues? That's a mysterious question, but I have some ideas. I would love to discuss this question.
I believe these dialogues represent an extraordinarily salient model of what could save us, and over the coming generations, could usher us toward a transformation of consciousness. I worry nothing short of such a fundamental transformation could save us from our own self-destruction.
Hi Casey -- I want to tune you into the Scientific and Medical Network https://scientificandmedical.net, that I urge people to belong to, which is the best place for dealing with the combo of spirit and matter. Nobel Prize winners are members who participate in their member conversations talking about about what's beyond the materialist science that holds sway. You would be a valuable participant. What we deal with here is what you characterize as the fundamental transformation that you are right on about.
Following the rules will keep us locked in the same game. Would be great to see incentives for people who think outside of the box ;)
Ok! Like what?
Yes indeed - how about the Now What? !
I am often wondering how to get the right people in the room to go from good intentions and smart scenarios into practical action.
For you and other Substack readers, here is our civilizational-shift paper, published today by a team of indigenous and western scientists, historians, thinkers, futurists and artists: "Earth at risk: An urgent call to end the age of destruction and forge a just and sustainable future" - https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/3/4/pgae106/7638480?login=true
Some media hoo-ha about it, so far, but much of it predictable and a waste of oxygen, other inputs are good. I do wish I had nine lives to help organize a new civilization. At the same time I am down with flu and, possibly, malaria. Gotta be realistic. Three global initiatives is more than enough!
I stole some words from your paper for my paper. Here's mine, to substitute for yours: "How do we achieve these goals of a global cultural shift in social and economic values? Now what?"
With my best well wishes for your health, maybe you could defect, with one of your lives, from that team getting us nowhere, to think with me about how to move ahead???
Yeah - wish I had another 50 years to live in closely choreographed parallel lives pushing forward on at least five major things at once! 🤩
I didn't participate in writing an essay but I've been working on and building a STRATEGY for global and national transformation since 1993. In May of that year I experienced a life changing insight, how our current System is CAUSING most of the big impossible-seeming problems in society ... both nationally and globally ... and how to fix the System as well as these Monster Problems! In 2002 I wrote a book describing the fix ..."Society's Breakthrough! Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People," which was mostly aimed at transforming the U.S. System through a U.S. Constitutional Amendment. But the ideas mostly took off overseas. (e.g Two states of Austria have adopted this strategy into their state constitutions) Through adoptions and experiments we've discovered that 1) the process works at large scale; 2) We don't need an amendment to make it happen; 3) The global process can be set in motion by just a few of us ("just us") who understand the new principles of change, plus we need a few million dollars! This week my new wife and I were interviewed on this global strategy in a fun podcast by "Dr and Mrs Future" see https://futurepeak.net/audio/58_FutureNowShow_JCRough.mp3. Descriptions for the national and global cases are available at the website for our nonprofit organization, The
Center for Wise Democracy, www.WiseDemocracy.org. I hope this information helps inform your conversations.
Beautiful work you do. Your Wisdom Councils is a systems model, that would slowly come into play, that makes sense as a fundamental way to run the world. Mine is what could happen tomorrow. My Wisdom Council would be the most respected people in the world, where one volunteer starts it -- say MacKenzie Scott. She gets one more. Maybe Bill Moyers. The two of them get the third, and so on. If this group deliberated on what to do, everyone would listen. I'd love to generate conversation about that.
Ervin Laszlo ran the process you describe for many years. I don't think it resulted in anything. He called it the "World Wisdom Council." This is why I don't use that term. I refer to the "GLOBAL Wisdom Council PROCESS," because they are so different. Yes, the global Wisdom Council Process is meant to become a new inclusive SYSTEM of thinking, governance, economics, culture, etc. But it offers short order change as well, largely because the process is "choice-creating" instead of deliberative. Deliberative thinking generates "recommendations," but there is no ultimate authority to act on them.
My comment was about how long it would take to institute your process to get it into action. Mine could happen overnight. And I can't find any reference to what Ervin did, but it wasn't my process which I've never seen anywhere, where someone volunteers to start, like let's say Oprah. She picks one and then the two of them pick the 3rd, the 3 pick the 4th, etc.
I'm not sure what "overnight means" but we have a plan and already a group of "conveners," seven people from around the world. (We have no money yet, but we haven't asked yet either!) But we are meeting and aiming for the first global Wisdom Council to address the issue: "Global Earth Repair" in May 2025.
until the essay contest, not a whole lot of traction in any meaningful direction. I know there are a lot of forward thinkers out there who may feel isolated, or are active in small, isolated groups. I’m all for organizing connections…find out who’s doing what that amounts to more than wailing about the problems.
I’m dedicating myself to following in Leo Buscaglia’s very big footsteps. I’m writing, speaking, eating, sleeping and promoting kindness, caring and RESPECT. Big shoes to fill, but I’ve got a good decade or two left in me to at least march in Leo’s direction.
If you don’t know who he was, or even if you do, Google him. Watch his 3-part (6 min each), “The Eleventh Hour” for some great, honest inspiration … and SIMPLE.
Send us any isolated forward thinkers! And Leo is a name from the past who was very popular,
pushing everyone to be loving, before he died in 1998, Those links have be dug out, on YouTube. Here's the first one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8tw9ontdc0.
Thank you for posting this with a link that shows all three segments that can be viewed together. It’s so worth the short time it takes to watch and feel this man’s exuberance and love for life and the human experience produced with such honor and celebration.
I took my four-year old son to see him in person once, and when he was finished my son jumped up and pushed his way through all the grown-up legs and ran up on stage to hug this master of kindness.
I’m interested. Damn interested. It’s the only game in town, to borrow an old expression. I agree with you. Lots of pundits and theorists and hand-wringers, but