(Read Part 1 first - the scene setter)
In part one (link above), I attempted to make a case for all the major regenerative movements concerned about the health of the planet and a fairer, more equitable humanity to speak with one loud and persuasive voice to cut through competing noise and speak to the public. To rescue them from their Stockholm syndrome-induced indifference.
Some of these movements, like the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEALL), recognise this significant challenge. They all point in the same direction but communicate the overarching challenges of climate change and an equitable world for all in different ways. However well-intentioned, this is currently another Tower of Babel.
This fails to cut through the pointless cul-de-sac of contemporary culture wars, where each side is entrenched behind symbolic words. It’s time to raise our sights for a cooperative alliance with a common purpose. That doesn’t mean dumbing down on their current individual areas of focus but recognises the common ground. R. Buckminster Fuller’s rallying call seems a great place to start:
‘To make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offence or the disadvantage of anyone.’¹
Characteristics of the collaborative network
Characteristics of the collaborative network
In ‘Part One’, I introduced the concept of a fractal network. This network, I believe, would be the key to success. It ensures that the shared vision and purpose permeate and are consistently reflected at every level, from the local to the global. This consistency will amplify the core message and make it more accessible to the broadest audience. The network effect would ensure that it enters the public’s consciousness and releases them from their Stockholm syndrome, generating the necessary political pull for faster, desirable change.
How might we get there?
How might we get there?
I recommend four steps for this year and a fifth once established.
1. Convene the exploratory council to establish a shared vision
The first step is to invite leaders of each movement to convene the exploratory council. Someone must take the lead in this, and as WEALL’s Stewart Wallis already has this in mind, perhaps a few phone calls with movement leaders could set the ball rolling.
I recommend contacting Otto Scharmer of Theory U fame and the Presencing Institute, who are adept at helping ecosystem participants with diverse perspectives ‘lead from the emerging future’. MIT provides a free online course by way of introduction, which I highly recommend, having been on it. As Otto Scharmer says:
’’ The power of attention is the real superpower of our age. -
Attention, aligned with intention, can make mountains move.”
We certainly need that superpower.
2. Establish membership principles
Establish core membership principles, such as:
- Non-political, democratic, non-commercial, non-hierarchical, and member voting rights, for example.
- Share expertise freely within the network to support activities and learn from examples worldwide.
- Leave your egos outside to avoid the cultural cul-de-sac — we are all in this together, irrespective of creed, identity or nationality.
3. Communicate to members and seek buy-in and feedback.
It’s vital that members feel and are part of the development and are kept informed, throughout the process. They must be able to provide input and feel their ideas and thoughts are recognised. They are critical to effective and actionable feedback.
4. Adjust and finalise
Once feedback or improvement suggestions have been gathered, the exploratory council should publish and communicate the joint manifesto, which includes the vision, joint purpose, and core principles. At this stage, communications and joint strategies will likely be shared ad hoc. This is not a new corporation with a common infrastructure and support systems. However, once established, I recommend a fifth step to ensure that knowledge, case stories, and news of local initiatives can be shared more systematically: a support platform.
5. Use a technology platform to support members and foster collaboration at any level (fractal network).
Desirable characteristics of a support platform
As an IT industry veteran since 1986, I have some idea of the current state of technological advancement. I also know the architectural weaknesses of legacy systems, both on-premise and cloud and the inflexibility of ‘frankenstacks’,² cobbled-together applications from a variety of vendors.
Core capabilities to grease the wheels of collaboration will include the following:
- The ability to share insights and deep domain expertise.
- 1a. To do that, they must curate and store information
- 2b. Provide an Obsidian-like ability to link insights so that members wishing to explore what Nick Milo calls the ‘Ideaverse’ can explore content dynamically, without the limitations imposed by static folders and sub-folders. See the YouTube video Linking Your Thinking.³
- As movements will use different systems, the knowledge/insight storage system must be accessed via a universal portal with two-way links to each movement’s portal.
- Credentials, privacy and access rights will need to be assigned.
- While universal access may be desirable in principle, each movement or scientific institution will want to ensure that those with hostile intent, individuals, attack bots, old-guard extractive corporations, or others cannot upload spurious information that threatens the integrity of the knowledge/insight base.
- Policies and mechanisms must be agreed upon and developed to balance easy universal access and the system’s integrity. It mustn’t be another Wild West of the Web.
- Any technology must be future-proof, flexible, adaptable and intuitive.
- A One-Voice special projects team will be needed with appropriate project and communications management sub-systems to support their work.
These are just suggested capabilities. Those with deeper technical domain expertise can advise.
Caution:
The full requirements of the support platform must only be developed once the overarching vision, common purpose, and operating principles have been determined and agreed. I suspect that will be in year two.
Could this be the beginning of the Noösphere?
Could this be the beginning of the Noösphere?
In my article – What can four wise men born in the 19th Century teach us about a regenerative future?, one of my heroes, Teilhard de Chardin, a renowned palaeontologist and Jesuit priest, developed the idea of the noõsphere, a realm of unified, spiritual consciousness.
As the biosphere relates to all life on Earth, the noösphere is the spiritual equivalent for all humanity, an advanced evolutionary consciousness on our journey to Omega, the fulfilment of God’s universal plan. This sublimates dualistic ego-consciousness for a unified consciousness where humans become stewards of the planet and the biosphere, recognise their divinity, and collaborate dynamically to co-create Heaven on Earth. Given the vastness of a growing universe, wherever there are life-forms, this is a shared destiny.
We have a considerable distance to travel and are unlikely to reach this exalted state for aeons. Nevertheless, we will take the first critical step as we unite around a shared vision and common purpose.
Footnotes:
- Fuller, Buckminster. Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth (p. 2). The Estate of R. Buckminster Fuller. Kindle Edition.
- [https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141029171451-22826135-beware-the-frankenstack/]
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEIiIdyhp88
Appendix
Theory U by Otto Scharmer and the Presencing Institute.
