From Activism Today to A Powerful Movement that Revolutionizes Change.
As I have surveyed ‘all’ the activist initiatives in the areas I’m interested in, it has become crystal clear to me is that in almost every case the activism is about ‘stopping something’, or creating awareness that ‘something’ is bad / unacceptable and needs to be changed.
That actually defines ‘Activism’! Almost never is their included the proposal of ‘An Alternative Way’: One that the ‘offenders’ can practically assess as to maybe embracing its proposal as a positive, ‘beacon of betterment‘. One with a, ‘course change’ outcome that meets the activist desire too.
The Alternate Way, is left for the ‘offender’ to work out…
Mostly ‘he’ has no desire nor capacity to develop that, and so ‘zip’ happens…
The activist is often purely acting out of hot anger, and with no thought to the how the owner of the problem is expected to keep his needs going while addressing the activists needs. Often also: The activist hasn’t also spent enough time to look at the true cause of the problem and just hits on the easy to see symptoms, or ‘his’ area of expertise / personal interest.
The Anti-capitalism initiatives (eg Occupy Wall Street) are a very clear case in point. I have even fallen into the trap in my early activism days: Just blame capitalism! Blame it for everything, but don’t offer an alternative? Sustainability, and Climate change are the same: There is no clear vision presented for an Alternative Way, for today’s ‘unacceptable’ modus operandi.
‘We’ all need to embrace a vision if we are to change, and that vision must be a feel good, or positive, improvement on todays’ vision’s path. You and I sat with many business people explain this whole need for a new vision and then a transformational mindset with which they can relate.
Obvious, but with a One Point Zero world vision: This is very challenging!
(I use One Point Zero, just for notional context, as I think you now understand its focusing value, but its essentially a New World vision, but not just economic like Marx’s, ‘Das Kapital’ etc, this is a holistic society culture change….So let’s just stick with the term One Point Zero for now.)
I’m pretty sure that the current global leadership / elite will see any One Point Zero vision as ‘worse’ for them.
This is the exciting part for the righteous, moral warrior, revolutionary: Maybe the era of ‘that elite’ is almost up, and humanity finally needs a radically different, New Elite.
Communism has been tried…. Various other, socialist agendas, have offered new courses, but nothing has been proposed in the light of the new, Ecological Crisis. This puts a whole new twist on a new society model, and as I say to people:
The world doesn’t need communism, socialism, whatever we have tried ism, it needs a new ‘ism that we have never thought of before: This is a problem we have never had to face ever before, and the ‘terms of design’ are for the first time, not just human group based, but All Humanity. This should be exciting for the next generation Karl Marx! Below is the ‘breakthrough strategy’ to address this:
There ARE a few cases in society where ‘society’ has adopted a new vision that was ‘not so positive’: A more unfavourable / compromise path for the leaders / controlling in power. Apartheid, slavery are two examples. In my research, it is only on ‘moral’ grounds where this has happened.
There is a strong moral basis for moving to One Point Zero, but this isn’t deeply developed enough yet, and would mean change would be motivated purely by guilt: Not optimal or inspiring, and with the likelihood of a broken society outcome, that doesn’t achieve its aim.
More than just guilt, a diverse motive, and inspiration, needs to be added, while the guilt tack is being rolled out subtly to turbocharge motivation!
This is how this ‘diverse, and more inspirational’ motive’ is achieved:
This ‘One Point Zero’ vison must as a priority, very clearly, address the THREE ‘most important’ Problems facing the world today. I call them the ‘Three Gaps‘: The Chasm, The Divide, and The Void.
The CHASM: The increasing split between Society and Nature, as evident by the fact that today we need 1.7 planets, and last time we needed One Point Zero was 1970! By 2030 we will need 2.0 and 2050 2.7! Read more on The Chasm here.
The DIVIDE: The ever-increasing gap between the ‘Rich and The Poor’, the Rich and the medium Rich, the ‘Have’s and the Have Nots’, etc, etc. Read more about The Divide, here.
The VOID: The increasing loss of a ‘Higher Power’ context for living and future progress. Ie a ‘Beyond Human’ context for living, setting moral and ethical frameworks, and the provision of Meaning. Purpose and Inter-generational, Humanity context. Religion falls under this Spiritual umbrella not the other way around. The increase in secularism, atheism, etc. The main void not be a lack of religion but a lack of ‘Beyond Human’ context, what is sometimes called Big Story context. The void is about the loss of a Big Story context, and yeah a common Big Story context would be idealistic! Read more about The Void here.
The powerful fact is that these Three Gaps are individually and collectively needed to be ‘closed’ for the achievement of a One Point Zero world. Ie They are also very intertwined, and yet few see their linkages. Herein lies the strategy that has the ability to ‘overturn The World’ and set it on a One Point Zero journey, with the ‘new elite’ taking the controls, if the ‘current elite’ don’t see the light to change early enough! A strategy that can move forward with or without their (the current elite) buy in being vital to the transformation cohesion forces. That’s powerful! Maybe a bit simplified and idealistic, but not so, as to make it impractical. Perfect practicality for this early stage.
Because of each of the Gaps’ innate nature and then their deep Gap linkage, closing these Three Gaps, is essentially about a huge Global Culture transformation. Ie These are not technical, economic, or scientific, problems, about changing fuels, increase wealth taxes etc… That’s all needed but that in themselves are not enough. This is about Ideological change. Beliefs, Values and the way people live, and how Success is defined.
To pull out a quote: “Western ideology is represented in several core ideals and values, which include individualism, happiness, rights, capitalism, science and technology.” (Not one word about Nature or Spirituality. Just anthropocentric, rational, obliteration and brutality!
Add the turbocharged version, Americanism, and this is not the ideology that will take us to One Point Zero, ‘mate’?!
I hope readers see that? Because Americanism is so pervasive around the world, and we are all deeply entwined in it, it is quite traumatic coming to grips with that huge ideology / culture conflict.
This is the huge perception / understanding problem today that hits between the eyes each time I talk with the elite / testosterone filled business ‘men’! : Most people believe that life will just carry on, almost as usual while the government / powers that be, just ‘tinker’ with fuels, electric cars, taxes, etc to enable ‘citizen life’ to go on more or less ‘the same’…! Many business people actually believe business will never be better provided one focuses on the new replacement technologies…. “Green Growth‘ conveniently offers the perspective. It is all based on a more and more, growth for ever, mindset, which is in fundamental conflict with a One Point Zero world. (I have struggled to fully accept this, but I cannot see how more and more can ever be compatible.)
Broad and deep, behaviour / culture change is required for a transformational level outcome that changes the very definition of what The Good Life, Success, etc is… ! (I hope one can see that the same beacons of Success but with different fuels, vehicles, continued selfishness, materialism, disregard for restraint, will not work?)
The, ‘single gap’ closing motives / rewards, that being for closing each Gap above alone, are not impelling enough for the level of societal disruption involved. That’s one of the reasons why they are struggling, and the activist missions connected to them are dead ending.
However, collectively they are a HUGE force for change. Just that nobody is linking The Three, and then definitely nobody doing it in a Total, Global Movement Way. But in collective focus ‘All the people of the world’ are passionately behind each of these initiatives if one groups the Three Gap groups of people all together…
There are many, many activist initiatives all around the world working on each of the three problem areas but not one organisation is linking them all together as one cohesive society transformation initiative: Getting all the people, from each individual one of the three Gap Problems, behind this organisation / movement and then having the support / power to demand the broad, culture transformation towards the new beacons of New Success.
‘Suddenly’, we have a huge, powerful and ‘naturally motivated Movement!
By linking the Three Gap closing efforts, one can then appeal to a very wide range of diversely interested people, and that is’ the secret’ for getting mass mobilisation of the level and motivation for the change needed. Ie All the Greenies and environmentalists, sustainability people will join. (The Chasm) Then those who are against Capitalism, and complaining about the Wealth Gap, they will join in support. (The Divide) Then all the religious organisations complaining about the loss of spirituality will join. (The Void) (Not by the specifics of favouring a specific religion, but by supporting a movement that is encouraging people to seek a connection with a Higher Power. All religions will support that as it gives them a better chance of conversion.)
With the masses combined from the supporters of these Three Activist areas, ‘we’ would have a significant majority of world society supporting a new, World Vision. Also with a vision that is setting out to ‘solve’ society’s Three, big Problem areas in one movement, the motive / reward for transformational change becomes overwhelmingly compelling and a moral imperative.
Because of the already present huge activist momentum and support behind each of these ‘Three Gaps’ individually, there are a huge group of people who will thus see a One Point Zero vision as better for themselves, and helping to solve ‘Their Problem’. So even though the Elite / current leadership may see a One Point Zero vision as ‘worse’ for them, these ‘other people’ won’t and will embrace it……
There is very little inter Gap conflict that I can see. Ie a Spiritual Void activist will not have problems with addressing The Chasm and The Divide as well. In fact, I believe almost all the supporters of one Gap will find closing the other Two fully supportable too… The elite will ‘have to’ capitulate, the vision will be so obviously right and alternatively positive to the current one, and have so much global population support….
Well provided those that see it as better are in far larger number than those who see it as worse, AND the former are organised in a focused movement, transformational change can happen, with leadership discontinuity the likely / inevitable outcome!
In the ‘Worst case’: Not quite an angry, undisciplined revolution, as this would be a New Vision based controlled ‘overthrow’ of Power….
Thus, it has become so clear to me that without a manifesto with a New Vision it will be impossible to even contemplate this transformation level change. There is no doubt that radical Transformation level change is what is required for a One Point Zero world.
This is why I worked on the New Socio-Economic System for the World! Sadly, in the blindness of The Nine Decoys of Hope, those with the ‘wizardry‘ I needed to help me complete the Manifesto and The New Socio-Economic architecture thought I was a ‘buffoon’ in the above strategy and my architecture design!!! And so as of 2020:
I’m Helpless in The Hopelessness of those Decoys!