Modern Civilization 2.0 - How visionary social movements are shaping the future
It’s obvious to anyone who is paying attention today that our civilization is at an epic turning point. What we are witnessing in graphic detail in the daily news--disastrous weather events, mushrooming poverty, escalating wars and famine, poisoned communities, weakening social protections, corrupt political and economic systems, and global environmental collapse--appears to be nothing short of the start of a cascading failure of what passes for civilization today. The question is if present-day civilization is failing, what will take its place?
While there is cause for selective optimism from emerging positive social trends, a quick calculus has one wondering whether our present-day civilization will be plowed over in the planet’s long march through time--a march that’s proven indifferent to the fate of any previous inhabitants. Unlike history’s earlier failures, the unprecedented scale of modern civilization may have created a system failure of truly epic proportions by disrupting the planet's fundamental ability to sustain life, at least as we’ve known it for thousands of years.
Though climate is only one of the planetary systems being massively imbalanced by modern life, as a climate activist, I’m not too proud to admit that we have failed to protect civilization from the impacts of climate change. Recent weather events make that all too clear and based solely on the amount of CO2 already floating in the atmosphere, we know for certain that recent storms are only early warning signs of radical climate shifts to come. While we may still find ways to escape the most terrifying scientific projections--even in a best-case scenario--the next millennium of planetary life will be dramatically more dangerous than anyone wants to imagine.
The dire assessment of current conditions and an even more sobering future forecast raises to a whole new level of import HOW we wage the fight for our collective survival. Given the level of challenge humans will face in the foreseeable future, the socio-politico-economic systems and structures we construct today will not only determine whether we win or lose the fight to preserve a livable planet, they will also shape the ability of civilization to sustain the human family through one of the most desperate times our species has ever faced. And we are only one of 8.7 million species whose survival hangs in the balance.
To bring this statement into the spheres that most of us operate in every day, what this means is that even as our inspired social movements work overtime to dismantle the systems and institutions that have brought civilization to the verge of societal and ecological collapse, we must now vigilantly and ambitiously raise the bar to courageously create entirely new models for healthy collective human engagement.
Put simply, how we work and engage together will determine the future of our civilization. The cultures, communities, movements, collectives, organizations, and institutions we craft and build together today must do nothing short of shape a new world order. A world order that will be strong enough to overcome the crumbling--but still frighteningly dangerous--empire of the past, but also one that is enlightened enough to grow and sustain all life for generations to come. With this much on the line, we must do everything possible to ensure that we get the design phase of Modern Civilization 2.0 right!
At this point, our best hope may come from stopping to remind ourselves that we didn’t get here by accident. By looking deeply at how we got into this mess we can better understand what must change going forward to create the future we all need and want.
Present-day civilization functions on a set of corrupt and short-sighted values and principles that have systematically driven massive abuses of individual and institutional power, systemic oppression, uber individualism, rampant greed and willful disregard for human and natural laws. The dire global conditions we face today are the inevitable consequences of society clinging far too long to a way of thinking and operating that long ago showed itself to be dangerously corrupt and unsustainable--favoring a few at the expense of the whole.
In the same way that toxic institutions function around dysfunctional values, principles, and practices, by rigorously adopting enlightened values, principles and practices we can intelligently fashion high functioning healthy human systems and institutions that are capable of meeting the needs of individuals, society and the planet that sustains us, while also spawning genuinely exciting and fulfilling work and life experiences for all who participate.
Spawned by social movements, grassroots groups, social entrepreneurs, worker collectives and visionary innovators and leaders; new models for how we organize and manage campaigns, projects, businesses, organizations, economies, and governments are taking hold across the globe today and in many cases already achieving remarkable results. As these collectives write the social code for a new global operating system, our job is to participate and do everything possible to amplify their successes to ensure this revolution takes hold on a global scale.
While there are a multitude of emerging theories, models and practices having the positive impact, it’s possible and important to boil down the essential elements of these various visionary endeavors so we are able to better shape the next phase of social development.
While this is only a brief list that continues evolving, here are my personal nominations for the essential qualities of enlightened collectives, organizations, and institutions.
A clear and inspiring evolutionary purpose that addresses the world conditions we face today and rigorously stays focused on what’s essential to move us forward.
The ability to manage fear and choose to operate from a sense of wholeness and love.
A deep intrinsic reverence for the well-being of all living systems that drives a commitment to nurture the health of everyone the entity employs, partners with and serves, shaping every aspect of how the collective operates.
Systems that are Accountable, Transparent, Participatory, Inclusive, Equitable and Just
Innovation and Creativity infused with Simplicity
Mindful, Reflective, Learning Oriented
Thriving on constant change
Everything I have learned as an individual tells me that we will never realize the enlightened state of the world we seek unless our efforts to change it are completely grounded in and intrinsically driven by the power and wisdom of our highest consciousness. Because the future we face will not be easy, enlightened values and principles like these and the models and practices they spawn must now point the way to a better life.
Social activism today must not only dismantle the failing systems of the past, it must extend to raising our voices within our own collectives and organizations to demand and help build healthier, more enlightened models for collective human engagement. As a movement, we must shape visionary new systems of global engagement that over time can birth Modern Civilization 2.0 to sustain all of our planet’s inhabitants for generations to come.