SNS Press: Seeking New Solutions

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July—August, 2011
Vol. 10, Number 7

 

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DEPARTMENTS

A hopeful approach for the future of international relations.

Redirect teen rebellion towards idealism and self improvement.

Read excerpts from unpublished book: Science, Religion and the Search for God —Bridging the Gap.

Poems of society, the human condition, and spiritual discovery.

Our student activities and curriculum materials instill an environmental, cultural, and global perspective, and integrate various academic disciplines.

Featured Articles about Responsibility, the Future and Consciousness:

Hope for the Future
Series on Leadership
Series on Global Consciousness
World Peace in Less Than a Month?
Can Idealism Solve Problems?
Conflict, Harmony and Integrity
Human Programming and Conflict
Non-violent Political Change
Living Without an Enemy
Protecting Children: Words and Deeds

 

 

 

 

This Month's Article

When Success Breeds Enemies:
Emerging Social Realities for a New Era—Part II

Perhaps the greatest indicator of the success of a social movement is when those who feel threatened by that movement try to stop it with weapons way out of proportion to the actual “threat.” The basis of all social change throughout human history has been the evolution of consciousness. This has engendered new mental and moral frameworks, and has produced the tools for the next step of civilization. New consciousness is always a threat for those deeply invested in the old consciousness. The latter feel that those who are paving the way for a new direction will destroy their security and the foundations of their “way of life.”

Today the stakes are very high on two counts: First those who have invested in the “old” order, which is today dominant, have great power and wealth. In addition, they perceive the world as a battle with ideologies that oppose their own interests. Furthermore, long established and inflexible institutions based on inflexible economic assumptions prop up their positions. Second, the world that the “old” order has created is toxic, unjust and puts our planet and humanity at risk. This “order” must end because it has outlived its historical relevance, and it corresponds to a state of consciousness that is outdated and not adapted to the new realities and needs.

People who attack the “new” order are unable to see that the goals and organizations that represent it are benign, and in reality are introducing and working for concepts that will improve health, happiness and prosperity. They are mainly service oriented. They become “political” as the prevailing political culture chooses to make them so by trying to suppress them.

At the founding of our nation the values of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” were perceived as radical and a threat to the dominant colonial power. There is no basis for feeling threatened by a “new” consciousness. No one is forcing it as they do religions and ideologies, and it is a process that is natural in the scheme of evolution. If a person is overweight, for example, and then decides that for the sake of health, economics and enjoyment of life to lose weight, then that decision represents a change of consciousness. That decision will result in a change of choices and ultimately in a change of lifestyle.

Similarly, societies change as people change to improve their life. Many great domestic conflicts that we are experiencing are a measure of the success that new consciousness is having. Now, corporations and governments exert themselves spending huge sums of time, energy and resources to preserve the unsustainable “way of life” that threatens our world. They attack through policy, advertising and misinformation those who would have a new way of life. This indicates that the social realities of the “New Era” are actually moving to replace them in the scheme of social, political and economic evolution. This is just happening person-by-person and community-by-community spontaneously as a natural response to needs and new strategies to meet them. For people who thrive on control this spontaneous movement is a real enemy, but one they have no reasonable way of shaping or eliminating.

The basis of the “new” order, like the basis of our new nation, is not just the figment of peoples’ imagination. It is based on real guiding principles that are founded on the laws of nature and society. For the present emerging era they were articulated at the beginning of this century as the “Millennium Development Goals.” At the heart of these goals are the concepts of health, equity and justice those qualities that every human being requires for a fulfilling life and a life that contributes to society.

United Nations Millennium Development Goals
Adopted September 2000 (read entire declaration)

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

 United Nations Millennium Declaration (read entire declaration)

Aligned against any vision that promotes universal well-being is the out-dated consciousness of competition and selfishness. People have been conditioned to believe that it is a virtue to have more, and be better than others. New consciousness is characterized by the concept of “synergy,” that one’s goals are achieved to a greater degree by working with others and by sharing. A common, everyday example of people doing this is when they click “Share” on the Internet. Countless times each day people are affirming this philosophy and gradually applying it to life outside of cyberspace.

The “new” government is really not a government. It is a network of collaborating communities and organizations each working to manifest one puzzle piece of the overall picture a picture of a better and just world. There is not a central authority, but they are governed by the central ethic of goodwill and service. There is internal discipline in each group governed by its leadership and mission statement. There is an internal economy governed by the community that supports them. Hence, many if not most of the greatest problems facing humanity are being solved on the ground by non-profits or socially responsible businesses.

We really do not need a government that is just a pimp for corporations. In fact, it is time to call our country what it is. Cross-out the word "Democracy" and replace it with "Corporatocracy." This is not just the twist of a word, but it is a reality - a country ruled by corporations. This has preempted the spirit and soul of our nation and culture and replaced it with heartless greed. The quality of our nation is best seen in crises that bring people together to help regardless of race, creed or political affiliation. That image of our generous nature may also be the image of the future world.

Political ideology and religious affiliation as a governing force for society and as a motivational force for individuals is not essential if people are committed to working together to solve common problems and serve their communities.

How can we see that “success breeds enemies” in the real world? Perhaps one of the most dramatic battles of our day is around the issue of food choice and food security. People are starting to make different personal choices about their food – where it comes from and how it is produced. This is a contrast to the profit-driven goal of agribusiness and the food industry. Food choice and food democracy is seen as a threat to the well-entrenched and all-pervasive industrial model of agriculture that cares more about profits than the health of people and our planet. (Actually, this model of food production is barely a century-old cancer in the body of our 10,000-year human agrarian legacy.)

To see this battle as it unfolded at a small food-buying club, Rawsome Foods, in Venice, California, watch the video below. A writer in The Washington Times called this raid by authorities a “Sad day in America.”

 

This video demonstrates to what degree the Corporatocracy and their agents in government have violated our core values of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." The grassroots trend to establish “food democracy” and healthy choice is shaping up as our new Civil Rights Movement. This is just one example how the forces that are invested in the past consciousness resist any change that threatens their dominance, power and profits. We can live in a world without enemies, to be sure, but the friction between “old” and “new” consciousness has been with us forever and will continue to be a by-product of human social and economic evolution.

Read Part I—Under the Radar: Emerging Social Realities for a New Era>>


© 2011 Richard V. Sidy

Read Related Articles on SNS Press

Living Without an Enemy

Meeting the Need

The Good New Days

Parallel Universes

Why do People Serve?

Can Idealism Solve Problems?

The News is not "New"

World Peace in Less than a Month?

Satyagraha or "Soul Force" and Political Change

Beyond Ideology: Politics of the Future

Who are the Real "Game Changers?"

The Four Freedoms

Personal Ecology

Are we afraid of our "better angels?"

Making Friends — A poem

 

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Archives Column Menu
archives archives archives
Archives 2002:
Vol. 1, Numbers 1-12

Read past articles including:
Hope for the Future
Six Part Series on Science and Religion
First Three Parts of the Series on Leadership
Archives 2003:
Vol. 2, Numbers 1-12

Read past articles including:
Series on Leadership continued
Avoiding Dictatorship in a Free Society

Art and Politics
Living the Good Life
Teaching Teens
World Peace in Less Than a Month?
Archives 2004:
Vol. 3, Numbers 1-12

Read past articles including:
Seven Part Series on Global Consciousness
Is "Liberal" a Dirty Word?
Can Idealism Solve Problems?
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All

Archives 2005:
Vol. 4, Numbers 1-12

Read past articles including:
Standing up for Humanity
Unity in Diversity
Thought and Imagination
Imagination and Healing
Lessons of Katrina
Intelligent Design or Evolution

Archives 2006:
Vol. 5, Numbers 1-12

Read past articles including:
Human Programming and Conflict
Non-Violent Political Change
Sustainable Development
Legalizing Torture
Living Without an Enemy
"Fast Food" is really "Slow Food"
Archives 2007:
Vol. 6, Numbers 1-12

Read past articles including:
State of Fear
Criminal Justice
Culture Shock
Personal Ecology
Exploring the Mind - Parts 1 and 2
How Much Pain Can We Stand?
Archives 2008:
Vol. 7, Numbers 1-12

Read past articles including:
Beyond Ideology
The Imaginary Economy
Tribalism and the 2008 Election
Guilt, Shame and U.S. Justice
Have We Been Willing Slaves?
Are We Ready for the Future?
Archives 2009:
Vol. 8, Numbers 1-12

Read past articles including:
Awakening
The Good New Days
The Time is Right
The New Anarchy
The Art of Living
Are Women Becoming More Unhappy?
From Cowboys to Cowed
Who are the Real Game Changers?
Archives 2010:
Vol. 9, Numbers 1-12

Read past articles including:
The Music of Place
Earthquakes and Other Awakenings
The Sense of Place
Why do People Serve?
Ecological Literacy
Organization or Organism?
Are we afraid of our Better Angels?
Choosing our Battles

Meeting the Need
Diplomacy Help for Teens Science and Religion Poetry Archives
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