Imagine All the People: Advancing a Global Citizens Movement

Conclusion

In this century, for better or worse, the long process of social evolution has reached the Planetary Phase, with the shape of the future subject to the ways we respond culturally and politically to the challenge of transition. Prospects for a passage to a decent world rest with the capacity for human consciousness and action to rise to this existential challenge of our moment. There is still time, but the hour grows late.

More than ever, we need the efforts of the past—campaigns for rights, peace, and environment; scientific research on global change; educational and public awareness projects; local efforts to live sustainably. All this is necessary, but not sufficient for the fundamental, systemic shift to a just and sustainable mode of global development. We urgently need, as well, the coalescence of a diverse popular movement of engaged citizens the world over, a movement that weaves together these many themes and projects into a holistic vision and strategy. The global citizens movement would be the self-conscious agency for making the change to a civilization worthy of the name, an answer to the question posed by tremulous lips everywhere: what can I do?

[quote]The global citizens movement would be the self-conscious agency for making the change to a civilization worthy of the name, an answer to the question posed by tremulous lips everywhere: What can I do?[/quote]

We have put forward The Widening Circle, a new organizing effort to nourish the formation of a movement of global citizens. Rather than a rigid blueprint, TWC’s strategy envisions growing in successive waves, adapting to changing circumstances as it expands and diversifies. Its constants would lie in dedication to a vision of a just and sustainable global society; commitment to a politics of trust, tolerance and mutual respect; and continual search for ways to balance pluralism and unity on the road to one world with many places.

The time is propitious. Margaret Mead’s famous dictum—“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has”—requires a caveat: the moment must be ripe. In our overripe moment, small actions can have large consequences, releasing latent forms of consciousness and political association. With the global citizens movement the key missing actor in the drama of our time, attention must turn now to the work of giving it life. In a spirit of hope and confidence, the time is nigh to act with explicit and proactive intent on behalf of the Earth and all its beings— the role of our lifetime.

This Perspective was written by Paul Raskin, Director of the Great Transition Initiative and the Tellus Institute. It benefited from comments by GTI participants too numerous to name here. An earlier draft was prepared by Josep Lluis Ortega and Orion Kriegman in consultation with Cimbria Badenhausen, Jim Barton, John Buck, Luis Gutierrez, Smilja Jankovic, D.H. Strongheart, and E.J. Wensing.

While GTI was discussing The Widening Circle strategy introduced in this Perspective, a real-world TWC alliance was formed by leaders of the Earth Charter, The Pachamama Alliance, Transition Towns, Forum for New World Governance, GTI, Kosmos Journal and global regional organizations. In the months ahead, we will be reaching out to others with invitations to step into the circle and widen its reach.