By Mark Gerzon

Once we recognize that global citizenship matters, many questions immediately arise. After all, what exactly does ‘global citizens’ mean? How are global citizens different from those who identify solely with their state or country? Do they have different, skills, abilities or attitudes—and if so, what are they?

Unfortunately, the media hype and academic buzz that surrounds the phrase ‘global citizen’ is often more distracting than helpful. ‘Global citizen’ is not a trendy, ready-to-wear eco-identity. It is not a hip ‘lifestyle’ that we adopt by turning down our thermostats, eating locally grown foods or driving a hybrid. No matter how good our intentions may be, declaring ourselves ‘citizens of the world,’ singing John Lennon’s ballad “Imagine,” and boldly proclaiming that we live in a borderless world is simply not enough.

Kosmos is pleased to announce our partnership with PeaceJam and the One Billion Acts of Peace initiative, a five year effort promoted as potentially the largest global citizenship campaign to date. This initiative is supported by numerous groups, youth around the world, and many Nobel Laureates. You are invited to create your own Act of Peace – discover how.

Kosmos Classic
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee and Kosmos editor, Rhonda Fabian shared this exchange, on February 19, 2015.

Kosmos: Teacher, what aspect or quality of our essential human nature can best counteract the powerful pull of consumerism and greed that traps so many?

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee: Love is the greatest power in creation, and the most essential quality of our human nature that is needed to help change our present situation, particularly our love and care for the Earth.

Collaboration, Participation and Deliberation are at the heart of the new Governance models.

Tom Atlee, of the Co-Intelligence Institute, has outlined ‘Deliberative Councils; Dr. Steven Kull, at Voice of the People proposes ‘Citizen Cabinets’. Both plans are gaining supporters, as are several other initiatives presented in this Kosmos Overview.

By Jean Rossiaud and the Forum for a new World Governance

The world-governance system so desperately needed today has necessarily to be multilateral. Confrontations are recurrent and growing in numbers, while economic, political, and military multilateralism is blocked by belligerent tensions and xenophobic ideologies. As a result, it has become all the more difficult now to lay the foundations for new institutions that will be adapted to all levels of governance, from local to global.

Kosmos is an enthusiastic participant in the World Citizens Movement. After two global conferences in Johannesburg in 2013 and 2014, that united 400 global citizens from all over the world, the next milestone is the World Social Forum in Tunis, building on the vision of the Johannesburg Compass.

Conference Report: Toward a world citizens’ movement – the story of the movement from Johannesburg 2014 to Tunis 2015 and beyond.
by Olivier Consolo – January 2015

Application Deadlines Approaching!
Plan now for three exceptional Summer programs:

2015 Mind and Life Summer Research Institute
Fear and Trust in Self and Society – June 13-19, 2015 – Garrison Institute, Garrison, NY

P2P Summer School: The Art of Commoning
August 24th – 28th, 2015

Academy for Contemplative and Ethical Leadership (ACEL)
August, 2015