New Spirituality for New Times
The most important call of the times is to constructively manage the
emerging planetary civilization while honoring the diversity of
cultures and to expand ourselves to embrace the full meaning of
planetary consciousness, the essential interdependence and
interconnectedness of all living beings and the earth. We are being
asked to open our minds and hearts to the possible. Are we able to…
On the Commons and the International Commons Conference
An interview with Silke Helfrich by Richard Poynder
As
more and more of the world’s population has gained access to the
Internet so a growing number of free and open movements have appeared —
including the free and open source software movements, free culture, creative commons, open access and open data.
Once
these movements became widely visible — and successful —…
Personal to Planetary Transformation
Our World
We are living in a time of whole system transition on a personal and
planetary scale that affects every aspect of life as we know it.
Patterns of possibility are emerging that have never before been
available to all the earth’s people and to the whole planet. Two million
organisations are working toward ecological sustainability and social
justice, according to Paul…
Peter Senge on Science, Spirituality & Worldviews
Nancy Roof:
Shifts in mental models of thinking will be required to build
our global future. You suggest that the important Worldviews today are
naturalism, rationalism and humanism. Would you explain?
Peter Senge:
Those are basically three ways of saying who we are as human
beings — head, heart, and hands. People have said it in many different
ways. Chinese culture has three…
Protecting Natural Ecosystems and the Commons
By Maude Barlow
Maude
Barlow gave this stirring plenary speech, full of hope even in the face
of ecological disasters, to the Environmental Grantmakers Association
annual retreat in Pacific Grove, California. Barlow, a former UN Senior
Water Advisor, is National Chairperson of theCouncil of Canadians and founder of the Blue Planet Project. Barlow is a contributor to AlterNet's forth-coming book Water…
Seven Acupuncture Points for Shifting Capitalism to Create a Regenerative Ecosystem Economy
This paper explores the underlying system of thought that has led to
our current economic, ecological, social, and spiritual crisis and
proposes new ideas and leverage points for a green, inclusive, and
intentional ecosystem economy.
The framework discussed in the paper is based on two main ideas. The
first assumes three stages in the evolution of Western capitalism:
Capitalism 1.0—the…
Social Media Isn’t Changing the World, It’s Creating a New One
Blogs have been a twitter about Malcolm Gladwell’s New Yorker article last week
slamming those who believe social media can revolutionize activism. The
article compares the high risk activism of the civil rights movement
with Twitter’s role in the Iranian elections concluding that, “the
revolution will not be tweeted.”
First
of all, taking aim at those who are love drunk…
Spirituality in Higher Education
In spite of all the difficulties and dangers in the world today,
and perhaps in response to them, a movement is underway towards
transformation in nations and institutions. This movement will lead to
an enhanced capacity for integrating different perspectives and ideas,
in contrast to the extreme fragmentation and competition currently
dominating much of our thinking. Although the times we live…
Stages of Development: Cultural, Political and Economic
Quo Vadis, Humanity? Today we face serious questions around rigid
ideologies, national boundaries, proprietary interests, technological
utopias and naive, egalitarian demands. Global debates center on
competing economic models, open political access, mandated equality of
opportunity and results, and a host of other external, top-down
solutions. Arguments grow in emotional intensity around…
Tension in Barcelona:Parliament of World’s Religions 2004
On July 7-13, some 8000 persons gathered at the Forum Barcelona,
Spain, for the 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions. The 2004 theme
was Pathways to Peace: The Wisdom of Listening, The Power of Commitment.
Rigid structures of meeting style and personnel (often reflecting the
social and cultural biases of historical religion) found themselves in
palpable tension with spontaneous…