Governance
Emerge! The Rise of Functional Democracy and the Future of the Middle East
Article
Introduction Why have democracy and the one person, one-vote system become so dysfunctional? How can an electoral process based on […]
New Global Governance is in the Making, and It Looks Good
Article
“If governance is the art of governing, then it is clear that governance is in crisis, at every level. The level at which governance is most often conceived—the nation state—is simply unworkable. International organizations lack legitimacy, are stuck by vested interests and are ruled by the majority. Nobody believes anymore in reforming the UN Security Council. What is striking is that most of the pillars of our society are under stress: family, trade unions, enterprises, political parties, universities, religion and the like.”
Transforming Power: Impact, Partnership and the Tao of Wholesome Power
Article
“The world we live in is a whole and so, of course, are we—individually and collectively. So are every environment and situation we face. When we act as if we and they are separate from each other, wholeness creates ‘side effects’ that can be undesirable and ultimately catastrophic. On the other hand, when our exercise of power is in harmony with the reality of wholeness, wholeness evolves in harmony with us, including and supporting us. This conscious participation in co-created power of, by, and for the whole—this wholesome power—is key to creating the kind of lives and societies that are an ongoing delight to belong in.”
Guardians of Future Generations
Article
"I dreamed that I was standing next to a young tree. It was the Tree of Life. One branche was dead. The tree was dying from the changing climate. I was charged with keeping it alive for future generations."
Occupy the US: Musings on Horizontal Decision-Making and Bureaucracy
Article
The year 2011 has breathed new life into horizontal models of democratic decision-making. With the rise of the 15 May movement and the Occupy movement horizontal decision-making became one of the key political structures for organising responses to the current global economic crisis. While this decision-making process has arguably never been as widely practiced as it is today, it has also never seemed as difficult and complicated as it does today. At its height there were 5,000 people at the general assemblies in Placa Catalunya in Barcelona and even more in Madrid. It is no longer just activists trying to use and teach each other these decision-making processes but it is hundreds of thousands of people who have a far greater disparity in terms of backgrounds, starting assumptions, aims and discursive styles. This is incredibly good news, but it is not easy.
Seven Acupuncture Points for Shifting Capitalism to Create a Regenerative Ecosystem Economy
Article
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.
Stages of Development: Cultural, Political and Economic
Article
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.
The Whole World Needs the Whole World
Article
September 11, 2001 is more than a tragic event of death and destruction. It is an advent of transformation into a new consciousness. We are at the conjunction of two perspectives. One is the emotional perspective, the perspective that all was peaceful and well. "Why did this tragedy happen? Our peace has been shattered."
Global Governance and Global Reality
Article
A broad range of significant institutions have an increasing power over and impact on the lives of each of us in this global era. The power to effect change continues to shift in important ways from the public to the private sphere. There is a slow shift away from the State as the dominant actor in world politics toward a more complex structure
Living Leadership
Article
At the heart of a new global civilization is the movement toward wholeness and forms that support global emergence. ‘Integral leadership’ is an important component powering this move. Integral leadership reflects a sphere of leadership where interior development and exterior structures are aligned to support and sustain organisms—people, businesses, the environment, and one another.