system-wide SOLUTIONS to change the world 

We have an endless number of articles about everything that’s going wrong around us economically, ecologically, politically, and socially. There are lots of proposed solutions that ameliorate one aspect of a problem but don’t begin to touch the overarching catastrophe. Yet anyone proposing system-wide solutions is considered unrealistic. Why not start over on mars? Why not go back to the good ol’ days when everything was pretty comfortable if you were a wealthy White male and we hadn’t hit peak oil? Why not burn it all down and enjoy the excitement of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome? Why not wait for Jesus to come fix everything? If Jesus comes and we’re busy doing what he said to do, he’s going to be so proud of us, so let’s not sit around.

Even if we have convinced enuf people that we have serious problems to confront, most don’t know what to do about it. We need a vision of what a sustainable and livable society could look like. We need to show what we can work toward and how. Those who believe they have a plan forward also must show that the tradeoffs of that sustainable future are tolerable. There is also a burden of proof that continuing on our trajectory leads toward a world we wouldn't want for our children. For those still unconvinced, maybe we can get a few of them on board if we understand and address their pain points too. The plan needs to answer crucial questions, such as those in the next section.

1. How can a culture maintain a passable quality of life for all, not a good life for the privileged only?

2. How can a culture maintain an ecologically sustainable economy, one that’s attractive enuf that people would voluntarily participate?

3. What kind of culture could persuade and train humans to not seek to dominate others as a short-term strategy for a more comfortable life for themselves?

You think the social revolution of the 1960s died out, but it didn’t. Sure, some of those rebel children got “realistic” and joined the established institutions, did what they “had to” to “make it” in the modern world. Some self-destructed. But much of the movement went underground. It went into pop psychology, self-help, and spiritual journeys that created the new age movement and welcomed in Eastern philosophies. It went into the hard work of permaculture and creating residential intentional communities worldwide. It has prepared us to start to understand how to transcend our collectively and personally painful past experiences. It has prepared us to support each other as we weather uncertainty, while the established institutions crumble under the weight of their abandonment of their once-noble roles.

Do you have a better idea? If so, hopefully you’re writing about it so we all can get on board…figuratively. Maybe we should stay with earth until we have this planet sorted out.