COMBINACIONES DE NEGOCIO

There are many problems around us today Each ethic has been compromised in a myriad of ways by the actions of humans Debt, crime, violence and unemployment are rising The feelings of isolation from ourselves, others and nature lead to further health and social problems Prejudices and drink and drug abuse are prevalent, and there are massive inequalities of wealth, opportunity and health These are to name but a few

The problems at large in society are a mirror of personal problems In addition to this scaling up of personal problems we have emergent properties and the problems themselves lead to larger-scale side effects With a global system the reactions and effects of our actions are often out of sight

We could see these as symptoms, showing us that there is an illness in society These problems can be so deeply woven into the fabric of society with such a cyclical, complex web of interconnections, that it can be difficult to trace the causes These might be actions of individuals but they are showing the voice of the collective Somehow our cultures are failing to meet our needs There are deep needs in society for belonging and trust amongst others that are widely unmet

Points of intervention and transformation

Instead of spending too much time describing where we are, we can ask the questions of how and why are we here, what the symptoms and causes are The question could evolve into ‘what one thing could we change that would have the most positive ripple effect on the problems of society?’ In effect we are looking for points of intervention4

and transformation, the place of minimum effort and maximum effect. The following are suggestions of possible transformation activities

• Increasing ecological literacy, to fully understand natural processes • Reconnection with the Earth, as something we are part of

• Holistic thinking, to move us away from dualistic thinking and alienation from one another

• Valuing parenting more When greater significance is placed upon parenting, there will be less distancing of children from their parents This will impact on the value children place on themselves

• Increasing the feminine voice in the world. Many of the problems arise from patriarchal structures of dominance; by giving more voice to the feminine we start to redress the balance

• Recognising the greater costs of our actions. Having too easy a life does not give us incentive to change It is easier to ignore the need to change when we are comfortable with where we are, even if changes could take us to a better place for ourselves and the planet When we recognise the wider costs and implications of our actions we are more likely to seek change

• Appreciation. By increasing our appreciation of what we do have and fostering ‘enoughism’ we move away from the greed of the ‘too muchness’ or ‘never enough’ world

• Accessing our hope for a bright future will help us to move in that direction Rather than thinking, ‘We’re all doomed anyway; what I do won’t count’, we shift to asking ourselves ‘What can I do to help this become reality?’

What I like about these is that we are all able to start them immediately, as individuals We don’t need to wait for others or for the right time, and as more and more people become involved there will be faster transformation and wider impacts

Limiting factors

Focusing on the limits anchor point enables us to find ways to release their hold and move forward What are the limiting factors for achieving a socially just and sustainable future? What’s taking us off in the wrong direction? Is it lack of informa- tion, imagination, education or resources?

Perhaps we do not have a clear vision of what we would actually like as a society, and share the ambition of wanting to get there If we knew where we wanted to get to, and were all aligned to the values of co-operation and sustainability we would be able to prioritise actions that took us in this direction The overemphasis on creating material and financial capital is pulling us away from creating living, social and cultural capital

People need access to attractive alternative ways of living It is not encouraging people to live sustainably when we are given beliefs like ‘It’s not easy being green’ This was the title of an otherwise excellent British television series Again the television and media are feeding on the drama and the challenges rather than the joys, benefits and the ease Another television programme focused on the negative responses when a family is faced with an abrupt, shocking change to a low impact

Where are we?

lifestyle for two weeks On return to their home lives they did however go on to make several significant changes Successful small steps lead us to bigger changes

With more people stepping forth into their own power and brilliance we can create a groundswell of movement into a positive future We need to change the current trajectory as well as create forward motion

We currently have on the planet enough skills and resources to feed, clothe and provide shelter for every single person, as well as begin to address the issues of climate change, deforestation and loss of habitat Paradigms of fear and greed are controlling the distribution systems There are grossly unfair skews of poverty and wealth on the planet and the gap is growing We need co-operation, vision, joined up long-term thinking and a shift of paradigm to one of connection, peace and abundance