Origin story ... A sawmill in the early 1980's
In the early 1980's the management of the Korbel sawmill in California was stuck ... almost half-time ... in angry union meetings. They wanted help to get free from this burden. As a consultant interested in the field of Creative Problem Solving and studying the psychology of Carl Jung, Jim Rough suggested that he meet once a week with two small groups of mill employees, one on day-shift and one on night-shift. Management said OK. They just wanted the angry meetings to go away.
Jim started this Employee Involvement Program with a question to himself ... "How is it possible to solve impossible-to-solve problems?" ... He wanted to help the employees identify their biggest issues, whether they were solvable or not, and facilitate them to stay creative in addressing them. He had tried Creative Problem Solving methods like brainstorming and Synectics before but they generate a detached kind of creativity, not appropriate for emotionally charged issues like those of the employees. Both employee teams chose as their biggest impossible issue: "How to fire the foreman." (A different man for each team.)
In time Jim developed a new facilitation process, now known as "Dynamic Facilitation" which used four charts: Data, Solutions, Problem-statements and Concerns. These charts supported whatever feelings the men were expressing and held space for creative breakthroughs of different types including:
Jim started this Employee Involvement Program with a question to himself ... "How is it possible to solve impossible-to-solve problems?" ... He wanted to help the employees identify their biggest issues, whether they were solvable or not, and facilitate them to stay creative in addressing them. He had tried Creative Problem Solving methods like brainstorming and Synectics before but they generate a detached kind of creativity, not appropriate for emotionally charged issues like those of the employees. Both employee teams chose as their biggest impossible issue: "How to fire the foreman." (A different man for each team.)
In time Jim developed a new facilitation process, now known as "Dynamic Facilitation" which used four charts: Data, Solutions, Problem-statements and Concerns. These charts supported whatever feelings the men were expressing and held space for creative breakthroughs of different types including:
- The Process, the men were thinking in the spirit of "heartfelt creativity" — The employees gained a new sense of clarity about what's going on and realized that the supervisor was not the problem! In fact he became a help, not a hindrance. And the work became more enjoyable. There was a new spirit of community throughout the mill. People liked one another and management, appreciated the work and stopped filing grievances.
- The Content, what the groups determined — From the meetings employees started inventing new processes and equipment including devices for oiling the machines, sorting lumber, drying lumber and filing the saws. And they were appreciated. Celebrations were held to acknowledge the innovations and general progress.
- The System, a new management system came into being. Employees started managing themselves, supervisors didn't need to be in the mill so much. They supported the employees and worked more collaboratively with the union.
In the video below: 30 years after those times, four people supporting this effort got together on Zoom to revisit what happened. Jim and his manager Paul Everett; Tom Bender, the maintenance superintendent, and Stan Figgins, the plant manager.
Following the path of shifts and breakthroughs ...
"From the mill experience Jim began teaching public seminars on what ultimately became known as "Dynamic Facilitation". In the seminars participants would often practice the new facilitation skills in small groups, identifying and addressing impossible-seeming high-care issues from society. They worked on issues like wars, homelessness, taxes, the education system, traffic, male-female relations, national health care, environmental degradation, etc. Shifts and breakthroughs occurred. In fact, there was one breakthrough which often occurred no matter what issue was chosen! It was the same breakthrough that the mill workers achieved:
Breakthrough #1: GOOD NEWS REALIZATION—Society's big impossible-seeming problems are not caused by bad people or human nature so much as they are caused by “The System.”
(Frequent reactions: Are you saying that individual choices don’t matter? ... that each of us can’t affect these problems?)
It would seem like this discovery would be dis-empowering. After all what can one person, or a few people, do to change "The System" at the national or global levels? But it turns out that when people have this kind of breakthrough realization where the problem gets bigger, the feelings that go with it are the opposite of depressing. They generally feel a new energy of excitement and empowerment from the sense of new possibilities.
Breakthrough #1 led to questions like, "What is 'The System'?" ... “How does it influence people?" … "How did it come into being?" ... "What's wrong with it?" …. "How can we fix it?" ... In one of the follow-up seminars, Jim joined one of the practice groups and experienced an insight that answered many of these questions:
Breakthrough #2: YIKES REALIZATION—For people in the U.S., the "System" is the U.S. Constitution!
(Frequent reactions: The U.S. Constitution is one of the greatest documents ever written. That can't be the problem! To fix things, don't we need to get back to what the Founders intended?)
Two and a half centuries ago on the North American continent there was a symbolic gathering of "the people" to design how we will talk, think, and decide issues. Of course, this wasn’t ALL the people. Slaves, Native Americans, women, non property holders, etc., were excluded. Nevertheless, it was the most powerful, large-scale demonstration of collective thinking in history. The attendees reached near unity in proposing a social contract ... and they provided a way for "the people" to consider and ratify it. Ultimately, this Constitution was established as the paramount authority in governance, economics, justice, etc. It set up the "rules of the game" for a democratic republic to take hold and to protect against authoritarian forms of government.
Our "democracy" was designed for independent individuals to "pursue their happiness," i.e.maximize profits, within the rules. This sets up competition as a basis of society. But today with the internet, TV, globalization, corporations and mass production we are increasingly inter-dependent in a way that competition can no longer be the primary organizing principle of our System. Our System continuing in this Situation will destroy our people and our planet. What do we do?
At first it seemed like a new Constitutional Convention was needed to make adjustments to our System but most everyone was repelled by this idea, fearful that it might mean losing all that we've gained. Then came a breakthrough ...
Breakthrough #3: NEEDED ACTION STEP—"Let's convene a "U.S. Constitutional IN-vention"
(Frequent reactions: ... Isn't this just a gathering of people with no power to do anything? )
With the help of Gus Jaccaci in 1992 we put out a call for interested people to attend “An American Constitutional IN-vention" to be held in Port Townsend WA. Thirteen people came to imagine possible changes to our System. Not much resulted. But there was a breakthrough. It was a question ...
Breakthrough #4: PROVOCATIVE QUESTION—“What single Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would make our System sustainable and make all these national problems solvable?”
(Frequent reactions:There is no way people can collaborate at a national scale. And anyway, it’s impossible these days to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, no matter how good it is.)
Jim began toying with an idea for what that Amendment might be. Basically, it was to have a random group of citizens gather each year, be dynamically facilitated to face the BIG issues, reach unity, and present this unity back to the nation in a State of the Union message. For a while this concept seemed like it wouldn't achieve the needed System transformation. Then on the night of May 9, 1993 the idea snapped into place and it became "obvious" that it would transform the System, like what happened in the sawmill!!
Breakthrough #5: AWESOME SOLUTION—The "Wisdom Council Process" enacted as an Amendment would facilitate a legitimate "We the People" into being, solve Monster Problems and transform the System.
(Frequent reactions: How could a series of small groups of random citizens spark a transformation of the U.S. Constitutional republic? If it's this simple why hasn't this already happened? This strategy seems top-down ... shouldn't it be bottom-up? Why does it need to be an Amendment anyway?)
The Citizens Amendment (now called the "Wise Democracy Amendment") does not change anything that currently exists. It just adds the missing "We the People" conversation, where we all come back together to think about how we are doing as a nation and make changes. Basically, the Amendment involves randomly selecting a group of citizens yearly to reach unity and present their message to "the people" in a new kind of "State of the Union" message. Then the people talk among themselves to respond. Where's the risk in this? ... Random citizens are gathered. They share their message. And they go away. A few months later a new random group is selected and the cycle repeats. ... But magic happens! ... This process facilitates ALL of us to start facing the big problems, to talk together across partisan boundaries, and to think creatively and collaboratively together.
With the support of U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, Jim gave a presentation in the Capital Building and organized a conference on "Innovations in Democracy" (1992), wrote articles, started a TV show, gave talks and began supporting groups to organize local Wisdom Councils.
Breakthrough #1: GOOD NEWS REALIZATION—Society's big impossible-seeming problems are not caused by bad people or human nature so much as they are caused by “The System.”
(Frequent reactions: Are you saying that individual choices don’t matter? ... that each of us can’t affect these problems?)
It would seem like this discovery would be dis-empowering. After all what can one person, or a few people, do to change "The System" at the national or global levels? But it turns out that when people have this kind of breakthrough realization where the problem gets bigger, the feelings that go with it are the opposite of depressing. They generally feel a new energy of excitement and empowerment from the sense of new possibilities.
Breakthrough #1 led to questions like, "What is 'The System'?" ... “How does it influence people?" … "How did it come into being?" ... "What's wrong with it?" …. "How can we fix it?" ... In one of the follow-up seminars, Jim joined one of the practice groups and experienced an insight that answered many of these questions:
Breakthrough #2: YIKES REALIZATION—For people in the U.S., the "System" is the U.S. Constitution!
(Frequent reactions: The U.S. Constitution is one of the greatest documents ever written. That can't be the problem! To fix things, don't we need to get back to what the Founders intended?)
Two and a half centuries ago on the North American continent there was a symbolic gathering of "the people" to design how we will talk, think, and decide issues. Of course, this wasn’t ALL the people. Slaves, Native Americans, women, non property holders, etc., were excluded. Nevertheless, it was the most powerful, large-scale demonstration of collective thinking in history. The attendees reached near unity in proposing a social contract ... and they provided a way for "the people" to consider and ratify it. Ultimately, this Constitution was established as the paramount authority in governance, economics, justice, etc. It set up the "rules of the game" for a democratic republic to take hold and to protect against authoritarian forms of government.
Our "democracy" was designed for independent individuals to "pursue their happiness," i.e.maximize profits, within the rules. This sets up competition as a basis of society. But today with the internet, TV, globalization, corporations and mass production we are increasingly inter-dependent in a way that competition can no longer be the primary organizing principle of our System. Our System continuing in this Situation will destroy our people and our planet. What do we do?
At first it seemed like a new Constitutional Convention was needed to make adjustments to our System but most everyone was repelled by this idea, fearful that it might mean losing all that we've gained. Then came a breakthrough ...
Breakthrough #3: NEEDED ACTION STEP—"Let's convene a "U.S. Constitutional IN-vention"
(Frequent reactions: ... Isn't this just a gathering of people with no power to do anything? )
With the help of Gus Jaccaci in 1992 we put out a call for interested people to attend “An American Constitutional IN-vention" to be held in Port Townsend WA. Thirteen people came to imagine possible changes to our System. Not much resulted. But there was a breakthrough. It was a question ...
Breakthrough #4: PROVOCATIVE QUESTION—“What single Amendment to the U.S. Constitution would make our System sustainable and make all these national problems solvable?”
(Frequent reactions:There is no way people can collaborate at a national scale. And anyway, it’s impossible these days to pass an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, no matter how good it is.)
Jim began toying with an idea for what that Amendment might be. Basically, it was to have a random group of citizens gather each year, be dynamically facilitated to face the BIG issues, reach unity, and present this unity back to the nation in a State of the Union message. For a while this concept seemed like it wouldn't achieve the needed System transformation. Then on the night of May 9, 1993 the idea snapped into place and it became "obvious" that it would transform the System, like what happened in the sawmill!!
Breakthrough #5: AWESOME SOLUTION—The "Wisdom Council Process" enacted as an Amendment would facilitate a legitimate "We the People" into being, solve Monster Problems and transform the System.
(Frequent reactions: How could a series of small groups of random citizens spark a transformation of the U.S. Constitutional republic? If it's this simple why hasn't this already happened? This strategy seems top-down ... shouldn't it be bottom-up? Why does it need to be an Amendment anyway?)
The Citizens Amendment (now called the "Wise Democracy Amendment") does not change anything that currently exists. It just adds the missing "We the People" conversation, where we all come back together to think about how we are doing as a nation and make changes. Basically, the Amendment involves randomly selecting a group of citizens yearly to reach unity and present their message to "the people" in a new kind of "State of the Union" message. Then the people talk among themselves to respond. Where's the risk in this? ... Random citizens are gathered. They share their message. And they go away. A few months later a new random group is selected and the cycle repeats. ... But magic happens! ... This process facilitates ALL of us to start facing the big problems, to talk together across partisan boundaries, and to think creatively and collaboratively together.
With the support of U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, Jim gave a presentation in the Capital Building and organized a conference on "Innovations in Democracy" (1992), wrote articles, started a TV show, gave talks and began supporting groups to organize local Wisdom Councils.
In 2002, Jim and Jean Rough, plus DeAnna Martin, co-founded the Center for Wise Democracy to encourage experiments with the Wisdom Council Process. Also that year, Jim published his book Society's Breakthrough! Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People, describing the Amendment and how it would work.
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Then in November 2003 after a public radio interview with Jeff Golden (see Immense Possibilities) three listeners from the Rogue Valley of Oregon (David Wick, Karen Gossetti and Lance Bisaccia) independently called to express interest in a Wisdom Council for their area, Rogue Valley, OR. With the help of democracy pioneers Tom Atlee (Author of The Tao of Democracy and Empowering Public Wisdom), Adin Rogovin (Board member of the Co-Intelligence Institute), and Elliot Shuford (Board member of Healthy Democracy Oregon), we set up a public Wisdom Council experiment in the Rogue Valley so people could experience how it might work.. ... Also Joseph McCormick, a right-wing politician from Georgia who later founded Reuniting America, heard about this experiment and came out West to film it. (See Democracy in America) The experiment worked more powerfully than we could have imagined. This led to another breakthrough:
Breakthrough #6: GOOD NEWS REALIZATION— This transformation can happen without an Amendment!
(Frequent reactions: How can just a few people, unchartered by the U.S. Constitution, spark a legitimate "We the People" into being? How could just a few people spark a transformation of the national (or global) System in a way that causes many of the biggest impossible-seeming problems to go away? How does this random group gain such power?)
Many things went wrong in our Rogue Valley Wisdom Council ... e.g. only seven random people showed up to be on the Wisdom Council instead of the 14 who said they'd be there; No elected officials came; The media didn’t cover the event well; etc. ... Our intent for the experiment was educational—to show people how this process could work if it was enacted nationally through a Constitutional Amendment. But ... surprise! ... the process worked by itself. It created a sense of "We the People" even with just 120 or so people attending the Wisdom Council presentation. From this one-time experiment ... and future experiments as well ... it was clear that the audience picks up on the "We the People" spirit of the Wisdom Council. They basically said, "Yes I think so too" to what the Wisdom Council is saying. More importantly for this phase of our project they essentially said, "Why can't this happen as a regular part of our democracy?" ... Surprise ... Why was it working without an Amendment?
Breakthrough #7: MAJOR REALIZATION—The “magic sauce” which makes these miracles happen is "choice-creating."
(Frequent reactions: Why haven't I heard of choice-creating? Why is choice-creating so important? How does Dynamic Facilitation and the Wisdom Council Process facilitate people into the spirit of choice-creating?)
At first glance the Wisdom Council process looks like just another form of citizens deliberative council, like the Citizens Jury, Citizens Panel, Citizens Assembly or Deliberative Poll. All of these involve selecting random citizens who tackle a problem and present their results to a large audience.
But, the Wisdom Council Process is fundamentally different. These other processes are “deliberative” in nature, where people work on a well defined issue, are given carefully prepared information, weigh specific options, vote to select the best and present their conclusions to "decision-makers," hopefully affecting policy.
On the other hand, each Wisdom Council addresses an ill-defined impossible-seeming issue like "climate change". And it works collaboratively to co-create the best answer, not weighing pre-selected options. Often they redefine the problem entirely and reach a conclusion that doesn't involve policy. Unlike Citizens Deliberative Councils there is no voting. Through creative thinking they reach unity and present their results to the PEOPLE rather than to the "decision-makers". They also tell a story of how they got to unity through shifts and breakthroughs. Plus, the Wisdom Council is an ongoing Process, not a one-off event.
Discovering the importance of choice-creating led to the next breakthrough:
Breakthrough #8: DUH REALIZATION--Dynamic Facilitation is essential, because it reliably evokes choice-creating.
(Frequent reactions: Who cares what facilitation method is used if the group reaches unity? Can you always guarantee group unity? How many people are skilled in Dynamic Facilitation?)
Originally, it didn’t seem to matter what facilitation process was used. But through experience it has become clear that choice-creating is the magic sauce to reliably generate group unity and establish a legitimate "We the People". (See chart comparing decision-making and choice-creating) And since Dynamic Facilitation reliably evokes choice creating, it is crucial as well. (See the chart comparing traditional facilitation vs. Dynamic Facilitation.)
In 2006, a citizen group in Victoria, BC, Canada, spearheaded by George Sranko and Caspar Davis, established a series of three Wisdom Councils. Each one worked wonderfully well for those that attended. But it didn't gain traction in the population. Plus, the second and third Wisdom Councils essentially repeated the experience of the first. That is, the three Wisdom Councils didn't build the desired public conversation.
Of course, this wouldn't have been a problem if the process had been set in motion by "the people" through a Constitutional Amendment. Then the citizenry would have paid rapt attention, would have known what had happened in earlier Wisdom Councils and would join in fulfilling the conclusions. But in this case the process was started by a well-meaning citizen group. So the question became ... "How does the whole population attend to and participate in the Wisdom Council Process when it's started by just a small group of concerned citizens?"
(Frequent reactions: How can just a few people, unchartered by the U.S. Constitution, spark a legitimate "We the People" into being? How could just a few people spark a transformation of the national (or global) System in a way that causes many of the biggest impossible-seeming problems to go away? How does this random group gain such power?)
Many things went wrong in our Rogue Valley Wisdom Council ... e.g. only seven random people showed up to be on the Wisdom Council instead of the 14 who said they'd be there; No elected officials came; The media didn’t cover the event well; etc. ... Our intent for the experiment was educational—to show people how this process could work if it was enacted nationally through a Constitutional Amendment. But ... surprise! ... the process worked by itself. It created a sense of "We the People" even with just 120 or so people attending the Wisdom Council presentation. From this one-time experiment ... and future experiments as well ... it was clear that the audience picks up on the "We the People" spirit of the Wisdom Council. They basically said, "Yes I think so too" to what the Wisdom Council is saying. More importantly for this phase of our project they essentially said, "Why can't this happen as a regular part of our democracy?" ... Surprise ... Why was it working without an Amendment?
Breakthrough #7: MAJOR REALIZATION—The “magic sauce” which makes these miracles happen is "choice-creating."
(Frequent reactions: Why haven't I heard of choice-creating? Why is choice-creating so important? How does Dynamic Facilitation and the Wisdom Council Process facilitate people into the spirit of choice-creating?)
At first glance the Wisdom Council process looks like just another form of citizens deliberative council, like the Citizens Jury, Citizens Panel, Citizens Assembly or Deliberative Poll. All of these involve selecting random citizens who tackle a problem and present their results to a large audience.
But, the Wisdom Council Process is fundamentally different. These other processes are “deliberative” in nature, where people work on a well defined issue, are given carefully prepared information, weigh specific options, vote to select the best and present their conclusions to "decision-makers," hopefully affecting policy.
On the other hand, each Wisdom Council addresses an ill-defined impossible-seeming issue like "climate change". And it works collaboratively to co-create the best answer, not weighing pre-selected options. Often they redefine the problem entirely and reach a conclusion that doesn't involve policy. Unlike Citizens Deliberative Councils there is no voting. Through creative thinking they reach unity and present their results to the PEOPLE rather than to the "decision-makers". They also tell a story of how they got to unity through shifts and breakthroughs. Plus, the Wisdom Council is an ongoing Process, not a one-off event.
Discovering the importance of choice-creating led to the next breakthrough:
Breakthrough #8: DUH REALIZATION--Dynamic Facilitation is essential, because it reliably evokes choice-creating.
(Frequent reactions: Who cares what facilitation method is used if the group reaches unity? Can you always guarantee group unity? How many people are skilled in Dynamic Facilitation?)
Originally, it didn’t seem to matter what facilitation process was used. But through experience it has become clear that choice-creating is the magic sauce to reliably generate group unity and establish a legitimate "We the People". (See chart comparing decision-making and choice-creating) And since Dynamic Facilitation reliably evokes choice creating, it is crucial as well. (See the chart comparing traditional facilitation vs. Dynamic Facilitation.)
In 2006, a citizen group in Victoria, BC, Canada, spearheaded by George Sranko and Caspar Davis, established a series of three Wisdom Councils. Each one worked wonderfully well for those that attended. But it didn't gain traction in the population. Plus, the second and third Wisdom Councils essentially repeated the experience of the first. That is, the three Wisdom Councils didn't build the desired public conversation.
Of course, this wouldn't have been a problem if the process had been set in motion by "the people" through a Constitutional Amendment. Then the citizenry would have paid rapt attention, would have known what had happened in earlier Wisdom Councils and would join in fulfilling the conclusions. But in this case the process was started by a well-meaning citizen group. So the question became ... "How does the whole population attend to and participate in the Wisdom Council Process when it's started by just a small group of concerned citizens?"
Breakthrough #9: GOOD NEWS REALIZATION—The Wisdom Council Process works better when the issue is determined beforehand.
(Frequent reactions! If the Wisdom Council is a symbol of ‘We the People,' what higher authority exists to tell "the people" what to talk about? If Dynamic Facilitation depends on people's heart-felt energy, how can we expect randomly selected people to care about pre-selected issues?)
When Dr. Manfred Hellrigl, the director of the Office of Future Related Issues (OFRI) started experimenting with the Wisdom Council Process, they allowed government leaders to select the issue beforehand rather than to have the Wisdom Council select its own issue. This step better served government leaders. And because of Dynamic Facilitation, the process worked anyway. Also they used the process in conjunction with dialogue, the World Café, Open Space Technology, and Art of Hosting. ... At the time we were concerned that this strategy would limit the transformational potential of the process so we gave it a different name, the Creative Insight Council (CIC). But in time our fears disappeared because the Wisdom Council determined the ultimate topic anyway. And because this approach drew more interest from the general public.
A new question arose ... "How can we export process of choice-creating to the whole population so that everyone talks and relates in this more creative, collaborative way?
(Frequent reactions! If the Wisdom Council is a symbol of ‘We the People,' what higher authority exists to tell "the people" what to talk about? If Dynamic Facilitation depends on people's heart-felt energy, how can we expect randomly selected people to care about pre-selected issues?)
When Dr. Manfred Hellrigl, the director of the Office of Future Related Issues (OFRI) started experimenting with the Wisdom Council Process, they allowed government leaders to select the issue beforehand rather than to have the Wisdom Council select its own issue. This step better served government leaders. And because of Dynamic Facilitation, the process worked anyway. Also they used the process in conjunction with dialogue, the World Café, Open Space Technology, and Art of Hosting. ... At the time we were concerned that this strategy would limit the transformational potential of the process so we gave it a different name, the Creative Insight Council (CIC). But in time our fears disappeared because the Wisdom Council determined the ultimate topic anyway. And because this approach drew more interest from the general public.
A new question arose ... "How can we export process of choice-creating to the whole population so that everyone talks and relates in this more creative, collaborative way?
Breakthrough #10: GOOD NEWS REALIZATION—Key to bringing the spirit of choice-creating to the whole population is in the STORY of how the Wisdom Council achieved unified conclusions
(Frequent reactions: Why is the story important?; How can a Wisdom Council have only one story to tell?)
Originally in the Wisdom Council presentation and community gathering, the Wisdom Council shared only two elements: 1) Personal introductions of each participant; and 2) The ultimate conclusions. But the conclusions by themselves can set up an agree/disagree dynamic in the larger audience, which we don't want. Instead, we want people in the public to identify with the journey of the Wisdom Council, to resonate with their progress and to continue talking in a way that approximates choice-creating. Key for this to happen is adding a third element to the Wisdom Council presentation: 3) The story of how the group progressed—where we started, problems we ran into, where we got stuck, and where we experienced shifts of thinking. This story is essentially the hero's journey, where the hero/heroine faces and overcomes a series of crises. And the audience identifies with this heroic figure, resonating with the ups and downs enough to continue talking in a similar way.
This version of the hero's journey is the story of "We the People," all of us, coming together to surmount the "monster problems" And of course, as Wisdom Councils are ongoing, this new whole-system conversation continues. Here is the conversation we've all been desiring, where we are invited to help face and address the big issues that have largely gone ignored. This is where is where We help determine and implement the choices of our society. For example, consider the story that Martina Handler tells of the Wisdom Council in Mauthausen.
Arising from experiments with the Wisdom Council Process in Austria came a surprising realization:
(Frequent reactions: Why is the story important?; How can a Wisdom Council have only one story to tell?)
Originally in the Wisdom Council presentation and community gathering, the Wisdom Council shared only two elements: 1) Personal introductions of each participant; and 2) The ultimate conclusions. But the conclusions by themselves can set up an agree/disagree dynamic in the larger audience, which we don't want. Instead, we want people in the public to identify with the journey of the Wisdom Council, to resonate with their progress and to continue talking in a way that approximates choice-creating. Key for this to happen is adding a third element to the Wisdom Council presentation: 3) The story of how the group progressed—where we started, problems we ran into, where we got stuck, and where we experienced shifts of thinking. This story is essentially the hero's journey, where the hero/heroine faces and overcomes a series of crises. And the audience identifies with this heroic figure, resonating with the ups and downs enough to continue talking in a similar way.
This version of the hero's journey is the story of "We the People," all of us, coming together to surmount the "monster problems" And of course, as Wisdom Councils are ongoing, this new whole-system conversation continues. Here is the conversation we've all been desiring, where we are invited to help face and address the big issues that have largely gone ignored. This is where is where We help determine and implement the choices of our society. For example, consider the story that Martina Handler tells of the Wisdom Council in Mauthausen.
Arising from experiments with the Wisdom Council Process in Austria came a surprising realization:
Breakthrough #11: GOOD NEWS REALIZATION—Elected representatives appreciate the Wisdom Council Process!
(Frequent reactions: Elected representatives must serve their donors; They don't really care about what the people think)
All along in the development of the Wisdom Council Process, critics have assured us that those in power would resist. But in the Austrian State of Vorarlberg, elected legislators witnessed Wisdom Councils in their towns and communities. They saw it as a way to involve and educate mainstream citizens and to spark trans-partisan action. They said, “We want this process at the state level as well.” Now in the state of Vorarlberg every six months there is a government sponsored Wisdom Council. Elected leaders set aside one afternoon to sit at tables together in the foyer of their building and listen to a Wisdom Council present its perspective. Then they engage one another about the results, visiting in a more creative, collaborative conversation than before.
Each Wisdom Council helps the people gain clarity about what they think is going on and what they want. Compared to the usual survey process, this is superior in every way. The Wisdom Council articulates in clear terms what the people are thinking and feeling. During the Syrian refugee crisis when the people seemed fearful about the refugees, a Wisdom Council met and expressed sympathy and overall strategy going forward. One legislator said after the Wisdom Council spoke, “No elected official could have said that.” And another said, “The Wisdom Council is like wind at my back.”
The approach worked so well that all four political parties voted to include it in the state constitution. Other states of Austria are experimenting as well.
Also, from these early Wisdom Councils arose another a breakthrough ...
Breakthrough #12: PROCESS INNOVATION— Provide for ordinary citizens to identify the issue
(Frequent reactions: How can one citizen set the agenda for the national conversation? Won't ordinary people take undue advantage of this power?)
Every six months in Voralberg either the governor or a political party will specify the issue for a Wisdom Council to address. However thanks to Dr. Manfred Hellrigl, the legislature also added another possibility to the constitutional amendment. It's a way that ordinary citizens can convene a state-sponsored Wisdom Council on their issue. They just need to gain 1000 signatures (5000 are required to propose a state initiative). Just one citizen can call for a state-wide Wisdom Council on a particular issue of concern to him or her, where the whole system talks through the issue together.
As we gained experience with the Wisdom Council Process we discovered more about its power for system transformation ...
Breakthrough #13: MONSTER REALIZATION—Just us can use the Wisdom Council Process to spark global System transformation!
(Frequent reactions: That's a silly claim! ... Wouldn’t it be better to convene lots of Wisdom Councils at the local level and build experience until the UN or someone else adopts this approach? ... How can one gather a truly random selection of people from the world? ... What about repressive governments that are likely to keep people from participating? ... How to handle language and cultural differences? ... Who would listen to the voice of a small group of random citizens? ... How can this random group exert any real power? ... How could one group affect the global socio-political-economic system? ... Isn’t it idealistic to think that the people of the world would pay attention? ... or come together? ... or reach near-unity? How could a small set of ordinary people convene something that could make this level of difference? etc.)
There are lots of questions and concerns about how a global Wisdom Council Process could get started, whether it would work and the level of difference it would make. None of the concerns is that something bad would happen. With money and media support each of these concerns can be overcome. Plus, even before the difficulties are surmounted, there are big benefits from just trying. Just pulling together a small random group of people and taking their picture, for instance, could be a benefit.. ... Also note: This is a not just a nice-to-have, hope-it-works type idea. ... Eventually, we all MUST start working together at the global level. And we MUST elevate our level of collective intelligence. ... Notice when you talk seriously with someone about society's problems, you are likely to hear a sentence starting with these three words: "We need to ... " That's how people deal with their anxiety, to present a solution as though it's something "we" should do. But until the global Wisdom Council Process is implemented there is no "We" to think through possible actions, come to some collective choice or coordinate whole-system cooperation.
The secret to solving the big impossible-seeming global issues is to convene the missing, powerful "We the People" conversation and to transform the existing competitive System into something more collaborative. Then "We" can start facing the Big problems together and providing responsible direction to national governments and institutions. Intelligent collective action becomes possible through an "ongoing whole-planet choice-creating conversation".
(Frequent reactions: Elected representatives must serve their donors; They don't really care about what the people think)
All along in the development of the Wisdom Council Process, critics have assured us that those in power would resist. But in the Austrian State of Vorarlberg, elected legislators witnessed Wisdom Councils in their towns and communities. They saw it as a way to involve and educate mainstream citizens and to spark trans-partisan action. They said, “We want this process at the state level as well.” Now in the state of Vorarlberg every six months there is a government sponsored Wisdom Council. Elected leaders set aside one afternoon to sit at tables together in the foyer of their building and listen to a Wisdom Council present its perspective. Then they engage one another about the results, visiting in a more creative, collaborative conversation than before.
Each Wisdom Council helps the people gain clarity about what they think is going on and what they want. Compared to the usual survey process, this is superior in every way. The Wisdom Council articulates in clear terms what the people are thinking and feeling. During the Syrian refugee crisis when the people seemed fearful about the refugees, a Wisdom Council met and expressed sympathy and overall strategy going forward. One legislator said after the Wisdom Council spoke, “No elected official could have said that.” And another said, “The Wisdom Council is like wind at my back.”
The approach worked so well that all four political parties voted to include it in the state constitution. Other states of Austria are experimenting as well.
Also, from these early Wisdom Councils arose another a breakthrough ...
Breakthrough #12: PROCESS INNOVATION— Provide for ordinary citizens to identify the issue
(Frequent reactions: How can one citizen set the agenda for the national conversation? Won't ordinary people take undue advantage of this power?)
Every six months in Voralberg either the governor or a political party will specify the issue for a Wisdom Council to address. However thanks to Dr. Manfred Hellrigl, the legislature also added another possibility to the constitutional amendment. It's a way that ordinary citizens can convene a state-sponsored Wisdom Council on their issue. They just need to gain 1000 signatures (5000 are required to propose a state initiative). Just one citizen can call for a state-wide Wisdom Council on a particular issue of concern to him or her, where the whole system talks through the issue together.
As we gained experience with the Wisdom Council Process we discovered more about its power for system transformation ...
Breakthrough #13: MONSTER REALIZATION—Just us can use the Wisdom Council Process to spark global System transformation!
(Frequent reactions: That's a silly claim! ... Wouldn’t it be better to convene lots of Wisdom Councils at the local level and build experience until the UN or someone else adopts this approach? ... How can one gather a truly random selection of people from the world? ... What about repressive governments that are likely to keep people from participating? ... How to handle language and cultural differences? ... Who would listen to the voice of a small group of random citizens? ... How can this random group exert any real power? ... How could one group affect the global socio-political-economic system? ... Isn’t it idealistic to think that the people of the world would pay attention? ... or come together? ... or reach near-unity? How could a small set of ordinary people convene something that could make this level of difference? etc.)
There are lots of questions and concerns about how a global Wisdom Council Process could get started, whether it would work and the level of difference it would make. None of the concerns is that something bad would happen. With money and media support each of these concerns can be overcome. Plus, even before the difficulties are surmounted, there are big benefits from just trying. Just pulling together a small random group of people and taking their picture, for instance, could be a benefit.. ... Also note: This is a not just a nice-to-have, hope-it-works type idea. ... Eventually, we all MUST start working together at the global level. And we MUST elevate our level of collective intelligence. ... Notice when you talk seriously with someone about society's problems, you are likely to hear a sentence starting with these three words: "We need to ... " That's how people deal with their anxiety, to present a solution as though it's something "we" should do. But until the global Wisdom Council Process is implemented there is no "We" to think through possible actions, come to some collective choice or coordinate whole-system cooperation.
The secret to solving the big impossible-seeming global issues is to convene the missing, powerful "We the People" conversation and to transform the existing competitive System into something more collaborative. Then "We" can start facing the Big problems together and providing responsible direction to national governments and institutions. Intelligent collective action becomes possible through an "ongoing whole-planet choice-creating conversation".
Breakthrough #14: GOOD NEWS REALIZATION—Implementing a global Wisdom Council Process would transform economics as well as governance. (We call the new economic system: "ToBe-ism").
(Frequent reactions: Those in power, the capitalists, will never allow a new economic system. ... Isn't this just socialism? ... How can a new conversation spark a new economics? ... How could this new conversation overturn the current entrenched system of capitalism and the orientation to consumption and profits?)
Our current System is based in competition. But for competition to work for the whole the competitors be in-dependent. Then win/lose battling can turn win/win for everyone. Like in a game there are winners and losers but everyone enjoys themselves. But if the competitors are inter-dependent then the System will collapse. It's bad news for the person if the heart and lungs start competing for blood. What was once a win/win process can easily turn lose/lose.
By continuing to base our System of governance and economics on competition when we are increasingly inter-dependent we destroy our planet and our people. But how do we shift the primary dynamic from competition to collaboration? ... We just need to add the missing "We the People" conversation so the competitors can, more fundamentally, be working together. It's simply a process of stopping periodically, outside of the game mode, where we all talk about what's going on, what we all want and how best to achieve it. Just adding this new "We the People" thinking process is a structural change to the nature governance, economics and the culture. The market is still there. The competition is still there, but more fundamentally we are all working together. We are building shared understandings of what we all want and coordinating our efforts to get there.
It's a new system of thoughtful economics. It's not an economic system like capitalism, socialism, feudalism, communism, etc., where it's just a new set of rules. This new system requires a certain kind of conversation. And the rules emerge and change from this conversation. .. But since economic systems all have names ending in "-ism". We suggest the new name ... "ToBe-ism."
The need for global transformation is obvious. Of course, we all need to start thinking creatively together about these Monster Problems and work together to solve them. And of course, doing this would be a new System.
(Frequent reactions: Those in power, the capitalists, will never allow a new economic system. ... Isn't this just socialism? ... How can a new conversation spark a new economics? ... How could this new conversation overturn the current entrenched system of capitalism and the orientation to consumption and profits?)
Our current System is based in competition. But for competition to work for the whole the competitors be in-dependent. Then win/lose battling can turn win/win for everyone. Like in a game there are winners and losers but everyone enjoys themselves. But if the competitors are inter-dependent then the System will collapse. It's bad news for the person if the heart and lungs start competing for blood. What was once a win/win process can easily turn lose/lose.
By continuing to base our System of governance and economics on competition when we are increasingly inter-dependent we destroy our planet and our people. But how do we shift the primary dynamic from competition to collaboration? ... We just need to add the missing "We the People" conversation so the competitors can, more fundamentally, be working together. It's simply a process of stopping periodically, outside of the game mode, where we all talk about what's going on, what we all want and how best to achieve it. Just adding this new "We the People" thinking process is a structural change to the nature governance, economics and the culture. The market is still there. The competition is still there, but more fundamentally we are all working together. We are building shared understandings of what we all want and coordinating our efforts to get there.
It's a new system of thoughtful economics. It's not an economic system like capitalism, socialism, feudalism, communism, etc., where it's just a new set of rules. This new system requires a certain kind of conversation. And the rules emerge and change from this conversation. .. But since economic systems all have names ending in "-ism". We suggest the new name ... "ToBe-ism."
The need for global transformation is obvious. Of course, we all need to start thinking creatively together about these Monster Problems and work together to solve them. And of course, doing this would be a new System.
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