Phases of the global ToBe Project

Phase 1—Initiation ... A few people know about the global Wisdom Council Process

Hopefully we have a highly publicized beginning. But even if this first phase is more like a "Voodoo doll" event, the benefits will start happening. This is because the approach is holistic, where right at the start we gather a symbol of all humanity into one room and "we all" address vitally important issues. It's a really small group that has symbolic importance because we do our best to gather a pure random selection of people. Just that has meaning worthy of taking a picture, like the famous first one of Earth from space. Then we help this symbol of us all to face global problems that are largely not "owned" by any one entity. However, from the beginning this symbolic version of "We the People of Earth," does "own" the Monsters.

Then the Wisdom Council begins addressing its first Monster creatively and collaboratively ...(this is new!) ... to reach a unified perspective. Then even at this beginning moment, the Wisdom Council articulates a coherent reflection of what " the People" are seeing as our true Situation, our Vision of what we want and our imaginings of the best Strategy going forward. Then everyone else, i.e. experts, special interests, news commentators, etc, will respond. Also hopefully, local gatherings of citizens will self-organize to hear the Wisdom Council's views, to visit together and to respond.

This perspective will gain clarity through informal conversations and through subsequent Wisdom Councils, enabling legislators, governmental agencies, NGO's, philanthropists, editorial writers, etc., to gain a new measure of coherence and support from a new voice of the general public. First off, of course, they are going to be impressed at how this motley group achieved unity and expressed wise and responsible viewpoints. Then often they can say, "Hey, we are working on something like this already! We can help make it happen."

Phase 2 —After the first year ... Many people around the world will start talking about the global Wisdom Council Process ... and the issues

As global Wisdom Councils travel around the world, a different location each time, interested parties will grow exponentially, by helping to establish local conversations and just by talking with others about the issues. ... OK, there are authoritarian governments that will make it difficult for people to know about this process and may make it unsafe for them to participate. And there are fundamentalist believers who may rigidly adhere to a pre-set belief structure, but we have found that each Wisdom Council establishes a context where individuals rise to the occasion, think for themselves and participate in helping to improve group conclusions. Then these small group conclusions are reflected to society such that the larger conversation helps to reshape beliefs in general. All comments, even government statements of criticism, are part of the new whole-system conversation.

Phase 3 --After two years of monthly Wisdom Councils ... Most people will know about the process and have talked with others about the issues

With time we expect that most all people will hear about the existence of Wisdom Councils and their conclusions ... and begin talking about them with others in their network. Finally, here's a chance for each of us to talk seriously about our biggest concerns ... e.g. the pandemic, poverty, wars, male-female relations, AI, and food security ... with others outside of our immediate in a way that is accepting of all views and stories. They spark thoughtful reflective conversations throughout the population. And, the Wisdom Councils do NOT just face problems and co-determine "recommendations" hoping others take action. They elicit a new "owner" of the problems, "We the People of Earth," capable of managing progress toward solutions. This is a new kind of management, not seeking to control others but rather, all of us seeking to gain clarity on what We need to do.

Phase 4 —In three to five years ... A legitimate "We the People" will have emerged

Wisdom Councils help people gain a deeper understanding of the truth of the Monster Issues and what needs to happen. The voice of the people will have clearly influenced philanthropies, governments, NGO's, special interests and individuals. Beyond influence, a new actor will come onto the scene ... a global version of "We the People," capable of "owning" difficult Monster Issues, thinking them through, achieving breakthrough perspectives and assure that the needed change happens. This new "We the People" actor (i.e. all of us together) generates a different set of motivations than the usual self-interested competition. It's a new context that will dramatically affect Monsters like wars, partisan battling and prejudice. And it will reorient aspects of life like healthcare, jobs, taxes and education.

Phase 5 ... After three to five years ... "We the People" will assure the restructuring of global governance and economics

If a legitimate, inclusive "We the People" arises, already that is a new form of governance. In addition, "We the People" can act to establish new institutions and subsystems like healthcare, education, taxes and justice to assure the wellbeing of our people and our planet. For instance, here's a way to humanely address the problem of overpopulation and the human impact on the biosphere. Note: Without this or some other form of collective thinking we will likely careen toward civilization collapse.

Monster Problems with hints about how they can be solved

Increasing polarization, information silos, separate versions of "truth," no shared vision; ... The The ToBe Project can facilitate a new kind of public conversation (i.e. Choice-creating vs. Decision-making) where people naturally listen to one another and co-determine "what is truth", "what we want", "how to get there" ... So just implementing the new conversation is a solution to determining a shared truth..
Radicalized people, conspiracy theories, rage without evidence, calling for violence, lack of listening ... Choice-creating, is a healing process where people listen to diverse voices and co-create a shared perspective. In the process people reawaken critical thinking, systems thinking and creative thinking so that think for themselves and so that diverse views become an asset rather than a liability.
Pandemics, excess government mandates, distrust of science, Covid variants ... Our System focuses on individual freedoms with little regard for the collective need. Here's a way to maintain and enhance individual freedoms while we all co-determine what is the best. It's all of us as part of "We the People," talking things over creatively and collaboratively, and co-creating a shared strategy going forward. This is how to get beyond government mandates, to where we all figure things out together and oversee the implementation of our strategy.
L-curve distribution of wealth and power, poverty, homelessness ... Our current System is like the game of Monopoly: One player wins everything while the others lose. What's missing is the spirit of global collaboration and community that makes the current mal-distribution of wealth deeply embarrassing. This process facilitates a lessening of the game-mentality and a new collective problem-solving orientation.
Increasing corruption, special interests dominating the public interest, purchased politicians, bribery ... There is no sense of the "Public Interest" in our current System. It's just a competition of Special Interests. But Society's Breakthrough creates the missing voice of "We the People" and a clear expression of the Public Interest. It's a new management System, beyond capitalism, where more primarily we seek to realize the shared vision.
Unraveling of public institutions —threatened autocracy, fake news, runaway Supreme Court rulings, foreign manipulation of elections, breakdown of the rule of law, threats to voting rights, captured agencies/revolving doors for executives, etc. ... Society's Breakthrough establishes a new collective thinking capability and a new public institution, "We the People", which is ongoing. This provides a way that We can establish trustworthy public institutions and reshape our social contract.
Partisan gridlock, avoiding the BIG issues, politicians incapable of agreeing, threatened loss of democracy ... Quality leadership cannot come from within the partisan battle. A way to transcend the partisan battle is to enlist the participation of all people in a creative endeavor, solving real problems. This is a higher form of democracy, what we call "Wise Democracy." Here we face the Monster Problems one at a time, reach unity and provide responsible direction to elected officials, the marketplace and the culture.
Declining trust in government, elections, the courts and one another; loss of the spirit of community ... When the people face difficult problems and come together on what's needed, this builds trust. Here's a way that "We the People" of the 21st century can take responsibility for our System and institutions back from an 18th century "We the People" that is currently in charge. Now, in unity, we can start designing a 21st century system.
Systemic racism, mysogyny, prejudice, violence directed at minorities ... Our current System is rooted in "decision-making", which literally means "cutting away" ... e.g. a judging process that "cuts away" the minority. On the other hand an ongoing national choice-creating conversation sets up a system of valuing diversity. In choice-creating minority voices are necessary to achieve creative shifts and breakthroughs.
Destruction of the commons ... e.g. aquifers, forests, trust in government, spirit of community ... The Tragedy of the Commons happens because we are structured to be self-interested parties taking from the commons, with essentially no provision for the well-being of the whole. Society's Breakthrough restructures our System so that we all meet to consider the well-being of the commons and to responsibly manage it.
Our System is destroying our people ... e.g. special interests and making money comes first, our food systems build unhealthy bodies and destroys soils, each of us is trapped in a system that holds us in misinformation and forces us to be complicit in trashing the planet and undermining the future well-being of our children ... We are riding in an airplane on auto-pilot, heading toward a mountain. And increasingly people know it, and feel the desperation of our situation. Through the ToBe Project "We" can check back in on our situation and start thinking intelligently together about what to do. Here's a way all of us can get meaningfully involved in building the new System that's needed..

Different kinds of impact ... and benefit

Solving Monster Problems (See above)
Educating our People about particular threats to humanity and current efforts to address them
Coordinating Institutions ... By facilitating humanity to co-create a shared vision
Transforming the "System" from the Box or Triangle to The Circle System...
Establishing new Subsystems .. e.g..Governance, Economics, Culture

Additional benefits!

We shift our thinking ... from a basis in judgment (decision-making) to a basis in creativity (i.e. choice-creating), from an emphasis on self-aggrandizement to service. From a reductionist, mechanistic, subject-object world view to a more holistic form where we "get it" that we are part of a living system and work together with others to co-determine what's best. In the phrasing of Robert M Pirsig ... From the underlying Meta-physics of Subject-Object (MS-O) to the Metaphysics of Quality (MoQ)
We heal deep divisions and trauma ... Choice-creating is a trauma-healing conversation. (See the archived video "Healing Trauma and Dynamic Facilitation" 2009)
We start aligning our actions with our values ... e.g. to reshape budget priorities
We restructure our society so that jobs have real meaning ... away from an emphasis on profits and toward contributing to our collective needs.
Economics will naturally shift away from mindlessly maximizing profits toward "ToBe-ism," where we consciously aim our individual and collective efforts toward what matter most for ourselves, others, and the biosphere.

Additional resources

See how the ToBe Project can be applied to national problems in America
Video Seminar (5-parts): "Essential Wisdom for Solving Society's Biggest Essential Wisdom Issues
Book (2002) “Society’s Breakthrough! Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People”