The United Nations and the Global Challenges Foundation partnered to sponsor a challenge: "How to establish effective global governance?" Our proposal (#221) is provided below. Other proposals seemed to design the particulars of global governance without any sense of how it could happen. Our proposal was was then opposite .. How to set up global governance with the designing and considering of designs to come later.
To establish global governance we need a Breakthrough that ...
The following proposal meets these eleven criteria!
- Is Accessible ... “we” (a few of us) can set it in motion, without needing anyone's permission.
- Is All-inclusive ... everyone is invited to participate
- Is Proven ... this process already "works" at large scale
- Is Fast-acting ... where global society becomes different within 3-5 years
- Sparks International consensus ...people and governments generally support the process
- Addresses the Root Causes ... sparks a new System of governance, economics, and culture.
- Demonstrates "Collective Wisdom" ... expert knowledge is included to achieve win/win progress
- Sparks individual wisdom ... elevates citizen knowledge, shared perspective and collaborative attitude
- Is Effective ... where "we" start solving impossible-seeming global issues ... e.g. climate change, poverty, wars, etc.
- Is "Step-Wise” ... where each step of implementation brings new benefits
- Is SAFE!! ... there is almost no identifiable risk to the benefits of our existing system
The following proposal meets these eleven criteria!
The ToBe Project:
A facilitative approach to co-creating Global Governance
By Jim Rough
(8/28/20)
The Wisdom Council Process is used to facilitate "all the people” to come together as "We the People", where "We" engage one another creatively and collaboratively to start solving the big, impossible-seeming issues. In the process "We" create a shared vision and strategy for going forward. And provide responsible leadership to national governments.
Describe your proposal in detail … with links
Recently a young man asked me “how does this proposal achieve REAL change?” … And I asked him, “in your mind what would real change be?” He had three points:
The Wisdom Council Process promises this level of “real change” … and more.
In this proposal we’ve been talking about applying the Wisdom Council Process globally. The Wisdom Council Process was first presented in the 2002 book “Society’s Breakthrough! Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People” (www.SocietysBreakthrough.com) … and was updated in 2020 at https://www.wisedemocracy.org/4-societys-breakthrough.html. Also, two short videos describing this work are: 1) “Our System” (2:53) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3GMv-yuf3Y; 2) “Stone Soup” (3:35) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76I-9nJA28c
In 2002 we started a nonprofit organization, the Center for Wise Democracy, to support people trying out these new social innovations. The website for this organization is: www.WiseDemocracy.org. In response the Office of Future Related Issues in the state of Vorarlberg, Austria successfully experimented with and enhanced the process. And now the Parliament of Vorarlberg adopted the Wisdom Council Process (called “Bürgeratte”) into the state constitution.
The ToBe Project. (The steps for how we (a few of us) could implement a global Wisdom Council Process)
Step 0) First, we gather a core group of people with access to resources who are interested in applying this approach globally. They will first need to learn about the social innovations and the underlying facilitative theory of change. These "conveners" will attend a week-long seminar to practice and understand “Dynamic Facilitation”, choice-creating, and the Wisdom Council Process. And then interested people will continue to use Dynamic Facilitation to build and shepherd a plan for “The ToBe Project”.
Once the conveners get established in this way, there are eight general steps:
Step 1) Choose the issue—While each Wisdom Council ultimately frames the issue in its own way, it starts out with an issue determined by the conveners, sponsors, national leaders, the United Nations, or a contest among global citizens. The issue should be something people care about ... something important, ill-defined and impossible-seeming like global warming, wars, poverty, racism, refugees, etc.
Step 2) Randomly select global citizens for the Wisdom Council — We only need 10-18 people from throughout the world. But as much as possible they should be selected mathematically, randomly. The task of gathering these people can be turned over to an internationally respected polling firm. And of course, we’ll support each selected person to attend with a stipend, transportation, etc.
Step 3) Provide what’s needed to the Wisdom Council— Each global Wisdom Council is gathered in different locations. It may need to hear short presentations by experts or stakeholders. And they should hear about progress made in previous Wisdom Councils. They will also need the help of someone skilled in Dynamic Facilitation so the Wisdom Council will reliably attain the spirit of choice-creating and reach unity in a short time.
Step 4) Assure a live face-to-face “global community meeting” — As the Wisdom Council finishes, a live media event should be scheduled. The Wisdom Council presents their unity and the story of how this unity was achieved. They report to a live face-to-face and broadcast audience. After the presentation the Wisdom Council disbands, but audience members are requested to turn their chairs and talk in small groups. And then to report their level of resonance. In this process “all" can “look around” the virtual room and notice the extent to which everyone shares this one perspective.
Step 5) Provide for remote asynchronous gatherings — We will also support community organizers, NGO’s and governments to convene local events where people can gather, see a video of the Wisdom Council presentation, visit in face-to-face conversations, register their level of unity and take these ideas forward in their immediate community.
Step 6) Provide for an ongoing whole-system global conversation that grows in number — Between Wisdom Council presentations we want to involve ever greater numbers of people. We just need people to know about the Wisdom Council event and to talk with others about it. That’s the first level of involvement. We can also provide a way for them to be heard using social media, web-based technology and “silos of responders”. We can set up ways where vast numbers of people can talk over these issues safely with others in their language, largely in the spirit of choice-creating,
Step 7) Provide for “Responder Meetings” — Also between Wisdom Council meetings we encourage representatives of governmental agencies, NGO’s, stakeholders and experts who are especially concerned about these issues to come together and coordinate their responses and action plans.
Step 8) Support the chartering of the Wisdom Council Process—In their presentations, Wisdom Councils often say something like “this process should continue and be expanded.” Over time through such statements it becomes apparent that We the People want this process as a regular part of the global system. In time, chartering the process into being comes more from the people than from the conveners.
To see more about how this global governance process can be established please see … https://www.wisedemocracy.org/1-global-transformation.html
Describe your proposal in detail … with links
Recently a young man asked me “how does this proposal achieve REAL change?” … And I asked him, “in your mind what would real change be?” He had three points:
- Everyone would wake up each day with a set of priorities that includes a global code of ethics and a way to always be cognizant of the well being of our planet and one another.
- There would be a new story that we live by, a story about us being stewards of our planet.
- And we would need some way to get there, either from within the existing system or where we escape from the system enough to make it happen.
The Wisdom Council Process promises this level of “real change” … and more.
In this proposal we’ve been talking about applying the Wisdom Council Process globally. The Wisdom Council Process was first presented in the 2002 book “Society’s Breakthrough! Releasing Essential Wisdom and Virtue in All the People” (www.SocietysBreakthrough.com) … and was updated in 2020 at https://www.wisedemocracy.org/4-societys-breakthrough.html. Also, two short videos describing this work are: 1) “Our System” (2:53) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3GMv-yuf3Y; 2) “Stone Soup” (3:35) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76I-9nJA28c
In 2002 we started a nonprofit organization, the Center for Wise Democracy, to support people trying out these new social innovations. The website for this organization is: www.WiseDemocracy.org. In response the Office of Future Related Issues in the state of Vorarlberg, Austria successfully experimented with and enhanced the process. And now the Parliament of Vorarlberg adopted the Wisdom Council Process (called “Bürgeratte”) into the state constitution.
The ToBe Project. (The steps for how we (a few of us) could implement a global Wisdom Council Process)
Step 0) First, we gather a core group of people with access to resources who are interested in applying this approach globally. They will first need to learn about the social innovations and the underlying facilitative theory of change. These "conveners" will attend a week-long seminar to practice and understand “Dynamic Facilitation”, choice-creating, and the Wisdom Council Process. And then interested people will continue to use Dynamic Facilitation to build and shepherd a plan for “The ToBe Project”.
Once the conveners get established in this way, there are eight general steps:
Step 1) Choose the issue—While each Wisdom Council ultimately frames the issue in its own way, it starts out with an issue determined by the conveners, sponsors, national leaders, the United Nations, or a contest among global citizens. The issue should be something people care about ... something important, ill-defined and impossible-seeming like global warming, wars, poverty, racism, refugees, etc.
Step 2) Randomly select global citizens for the Wisdom Council — We only need 10-18 people from throughout the world. But as much as possible they should be selected mathematically, randomly. The task of gathering these people can be turned over to an internationally respected polling firm. And of course, we’ll support each selected person to attend with a stipend, transportation, etc.
Step 3) Provide what’s needed to the Wisdom Council— Each global Wisdom Council is gathered in different locations. It may need to hear short presentations by experts or stakeholders. And they should hear about progress made in previous Wisdom Councils. They will also need the help of someone skilled in Dynamic Facilitation so the Wisdom Council will reliably attain the spirit of choice-creating and reach unity in a short time.
Step 4) Assure a live face-to-face “global community meeting” — As the Wisdom Council finishes, a live media event should be scheduled. The Wisdom Council presents their unity and the story of how this unity was achieved. They report to a live face-to-face and broadcast audience. After the presentation the Wisdom Council disbands, but audience members are requested to turn their chairs and talk in small groups. And then to report their level of resonance. In this process “all" can “look around” the virtual room and notice the extent to which everyone shares this one perspective.
Step 5) Provide for remote asynchronous gatherings — We will also support community organizers, NGO’s and governments to convene local events where people can gather, see a video of the Wisdom Council presentation, visit in face-to-face conversations, register their level of unity and take these ideas forward in their immediate community.
Step 6) Provide for an ongoing whole-system global conversation that grows in number — Between Wisdom Council presentations we want to involve ever greater numbers of people. We just need people to know about the Wisdom Council event and to talk with others about it. That’s the first level of involvement. We can also provide a way for them to be heard using social media, web-based technology and “silos of responders”. We can set up ways where vast numbers of people can talk over these issues safely with others in their language, largely in the spirit of choice-creating,
Step 7) Provide for “Responder Meetings” — Also between Wisdom Council meetings we encourage representatives of governmental agencies, NGO’s, stakeholders and experts who are especially concerned about these issues to come together and coordinate their responses and action plans.
Step 8) Support the chartering of the Wisdom Council Process—In their presentations, Wisdom Councils often say something like “this process should continue and be expanded.” Over time through such statements it becomes apparent that We the People want this process as a regular part of the global system. In time, chartering the process into being comes more from the people than from the conveners.
To see more about how this global governance process can be established please see … https://www.wisedemocracy.org/1-global-transformation.html
Theory of change:
Proposed implementation strategy
Human society is now under threat from many issues, largely because our current System is based in competition. This structure will inevitably destroy the global commons. To save society we need all the people to care, to come together in unity, to work with experts, and to co-design new global institutions. This level of human collaboration would, by itself, be a new form of global governance. It would be a form of “real democracy”, where “We the People” are ultimately in charge, even superior to national governments, corporations, NGO’s and the culture.
It would also be a leap forward in collective consciousness ... something which cannot be achieved by exclusively focusing on advances in individual consciousness. This is a holistic approach, one that affects the whole system, yet which can be facilitated by just a few people.
The “Wisdom Council Process” is a social innovation, which has been tested and applied to public systems since 2002. And now, two states of Austria have adopted it into their constitutions, with great results. So we know it can work at large scale.
To implement the Wisdom Council Process at a global scale we need a few co-sponsors for funding, media and logistics. We would use a well-respected polling firm to randomly select 10 to 18 global citizens. We bring them to a specific location and take their picture because this is, symbolically, a picture of “all of us”. Similar to the first picture of earth from space. Then this "Wisdom Council" retreats for just 3 days or so to work on some ill-defined high-care monster problem like “climate change” with the help of someone trained in "Dynamic Facilitation". This allows the group to achieve the conversational dynamic known as "choice-creating", to face an impossible-seeming issue and reach unity in a short time.
Then they present their unified perspective to a live audience of celebrities, CEO's, government leaders and random citizens. There is also a live television, web stream, and viral marketing audience watching as well. This audience listens to the short presentation of results, plus the story of how these results were achieved. Then the Wisdom Council disbands permanently, while the audience talks among themselves. TV cameras roam to televise their reaction. Generally we’ve learned that people are resonant with the win/win perspective of the Wisdom Council. Pretty much, they say, "Yes! we think so too." Then in a month or so another randomly selected Wisdom Council is gathered and the process is repeated. But between Wisdom Councils experts, stakeholders, media pundits and ordinary people consider the conclusions and add their perspectives on line.
This new kind of public conversation, approximating the spirit of choice-creating, is ongoing. There is an ever-growing global audience and network, all of us facing important issues and reaching near unity about the "real issue" and what to do about it. In time a new, capable and powerful entity arises, “We the People”, all of us together. In our growing capacity, "We" assume responsibility for the well-being of the planet and design new institutions of global governance with wide-spread acceptance. The world has seen something like this before, at the founding of the United States. Except what's needed today is for "We the People" to involve "everyone". And for the process to be ongoing, where "We" are continually monitoring and improving our situation, not just a one-time event. .
To what extent does the political will currently exist to realize your program?
Governments in Austria and Germany have adopted the Wisdom Council Process already. It’s tipping there at local and regional levels. But these examples are convened by governments. Actually, with enough resources it's probably better to have the process sponsor be a nonprofit organization, or a group of nonprofits. We don’t actually need “political will” to start. We can just start the process and make it interesting and meaningful enough that people want to join the conversation. We (a few of us) just start by randomly selecting global citizens, bringing them together, and inviting all to contribute their views. Once individuals care about the issues, hear about the Wisdom Council results and talk with others about them, they are participants in the new conversation.
The global Wisdom Council Process is a facilitative solution, not one that is “top-down” or “bottom-up”. Only a few of us need to understand the model of change in order to begin. At its core, we (a few of us) are facilitating “We” (all of us) to face society's most pressing issues and reach shared conclusions.
To the extent that political will does not yet exist, how will you create it and how long will it take?
We really don't need "political will" to exist up front. We need a small network of people to understand the new philosophy and model of change. We also need monetary resources, maybe as little as three million dollars, media and networking support.
"Political Will" is an outcome of the process. The easiest way to gain support for the process is by engaging people in this new conversation ... in addition to the usual political conversation. This way they can experience others listening and building on ideas. And making real progress. Independent of the usual political back and forth. They discover that respectful, meaningful conversation is possible at large scale, where “We” ultimately determine solutions that are actionable.
Since we can just start this I believe the global Wisdom Council Process will happen and show results within five years.
Proposed implementation strategy
Human society is now under threat from many issues, largely because our current System is based in competition. This structure will inevitably destroy the global commons. To save society we need all the people to care, to come together in unity, to work with experts, and to co-design new global institutions. This level of human collaboration would, by itself, be a new form of global governance. It would be a form of “real democracy”, where “We the People” are ultimately in charge, even superior to national governments, corporations, NGO’s and the culture.
It would also be a leap forward in collective consciousness ... something which cannot be achieved by exclusively focusing on advances in individual consciousness. This is a holistic approach, one that affects the whole system, yet which can be facilitated by just a few people.
The “Wisdom Council Process” is a social innovation, which has been tested and applied to public systems since 2002. And now, two states of Austria have adopted it into their constitutions, with great results. So we know it can work at large scale.
To implement the Wisdom Council Process at a global scale we need a few co-sponsors for funding, media and logistics. We would use a well-respected polling firm to randomly select 10 to 18 global citizens. We bring them to a specific location and take their picture because this is, symbolically, a picture of “all of us”. Similar to the first picture of earth from space. Then this "Wisdom Council" retreats for just 3 days or so to work on some ill-defined high-care monster problem like “climate change” with the help of someone trained in "Dynamic Facilitation". This allows the group to achieve the conversational dynamic known as "choice-creating", to face an impossible-seeming issue and reach unity in a short time.
Then they present their unified perspective to a live audience of celebrities, CEO's, government leaders and random citizens. There is also a live television, web stream, and viral marketing audience watching as well. This audience listens to the short presentation of results, plus the story of how these results were achieved. Then the Wisdom Council disbands permanently, while the audience talks among themselves. TV cameras roam to televise their reaction. Generally we’ve learned that people are resonant with the win/win perspective of the Wisdom Council. Pretty much, they say, "Yes! we think so too." Then in a month or so another randomly selected Wisdom Council is gathered and the process is repeated. But between Wisdom Councils experts, stakeholders, media pundits and ordinary people consider the conclusions and add their perspectives on line.
This new kind of public conversation, approximating the spirit of choice-creating, is ongoing. There is an ever-growing global audience and network, all of us facing important issues and reaching near unity about the "real issue" and what to do about it. In time a new, capable and powerful entity arises, “We the People”, all of us together. In our growing capacity, "We" assume responsibility for the well-being of the planet and design new institutions of global governance with wide-spread acceptance. The world has seen something like this before, at the founding of the United States. Except what's needed today is for "We the People" to involve "everyone". And for the process to be ongoing, where "We" are continually monitoring and improving our situation, not just a one-time event. .
To what extent does the political will currently exist to realize your program?
Governments in Austria and Germany have adopted the Wisdom Council Process already. It’s tipping there at local and regional levels. But these examples are convened by governments. Actually, with enough resources it's probably better to have the process sponsor be a nonprofit organization, or a group of nonprofits. We don’t actually need “political will” to start. We can just start the process and make it interesting and meaningful enough that people want to join the conversation. We (a few of us) just start by randomly selecting global citizens, bringing them together, and inviting all to contribute their views. Once individuals care about the issues, hear about the Wisdom Council results and talk with others about them, they are participants in the new conversation.
The global Wisdom Council Process is a facilitative solution, not one that is “top-down” or “bottom-up”. Only a few of us need to understand the model of change in order to begin. At its core, we (a few of us) are facilitating “We” (all of us) to face society's most pressing issues and reach shared conclusions.
To the extent that political will does not yet exist, how will you create it and how long will it take?
We really don't need "political will" to exist up front. We need a small network of people to understand the new philosophy and model of change. We also need monetary resources, maybe as little as three million dollars, media and networking support.
"Political Will" is an outcome of the process. The easiest way to gain support for the process is by engaging people in this new conversation ... in addition to the usual political conversation. This way they can experience others listening and building on ideas. And making real progress. Independent of the usual political back and forth. They discover that respectful, meaningful conversation is possible at large scale, where “We” ultimately determine solutions that are actionable.
Since we can just start this I believe the global Wisdom Council Process will happen and show results within five years.
Mitigating global catastrophic risks
How would this proposal mitigate climate change?
Ways include:
How would this proposal mitigate pandemics and anti-microbial resistance?
The key missing ingredient in responding to pandemics is “intelligent collective action". Besides working to assure our own survival and the well being of those close to us, we must also participate in a collective effort. This is vital for dealing with pandemics and anti-microbial resistance. Because these threats can penetrate the weakest link, the whole system of people must become sensitized to the threat and to the well-being of the most vulnerable populations. People must be knowledgeable, must care, and must support collective prevention strategies.
A global Wisdom Council Process can facilitate this widespread awareness, understanding and willful involvement and action.
How would this proposal mitigate eco-system collapse?
The immanent eco-system collapse is largely here because we face the Tragedy of the Commons. Our underlying System of Thinking is a competitive structure, which assures that we will destroy the global Commons regardless of how many good-willed people independently self-sacrifice in attempting to prevent this.
However, the global Wisdom Council Process will establish the missing piece, where we “step back” to think together about what’s happening. Ultimately it sets up a new System of Thinking, which is primarily creative and collaborative, where we build collective consciousness and a monitoring system to assure progress. Here’s a way we can shift our system-imposed focus on “maximizing profits” to “serving the public good”.
Implementing the global Wisdom Council Process provides a way that “the people” can get involved in protecting our global ecosystem and restructure the underlying institutions to preserve our well being. It is a way for each of us to rise above mindless consumption and start figuring out a clear sense of what’s going on, what we all want and the best way to get there. Once we start thinking coherently we can choose a new future.
How would this proposal mitigate weapons of mass destruction?
Our current System of Thinking structures mindless competition for land, profits and power. It also structures the development of ever more powerful and destructive weapons. Key to changing this dynamic is to change the System of Thinking that we have structured for ourselves, especially the quality of conversations we set up for ourselves.
Our current official conversations are essentially negotiations where any party can gain greater influence by building weapons of mass destruction. And if this breaks down we can easily resort to the default “conversation”, which is war.
What if we “go in the back door” instead. What if we add a new conversation? … the ultimate conversation among all the people where we all get clear and speak with unity? This kind of conversation would quickly displace “discussion” (root meaning: “to bang together”), sabre-rattling and violence. What if we set up a different kind of conversation, where we call “time out” and invite everyone to step back and think … and where we reach near unity? … And what if we assure that this conversation is ongoing so that it becomes institutionalized? Obviously that would change everything.
This is what the global Wisdom Council Process promises. It can structure these moments where the people of the world work together, face the big issues and resolve them through creativity. In this setting diversity is an asset, not a liability. And breakthroughs are normal. People come to a clear sense of what they really want and ultimately support win/win solutions instead of the normal lose/lose variety, like building weapons of mass destruction. In practice we are finding that this process works. The “We the People” conversation is powerful enough to redirect government “decision-makers” and corporate leaders.
How would this proposal mitigate the threat of new and emerging technology?
New technologies are developed all the time. But they are often put to use for profit instead of the betterment of humanity. These new developments directly benefit special interests sometimes at the expense of the public interest. This project provides a way for us to attend to the public interest as well as to special interests. Here’s how we work together toward the well-being of humanity rather than just gaining market share. … It’s simple: We start thinking about what we are doing instead of just compulsively doing it. And here’s a way to set that up.
How would this proposal contribute to creating resilient, capable and 'on alert' multilateral system of global governance institutions able and willing to act promptly and effectively in response to the emergence of new (currently unknown) risks?
This proposal is about how we can facilitate a new form of global governance. It’s a win/win structure where “We the People” respond intelligently to complex, impossible-seeming issues like wars, pestilence or other emergent issues. The way it comes into being is similar to what happened in the founding moments of the United States. In that time the existing system was also in danger of collapse. But a symbolic … for the 18th century … representation of “We the People” was gathered to face the issue and reach near unity on a new design of government.
The 18th century Constitutional Convention proposed its design, plus a way it could be ratified through the people. And then they disbanded. From the subsequent conversation arose the most important aspect of the new Constitution: the Bill of Rights. And at that point, “the people” (Unfortunately, not including slaves, women, Native Americans, or non-property holders) were in near unity, basically saying, “Yes, let’s try this new Constitutional system.”
The global Wisdom Council Process takes a similar approach, except it is global, includes everyone and is ongoing. This also creates a “We the People” that can design a capable, well-supported global government. And even without determining a specific design, just by itself, it can coordinate the people’s intelligent leadership on issues.
Wider implications?
How will this proposal alleviate poverty and inequality?
The myth of our society is … we are all separate individuals (or special interests) in a competition of merit. Some are less deserving than others so naturally they become marginalized or extinct.
Implementing the Wisdom Council Process at the global level can establish a new mythology, where we need everyone to achieve our goals, where diversity is an asset and all are deserving. The Wisdom Council Process will set up a new whole-system conversation where this different dynamic reigns, and where our diversity provides the opportunity for breakthroughs to impossible-seeming issues.
To the extent that this “We the People” conversation includes us all, it promises to transform our system of economics as well. It doesn’t directly get rid of the trappings of capitalism. But it does set up a shared vision, new priority that we all seek. It’s where we periodically drop the trappings of capitalism to remember who we really are, what we really want and to value all people, the planet, and future generations.
And … here’s the exciting part … to fundamentally address poverty inequality, racism and prejudice in this way ... doesn’t depend on “decision-makers” choosing this path. The needed changes can arise from the new conversation. In this way “We” determine the “public interest” and work together in pursuing it. Corporations, politicians, and the media will respond to our unified direction.
… enhance inclusivity and accountability in national and global governance?
The global Wisdom Council Process improves inclusivity and accountability directly in its process. This has already been described. But the main point is that we (a few of us) facilitate the involvement of “all”, where we start thinking about the problems of society in a way that brings people together and delivers real change. This represents a higher form of democratic governance … where “We the People” take ultimate responsibility for managing the system and the planetary commons. This must happen. We … all of us …must achieve a new level of collective intelligence vs. today’s collective choice for self-destruction. Here is a way to facilitate that.
And of course, we assure accountability because the process is ongoing. “We” check back on things every couple of months. And make course corrections.
… reduce conflict and political violence?
This issue has largely been covered. But the impact of this proposal is to shift our collective thinking. We shift from a basis in judgment, or “decision-making” where political and ethnic minorities are “cut away”, to a primary basis in creativity where we are all included in facing problems and seeking win/win answers.
After the attack on the World Trade Center on 9-11, I was facilitating a group of people in a conversation about how to best deal with terrorism. The breakthrough realization from the group was that terrorists feel ignored and undervalued. And we determined that what was most needed as a long-term solution was a global listening capability, to hear and respect all views. The global Wisdom Council Process provides this … listening to all people and including them in a joint quest to meet everyone’s needs.
How would this proposal mitigate climate change?
Ways include:
- When people everywhere build shared clarity about the situation, what we all want and what’s needed, then we can naturally start working coherently together. This process builds awareness, caring, understanding and coordination in our actions.
- Normal solutions like those articulated in “Project Drawdown” are largely blocked by: a) an overriding focus on profits vs the public good. b) powerful special interests suppressing competing technologies; c) the Tragedy of the Commons; d) partisan gridlock and e) political corruption. The Wisdom Council Process applied globally and nationally can remove these blocks the stymied solutions can work their full magic.
- Our current system of thinking, i.e, politics, economics, justice, culture, etc., is based on competition and the pursuit of self-interest. The Wisdom Council Process can readily provide a voice of the “public interest” to get beyond competing "special interests". Key is for all of us to work collaboratively to solve common problems like climate change.
- As Wisdom Councils are held regularly a powerful new entity, “We the People”, arises to assume its rightful place at the top of the governmental hierarchy. It’s a shift to “true democracy”, where all voices can come together and provide responsible leadership to national governments, corporations, NGO’s and the people.
- If human creativity exists so does the possibility to achieve unforeseeable breakthroughs to impossible problems. Dynamic Facilitation and the Wisdom Council Process reliably evoke creative thinking by which we can achieve collective breakthrough solutions to impossible-seeming issues like climate change.
How would this proposal mitigate pandemics and anti-microbial resistance?
The key missing ingredient in responding to pandemics is “intelligent collective action". Besides working to assure our own survival and the well being of those close to us, we must also participate in a collective effort. This is vital for dealing with pandemics and anti-microbial resistance. Because these threats can penetrate the weakest link, the whole system of people must become sensitized to the threat and to the well-being of the most vulnerable populations. People must be knowledgeable, must care, and must support collective prevention strategies.
A global Wisdom Council Process can facilitate this widespread awareness, understanding and willful involvement and action.
How would this proposal mitigate eco-system collapse?
The immanent eco-system collapse is largely here because we face the Tragedy of the Commons. Our underlying System of Thinking is a competitive structure, which assures that we will destroy the global Commons regardless of how many good-willed people independently self-sacrifice in attempting to prevent this.
However, the global Wisdom Council Process will establish the missing piece, where we “step back” to think together about what’s happening. Ultimately it sets up a new System of Thinking, which is primarily creative and collaborative, where we build collective consciousness and a monitoring system to assure progress. Here’s a way we can shift our system-imposed focus on “maximizing profits” to “serving the public good”.
Implementing the global Wisdom Council Process provides a way that “the people” can get involved in protecting our global ecosystem and restructure the underlying institutions to preserve our well being. It is a way for each of us to rise above mindless consumption and start figuring out a clear sense of what’s going on, what we all want and the best way to get there. Once we start thinking coherently we can choose a new future.
How would this proposal mitigate weapons of mass destruction?
Our current System of Thinking structures mindless competition for land, profits and power. It also structures the development of ever more powerful and destructive weapons. Key to changing this dynamic is to change the System of Thinking that we have structured for ourselves, especially the quality of conversations we set up for ourselves.
Our current official conversations are essentially negotiations where any party can gain greater influence by building weapons of mass destruction. And if this breaks down we can easily resort to the default “conversation”, which is war.
What if we “go in the back door” instead. What if we add a new conversation? … the ultimate conversation among all the people where we all get clear and speak with unity? This kind of conversation would quickly displace “discussion” (root meaning: “to bang together”), sabre-rattling and violence. What if we set up a different kind of conversation, where we call “time out” and invite everyone to step back and think … and where we reach near unity? … And what if we assure that this conversation is ongoing so that it becomes institutionalized? Obviously that would change everything.
This is what the global Wisdom Council Process promises. It can structure these moments where the people of the world work together, face the big issues and resolve them through creativity. In this setting diversity is an asset, not a liability. And breakthroughs are normal. People come to a clear sense of what they really want and ultimately support win/win solutions instead of the normal lose/lose variety, like building weapons of mass destruction. In practice we are finding that this process works. The “We the People” conversation is powerful enough to redirect government “decision-makers” and corporate leaders.
How would this proposal mitigate the threat of new and emerging technology?
New technologies are developed all the time. But they are often put to use for profit instead of the betterment of humanity. These new developments directly benefit special interests sometimes at the expense of the public interest. This project provides a way for us to attend to the public interest as well as to special interests. Here’s how we work together toward the well-being of humanity rather than just gaining market share. … It’s simple: We start thinking about what we are doing instead of just compulsively doing it. And here’s a way to set that up.
How would this proposal contribute to creating resilient, capable and 'on alert' multilateral system of global governance institutions able and willing to act promptly and effectively in response to the emergence of new (currently unknown) risks?
This proposal is about how we can facilitate a new form of global governance. It’s a win/win structure where “We the People” respond intelligently to complex, impossible-seeming issues like wars, pestilence or other emergent issues. The way it comes into being is similar to what happened in the founding moments of the United States. In that time the existing system was also in danger of collapse. But a symbolic … for the 18th century … representation of “We the People” was gathered to face the issue and reach near unity on a new design of government.
The 18th century Constitutional Convention proposed its design, plus a way it could be ratified through the people. And then they disbanded. From the subsequent conversation arose the most important aspect of the new Constitution: the Bill of Rights. And at that point, “the people” (Unfortunately, not including slaves, women, Native Americans, or non-property holders) were in near unity, basically saying, “Yes, let’s try this new Constitutional system.”
The global Wisdom Council Process takes a similar approach, except it is global, includes everyone and is ongoing. This also creates a “We the People” that can design a capable, well-supported global government. And even without determining a specific design, just by itself, it can coordinate the people’s intelligent leadership on issues.
Wider implications?
How will this proposal alleviate poverty and inequality?
The myth of our society is … we are all separate individuals (or special interests) in a competition of merit. Some are less deserving than others so naturally they become marginalized or extinct.
Implementing the Wisdom Council Process at the global level can establish a new mythology, where we need everyone to achieve our goals, where diversity is an asset and all are deserving. The Wisdom Council Process will set up a new whole-system conversation where this different dynamic reigns, and where our diversity provides the opportunity for breakthroughs to impossible-seeming issues.
To the extent that this “We the People” conversation includes us all, it promises to transform our system of economics as well. It doesn’t directly get rid of the trappings of capitalism. But it does set up a shared vision, new priority that we all seek. It’s where we periodically drop the trappings of capitalism to remember who we really are, what we really want and to value all people, the planet, and future generations.
And … here’s the exciting part … to fundamentally address poverty inequality, racism and prejudice in this way ... doesn’t depend on “decision-makers” choosing this path. The needed changes can arise from the new conversation. In this way “We” determine the “public interest” and work together in pursuing it. Corporations, politicians, and the media will respond to our unified direction.
… enhance inclusivity and accountability in national and global governance?
The global Wisdom Council Process improves inclusivity and accountability directly in its process. This has already been described. But the main point is that we (a few of us) facilitate the involvement of “all”, where we start thinking about the problems of society in a way that brings people together and delivers real change. This represents a higher form of democratic governance … where “We the People” take ultimate responsibility for managing the system and the planetary commons. This must happen. We … all of us …must achieve a new level of collective intelligence vs. today’s collective choice for self-destruction. Here is a way to facilitate that.
And of course, we assure accountability because the process is ongoing. “We” check back on things every couple of months. And make course corrections.
… reduce conflict and political violence?
This issue has largely been covered. But the impact of this proposal is to shift our collective thinking. We shift from a basis in judgment, or “decision-making” where political and ethnic minorities are “cut away”, to a primary basis in creativity where we are all included in facing problems and seeking win/win answers.
After the attack on the World Trade Center on 9-11, I was facilitating a group of people in a conversation about how to best deal with terrorism. The breakthrough realization from the group was that terrorists feel ignored and undervalued. And we determined that what was most needed as a long-term solution was a global listening capability, to hear and respect all views. The global Wisdom Council Process provides this … listening to all people and including them in a joint quest to meet everyone’s needs.