The ToBe Project adds the missing conversation to global society using the Wisdom Council Process. This Project is a "holution" (vs a "solution") where many global Monster Problems start being solved. This Project promises immense benefits, including educating and empowering the people, facilitating them to solve many Monster Issues and establishing a new form of governance and economics in the process. (See the Monster Wish). There is no identifiable downside to this Project. At one level it's just randomly selecting a few people who give a speech monthly in different global locations. Where's the downside in that? ... But the benefits are immense, even from the very beginning when just a few people are involved. Plus, the Project is accessible. It's something we, Just Us, can implement. And each step of the project yields positive benefits by itself.
The 8 steps are shown below. In addition, it is likely that a 9th step will arise that "We the People" will take.
The 8 steps are shown below. In addition, it is likely that a 9th step will arise that "We the People" will take.
Step 1 ... Gather "Just Us" and adequate resources"Just Us" is a small group of people who basically look at society's problems and examine this Wise Democracy approach and excitedly say "This must happen!" These people recognize that our System is causing the Monster Problems, that the System must be transformed and that the Wisdom Council Process offers a simple, accessible, safe way to spark the transformation ... Most of us tend to pursue "normal solutions" instead. ...e.g. street demonstrations, lobbying, modeling the new paradigm, elevating personal consciousness, civic education, new technologies, new leaders, conscious purchasing, etc. But these "solution-approaches" are aimed at improving the existing System, not recognize that our System is the problem. The improvements are not enough to avoid societal collapse.... Step #1 is a benefit: This small group, Just Us, recognize how the world's biggest problems are caused by "the System" and they start sharing a message of what can be done at the local level(!) to help transform the global System.
Step 2 ... Identify a Monster Problem to addressThere are many urgent impossible-seeming global problems that are worsening relentlessly, e.g. climate crisis, species extinction, loss of fresh water, loss of top soils, release of toxic materials, mal-distribution of wealth, over consumption, etc. In this step we draw attention to one of these issues as the first one. It doesn't need to be well-defined. We just select one "impossible-seeming mess" that most all people care about. A poll can pick the issue. Or elected officials can identify one. Or we can ask for donations and let the donors pick it. ... Step #2 is a benefit: It focuses attention on one vital issue and orients people toward helping solve it in an empowered way.
Step 3 ... Randomly select 10 to 16 peopleIn this step 10 to 16 people are randomly selected from the global population. They are brought to one location as the first Wisdom Council. This is not a representative body nor do they have any power. Just 10 to 16 people are gathered to symbolize all the people. They come to one locality, which has been organized by local people. And we can take their picture because they symbolize all of us. True randomness is key in this process, and that is difficult to achieve. But we do the best we can by asking a respected polling organization to do it for us. ... Step #3 is a benefit: It creates a living symbol of all-of-humanity where, like the first picture of earth from space, we begin to appreciate ourselves in a new way.
Step 4 ... Use Dynamic Facilitation to reliably evoke the spirit of "choice-creating" in each Wisdom CouncilEach random group or "Wisdom Council" is gathered in a different location to meet for just a couple of days with someone skilled in Dynamic Facilitation. This is the magic sauce because it assures that the thinking process is choice-creating rather than decision-making, problem-solving, or something else. So this small group reliably faces some Monster Issue and achieves unity through shifts and breakthroughs. They also co-create a shared story about how their unity was achieved. It is a motley group of ordinary people facing one of society's impossible-seeming existential issues ... and making progress. They experience shifts and breakthroughs to recognize: "the "real problem," the "truth," what we really want, and ideas about what people, corporations, foundations and governments should do going forward. ... Step #4 is a benefit: This ongoing series of Wisdom Councils sets the agenda for the necessary whole-system "We the People" conversation.
Step 5 ... People in different localities convene live global "Empowerment Meetings," where diverse people gather to consider the Wisdom Council perspective. In each cycle one of the localities is selected to be where the live Wisdom Council meets and presents the story of its journey & its unified conclusions.After the Wisdom Council reaches its conclusions the members walk onstage and present their story to a large live face-to-face audience and to a broadcast audience. The members tell a little about themselves, their unified conclusions and how they reached them. They are not presenting "recommendations" or "proposals." which is what one might think. Instead, this is a symbolic sharing from the people to the people. It's a reflection back to all of us what "We the People" are thinking and concluding. Then the different audiences take over. They meet in small groups to check in with one another on how well this group is capturing what we are thinking. Then each sub-group in the audience inputs three overall concluding statements to a general application, where we all can see the degree of global resonance that we all feel. Each presentation basically records a best guess of where human society is at present on these issues ... and initiates the next phase of global conversation.
Generally, the audience resonates to these conclusions and this process saying, "yes, this is what I also feel and think." And experiments have show that the audience members continue talking in a spirit similar to choice-creating." So here's a way to achieve near global unity in a fairly quick fashion! Yes, there will be people who are not yet open-minded, or who think differently. But rather than just saying "I agree or disagree," this process orients people toward listening and building on different ideas. A "We the People" perspective that most everyone supports evolves in a way that wise coherent actions result from citizens, organizations, governments, etc. ... Step #5 is a benefit: It helps people embrace and enhance a shared story of who we are, what is going on, what we want, and how we can work together to solve the chosen Monster problem. Step 6 ... Structure Wisdom Councils to be ongoing The Wisdom Council Process convenes ONE ONGOING WHOLE-SYSTEM CHOICE-CREATING CONVERSATION about the most important issues the global community faces. This added conversation alone is healing and empowering to people generally. Also, it generates an increasing level of "collective intelligence" on each chosen issue, instead of the usual "collective stupidity." And since the process is ongoing, where new randomly selected Wisdom Councils are gathered monthly or so, the underlying System is restructured with a democratic form of global governance and economics. Step #6 is a benefit: It establishes a new all-inclusive creative ongoing "We the People" conversation where people achieve new levels of intelligence and consciousness, both collective and individual.
Step 7 ... Provide for the new "We the People" conversation to be inclusive of allAs the global Wisdom Council Process continues, individuals, experts, leaders, media, celebrities, etc. will increasingly participate. We expect an exponential growth of participation in the Empowerment Gatherings, the Broadcasts and the Central Application, so that when there is a pandemic, earthquake or other crisis people will have a place to turn, to find the truth, to help others and to gain help from others. This new whole-humanity conversation is what people seek, a new sense of meaning with others in life beyond just a job and survival. It's where we share a growing understanding of the desperate truth of our collective situation and start working coherently on what's needed to resolve it. Everyone is invited. Everything is voluntary. ... Step #7 is a benefit: It provides a way for each person, NGO, corporation, philanthropy, government, etc. to get involved in a meaningful way.
Step 8 ... Provide ways for people to learn more about this holistic model of change, especially choice-creating and Dynamic FacilitationThe benefits claimed for the Wisdom Council Process can seem over-the-top and optimistic. Of course, we want people to understand what this is and how it works ahead of time. But fortunately, that's not essential. We (i.e. Just Us) can convene the "missing conversation." Since the conversation is enjoyable and meaningful (i.e. some have called it "problem-solving jazz"), and difference-making, ever more people are likely to join in the experience. As we go along we expect people will want to learn for themselves how this works. Then people may want to learn the distinction between "decision-making" and "choice-creating; between different kinds of democratic process; between Dialog & Deliberation vs Choice-creating; and between Citizens Assemblies and the Wisdom Council Process. ... Step #8 is a benefit: People feel a new level of empowerment and meaningful contribution in the face of seemingly impossible existential societal issues. And they become more powerful in their own lives.
NOTE: Just Us only needs to do 8 steps. "We the People" will likely do this 9th step.
Step 9 ... "We the People" will create a global Constitution with the Wisdom Council Process as part of it.When Wisdom Councils finish they often state as one of their conclusions: "this Wisdom Council process needs to keep happening. And it should be chartered into our System." So as the global "We the People" conversation grows and continues scholars in the field of democracy are likely to (they already have) design a global Constitution. Future Wisdom Councils are likely to examine these proposals, select one and add the Wisdom Council Process to it. See, for instance, the Wise Democracy Amendment being proposed for the U.S. Constitution.
Step 9 is also benefit: It assures that this process is not just an intervention but a new process of governance and economics.
|
Do you "get it?," that implementing the ToBe Project is essential?
Bottom line: Our System is causing Monster Problems and driving toward ecological collapse. Humanity is progressing in a way that might be described as suicidal. There are lots of amazingly good ideas and projects aimed at helping people, repairing the world and generally improving things. But the System is the problem. It is driving us to over consume, to compete, to a maldistribution of wealth, etc. It must be transformed. What else is out there that promises to transform our System??? ... Lots of people are banking on ideas similar to "I'll do my part and hope that others do their part." ... That's good, but not enough. Also experts are working to design a global Constitution. That's good too, but how does that get implemented globally? The ToBe Project promises to facilitate humanity to come together, solve the biggest problems and transform the System so that these Monsters stop getting created. And so that we facilitate wise stewardship of the global commons.
A new international organization is forming to start the ToBe Project, "Adding the Missing Conversation" AMC.
Markus Goetsch (Austria) and Kristina Henry (Germany) are beginning a new organization aimed at establishing The ToBe Project. Check out what they've got so far.
Additional Resources
- Article published at CatalystNow, "The ToBe Project: A Shortcut to Global Transformation."
- 5-part video seminar:, Essential Wisdom for Solving Society's Biggest Issues
- Dr Future Show interview with Jim Rough and his wife Cassie Firman ... www.drfutureshow.com/drfutureblog/58-future-now-interviewdiscussion-making-democracy-wise-with.html