This week's article is the sixth in a seven or eight week series. Each week, I'm publishing one of the chapters of a document I'm in the process of writing; a 'manifesto' for what I call "The Thought Revolution". Here's part 4 of chapter 3…
The Thought Revolution
Manifesto
3
The Vision:
Awakened Humanity
(Part 4)
“How can we make the world work for 100 percent of humanity in the shortest
possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological damage or
disadvantage to anyone?”
R Buckminster Fuller
Designer & Inventor
3.3 Societal clarity – This section contains a vision for the future of communities, societies and our entire species. It includes the following topics:
• Pollution and environmental damage
• War and terrorism
• Crime, law and order
• Unemployment, poverty and other forms of social inequality
• Education
• Economic crises and corporate irresponsibility
3.3.1 Pollution and environmental damage
The thumbnail diagnosis
Pollution and environmental damage are the result of greed, ignorance and short-term thinking. While ignorance can be remedied with education, greed and short-termism are the result of the outside-in superstition, and can only be remedied with insightful understanding. Greed is the inevitable result of the mistaken belief that our sense of freedom, security and wellbeing comes from money, material resources or power over others; from somewhere other than the principle of Thought taking form, moment to moment. Short-term environmental pillage (e.g. pollution, overfishing, strip mining, deforestation etc) are the behaviours of people caught up in “greed and need”; individuals and organisations that are lost in the outside-in misunderstanding. Their behaviour only “makes sense” in an outside-in world.
The outline vision
Awakened Humanity sees the common sense in caring for our planet and the natural world, recognising that our survival as a species is intrinsically linked to our ability to co-exist harmoniously with nature. Short-sighted ecological decisions just don't make sense to a world that's grounded in its wisdom. A shared goal for all nations is “Sustainability for all life”. Nations and businesses demonstrate genuine commitment to sustainability, using their creativity and wisdom to generate eco-friendly solutions to business challenges and eco-challenges alike. As people become better-educated, the birth rate falls and the planet's population stops rising. Awakened Humanity have consciously adopted the role of caretaker for our planet; every person has a felt connection to the planet and nature as the source of all physical nourishment.
3.3.2 War and terrorism
The thumbnail diagnosis
Wars are typically started by aggressors in order to acquire territory and valuable resources, or as acts of revenge for perceived past wrongdoing. These aggressive acts are grounded in the outside-in superstition in two ways: 1) The mistaken idea that security and wellbeing can come from territory and resources (in truth, they only ever come from within) and 2) The mistaken idea that the pain of past wrongs can be undone through acts of aggression (the “emotional pain” of past wrongdoing is in fact coming from an individuals’ thinking in the moment, and can only be undone with insight; with fresh new thinking.) Terrorism operates on similar dynamics.
The outline vision
Awakened Humanity offers a new possibility for international relations; lasting global peace. Widespread understanding of the inside-out nature of life means that a war of aggression is unlikely to be waged in the first place; it doesn't make sense once people realise their wellbeing isn't dependent on external factors. If a country is struggling for territory or resources, their fellow nations provide them with the support they need. If negotiation is required, “clarity of thought” is an acknowledged factor around the table, and all parties are guided by wisdom to find just, workable and sustainable solutions. In the unlikely event that a nation's leader “goes rogue” and declares war, their fellow nations use the minimum amount of force necessary to preserve public safety until a peaceful resolution can be negotiated.
3.3.3 Crime, law and order
The thumbnail diagnosis
The vast majority of crime is caused by one of four things; need, greed, anger or anxiety. Each of these is the result of the Outside-In misunderstanding, either directly or indirectly. 1) Greed: Both at an individual and a corporate level, greed is a powerful driver of criminal behaviour. As already demonstrated, greed is grounded in the Outside-In illusion. Greed-driven behaviours are also one of the drivers for the huge imbalance between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in this world. This leads us on to 2) Need: Whether it's a hungry parent stealing in order to feed their children, or a crack addict stealing in order to feed their habit, need is also a driver of criminal behaviour. In the case of the addict, their need is the direct result of the Outside-In illusion. In the case of the hungry parent, their need is the indirect result of the Outside-In illusion, due to the structural inequalities at play in our world. 3) Anger and Anxiety: Countless crimes are driven by anger, anxiety or related forms of agitation, and the misunderstanding that has people act on those feelings. Ironically, the very feelings of agitation that are letting people know about their moment-to-moment thinking are misinterpreted as an endorsement of their more unwise ideas.
The outline vision
Awakened Humanity is largely crime-free; criminal behaviour no longer makes sense. There are enough resources for everyone, so “need-based” crime no longer exists. The punishment mentality has been replaced by a healing mentality; chronic greed, anger and anxiety are viewed as misunderstandings and treated accordingly. People who exhibit chronic insecurity-based behaviours (Eg. Theft, violence, etc) are viewed with compassion, and helped to find their innate wellbeing and clarity. While they are still sometimes restrained or incarcerated for their own safety, and the safety of others, it is a rarity. Compassion, courtesy and respect are the norm in a world where people are living from a deeper feeling, and have a sense of connection to each other.
3.3.4 Unemployment, poverty and other forms of social inequality
The thumbnail diagnosis
Early 21st century economies are still based on the factory-models established during the industrial revolution; school curriculums are oriented around creating compliant workers for a bygone age. The “work to live” economy is designed around many workers subjugating their talent, passion and creativity, wasting some of the most powerful resources we possess. Fundamental to this is a “scarcity mentality” based on Malthus' economic theories from the late 18th century. While we already have the technology and resources for everyone on the planet to thrive and contribute, we haven't yet woken up to that fact. Unemployment and poverty are the result of our processes, institutions and leadership being grounded in Outside-In, insecurity-based thinking. Racism, sexism and other forms of social inequality are also grounded in insecurity born of the Outside-In misunderstanding.
The outline vision
Awakened Humanity lives in a world where “everyone on the planet prospers without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone”; and we know it! R Buckminster Fuller said that the most joyful work is doing work you love for all of humanity. As we continue waking up to the fact that we are a single human family, we've moved to an “abundance mentality”, grounded in a healthy cooperation model. Everyone on the planet is oriented around our evolution and success as a species, and it shows. As we wake up to the Inside-Out nature of life, people start living from a deeper feeling of security, peace and wellbeing. As we start seeing more clearly from that place, we're able to cater to our collective survival needs. Wisdom and creativity become the norm in all walks of life. Just as humanity experienced a rapid acceleration of technological progress in the 20th century, Awakened Humanity has experienced an exponential increase in our ability to solve our common problems and create new possibilities.
3.3.5 Education
The thumbnail diagnosis
The western school system is designed around an industrial revolution model for conditioning compliant workers and obedient soldiers. Teachers have to adhere to a curriculum that stifles children's natural creativity, curiosity and desire to learn. The cumulative effects of the Outside-In misunderstanding mean that children and teachers alike innocently struggle with low moods, with the most agitated children demanding the most attention. Bullying and other insecurity-based behaviours are widespread. At a time when society desperately needs creativity, flexibility and resilience, we're innocently teaching our children to be rigid, unquestioning and dependant.
The outline vision
Awakened Humanity reveres children; as they grow up with an insightful understanding of their innate wellbeing, they're able to deal with the ups and downs of life. In a world of increasing uncertainty and rapid change, they're able to navigate by wisdom, knowing they have everything they need to prosper and contribute from a place of clarity. Children's natural curiosity and desire to learn is leveraged by an education system that embodies the original meaning of the word “education” – to lead out what is already there within.
3.3.6. Economic crises and corporate irresponsibility
The thumbnail diagnosis
‘Outside-in business’, taken to an extreme, leads to short-term, “profit before people” thinking. The idea that our sense of freedom, security and wellbeing can come from money is one of the most damaging instances of the outside-in superstition. And while the unhappy lives of countless celebrities, CEOs and lottery winners should be enough to disabuse us of this illusion, our cultural hypnosis is remarkably persistent. The feeling of greed, whether individual or on a corporate scale, is actually a signal that a person's (or a company’s or a society’s) thinking has become dangerously corrupted. When a person or organisation makes profits more important than people, the environment, or their own integrity, it's a sign that they’re lost in a misunderstanding. They're out of touch with their wisdom, their sanity and their humanity. Whether we're talking about the tobacco industry's promotion of cigarettes as a health-product, the devastation of the South-American rain-forests, or the changes to the USA's financial services industry that resulted in the early 21st-century global financial crisis; the outside-in misunderstanding leads to corporate irresponsibility.
The outline vision
R Buckminster Fuller famously showed that humanity already has the resources necessary for everyone on the planet to prosper without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone. Awakened Humanity looks to long-term sustainability, cooperation and healthy progress. Successful businesses are run on ‘clarity cultures’, with everyone from leadership to the shop-floor understanding the principles behind CLARITY. The combined impact of wisdom, wellbeing and resilience mean that they're able to find solutions to many of the problems that plagued outside-in businesses in the past, unlocking vast reserves of innovative thinking, performance and potential. In a world where customers demand transparency and authenticity, businesses leading the way with ‘clarity cultures’ benefit from the impact of employee engagement, increased productivity and customer goodwill.
Section 4 of the manifesto will focus on actions and next steps.
If you want to learn more about how you can see through the outside-in misunderstanding, and start waking up to the principles behind clarity, you can explore the materials here at www.JamieSmart.com or read my book, the #1 bestseller CLARITY: Clear Mind, Better Performance, Bigger Results.
To your increasing clarity,
Best
Jamie
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