Public Interest Organizations - To A Wider Audience
Contents
Become A Paradigm Shift Advocate
Public Interest Organizations And Paradigm Shift
Key Words And Concepts
Thousands of public interest organizations are on the same team.
We have an enormous Movement waiting to discover itself.
Taking Paradigm Shift To A Wider Audience
To the Primer, there are two basic most up front tasks of paradigm shift. First is to reduce eco logical footprints. The consumer culture is ruining the planet because of over-consumption of energy and resources so sustainability requires we consume less. Second task is to build civic culture for an uplifted society. The first part of building civic culture is to change our personal identity from socially engineered consumer to engaged citizen. You can learn more about social engineering HERE.
Public interest organizations have a critical role to plan on behalf on sustainability and paradigm shift. Imagine the American Association of Retired Persons [AARP] with its 35 million members becoming an advocate of paradigm shift. I have been a member, have read their news letters and know what many of their positions are on important issues like food choices and urban design - enormous concerns of paradigm shift,,, they are already 20% to paradigm shift..
We will look at some particular public interest organizations that can help put paradigm shift ideas out to the wider world.
Finally, we invite capitalism to be the featured guest of a Truth And Reconciliation process.
Humanity is capable of moving beyond the consumer culture towards a more uplifted society. Taking these paradigm shift ideals and actions out to a wider audience is a core part of an historical leap forward for humanity.
Contents
Become A Paradigm Shift Advocate
Public Interest Organizations And Paradigm Shift
Key Words And Concepts
Thousands of public interest organizations are on the same team.
We have an enormous Movement waiting to discover itself.
Taking Paradigm Shift To A Wider Audience
To the Primer, there are two basic most up front tasks of paradigm shift. First is to reduce eco logical footprints. The consumer culture is ruining the planet because of over-consumption of energy and resources so sustainability requires we consume less. Second task is to build civic culture for an uplifted society. The first part of building civic culture is to change our personal identity from socially engineered consumer to engaged citizen. You can learn more about social engineering HERE.
Public interest organizations have a critical role to plan on behalf on sustainability and paradigm shift. Imagine the American Association of Retired Persons [AARP] with its 35 million members becoming an advocate of paradigm shift. I have been a member, have read their news letters and know what many of their positions are on important issues like food choices and urban design - enormous concerns of paradigm shift,,, they are already 20% to paradigm shift..
We will look at some particular public interest organizations that can help put paradigm shift ideas out to the wider world.
Finally, we invite capitalism to be the featured guest of a Truth And Reconciliation process.
Humanity is capable of moving beyond the consumer culture towards a more uplifted society. Taking these paradigm shift ideals and actions out to a wider audience is a core part of an historical leap forward for humanity.
Public Interest Organizations
There are many thousands of public interest organizations all over the country. A public interest organization exists to improve the condition of society in many different ways. Typically, PIOs have a focus such as social justice, the environment, affordable housing, public health, the well being of children and much more. Large horizontal movements such as Black Lives Matter, climate justice, Occupy Wall Street, Indigenous Rights are also public interest organization but with less formal structure. They address important issues as well.
Some PIOs have a dozen members, some have millions of members. Some are local, some are national. Some have professional staff with budgets amounting to millions, some are ad hoc and totally volunteer. Virtually all these organizations exist to mitigate some kind of damage caused by capitalism and the consumer culture. They are ALL on the same team.
insert an image here - the many kinds of pios
PIOs have educational and outreach assets. Many have newsletters, website, some have small publications, some have glossy magazines. Organizations have faithful members and they can be asked to advocate sustainability actions as well. Many organizations work with other organizations, community leaders, elected officials, faith and business people. PIOs can share paradigm shift info and frame it in whatever way they need to, with all these connections.
One of the most important tasks of paradigm shift is to reduce our eco footprints. That will not be a popular message for many people.
Imagine thousands of public interest organizations explaining to their members why downsizing their eco footprints will benefit their own lives, the broader society, the planet and the concerns that particular organization cares about.
And imagine if those organizations explain to their members that many other organizations also encourage their members to reduce eco footprints and even further, pointing out, “we are all on the same team.” Understanding there is a collective identity and purpose builds a sense of a cooperative movement and momentum.
These organizations could lift information from this Primer and other kindred sources of content and share it with their members. They could include articles in magazines and news letters describing permaculture and “how to” content for downsizing and they could profile people and groups making these changes. from their own membership.
If calling for full on paradigm shift or the replacement of capitalism is language a bit too strong for certain organizations and/or their membership, paradigm shift ideas could be framed in terms that fit the need.
The common message all these groups can share with their members and the wider world is that we can trade over-consumption and consumer culture distractions for many personal, family, community, eco logical and even spiritual benefits all at the same time. Here are possible points to make in news letter, magazine, on line.
Outreach from many organizations to their members and the wider world that shares a thoughtful, consistent, inclusive and usable message of sustainability and uplift can inspire, motivate and activate. Working in cooperation is far more powerful than isolation.
We already have an enormous undeclared movement that would count many millions of participants and supporters from almost every segment of society. Common cause creates opportunity for coordinated action. A large and growing movement for paradigm shift is a welcome example of big is better. All we need is to realize, taking action for the shared ideals of a sustainable society and healthy environment can deliver benefits to everyone. We are much stronger together than in isolation.
Here are several examples of what specific organizations can do on behalf of paradigm shift.
The American Association For Retired Persians [AARP] counts 35 million members. The AARP already advocates for the health and well being of its members. Articles explaining why healthy food and walkable neighborhoods are two of its most common topics in its news letters. Good for the AARP! But it can do a lot better. Those articles about healthy food choices, walkable neighborhoods and other important issues could identify what are the reasons we have these issues in the first place.
Imagine the AARP explaining that our dishonest economic system encourages unhealthy food and prefers urban land use that is dependent on cars. The AARP could explain external costs and our country could do far better with its time and money with an honest and accountable economic system. Even more, the AARP could encourage its members to downsize their lifestyles, learn about permaculture, become active building civic culture in their neighborhoods and communities and help bring about paradigm shift.
Imagine the Sierra Club [3.5 million members] and many other public interest groups featuring articles in their magazines, newsletters and outreach deconstructing the myths of capitalism and encouraging members to transform their suburban properties by trading grass for garden, putting in edible landscaping, going vegetarian, stories about families who have gone car free, becoming active with their neighborhood associations and explaining the permaculture concept we are on an edge of history.
There are on line and hard copy publications that already offer content related to paradigm shift. “Resilience,” from the Post Carbon Institute contains a wide range of articles calling for deep changes in lifestyle, values, economics. Permaculture Design Magazine also has a focus on sustainability from a permaculture perspective. Mother Pelican is another online source of paradigm shift material. Northern Spirit Radio offers progressive and uplifting radio to its listeners. There are other progressive sources of information from Mother Jones, Grist, Vox, The Congress of New Urbanism and others. Even publications like the New York Times, CNN, BBC and the Guardian have articles sympathetic to paradigm shift issues. They all are encouraged to "go further" in explaining the deeper story and why we have these problems and issues in the first place. And then articles that show what paradigm shift alternatives look like in real life.
The two images below are FOTO SHOPPED. These are not real publications from the AARP or Sierra Club. These are fantasy paradigm shift ideals that show what these groups could be sharing with their members and the wider world. Hover over the images and clik for a larger image.
Here are several organizations that can be great allies and assets for paradigm shift.
Faith Communities
Faith groups are a special sort of PIO. The Primer's enthusiasm for faith groups is not about religion. Faith groups ALREADY have an "advanced" set of social, personal and environmental values and ideals that are absolutely perfect for paradigm shift. Recall from earlier in the primer, the wisdom of the world's great spiritual traditions. These ideals [completely applicable to any group] confer on faith organizations perhaps an even more elevated level of cohesion and purpose for members to become examples of sustainable living and reaching out to the wider world. The action needed is for more faith groups to more fully translate this wisdom into social action to the wider world. Some faith groups are already activated in this way. They can help mentor their fellows to bring them along.
Those faith ideals, again,
1] Care for the natural world
2] Modesty of lifestyle
2] Service to the community
4] Uplift of the spirit
5] Accountability for our actions
Most faith groups have built infrastructure, such as fellowship halls and meeting rooms, that can host progressive educational community events [many already do]. The faith group can invite speakers to address important issues to an existing audience. Faith groups have an outreach capacity and are usually part of larger networks to reach more people. If the faith group has physical space, they can host a community garden and orchard.
Leaders of these organizations and/or members can call on the organization to take greater action on behalf of paradigm shift and economic/social transformation. Faith groups are great assets that can become great allies for increased paradigm shift action.
There are several faith groups in Eugene [possibly your town, too] that have been "go to" locations for using their infrastructure assets for progressive events.
Neighborhood Programs
Many cities have neighborhood programs. That means the city has professional staff with the task to help the city's neighborhood associations [NAs] make their neighborhoods better places to live. Typical issues include development, crime, homelessness, the environment, transportation, building civic culture and more. Most NAs have monthly meetings, an executive board and action groups based on participant interests such as human rights, the environment, preparidness and more. Monthly meetings usually have a program relevant to the neighborhood's interests.
NAs have standing in the community. They communicate with the wider world via snail mail and internet. Many use Zoom for enhanced outreach.
Those who participate help set the agenda. We had a program in February this writer organized with the title “Gardens Deliver More Than Veggies.” The program started with a look at the permaculture history of our neighborhood. Many people attending did not know about permaculture or its activist history in our neighborhood. The presentation was mostly about sociology, explaining how gardens can bring people together in common cause over food production. Gardens are great for disaster preparedness, reducing eco footprints, producing important needs closer to home, boosting “home economics” and building community. We had a follow up with a site tour of my suburban permaculture property that drew over 35 people. The message for the tour was all about transforming suburbia and how gardens can help build community and catalyze paradigm shift
Our NA has organized an end of summer River Celebration yearly for the past three years in the car free Willamette Greenway. See more about the River Road Community Organization HERE. The event features many progressive public interest organizations tabling, there's a bike safety check up, a crowded cider press with people bringing their own apples. We have had song circles in the filbert grove, information about gardening, permaculture, gay interests, emergency preparedness, the city, scouts, fresh water biology for kids, tours of site remediation in Rasor Park, neighbor to neighbor conversations and a lot more. This is about creating civic culture and learning about positive actions in the neighborhood.
I have been to events in Eugene organized by other neighborhood organizations and they are all positive and public spirited. A confident and articulate member of the event planning committee could suggest paradigm shift content be part of the event, either overtly or less direct. At our river celebrations, my permaculture display, posters and information hanging from a large horizontal tree branch includes signage that overtly calls for paradigm shift. I host a site tour at my place a week or two after the event.
Find out if your neighborhood has a community organization. They are always welcoming.
Colleges and Universities
Colleges and universities can be a powerful force for needed changes. Many faculty are very sympathetic, some even research and write about the problems facing society. Universities typically have student groups based on all kinds of topics and issues, many are social, economic and environmental. Higher education has many topical interests and realms of study that link to issues that call for paradigm shift.
Faculty, administration and students can all initiate a more ambitious link between existing interests and paradigm shift. Here in Eugene, the University of Oregon's Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, organized by students at the law school, has been a fixture for dozens of years. All manner of environmental issues have been discussed in presentations and panels such as habitat loss, water, aerial herbicide spraying, climate change, species at risk, peak oil and much more The writer of this article has participated many times in the past as a presenter.
Most of the topics discussed and presented relate to damage to people and planet. Organizers could easily add the element of paradigm shift to the conference agenda and even make the conference more overtly about sustainability and moving past capitalism. The conference already has a strong activist tradition. Pushing that envelope to include paradigm shift is a natural progression. Just a few organizers could catalyze a major shift in the character of the event to include much more paradigm shift content.
Certainly, other universities and colleges have similar events that could expand to include sustainability and paradigm shift.
Visiting Kailash Eco Village in Portland in the summer of 2025, I quicky realized what a fantastic opportunity Kailash would be for a masters or phd study. Turning a run down apartment complex into a thriving eco village. Check HERE for my account about Kailash.
As part of a larger social movement for paradigm shift, academia could make available its research capacity to other movement members. That relationship could also give academia access to new realms of study and collaboration. Faculty could encourage students to look into paradigm shift and include more sustainability material in existing course work.
===========
disregard below,,,
xxxx
History is dynamic. We can influence history but unlikely events that have outsized consequences are the norm.
Best to learn flexible skills that can apply to a variety of conditions. We can help prepare ourselves as part of paradigm shift. Even seriously downsizing we will not likely prevent the problems already arriving from becoming worse but we can start the process to be adaptable. Downsizing and being resourceful will help a lot. Our purposeful skill building can help us adjust to a variety of changeable social, economic and environmental conditions. History invites humanity to a big leap forward in its capacity to thrive in an uncertain future.
Sensible and accessible values, ideals and principles are called for at personal level but also as shared protocol to bring us together at the social level, the economic and spiritual levels.
An Historical Edge
Another important principle of permaculture is the edge. The edge is a place where two different systems come together. Perhaps wet and dry or sun and shade. We are living at an historical edge. On one side - capitalism, vanity, over-consumption but also an abundance of assets adaptable for sustainability. On the other side - the opportunity for paradigm shift, uplift and sustainability.
Capitalism, economic growth and its consumer culture have dominated generations of American culture and lifestyle. The assent of the American Dream became steep after WW II when war time industry shifted to domestic production and modern advertising became more adept at wide scale social engineering, also known as advertising. Cars, suburbia and the upwardly mobile lifestyle, more stuff became the American Dream. Read more about social engineering HERE.
The rise of the middle class delivered comfort, convenience and for many, unprecedented affluence. Living standards rose for many millions although access to the American Dream was not universal. During the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st, there have been business downturns, domestic upheaval and various international disruptions but still, the comfort and convenience of the vast MAJORITY of Americans and hundreds of millions of others world wide has improved remarkably over the past 100 years.
Meanwhile, there have always been idealists and visionaries calling for utopia. The fact is, we do not need utopia. We need a society that shakes off the dumbing down distractions of the consumer culture. Paradigm shift, from this perspective, is not about utopia, its about common sense and people acting in their own, even selfish, best interests. Those selfish best self interests also depend on the deep care for others and the natural world.
A small but growing number of people are already looking beyond capitalism and its consumer culture. One can find a growing number of books and articles critical of the current System of government, economics and society based on irresponsible use of energy and resources. Permaculture is becoming a new global language.
An economic system based on profits above all else will not serve the next chapter in humanity's history if we want uplift of the spirit for the good of self, people and planet. Sustainability and social uplift do not need a technical breakthrough. Paradigm shift can succeed with enough people making breakthroughs in their own consciousness and then acting on that consciousness.
The current System absolutely offers many useful products and services that can be an immense assist to paradigm shift. Communications and sharing ideas is one of the best. Paradigm shift will not likely happen with snail mail or the telephone. We need technology but technology that serves a healthy purpose.
Who decides what is healthy? Our best hope is a widespread uplift of society's consciousness. We already see interest in the mainstream that could evolve towards paradigm shift. Some of that we call greenwash but greenwash may be the early going of widespread and functional change in consciousness.
Healthy food is a growing issue, pushing back on cars is another. Alarm about social and economic dis equity, questioning suburbia and unbridled technology all indicate an increasing level of questioning the System. Add social influencers advocating “soft living,” that is, live your simple lifestyle dreams rather than the American Dream of ever more stuff. Even better when those influencers understand paradigm shift and can explain to their followers how their soft living ideals and lifestyles can evolve to fit well with paradigm shift.
Changing social, environmental and economic conditions at the edge will absolutely present new opportunities for creative and positive use of familiar social, built and economic structures and even our own selves. A transformation towards a sustainable present and future will require re imagining and repurposing the familiar with outcomes guided by uplifted ideals, values and vision.
This edge of history offers a clear set of choices.
Summary
We are on an edge of history. There are two basic choices for humanity. One is to continue with capitalism, the consumer culture and its steepening and well documented downward trajectory. The other choice is for humanity to move purposefully towards sustainability and uplift by making smart use of the lessons learned up to this point in human history.
Of course, the edge is not so simple. Some people are already engaged in paradigm shift and some people could care less. While some people are downsizing lifestyles and uplifting the spirit, others are buying their fourth home and others racing forward with artificial intelligence. One wealthy person can have an eco footprint big enough to dwarf the efforts of hundreds trying to downsize for all the right reasons.
We have many allies and assets to work with starting with our own selves. We have far more tools to work with than we realize to help advocate and create a preferred future. That new chapter starts at home in our own lives whenever we care to put our own time and money to best use. Our efforts can filter upward into the neighborhood, community and beyond and become amplified as we connect with others with the same ideals.
Many organizations already advocate positive approaches for moving towards sustainability. They can go further and they need to.
In permaculture, there is a term called “key leverage point.” Thats the place in a system or organization that is most receptive to influence. People already involved in their respective organizations know where those key leverage points are to help make that organization make a big leap forward in content from mainstream to paradigm shift.
Perhaps a big change in a small group can catalyze even bigger changes in the more expansive realm of public interest organizations. We are closer than we know to a mass movement for paradigm shift than we realize. Imagine a wide range of public interest organizations coordinating with each other.
Society also deserves a more nuanced approach to measuring its well being. The ideals of paradigm shift would be elevated with progressive metrics that tell us a more complete story about the condition of our society and the environment. There is far more if importance to a society than crude economic growth.
History is the incubator of the unlikely. Social, political, economic and eco logical trends already well identified and already worrisome are coming into a more clear focus. As these trends deepen, concepts at the present like paradigm shift, de growth, downsizing and sustainability that sound distant and hard to imagine now, will gain more traction. Thousands of public interest organizations can show and tell their members and the wider world the benefits paradigm shift and explain we have a very large team and we are a movement. The sooner the better.
The next article of A Primer For Paradigm Shift series will be Part Two of Reaching Out To The Wider World. We will have a look at Labor and faith communities. They both have unique capacities that could be a tremendous boost to paradigm shift. Part 2 will describe how they can be a big part part of the team. Labor has a history of social solidarity and confronting capitalism and faith groups have a powerful set of principles for social behavior and physical infrastructure. Both can serve uplift and sustainability in exciting new ways.
Also in Part Two. Paradigm shift ideas could be shared with the wider world by inviting capitalism to a truth and reconciliation process. Loosely patterned after the T and R process in post apartheid South Africa, capitalism could receive a deep but respetful public examination of its extremely damaging behavior to people and planet over the past several generations. The T and R process would include aspects of trial, think tank and graduate seminar.
Contact me Donate to the Primer
Faith Communities
Faith groups are a special sort of PIO. The Primer's enthusiasm for faith groups is not about religion. Faith groups ALREADY have an "advanced" set of social, personal and environmental values and ideals that are absolutely perfect for paradigm shift. Recall from earlier in the primer, the wisdom of the world's great spiritual traditions. These ideals [completely applicable to any group] confer on faith organizations perhaps an even more elevated level of cohesion and purpose for members to become examples of sustainable living and reaching out to the wider world. The action needed is for more faith groups to more fully translate this wisdom into social action to the wider world. Some faith groups are already activated in this way. They can help mentor their fellows to bring them along.
Those faith ideals, again,
1] Care for the natural world
2] Modesty of lifestyle
2] Service to the community
4] Uplift of the spirit
5] Accountability for our actions
Most faith groups have built infrastructure, such as fellowship halls and meeting rooms, that can host progressive educational community events [many already do]. The faith group can invite speakers to address important issues to an existing audience. Faith groups have an outreach capacity and are usually part of larger networks to reach more people. If the faith group has physical space, they can host a community garden and orchard.
Leaders of these organizations and/or members can call on the organization to take greater action on behalf of paradigm shift and economic/social transformation. Faith groups are great assets that can become great allies for increased paradigm shift action.
There are several faith groups in Eugene [possibly your town, too] that have been "go to" locations for using their infrastructure assets for progressive events.
Neighborhood Programs
Many cities have neighborhood programs. That means the city has professional staff with the task to help the city's neighborhood associations [NAs] make their neighborhoods better places to live. Typical issues include development, crime, homelessness, the environment, transportation, building civic culture and more. Most NAs have monthly meetings, an executive board and action groups based on participant interests such as human rights, the environment, preparidness and more. Monthly meetings usually have a program relevant to the neighborhood's interests.
NAs have standing in the community. They communicate with the wider world via snail mail and internet. Many use Zoom for enhanced outreach.
Those who participate help set the agenda. We had a program in February this writer organized with the title “Gardens Deliver More Than Veggies.” The program started with a look at the permaculture history of our neighborhood. Many people attending did not know about permaculture or its activist history in our neighborhood. The presentation was mostly about sociology, explaining how gardens can bring people together in common cause over food production. Gardens are great for disaster preparedness, reducing eco footprints, producing important needs closer to home, boosting “home economics” and building community. We had a follow up with a site tour of my suburban permaculture property that drew over 35 people. The message for the tour was all about transforming suburbia and how gardens can help build community and catalyze paradigm shift
Our NA has organized an end of summer River Celebration yearly for the past three years in the car free Willamette Greenway. See more about the River Road Community Organization HERE. The event features many progressive public interest organizations tabling, there's a bike safety check up, a crowded cider press with people bringing their own apples. We have had song circles in the filbert grove, information about gardening, permaculture, gay interests, emergency preparedness, the city, scouts, fresh water biology for kids, tours of site remediation in Rasor Park, neighbor to neighbor conversations and a lot more. This is about creating civic culture and learning about positive actions in the neighborhood.
I have been to events in Eugene organized by other neighborhood organizations and they are all positive and public spirited. A confident and articulate member of the event planning committee could suggest paradigm shift content be part of the event, either overtly or less direct. At our river celebrations, my permaculture display, posters and information hanging from a large horizontal tree branch includes signage that overtly calls for paradigm shift. I host a site tour at my place a week or two after the event.
Find out if your neighborhood has a community organization. They are always welcoming.
Colleges and Universities
Colleges and universities can be a powerful force for needed changes. Many faculty are very sympathetic, some even research and write about the problems facing society. Universities typically have student groups based on all kinds of topics and issues, many are social, economic and environmental. Higher education has many topical interests and realms of study that link to issues that call for paradigm shift.
Faculty, administration and students can all initiate a more ambitious link between existing interests and paradigm shift. Here in Eugene, the University of Oregon's Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, organized by students at the law school, has been a fixture for dozens of years. All manner of environmental issues have been discussed in presentations and panels such as habitat loss, water, aerial herbicide spraying, climate change, species at risk, peak oil and much more The writer of this article has participated many times in the past as a presenter.
Most of the topics discussed and presented relate to damage to people and planet. Organizers could easily add the element of paradigm shift to the conference agenda and even make the conference more overtly about sustainability and moving past capitalism. The conference already has a strong activist tradition. Pushing that envelope to include paradigm shift is a natural progression. Just a few organizers could catalyze a major shift in the character of the event to include much more paradigm shift content.
Certainly, other universities and colleges have similar events that could expand to include sustainability and paradigm shift.
Visiting Kailash Eco Village in Portland in the summer of 2025, I quicky realized what a fantastic opportunity Kailash would be for a masters or phd study. Turning a run down apartment complex into a thriving eco village. Check HERE for my account about Kailash.
As part of a larger social movement for paradigm shift, academia could make available its research capacity to other movement members. That relationship could also give academia access to new realms of study and collaboration. Faculty could encourage students to look into paradigm shift and include more sustainability material in existing course work.
===========
disregard below,,,
xxxx
History is dynamic. We can influence history but unlikely events that have outsized consequences are the norm.
Best to learn flexible skills that can apply to a variety of conditions. We can help prepare ourselves as part of paradigm shift. Even seriously downsizing we will not likely prevent the problems already arriving from becoming worse but we can start the process to be adaptable. Downsizing and being resourceful will help a lot. Our purposeful skill building can help us adjust to a variety of changeable social, economic and environmental conditions. History invites humanity to a big leap forward in its capacity to thrive in an uncertain future.
Sensible and accessible values, ideals and principles are called for at personal level but also as shared protocol to bring us together at the social level, the economic and spiritual levels.
An Historical Edge
Another important principle of permaculture is the edge. The edge is a place where two different systems come together. Perhaps wet and dry or sun and shade. We are living at an historical edge. On one side - capitalism, vanity, over-consumption but also an abundance of assets adaptable for sustainability. On the other side - the opportunity for paradigm shift, uplift and sustainability.
Capitalism, economic growth and its consumer culture have dominated generations of American culture and lifestyle. The assent of the American Dream became steep after WW II when war time industry shifted to domestic production and modern advertising became more adept at wide scale social engineering, also known as advertising. Cars, suburbia and the upwardly mobile lifestyle, more stuff became the American Dream. Read more about social engineering HERE.
The rise of the middle class delivered comfort, convenience and for many, unprecedented affluence. Living standards rose for many millions although access to the American Dream was not universal. During the second half of the 20th century and into the 21st, there have been business downturns, domestic upheaval and various international disruptions but still, the comfort and convenience of the vast MAJORITY of Americans and hundreds of millions of others world wide has improved remarkably over the past 100 years.
Meanwhile, there have always been idealists and visionaries calling for utopia. The fact is, we do not need utopia. We need a society that shakes off the dumbing down distractions of the consumer culture. Paradigm shift, from this perspective, is not about utopia, its about common sense and people acting in their own, even selfish, best interests. Those selfish best self interests also depend on the deep care for others and the natural world.
A small but growing number of people are already looking beyond capitalism and its consumer culture. One can find a growing number of books and articles critical of the current System of government, economics and society based on irresponsible use of energy and resources. Permaculture is becoming a new global language.
An economic system based on profits above all else will not serve the next chapter in humanity's history if we want uplift of the spirit for the good of self, people and planet. Sustainability and social uplift do not need a technical breakthrough. Paradigm shift can succeed with enough people making breakthroughs in their own consciousness and then acting on that consciousness.
The current System absolutely offers many useful products and services that can be an immense assist to paradigm shift. Communications and sharing ideas is one of the best. Paradigm shift will not likely happen with snail mail or the telephone. We need technology but technology that serves a healthy purpose.
Who decides what is healthy? Our best hope is a widespread uplift of society's consciousness. We already see interest in the mainstream that could evolve towards paradigm shift. Some of that we call greenwash but greenwash may be the early going of widespread and functional change in consciousness.
Healthy food is a growing issue, pushing back on cars is another. Alarm about social and economic dis equity, questioning suburbia and unbridled technology all indicate an increasing level of questioning the System. Add social influencers advocating “soft living,” that is, live your simple lifestyle dreams rather than the American Dream of ever more stuff. Even better when those influencers understand paradigm shift and can explain to their followers how their soft living ideals and lifestyles can evolve to fit well with paradigm shift.
Changing social, environmental and economic conditions at the edge will absolutely present new opportunities for creative and positive use of familiar social, built and economic structures and even our own selves. A transformation towards a sustainable present and future will require re imagining and repurposing the familiar with outcomes guided by uplifted ideals, values and vision.
This edge of history offers a clear set of choices.
Summary
We are on an edge of history. There are two basic choices for humanity. One is to continue with capitalism, the consumer culture and its steepening and well documented downward trajectory. The other choice is for humanity to move purposefully towards sustainability and uplift by making smart use of the lessons learned up to this point in human history.
Of course, the edge is not so simple. Some people are already engaged in paradigm shift and some people could care less. While some people are downsizing lifestyles and uplifting the spirit, others are buying their fourth home and others racing forward with artificial intelligence. One wealthy person can have an eco footprint big enough to dwarf the efforts of hundreds trying to downsize for all the right reasons.
We have many allies and assets to work with starting with our own selves. We have far more tools to work with than we realize to help advocate and create a preferred future. That new chapter starts at home in our own lives whenever we care to put our own time and money to best use. Our efforts can filter upward into the neighborhood, community and beyond and become amplified as we connect with others with the same ideals.
Many organizations already advocate positive approaches for moving towards sustainability. They can go further and they need to.
In permaculture, there is a term called “key leverage point.” Thats the place in a system or organization that is most receptive to influence. People already involved in their respective organizations know where those key leverage points are to help make that organization make a big leap forward in content from mainstream to paradigm shift.
Perhaps a big change in a small group can catalyze even bigger changes in the more expansive realm of public interest organizations. We are closer than we know to a mass movement for paradigm shift than we realize. Imagine a wide range of public interest organizations coordinating with each other.
Society also deserves a more nuanced approach to measuring its well being. The ideals of paradigm shift would be elevated with progressive metrics that tell us a more complete story about the condition of our society and the environment. There is far more if importance to a society than crude economic growth.
History is the incubator of the unlikely. Social, political, economic and eco logical trends already well identified and already worrisome are coming into a more clear focus. As these trends deepen, concepts at the present like paradigm shift, de growth, downsizing and sustainability that sound distant and hard to imagine now, will gain more traction. Thousands of public interest organizations can show and tell their members and the wider world the benefits paradigm shift and explain we have a very large team and we are a movement. The sooner the better.
The next article of A Primer For Paradigm Shift series will be Part Two of Reaching Out To The Wider World. We will have a look at Labor and faith communities. They both have unique capacities that could be a tremendous boost to paradigm shift. Part 2 will describe how they can be a big part part of the team. Labor has a history of social solidarity and confronting capitalism and faith groups have a powerful set of principles for social behavior and physical infrastructure. Both can serve uplift and sustainability in exciting new ways.
Also in Part Two. Paradigm shift ideas could be shared with the wider world by inviting capitalism to a truth and reconciliation process. Loosely patterned after the T and R process in post apartheid South Africa, capitalism could receive a deep but respetful public examination of its extremely damaging behavior to people and planet over the past several generations. The T and R process would include aspects of trial, think tank and graduate seminar.
Contact me Donate to the Primer