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| N E W C I V I L I Z A T I O N |
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| V I S I O N S |- /
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Issue 2, 21 July 1995 \ /
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This is another collection of visions of how life can be in a new, better world.
Keep them coming!
- Flemming
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** Jonathan A. Smith <jasmith@u.washington.edu>, Washington. **
I envision a time when:
1. People will live in small compact neighborhood arcologies and the
forest and countryside will be right outside everyone's door. Where we
take care of the ecosystems that support us.
2. Where all over the world the rich are not so much richer than the poor
and the poor no longer have to live a shorter life (a they do now)
because of their poverty. Where humanity has adopted some form of
decentralized market socialism so that there will be little profit to
made by harming others.
3. Where everyone has access to life long education and many people
choose to make scholarship, artistic, design, or craft pursuits a major
goal in life, valuing experience over the accumulation of wealth.
4. Where universities are open democratic associations of scholars and
students, and exist as much on the world's telecommunications networks as
in physical places.
5. Where everyone has meaningful work creating human value and necessary
work has been reduced to a minimum of ten or fifteen hours a week.
6. Where people spend their free time playing and doing things that are
beautiful, sensual, and expressive to them. Where the religions that
want to restrict human expression and sensuality are unable to impose
their values on others.
7. Where much of the complexity of contemporary life, the "shadow work"
is eliminated greatly reduced. Where people no longer have to spend
major chunks of free time commuting, paying bills, keep books,
maintaining the car, watching commercials and billboards, removing
packaging and throwing it away.
"Life without dead time!"
-------------------oOo-------------------
** Cindi Leigh Creaton <idnic@tenet.edu>, Texas. **
Now people can focus more on the source of their being and purpose for
their life. We can become connected to the source of our being and the
universe. A closer connection will inspire us to behave in the most
positive and unplifting manner. We could transcend our self-centered
nature. I hope that this process is cranking up to counterbalance the
greed and neglect that exists among humanity. We need internal change
for a peaceful, abundant life. The cultural changes for better will not
precede this internal change. I have no exact plan for my change, it is
happening with every action or inaction. We can help each other.
-------------------oOo-------------------
** Bob Gebelein <bobgeb@pasiphae.coat.com>, New Hampshire. **
I have no vision of a new civilization, but only a view of how we can
get there. Since my discovery of "the emotional age of puberty" in 1967,
I have known that the vast majority of people have not reached their
adult mental potential as human beings. If a majority of people were
to reach "the emotional age of puberty," we would have a new civilization.
Right now I am the only person I know of that is aware of this important
transition point in human emotional/mental/psychological development.
It begins with psychotherapy, but the name "psychotherapy" comes from
the "medical model," which is inappropriate. The idea is that we all
had philosophical problems thrown at us as children that we were unable
to handle as children. We need to re-hash these problems and work out
better solutions with our adult minds. This will be a normal part of
education in the new civilization.
For now, we can start where I did, with "psychotherapy" as defined in
THE BASIC WRITINGS OF SIGMUND FREUD, THE BASIC WRITINGS OF C.G. JUNG,
ON BECOMING A PERSON, by Carl Rogers, BREAKTHROUGH DREAMING, by Gayle
Delaney, and THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED, by M. Scott Peck. Every single
person earning $30,000 a year should try to do psychotherapy. Pick
your therapist carefully -- get references from knowledgeable people --
some therapists will really make you crazy because of problems of their
own. They might not take you if they diagnose you as having no "mental
disorders." Explain that you want to experience the growth process, to
develop your human potential beyond "normal." Do at least 80 hours of
"psychotherapy." If you experience a positive gain, try to continue on
your own, using journaling and self-analysis of dreams.
As more people reach "the emotional age of puberty," other people will
be inspired by it and be motivated to emulate them. Psychological
development will become part of the normal school curriculum.
Advantages of emotional maturity: #1 better sex life -- also higher
self-esteem, better use of mental functions creativity intuition insight
will etc., leading to higher competence in work function and greater
admiration by other people, respect -- more.
As "the emotional age of puberty" is recognized by academia, tests of
emotional development will be devised based on things people can't
fake, like the ability to differentiate. (Right now it is easy to fake
behavior on a "high spiritual level," just by acting out people's
ideals.) Tests will weed out immature people. People who are not yet
emotionally mature will not be allowed to hold political office, will
not be allowed to be police officers, and, most important of all, will
not be allowed to raise children. Emotionally-immature women being
pregnant will have to choose between abortion and having the baby
adopted instantly (bonded) at birth. The natural mother will know the
adoptive mother and be allowed to see her child, but will not have a
RIGHT to visit -- i.e. will be allowed to visit at the discretion of
the adoptive mother. This will prevent the passing on of the most
prevalent childhood traumatic experience -- outgrowing the parent
psychologically.
-------------------oOo-------------------
** Flemming Funch <ffunch@newciv.org>, Los Angeles, California. **
There will be little need for complicated, drawn-out court cases or
arbitrations between people. Most people will become proficient in
reading the intentions of others and will know when somebody speaks
in earnest and when they are lying.
Covering up facts, misleading others with statistics, promising
things you don't plan to keep, arguing one's case by technicalities -
the majority of the population will be able to see through that and
feel what people really mean.
There will be no use for politicians and lawyers skilled in
deception. Even the casual observer will recognize that words and
gestures are but a small element in the whole scene, and if they
don't match what is actually going on, they aren't worth a thing.
Most conflicts will be easily resolved by the parties clarifying with
each other what they are really trying to accomplish. It will become
common to look deeper and find what people's intentions really are,
rather than just react and judge based on superficial manifestations
and pre-packaged negative value judgements.
Since deceit and insincerity are detectable by almost anybody, they
will gradually fall out of use as any viable way of operating.
-------------------oOo-------------------
** Gerhard Fuchs <gfuchs@t0.or.at>, Vienna, Austria. **
1. Inside changes are only one step away:
The idea, I have about life, has changed: I feel protected and helped , feel
the great pleasure of my mere existence, feel that the best for myself is
the best for the community. I allow myself to know without proof, to step
into everchanging mists of my personality. I am open again for miracles and
magic, which are the natural way of dealing with all everyday problems. I
am so happy, because I need no longer to be frightened or insecure, I do not
feel of no use any more or cut off (I never needed to be, but it took me
some time to stop it): I join again the song of flowers and animals, telling
of easy value-fullfillment, with wonderful blossoms and fruits as the
result of an acceptance of my challenges and transformations. My growth is
both dramatic and easy and a source of happiness.
( I am living already in the future world, I don't bother about things
around me waiting to be brought into museums of stone age and similar.)
2. Several changes will take some time:
Wars, police and prisons belong to the old fear-system. People will not be
restricted to activities that are not good for them: better understanding of
individual potentials will help to use creativity and personal resources in
a much more effectve way.
The communication system (wireless and cheap as thought itself) will use
dreams and clairvoyance to be in touch with the future. What we make out of
this day, our partnership, our community or our world is discussed on many
different levels : family, small groups of many interests, up to world
affairs. The understanding of every person will include an idea of his or
her previous and further lives and of the sense of peoples lives, so it will
be much easier to help.
Low noise and clean energy in transportation and production systems.
The way we eat will no longer be fed by the idea, that if man does not kill
and eat nature, he will be destroyed by her. We will not be so hungry in the
future. Pleasure of human life will lead to a pleasurable life of animals too.
I like to read visions and write this one.
-------------------oOo-------------------
"For the first time in history it is now possible to take care of everybody
at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. Only ten years ago
the 'more with less' technology reached the point where this could be done.
All humanity now has the option of becoming enduringly successful."
- Buckminster Fuller, 1980
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o o
/ \------------------ Flemming A. Funch ------------------/ \
/ * \ World Transformation/New Civilization/Whole Systems / * \
/ * * \ ffunch@newciv.org / * * \
o-------o ---------http://newciv.org/worldtrans/----------o-------o
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