Normally I don't forward magazine articles here, but Vondell Smoak
<smoak@harborside.com> sent me this one and I just find it so exciting that
I had to pass it on. It is copyrighted, I'm sure, by Personal
Transformation Magazine where it appeared. Anyway, it seems that most of us
here would belong in this "Cultural Creatives" group that is described, and
that we're not all that alone.
- Flemming
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THE NEW SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE
PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION TO SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
by Tina Rasmussen: July-Sept '96, Personal Transformation Magazine
"This is a social movement waiting to happen. So says Dr. Paul
Ray, a market researcher who recently discovered a new US
subculture which was completely undetected a generation ago. This
group, labeled "Cultural Creatives" has reached a critical mass
of 23.6% of adults, or 44 million people. It is the only one of
the three primary US subcultures which is growing, and it
embodies the values of the human potential movement begun in the
1960s. Ray believes this group could be the key to a new
spiritual Renaissance which could transform society.
The group is called "Cultural Creatives" because they are
generating the most new ideas in society, operating on the leading
edge of cultural transformation. Contrary to popular belief, there
are a few more of them on the West Coast but they are found in all
regions of the country. The male to female ratio is 40-60, their
median age is 42, and they are more educated then the other
subcultures. They are less concerned with success or making
money, although most are middle or upper-middle class, and some
have quite high incomes. They hold values of:
1) Spirituality and self-actualization, a sense of the
sacred that incorporates personal growth, psychology, holistic
health, and spiritual service to others.
2) Sustainability beyond environmentalism, rebuilding
community, planetary, ecological, the sacredness of nature,
voluntary simplicity.
3) Globalism, love of foreign travel, foreigners, and the
exotic.
4) Relationships, feminist ideology, women's issues, family,
and nonviolence.
5) Social conscience and optimism, altruism, idealism.
Contrary to critics' views, the study found that a focus on
personal development does not lead to a reduction in social
conscience. 'Cultural Creatives' were found to be active
volunteers and donators to causes.
As with all three subcultures, "Cultural Creatives" also
define themselves by what they are not. They reject the hedonism,
materialism, and cynicism of modern society as well as the
scarcity orientation of the working class, the anti-sustainability
of conservatives, and the intolerance of religious extremists.
Do these values sound familiar? It is likely that many
readers of "Personal Transformation" are part of this promising
new group. But how did this third US subculture evolve? As
recently as the 1960s, only two cultural forms were visible: the
"Heartlanders" and the "Modernists."
"Heartlanders" have a nostalgic image of returning to small
town, religious, white America which corresponds to the period of
1890 to 1930. Although this image is based more on myth than
reality, "Heartlanders" emphasize recapturing the "good old
American traditions." The "Heartlanders" were 50 to 60% of
America two generations ago and are now only 29%. They tend to be
older than the other two subcultures and their income and
education tend to be lower. As their numbers decline, they are not
being replaced; they have gone from mainstream to minority status in 50
years. The current resurgence of conservatism in America may be a "last
hurrah" for this group, in which they appeal to disenchanted "Modernists"
by providing an alternative to materialistic values.
The "Modernist" are now the mainstream of society, with 47% of
the population or 88 million people, although this subculture is also in a
slow decline "Modernism" emerged from the urban and merchant classes who
created the modern economy. "Modernist" society is idealized in the growth
and expansion of the 1920s and 1950s While "Modernist" span the range of
demographics, its middle and uppermiddle class members can be difficult to
distinguish from "Cultural Creatives" without understanding their
differences in values. "Modernists" embody "winner" values: a success
orientation, upward mobility, material acquisition, and status display.
Their numbers are in decline in part because of their culture's inattention
to non-material values which give life intrinsic
meaning. In addition, "Modernist" solutions to the world's problems
--while once promising -- have created as many problems as they have solved.
"Modernists" are becoming disenchanted, which is evidenced by a level of
cynicism higher then the other subcultures, This cynicism is also evident
in the media, which embodies and caters to the culturally dominant
"Modernist" view. According to the media, the world is "in collapse"--and
indeed the "Modernist" world is. In contrast, the hopeful trends and
innovations being established by "Cultural Creatives" provide a note of
optimism but the fact that we rarely see or hear about these in the media
leaves us with a societal self-image of
deterioration.
Because of these factors, the long run momentum and hope for the
future is with the "Cultural Creatives" if they can gain the cohesion to
create and act upon a tangible vision of an alternate society.
Paradoxically, most "Cultural Creatives" believe they are alone ---that few
people share their values, This causes them to be hesitant to disclose or
champion their values in public arenas, such as business or politics. Yet,
the "Cultural Creatives" have a population the size of France!! As Ray's
report says, "Take heart! Unbeknownst to most of us, we've been traveling
in the midst of an enormous company of allies --a larger population of
creative people who are the carriers of more positive ideas, values, and
trends than any previous Renaissance period has ever
seen. And they can probably be mobilized to act altruistically on behalf of our
collective future." Ray, whose study was sponsored by the Institute of
Noetic Sciences and the Fetter Institute, believes that we are at a turning
point the history of humanity. Despite the fact that the "Cultural
Creatives" have reached a critical mass of nearly a quarter of the
population, our future is still not foreordained. Rather, it is a time of
a "Great Divide" which we could evolve into a "New Renaissance" of rebirth
and transcendence or a "Fall of Rome"
followed by a "Dark Ages."
In a recent interview with Personal Transformation, Ray said
that he believes the highest leverage point in creating this Renaissance is
the mobilization of "Cultural Creatives," especially in the workplace. "My
main message for 'Cultural Creatives" is that they can turn the tide by
doing two things. First, they need to get together to invent new images of
what the world could be. Then they need systematically to move
altruistically into institutions they're not as comfortable in--the ones
they opted out of such as business, politics, the financial community,
technology, and the mass media. Historically, cultural transformation has
required some suffering on the part of those who led the way. If the
'Cultural Creatives' could go back to the institutions they have left and
have the courage to infuse them with these new values, the momentum could
sweep
society in a profound and lasting way.
Forums and opportunities for public demonstration of our
spiritual values abound. "Personal Transformation" recently featured an
article on one such conference on The Birthing of the Society of the
Universal Human. Similar conferences and workshops of like-minded people
are everywhere, from small local gatherings to international events.
However, none have provided a catalyzing force which has drawn more than a
tiny percentage of the 44 million "Cultural Creatives"
One recent event which drew a somewhat larger crowd was the
Foundation for Ethics and Meaning Conference held in Washington, D.C, on
April 14. Nearly 2,000 people from a wide variety of belief systems and
backgrounds gathered to begin a formalized discussion to incorporate new
"Politics of Meaning" into US culture. Attendees were attracted to the
underlying principle of the Foundation: that it is fundamentally wrong for
any individual or group to dominate another, but that, when we look at
mainstream "Modernist" society, exploitation of people and resources for
financial gain is the norm. The Foundation proposes that we need a new
vision of our society in which the fundamental principle is the recognition
of the inherent value of all
people and the unity between us. Although the Foundation's focus is on
political action, they too believe the workplace is a key leverage point in
building a community of meaning which transcends materialism and embraces
spiritual, sustainable values.
Many other proponents of this new vision are also urging people
to be more vocal and active, to "stand up and be counted." In many of her
public speeches last year, Marianne Williamson (author of "Illuminata" and
"Return to Love") encouraged people to start "coming out," to live their
spiritual beliefs at a new level of robustness, within public forums.
Publisher John Renesch made a similar "call to Spartacus" when he urged
people in the business community to demonstrate the courage that Spartacus
exhibited when he helped slaves gain their freedom in ancient times.
A "Spiritual Renaissance" could herald a new era for humankind,
with the US leading the world in a new spirituality which integrates the
beneficial elements of our history while transcending its materialism and
other drawbacks. The new sciences, as well as the wisdom of the ages, tell
us that what we hold in our minds is likely to be created in our reality.
Crossing the
"Great Divide" and moving toward a "New Renaissance" can only happen when
we create a collective vision which is so inspiring that people are moved
to become
part of it. The world needs guiding lights, people who have experienced
their own personal transformations and are able to bring this light of hope
into the world. The question is: Are they -- are we -- willing to take the
risk?
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