By Tom & Carol Braford
After celebrating Independence Day, many of us are wondering once again if our union will long endure and even more importantly if our species, civilization and Earth as a habitable planet will long endure.
Fortunately for now at least, we and those in other more or less democratic countries still have a say in the matter based on a construct of language called agreement. To be workable, that must include an agreement to disagree, and there’s the rub. A growing number of people in our country and around the world are unwilling to submit their will in the matter to a consensus, or even a majority.
Given that less agreement is giving us less of what we want, like a less safe, less secure country and planet, wouldn’t it behoove us to create community consensus that both in the short run, but especially in the long run, creates workability for the vast majority that is prioritized over the wants of a privileged few?
The US is often characterized as an experiment in democracy, which many would now say is failing. But what if out of this sea of disagreement and disagreeability, we could create islands of consensus for workability that would serve as the proverbial beacon on a hill, shining light on what is possible when people of goodwill are willing to come together to create examples of more perfect unions? This would benefit not just St. Louis or the United States of America, but also civilization and this beautiful blue-green marble circling our sun. It could benefit all the other species that are now dependent on us for their survival as well and serve as an incubator for seeding life on other planets throughout our far-flung universe for millennia to come.
We are looking for a few hundred people who are willing to work with us in the creation of ongoing communities of practice designed to be sustainable for the sake of civilization, the planet and future generations, given that what we’re doing now is not working.
Contact: braford@sbcglobal.net
www.ArizmendiEcovillage.com