These views are offered as perspectives that emerge from my experience. They are offered for our consideration. I assume that if we decide not to follow this path that we will have good reasons for doing so.
1. Although we probably need to sharpen our sense of it, WAAS has a unique focus (mission?), which we should offer to the world.
2. However, there are at least three major features of our world that are not unique to WAAS. (a) The sense we have of this time in history and the character of the future that is emerging. (b) Our vision of the future that we serve and the world we are committed to realizing. (c) The characteristics of the community we bring to the work and the deep human purposes that animate us.
3 It is good news that we share these three features with others. First, if we did not, there is no chance that we could make any differences at all. Second, all those who share our sense of these things are potentially allies and partners.
4. There are several good reasons for working with and through allies and partners, rather than by ourselves. Among them are: (a) In a world of powerful noise-makers, there is little chance that any signal we can create will be heard, digested and acted upon. (b) When we act alone, we sub-optimize and reinforce the strength of the powerful, not the knowledgeable. (c) Many funders are tired of funding sub-optimized fragments. (d) With partners, we can participate in larger and longer projects that may make greater differences than we can make alone. (e) Others are willing to cooperate, provided that the manner of doing so does not mean that most of us are just peons in someone else’s army. (f) The 21st Century requires that as whole societies that we respond strategically and with significant efforts to the situations that are emerging around and within us, puddling through in our own little ways will no longer do it. (This point can be explored in the forum for the emerging conditions of the 21st Century.)
5. It seems to follow that WAAS could (should?) commit to undertaking all major projects in the future by working with and through partners and allies.
6. An example of the kind of project we might consider follows. It is only one possibility, among countless others.
Learning to Cooperate with our Evolution: Develop a truly relevant and effective global, web-enabled, community of persons, organizations and networks who meet in bi-annual World Conferences – folks who “get it” that co-creation is real whether we like it or not and that the new challenge to humanity is to consciously co-create the next form of civilization – one that moves us beyond any known to date. This work underlies all other projects, from limiting C02 levels to developing just and respectful communities.
Ruben Nelson, Canada
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