A change is gonna come

These days I am thinking about the industrial way of living - working away from home, driving everywhere, being stressed out, angry and demoralized because of our schedules, eating food shipped across the globe, buying everything instead of making things, standardization, not having time for social relationships, the elevation of 'knowledge' over 'wisdom.' The list of ways industrialism impacts our lives is huge.

At the same time, I am realizing that we are in the twilight of the industrial age - with oil running low, climate change on the horizon, and many people wondering if this hyper consumer state is the 'it' we have been waiting for. We're told we're rich but we don't always feel rich. The human needs below the surface aren't satisfied by the latest greatest gadget.


So, if we need other people to become fully human, and I believe we do, the question arises: what kind of community do we want to live in? And how are we going to make it a reality?

We understand instinctively that humans are social animals - we need communities to challenge, nurture and inspire us. I think industrialism has caused us to devalue our human relationships. To a large extent, we have forgotten how to work, laugh, play and enjoy each other's company.

We are on the verge of some major changes to our institutions - people recognize that schools, government, transportation, and food production aren't entirely meeting our needs in a post-industrial society. This trend is going to increase as the oil and climate change issues come to bear.

The Baby Boomers are leaving the institutions they have shepherded for decades. They have presided over an energy boom unprecendented in human history. As they retire and peak oil becomes more evident, we are going to be seriously in need of policy, ideas, creativity and leadership for the rest of the 21st century. And quite honestly, if we don't take the challenge seriously, it could have very serious results for the future of humankind.

So I wonder: what will our world look like? Who will lead? Which ideas will drive change? Do we have the collective courage to acknowledge that the status quo won't suffice for 2025 or 2035 or 2081? Do people have the trust needed to work together and how can we make this possible?