Health first

For over 10 years now we (STIR Foundation) invited local and people to participate in core human values (eg. Health) driven cocreation programs (Sustainocracy, level 4) together. We got a number of programs off the ground but it was not mainstream. It felt often as one step forward and three back. Our efforts were however sufficient to prove our point, get formal recognition, publish worldwide certain results (f.i. AiREAS, air quality and health) and formally establish the level 4, awareness driven cocreation approach.

The corona virus shock up the comfort zones of many. This illustration shows the sentiments of money driven structures, such as business and government (modern dinosaurs) when the lockdowns started.

The word “economy” been distortionated over time, which is the cause of the current institutionalized fear. It does NOT mean “how do I keep or grow my money?”. It’s real meaning is “how to fullfil our needs and deal with shortages?”. A real economy is therefore not speculative, hierarchical, volume or shortage sales oriented, nor debt or tax driven. It is genuine and measurable core natural values driven and participative in cocreation. The next illustration shows us where priorities should be placed…..

Once I asked myself “if money rules, what am I willing to sacrifice to obtain it?”. This question resonated in my head when I decided to leave my executive position as a global expat in a multinational back in 1996. There were many things that I was not willing to sacrifice, on the contrary, not for myself nor for a well paid job. Money should be a means, not a goal. I drew a line for myself. This simple choice in perception of the reality of financial means changed my life as explained in this Braincandy short presentation about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals….

By accepting money as a means than what is the goal? As a single father for me the goal became to provide a safe and healthy environment for my upgrowing children. But what is safe and healthy in an environment in deterioration due to mindless financial “destroy and repair” focus of business and politics? In a world of “what are you willing to sacrifice for financial benefit?” the answer was “everyone is doing it, so why should I change?”. Unhealthy air, unhealthy food, water pollution, no social contacts, negative stress….. Repair attempts became as financially lucrative for business and politics as the destructive growth focus. Until it all became unsustainable….

Why should any business take responsability and risk its continuity or support from stakeholders if no else does? Why would politics take responsability if the public opinion would demand financial stability and growth for their perception of wellness (the cost of living life) instead of humanistic and ecological responsability (the essence of living life)?

Society 21st century

My personal challenge was to define society 21st century in which everyone does take responsability. Beginning with myself. Through my personal life’s challenges I gradually arrived at the five core human values and the vision that this we need to address together (people and institutions), each from their own authentic contribution. In fact, the participation in safeguarding and developing these core values became the “reason to be” of all participants.

Transformation

For certain entities this meant a huge, purpose driven transformation. Despite their original human based mission (eg. Health care) they were often very much money dependent and hence within the dominance of political economic fluctuations, guidelines or instructions. In time of extra needs they would be financially restricted. In times of financial abundance some hierarchical parasitism would try to take benefit. Upon participating in sustainocratic ventures the question was not how to finance these organizations? It became “how to best use their expertise and sustain their needs” through project driven engagements (Care for Health).

Corona came

Sofar participating at a sustainocratic table was a volutary exercise. Corona came and placed the world in a lockdown. Whatever the possible reasoning behind the lockdown it has a powerfull effect on public awareness in general:

• Personal health first
• Solidarity among people
• Realization of what “health” really is
• Seeing our contribution to air pollution
• Seeing what hoarding does to us all
• What are basic needs?
• Questioning authority (due to lack of involvement in decision making) and motives.
• Relativity of jobs (those that really matter)
• Back to essentials
• etc

Back to basics due to Corona shows how many of our “economic” players do not at all contribute to our wellness on the contrary. They closed down to avoid further deterioration and do we really miss them? Other activities suddenly got to stand up to fill spaces and activities that were not covered, or severely reduced, by the financially oriented world. Think of “care for each other”. The sum of all this is awareness of our old “sacrifice” of our planetary benefits for economic processes that nobody needs. Are we willing to go back?

Level 4 regional development

We need not go back, we need to evolve. What does this mean? That we need to recognize for ourselves the need to assure our core natural values for our resilience as a species. Our wellness is not measured through a bank account, it is assured through our awareness driven adaptiveness as a community. It means that we cannot delegate our values to institutions but should take responsability ourselves with the help of the expertise in those institutions. The world upside down people tend to say, when institutions become servant to human natural core values.

This we call level 4 awareness driven regional cocreation:

• Level 1 regional development: basic infrastructure
• Level 2 regional development: integrate infrastructure
• Level 3 regional development: smart data generation and sharing
• Level 4 regional development: core values driven multidisciplinary co-creation

Level 4 cocreation requires a special type of leadership from everyone involved:

• Sustainocrat: remain independent, inviting, connecting and focused on the core values defined within the particular community. Assure interaction based on equality between people and institutions. No one is the boss, the core values are leading and everyone contribute through respected authenticity.
• Government: let go of dominant position and become facilitating. No political interaction based on interests, but participation based on prioritization and readiness to adjust levels 1, 2 and 3.
• Innovative entrepreneurship: product delivery is the start of the participation process not the end. It is what the product or service does in context of the project and expected results that makes the difference.
• Citizens: look at one’s own behavior and cultural influences on the challenges at hand and make the necessary innovative changes in favor of wellness of one’s own self and the community.

Participation is hence hard work, based on self reflective value driven contribution and results driven interaction. In our initiatives we developed various instruments that keep this sustainocratic ecosystem functioning dynamically and everyone successful:

• 4 x Value contribution of all participants (value for human being, society, environment and economic continuity)
• UNITED together based on key motivators to join the group
• SMART interaction and focus
• 10 – 10 – 80 (or 5 – 5 – 90) transparent easy to use project rule

During this corona era it may be fun to practice level 4 awareness driven co-creatioon through online rollplays or even invite people in function to give it a try. The next post will explain how.