In the series “Corona exposes” we went already through three phases.

• Phase 1: The democratic political hierarchy exposed
• Phase 2: The useless, destructive productivity
• Phase 3: Reality is always more than what we are aware of

The main path was to become aware of our blind or forced acceptance of a reality that does not suit our own human sustainable survival as a species. The imposed reality is managed by human powers that try to remain in control because of their own dependence of such reality which may go against the survival of the species. They even legalize their actions according to their own access to law making, instead of adhering to the laws of nature imposed on us now by a simple virus. The opening up of our minds to the existance of more than one reality, one more vulnerable or resilient than others, shows us the need for change, real change.

This last phase, part 4, exposes this new reality, the one in which our human resilience as a species is leading. Anything else is potentially illegal and immoral once we accept this new reality and the genuin changes it implies. Can we do this peacefully? Yes we can, as shown in the article of part 3. Our new awareness comes on top of our old perception. A new context takes over, the rest remains and transforms gradually.

Genuin change

If we accept that genuin change in society is needed, a change that really matters, than “change” must provide a real difference, not just some window dressing, costly remedies or endless discussions. If we do not do it ourselves eventually nature will. The coronavirus is then just a beginning. Such change is not easy unless we treat it as an evolution (just like nature works), not a confrontational revolution (like we seem to do now)…

Within STIR we started to be different by redefining the framework in which we shape society (or community). Based on the societal framework we develop our dialogue and choices. The current frame is “politically economically” driven. The one STIR developed is based on our focus on our resilience as a natural species, not as a money or power driven economy. We defined our framework as “focus on human and natural resilience using 5 predefined core values“.

Reasoning from this new frame does not change the societal structure of before. It remains the same. It just changes our dialogue and corresponding choices, transforming gradually everything we do. You can try it, as your human self, in family context or in your professional function. We even do roleplays to experience the difference.

By changing our frame from money dependence to participation in the creation of and sustaining our core natural values we change also our relationship with money. Money is not a goal anymore. It is just one of the many means we have to our disposal to reach our real goals. Money does not even have to remain in the format of the manipulated euro. It can also be set up in a totally different way, for instance as a “thank you for participating” system instead of “debt and dependence”. Our core values become our goals and the results are shared among all involved. This a suddenly a totally new way of dealing for instance with our food supply, or housing, or healthy air.

Also our relationships among eachother and our institutions changes. Islands of interests cease to exist. They are not relevant anymore. Clusters of people and institutions appear around concrete challenges. Everyone contributes in their own authentic way, according each own ability as a person or institution. Like this our institutions, such as government, business enterprises, knowledge centers and schools, instruments to help us succeed. They are shaped and connected by people that all provided input and support. For us and by us all.

We learn to concentrate on our local productivity and needs. The local clustered communities can form a larger regional cluster for exchange of experience or providing for each others shortages. Like this a global structure can appear of shared values, all based on just 5 natural core values and our symbiotic relation with our natural environment.

The many issues we now know from our old realtity will disappear. Think of inequality, poverty, pollution. loneliness, power abuse, etc. Some issues that we now try to fight through justice are than organized based on trust. Other matter that is no dominant will then become unconstitutional and even illegal. We will learn to see the steps as an evolutionary breakthrough in our history, a total trun around in our human existance.

This “different” is not a utopia, no ideological illusion. It exists already. As City of Tomorrow in Eindhoven (STIR Foundation) we have various working examples of such clusters, such as AiREAS, FRE2SH, COS3i and the School of Talent and Wellness.

In fact, this sustainocratic reality already exists for billions of years. We have as a species gone a long way as we, at some point, learned to think and reflect. We hence, apart from our problem solving capacity, needed to overcome our fear for the unknown.

This last step closes our evolutionary circle. We conquer our fears by building up trust among eachother and the accumulated knowledge by applying this together without damaging our natural habitat. Instead we work together with our environment. For most people (and institutions) however it is difficult to let go of the old format. In the City of Tomorrow this is easy, as many have experienced to date. Both frameworks can coincide, as long as the new one (our sustainable progress as a species through sharing this responsability together) is accepted as leading.

Part 3 of “corona exposes” shows that we lived blindly a particular reality as if it were the only one. Many people, once at home due to the lockdown, forcefully adjusting their lifestyle to a new reality, started to see its benefits. Our collective eyes were opened. Of course many suffered and still suffer the economic consequences as their money dependent activities froze or even disappeared. It is hard to accept that such income and occupancy was purely related to one way of structuring our reality. When this broke apart the activities disappeared while others appeared within the societal importance that arose due to the alleged virus attack and need to attend the many flaws of the old reality within producing human resilience and comfort. A new reality (maybe even more then one) manifests itself, ready to be filled in by new human engagement and structuring.

To illustrate our collective blindness and sudden lifechanging awareness breakthroughs, I use this image. And I ask you “what do you see?”

Most people see a set of squares, with a certain depth due to its design. What most people don’t see are the 16 circles. Can you see them? If you do not you may even declare me crazy, making fun of you, looking at me in disbelief. Circles? That is because the circle reality is not yet part of your truth. And it is hard, if not impossible to accept someone else’s truth that you cannot perceive. There is no reason to “believe” me since there is no promise for a better life to do so, it is just an open invitation to have a more open look and maybe accept my guidance until you capture the new image. Not many accept this invitation (why should I? No need! No time! No patience. No inner curiosity?) if their reality is hooked onto the world of squares, not circles.

This is what happens when I ask people to open up to the reality of Sustainocracy, a society in which human wellness and resilience is leading, not money or political power. Most people ignore me, they don’t even perceive my invitation, because they are fully absorbed into the perception in their single reality. Those who do accept can go through a process of curiosity up to a point of engagement. For those that engage it is not a choice between the squares or circles, it is accepting a reality in which both are present and taking their benefit.

Corona opened up the eyes of many that the old reality may be limited and even potentially damaging. The new reality was often not yet clear, just like the world of circles in the pictures. We may have heard that they exist and now open up to looking broader. Others see the broader picture and start adjusting already.

For me my world changed in 1996 when I had to make very powerful choices. Entirely new dimensions of life reveiled themselves to me. My life has never been the same ever since. Yet I cannot blame others not to see what I see, or behave the way I do. Gradually, over the years more joined me in the new resonance. Now corona pushed even more over the line of awareness.

For those of you still looking at the squares and wanting to see the circles. Just concentrate on the little vertical lines between the squares. The circles will reveil themselves once you relax in the focus on the vertical lines.

In part 1 we looked briefly at the incompatibility of the democratic political hierarchies to take proactive responsability for human values. Part 2 exposes not just the focus on money and our overall dependence. Corona exposed the useless, destructive productivity for the sake of financial benefit instead of human resilience.

Governance

The definition of governance is: the action or manner of governing a state or organization, etc. 

This definition already introduces an objective. What is governing all about? If we look at the way governance evolved over time than we see that is was based creating infrastructure (harbors, roads, logistics) and the aggression of taking (confiscation, plundering, warfare, trade, taxing etc) from others in order to sustain itself. Meanwhile it made use of available human resources through for instance “obedience against food and residence”. Those who were not part of the system would wonder around and try to survive in no-mans land.

Our history has not been peaceful at all. Our wellbeing had been a constant timeline of confrontations and human dominance over others. When industralization developed the popularility of money increased as a means for trade, investment, bribe and employment. The aspect of money became leading for all elements of society, citizens and institutions alike.

For governance the origin of money could at first be self made against a valuable colatoral such as gold. But when the thirst for more money became larger the colatoral changed to different means. Tax increases and debt against time for instance. Also the technique of speculation (artificial price increases due to the politics of creating shortages) introduced itself. While previously greed, self interest and needs for resources were dealt with through aggression against others, now the aggression could extend itself to ones own population by establishing the push for taxed labor, creating shortages to raise prices, allowing debt over future income to impose social controls, etc.

What are we willing to sacrifice if money is our goal?

At individual level we grew blind of moral. We consume articles produced by child labor, because it is cheap. We dump our trash in nature because it is easy. We accept money dominance because without it we cannot have access to the goods around us.

At institutional level we focus on our reason to be, not the consequences of our activities. We produce where it is cheapest, trade across the world, use planetary resources for our processes and don’t worry about pollution, labor abuse, etc as long as we satisfy our shareholders.

At government level we need increasing cash to deal with the consequences of our societal activities. We see costs rise again ailing income. Even the noblest of government cannot deal with the fragmented self interests and public apathy. Regulation is costly and so is aftercare, on top of the old infrastructural responsabilities to keep this type of destructive economy going. Government is forced to be tolerant in order to stay in force but needs to take actions to balance the economy of the taking and giving. Economy of growth is seen as only path forward but it only increases the consequences to unsustainable levels.

The financial crisis in 2008 showed the level of greed and made us loose faith in the banking systems. Instead of taking benefit of the crisis to introduce impactful change capital injections went into the system to save it. Then, 12 years later, COVID19 appears….again they try to save the system with capital injections, the introduction controls and focus on system instruments such aa vaccins. Corona exposes leadership as one track minded management networked globally in an ancient trap of abuse.

Conclusion

During corona lockdown the reality dawned on us. The mass production economy is based on useless, destructive processes. They stopped during lockdown and in just a few weeks both nature and people recovered health positively to the elimination of unnecessary destructiveness. We became aware of the true economy, seen as a cost yet the only one producing real value: care for health. People started crying out for the “new normal”, the appreciation of true value and care for eachother. A new normal that is opposite from what we evolved into over time. We need to let go the obsolete destructiveness and start structuring our resilience together among people and nature. A new type of governance and economy arises.

We are probably experiencing the biggest awareness breakthrough in history of humankind.