When Sustainocracy (existential human development through 5 essential values) was contextually introduced (2010) as a shared responsibility of people and institutions, the world of education would react with denial. “We cannot relate to a single ideology”, institutional managers said, “we need to maintain a broad perspective”. This may sound fair but in reality the overarching doctrine was politically and financially oriented. Young generations were prepared to develop skills for jobs in this financial ecosystem, not to develop a critical worldview for our sustainable human development or shared responsibility. After all education (and research) was financed and influenced by the political financial hierarchy, and “who pays determined the deliverables”.

Sustainocracy however sees education and science as one of our cornerstones for our sustainable development. In order to be able to fulfill this task the educational system needs to free itself from the hierarchical dominance and develop itself authentically within an overarching existential mindset. Instead of dependence the sector would develop interdependence with the other cornerstones: government, innovative business development and citizens. It would position itself as one of the leadership archetypes. Its degree of independence would provide it with space and opportunity to develop new knowledge and wisdom. The existential framework of Sustainocracy would help it fulfill its unique tasks, stimulating and feeding the other archetypes with insights to build on. As such we have been experimenting with the approach as the School of Talents, in partnership whenever possible with the world of learning.

Last year I presented Existential Ethics during an educational conference in Budapest. This year I challenged universities gathered in Lisbon to work together with me in the pivotal position of co-creation from a core human existential point of view. My invitation has been extended now to people in over 50 universities around the world. Time will show what the responses will be.

We can romanticize the complexity which we face as humankind, or try to keep addressing it with the methods that have proven to fail us. We can also face the complexity together and join sustainocracy at regional level, with all the local stakeholders and leadership archetypes. That is what we did and do in the region of Eindhoven to address region health and environmental quality, among others. Difficult, but not impossible iff done together.

This (free of charge) ebook describes the process and experiences lived as an independent human being, bringing together all local legs to the table of societal development (citizens, government, business, education and science).