[This is all of Section 1 from the original 161 page document “1000Communities2” (see p. 1-2)]

 

 

Introduction

 

                               

A.  Many Difficult Challenges Ahead 

 

1.  More and more people, in more and more parts of the world, are coming to the conclusion that on top of the challenges of

 

a)  global warming and reducing carbon emissions

 

b)  peak oil and reducing dependence on petroleum based products

 

c)  global inequities and the tragic cycles of malnutrition, disease, and death

 

d)  an increasing world population requiring more resources when many resources are becoming more scarce (with a special emphasis on the increasing number of people who are consuming resources and ecological services indiscriminately)

 

there still seems to be a majority of people on the planet who do not have a clear understanding—well-grounded in personal experience—of which basic elements of community life and cultural traditions lead to mutually beneficial understandings, which lead to cycles of violence—and why it is so important for people to achieve clarity on this subject.

 

 [Note: See Appendix 1 for this writers’ assessment of the “Ten Most Difficult Challenges of Our Times”.]¹  [See Appendices 2-8 for evidence in support of that assessment, and references to possible solutions]

 

 

B.  “There are countless numbers of ‘things people can do….”

 

1.  At the same time, there are also more and more people², in more and more parts of the world, who see sufficient evidence for affirming the following four beliefs

 

a)  As a result of the unprecedented opportunities created by the expansion of the Internet, we have now arrived at a very auspicious moment in time… for at no other time in the course of history has so many people had access to so much in the way of time-tested guidelines, inspiring role models, and service-oriented initiatives.

 

b)   There are countless numbers of ‘things people can do in the everyday circumstances of their lives’ which will contribute to peacebuilding, community revitalization, and ecological sustainability efforts, in their own communities and regions—and in other parts of the world.

 

c)  Even now, as you are reading this, truly inspiring contributions of genuine goodwill are being generated in a variety of ways—and in a variety of circumstances—by countless numbers of people in communities around the world.

 

d)  We have the resources necessary to overcome the challenges of our times.

C.   “ … a need for problem solving on a scale most of us have never known before.”

 

1.  Even so, the complexity associated with building bridges and increasing collaboration between diverse communities of people, the urgent need for resolutions to a significant number of critical issues in the near future—and the seemingly chronic nature of many of the challenges of our times—suggests a need for problem solving on a scale most of us have never known before.

 

2.  In addition—there are many important initiatives which are critical to overcoming the challenges of our times, but which are not quite “coming through the mist as much as they should be”.

 

3.  What can we do—at this particular point in time—in the everyday circumstances of our lives, to bring the best ideas from the storehouses of accumulated wisdom now accessible to us and “through the mist”, so that our community building processes will be most effective in helping us overcome the challenges of our times?

 

 

D.  An Exponential Increase in Our Collective Capacity

 

This writer is suggesting that if

 

1)  many communities of people created their own variations of this “1000Communities²” proposal—and thus raised awareness of the potential of time-intensive Community Visioning Initiatives of this nature (with “Community Teaching and Learning Centers”, ongoing workshops, and “sister community” relationships)

 

and if     

 

2)  many such Community Visioning Initiatives were carried out

 

the result would surely be an exponential increase in our collective capacity resolve the challenges of our times.

 

________________________________

 

 

Notes and Source References (Section 1)

 

1.  The ten point assessment in Appendix 1 of this document is excerpted from a 29 page document titled “An Assessment of the Most Difficult Challenges of Our Times” (accessible at the IPCR website at www.ipcri.net), which includes (as supporting evidence) 26 items of commentary and analysis and 17 statistics (from various sources).

2.  The supporting evidence for framing this sentence as a statement is as follows:  this proposal identifies only a small fraction of the inspiring role models and service-oriented initiatives which could be identified by any diverse community of people—and thus only a small fraction of the people who are currently accumulating valuable experience and establishing constructive understandings relevant to overcoming the challenges of our times.  And this writer’s belief is that any responsible and conscientious survey of such people would reveal that 90% of them believe their numbers are increasing.