By Wade Lee Hudson
Jazz...gives us a glimpse into what America is going to be when it becomes itself.
Wynton Marsalis
Contents:
Preface
Introduction
The System
The United States
A Transformative Worldview
• Compassion
• Humility
• Collaboration
Vision
An 8-Step Strategy
Conclusion
About the Author
Preface
Transform America: A Declaration for Action (v 1.0) aims to help America fulfill its highest ideals. After considering the nature of the problems we face, the declaration presents a worldview, vision, goals, strategy, and tactics for how we can transform our society into a truly compassionate community.
This document is a work-in-progress. Your suggestions for how to improve it are welcome. I’ll share feedback with respondents and invite interested individuals to meet to discuss the ideas
presented here. Eventually a team may form to co-author this proposal (or start over from scratch to write a similar proposal).
I’ve tried to make this document as brief as possible by only including material that I believe is essential to help build a unified grassroots movement to help America become itself.
I’d like to know what you think. If you’d like to discuss these issues face-to-face with me and/or others, please let me know. You can send your comments to <wade@wadehudson.net>.
Wade Lee Hudson
May 2013
Transform America:
A Declaration for Action (v 1.0)
Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is
sentimental and anemic…. An edifice that produces beggars needs restructuring.
--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Introduction
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America is a strong mission statement. It reads:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Of particular importance is the phrase “promote the general welfare.” This ideal affirms a commitment to the common good. Unfortunately, from the beginning of our nation, we’ve failed to fully honor that promise.
Also significant is the phrase “a more perfect Union.” This wording implies that ongoing improvements are necessary. We are called to realize our ideals more fully. As a nation, we have many fine qualities and have inspired the world. At the same time, we can do better.
By tapping our deepest human nature, we can create a new, more harmonious society. We can restructure our institutions, improve our moral character, and inspire ourselves to be true to our higher self. Avoiding both self-sacrifice and selfishness, we can love others as we love ourselves.
The enormous problems we face include:
• Climate change that threatens our ability to live on this planet.
• A top-heavy economy that could collapse like a house of cards.
• Growing inequality with ever more of our nation’s income going to the top 1%.
• Corruption, cheating, greed, and self-centeredness throughout society.
• Political gridlock as our elected officials care mostly about their own ambitions.
• Thousands of premature deaths every day throughout the world.
To address these and many other social ills, we need to confront root causes and seek fundamental reform throughout society:
• Locally, nationally, and globally.
• In our communities, our families, and ourselves.
• In our institutions.
• In our cultures.
To move in this direction and cultivate lasting, positive change, we need to:
• Work on our personal development.
• Support others who do the same.
• Take care of our families.
• Improve our communities.
• Join with others to change national and corporate policies.
If we the American people unite to implement reforms that a majority of us already support, we can transform our social system into a compassionate community dedicated to the common good of all humanity.
One key component in the plan presented here is the development of a Million Member Monthly Mobilization to communicate to Congress the same message on a timely issue each month, with the understanding that this message would already be supported by most Americans. This project would be launched when 100,000 individuals and organizations have signed a Commitment to participate.
Equally important is the cultivation of personal, social, and cultural changes that are needed in order to achieve profound transformation throughout society.
Activists often have problems relating to each other as equals. We tend to use each other as instruments, rather than relate as full human beings. We have trouble communicating effectively with the general public. We talk too much and don’t listen enough. We’re too sure of ourselves and fail to acknowledge what we don’t know. We tend to burn out after periods of frantic activity. Most activists need to work on these and other, similar issues.
In addition, throughout society, self-centeredness, greed, social isolation, and a sense of powerlessness are widespread and increasing. Fear, secrecy, and dishonesty often interfere with the development of authentic relationships.
But positive cultural shifts are happening as well, especially among young Americans. Concern for others, civic engagement, and volunteerism are increasing. Many people are cultivating trust, transparency, and the ability to communicate heart-to-heart. We need to strengthen those trends.
Even now, if our public policies reflected the opinions of most Americans, our society would be much different and greatly improved. With those policies in place, public opinion could then shift to support further improvements.
What is lacking is enough popular pressure to change national policies. If, in addition to their other valuable efforts to improve themselves and their communities, a million or more Americans dedicated three hours a month to unified action focused on national policy, we could move forward more effectively.
Most people can find three hours a month for something they consider important. We just need to give them reason to believe their efforts will make a difference.
First we need to acknowledge what we are up against: a self-perpetuating social system.
The System
Prior to the birth of centralized agriculture, for almost 200,000 years, human beings lived as hunter-gatherers in small, compassionate, egalitarian societies. All members were of equal value. The community cared for everyone. Food was readily available. No single member (or group) accumulated a surplus of resources. Hunter-gatherers worked much less than people do today. They had more leisure time and still ate well. They were satisfied with very little in the material sense. In lush environments like the Pacific Northwest, they settled year-round and different tribes who spoke different languages lived peacefully near each other. In other areas, nomads moved as the seasons changed. Throughout the world, ancient literatures recalled this period as the “Golden Age.” The Bible refers to it as the Garden of Eden.
This 200,000-year history reinforced natural tendencies toward empathy, compassion, sharing, and cooperation. These qualities are in our deepest roots.
When centralized agriculture developed about 10,000 years ago (on several continents at about the same time due to global climate change) and increased populations became more concentrated, elites began to seize prized possessions and political power for themselves, at the expense of everyone else. Although some societies, including totalitarian countries like Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and Communist China, have been more oppressive than others, protecting elite privileges has been the driving force in every post-agricultural society.
Under monarchies, royal families monopolized wealth and power, and passed on their privileges to their children. As foreign trade flourished, newly prosperous businessmen challenged this biological inheritance, established some degree of democracy, and took more wealth for themselves.
In countries with electoral democracy, ruling elites with absolute power have been replaced by managerial elites with limited power. These elites, though still powerful, face restraints on their power.
But even in relatively democratic countries, the children of managerial elites still benefit enormously from their many advantages. Consequently, most adults are in the same social class they were born in. The top 1% enjoy their privileges for generations to come. Social inheritance has replaced biological inheritance – in countries that are considered “capitalist” as well as those that are not.
Culturally, modern societies:
• Foster selfishness.
• Glorify the rich and famous.
• Promote the relentless pursuit of material goods.
• Encourage ruthless competition to move up the ladder of success.
• Discriminate against people based on race, gender, sexual orientation, physical attractiveness, age, disability, and/or other arbitrary characteristics.
• Teach people to automatically submit to power.
• Deprive most people of personal power by instilling either low self-esteem that undermines self-confidence or inflated self-esteem that is fragile when faced with failure.
• Give more credit than is due to individuals who are “successful” by ignoring the role of luck and the advantages held from birth.
• Affirm the notion that leaders are those who mobilize followers to do what the leader wants.
• Give special status to professionals who tell others how to live.
• Socialize individuals to be workaholics who forget how to play spontaneously without purpose.
In terms of our institutions, we have:
• Families in which parents boss their children and try to shape them to the parents’ preconceived notions.
• Old-fashioned schools that teach students that a few are “winners” and everyone else is a “loser.”
• New-fashioned schools that tell all students that they are a “winner” regardless of how well they perform.
• Top-down businesses that give workers little voice and expect them to obey.
• Governments that listen to the 1% and dismiss the 99%.
• Doctors who tell patients what to do.
• A criminal justice system based on punishment and submission.
• Media, arts, and entertainment outlets, including spectator sports, that are primarily concerned about making a profit and routinely perpetuate stereotypes that foster arbitrary discrimination.
• Religious institutions and other community-based organizations that care mostly about their own self-interest, foster materialism, and legitimize established power.
Individual members of society reinforce the dominant social system in one or more of the following ways. Most of us:
• Hope to strike it rich.
• Are primarily concerned about our own needs and/or the needs of our families.
• Believe the wealthy earned their wealth and the poor deserve what they get.
• Feel superior to those “below” us.
• Are constantly anxious about whether our status will improve or worsen.
• Do little to help relieve the suffering of others.
• Adopt hidden agendas and withhold our true feelings.
• Rarely engage in open, honest, compassionate relationships, but primarily tell stories about the past, gossip about others, and engage in intellectual discourse.
• Are becoming increasingly isolated, with fewer close friends with whom we discuss personal problems.
• Largely treat each other as instruments to help get work done.
• Rarely stop thinking and simply play with no goal in mind.
• Become disappointed and angry when others don’t do what we want.
• Lie or use other unethical means to gain our goals.
• Accept abusive behavior by colleagues if it serves our interest.
• Believe “the experts” have the answers.
• Affirm that some one person must always be “in charge.”
• Dominate or submit, lead or follow.
In combination, these cultural, institutional, and individual elements of modern societies reinforce each other to form “the System” and disempower the bulk of the population, which helps our social system perpetuate itself. As with eco-systems, human social systems, or societies, involve many elements that interact to perpetuate themselves.
Together, these elements:
• Weaken social solidarity.
• Foster a lack of self-acceptance.
• Interfere with civic engagement.
• Suppress cooperation.
• Weaken individuals who internalize negative judgments about themselves.
• Discourage individuals from discerning when power is legitimate.
• Fail to cultivate realistic self-esteem grounded in an accurate assessment of one’s skills.
• Encourage most people to be deferential or controlling.
• Undercut self-determination and the development of leadership in everyone.
Individuals are responsible for their actions and should be held accountable, but no one element is in control of a system. No individual or group of individuals is primarily responsible for the state of our union.
If any top-level manager bucks the System, he or she will be fired. Simply replacing top-level managers is no solution. We are all responsible and need to accept our responsibility.
The dominant culture instills beliefs, values, and attitudes that safeguard the status quo. None of us are free of this conditioning. Scapegoating, or blaming others, does not stand up to logic. Each of us lives and works within the System and we reinforce that System in countless ways.
Managerial elites share enough privileges with loyal supporters to maintain stability. If social agitation increases sufficiently, they share more. When that turbulence decreases, they take more for themselves. As a last resort and as a constant intimidating threat in the background, managerial elites use police power to keep order.
Unchecked power, which can be intoxicating, brings out the worst in human nature. Without strong public policies and structures to restrain them, humans are prone to abuse power. As Nicholas Kristof wrote, “When the system allows you more than your fair share, it’s human to grab.”
Those who are most selfish seek positions of power single-mindedly for their own benefit. As they gain more power, they desire even more. And they recruit loyal followers to share the reins of power.
The general public reacts to this situation in various ways. They:
• Accept the social order and try to prosper within it.
• Become angry about the injustice of the situation and submit reluctantly.
• Rebel as individuals or in small groups.
• Participate in sub-cultures, or “escape valves,” which provide personal satisfaction but leave the dominant social order untouched.
• Attempt to forcefully overthrow the elite.
When successful, efforts to seize power with force (whether violent or nonviolent) have largely reproduced the same patterns that have characterized all societies since the birth of agriculture:
• Top-down power.
• Concentrated wealth.
• Stratified social classes.
The United States
In the United States, after overthrowing the British monarchy and establishing a limited degree of democracy, popular rebellions have periodically challenged managerial elites, achieved greater democracy, and improved living conditions. In response, managerial elites have fought back to regain more wealth and power for themselves.
Since the 1960s there has been no effective popular movement pushing for greater economic justice.
Consequently:
• The role of big money in politics has increased.
• Managerial elites have weakened labor unions and lowered tax rates on the wealthy.
• Social mobility has worsened. People are even more likely to remain in the same social class throughout their life.
The top 1%:
• Own 35% of the nation’s wealth.
• Take home 17% of the nation’s total personal income, more than twice their 1970 share.
• Have an average annual income of $900,000.
Compared to the general public, the top 1%:
• Live in a different world.
• Hold much different views on public policy.
• Exercise much greater influence on elected officials and administrative decision-makers.
The financial industry is particularly important. Wall Street affects our entire society. Its negative impacts include:
• Our biggest banks primarily profit from buying and selling financial instruments (“paper”) – not from making loans to businesses and consumers. With its lucrative trading in this nonproductive “paper economy,” Wall Street sucks money out of the “real economy,” which has helped to hollow out industrial America. One-third of our nation’s corporate profits goes to the financial sector and that percentage is increasing.
• When their speculative bubbles burst, Wall Street inflicts even greater damage on the economy. More unemployment and increased poverty result. But bankers love instability because it enables them to make even more money. They bet that bubbles will burst and then buy up assets at low prices when they do.
• Economic stagnation results in reduced revenues for local and state governments, which weakens their ability to provide vital public services.
• Taxpayers must bail out big banks that get into serious trouble in order to prevent widespread economic catastrophe.
• Thanks to federal subsidies that give them competitive advantages, the big banks are driving community banks (the traditional source of loans for consumers and businesses) out of business.
• Their obscene greed cheapens our culture.
• Their cheating, fraud, and other violations of the law undermine confidence and encourages more of the same.
• With most of the nation’s total banking assets, the biggest banks hold enormous political power. And they use their power to block positive reform, including tax reform.
• All of these elements contribute to social discord, widespread anger, and despair.
In order to transform America, Wall Street reform is essential, as are reforms throughout society. Progress in one area will strengthen progress in other areas, leading to a positive upward spiral. As the various elements of our current system reinforce each other, reforms also reinforce each other.
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To grow an effective movement to transform America, it will be helpful to share a transformative worldview.
A Transformative Worldview
Compassion
Humans are inherently compassionate. When we set aside our self-centeredness, we experience deep compassion for others and for life itself. We change what we can, and accept what we cannot. We try to be true to who we really are, relieve suffering, spread happiness, and improve our world, including ourselves.
We affirm others’ self-determination. We support both the individual and the community, sometimes focusing on one or the other.
When we are compassionate, we seek to understand others and their point of view. We appreciate that others have understandable reasons for doing what they do. If we had been in their shoes, we may well have acted in a similar manner.
The more we understand others, the more we respect them. We accept that all people are of equal value and deserve to be loved. With this attitude, we make judgments without being judgmental. We criticize people for specific actions without declaring that they are evil individuals.
We recognize that we are all victims of a social system that fosters selfishness and the quest for power over others. We see that we need to change situations that lead us to self-centeredness so we can become more compassionate.
The more open and compassionate we are, the more effective we become. The more effective we are, the more open and compassionate we become.
The more we recognize that our primary problem is our social system, the less we scapegoat others. We let go of our anger at particular individuals, tap deep feelings of love, and move forward with positive, creative energy.
Humility
Compassionate understanding leads to humility. We see more clearly what we have in common with others and are less inclined to feel superior due to minor differences.
We let go of arrogance and listen carefully to others. We connect with people who hold different opinions and see many sides of each reality.
We acknowledge that valuable ideals are often in conflict with one another, which requires compromise. We realize that no one has all the answers.
Awareness of the complexity of our social system reinforces humility. No simple one-way, cause-and-effect dynamic explains our situation. The dilemmas we face are too complicated for easy solutions.
We acknowledge our mistakes and resolve to avoid them in the future in order to become better, more effective human beings. Doing so encourages others to go through their own changes.
When we are humbly aware of how small we are, we are awe-struck by the mystery and beauty of the universe, including the miracle of consciousness. We accept that we can’t measure or fully understand the human mind, which is immaterial, with no boundary. We remember that what we do not know is far greater than what we do know, and the future is unpredictable and uncontrollable.
These realities inspire deep love for life and the source of life, which people God, Allah, and other names. But no word is adequate. Concerning spiritual matters, all words fall short.
That’s why we need artists who inspire us to move beyond words and stop trying to control life with rational thinking. We periodically pause from being goal-oriented and relax, play, and explore, with no purpose other than the sheer joy of it.
By letting go of our arrogance, we learn to be more intuitive and creative, while remaining open to new understanding. We’re willing to periodically suspend our opinions, step back to re-evaluate our beliefs, and consider matters from multiple viewpoints.
We accept uncertainty and ambiguity. We trust others and co-create.
Collaboration
If we are compassionate and humble, we can collaborate with others as equals. The more complex our society becomes, the more we need “the wisdom of crowds” and democratic teams that work together to solve problems. Without knowing the outcome, we act (as best we can) and then reflect before acting again, never knowing for sure what the fruits of our action will be. With a productive balance between self-imposed pressure and peer pressure, we strive to become ever more effective in our efforts.
We realize that achieving win-win agreements works better than forcing our will on others. We seek reconciliation with our “opponents” rather than victory over “enemies.” Even in the heat of confrontation, we always remain open to compromise if and when others are willing to come to the table.
We constantly strive to increase our empathy, trust, and ability to collaborate. Without constantly pushing to get our way, we move forward when the opportunity emerges. We remain flexible and often pause to reconsider. We are directed and focused, but still remain open to shifts in direction. We plan when it’s time to deliberate, and move decisively when it’s time to act.
As compassionate, collaborative leaders, we help to define the problem to be addressed, invite participants to offer suggestions about how to address that problem, and facilitate group decisions about how to proceed.
We treat each other as full human beings. We are open, honest, and transparent. We accept that others need to do what they need to do, and challenge others when they are disrespectful or abusive. We listen carefully to what others say, affirm their insights, and support their active participation.
We provide mutual support to each other to help everyone become more effective, which involves personal development. To improve how we act in the world, we change how we experience the world before we act. This inner transformation fosters outer transformation, which fosters more inner transformation.
With some people, caring friendships develop naturally, spontaneously. But for many people, given the nature of modern society, communities need to consciously nurture caring relationships. Many of us need to set aside special time to share feelings and talk about how we work together. By becoming good friends, we can be more productive collaborators.
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In a never-ending process, we steadily change the mental and ethical traits that characterize us. We undo our negative conditioning and improve our character. We become more compassionate and more effective in acting on our compassion. We grow, often mysteriously. We sometimes suddenly “wake up” and feel like “a new person.” We transform ourselves within a community of individuals who do the same, both as individuals and as a community.
By transforming our society to one that is rooted in compassion, humility, and collaboration, we can fulfill America.
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To move in that direction, it would help to agree on a vision of what America could be -- not a fixed blueprint but a realistic, attractive possibility. The following offers such a vision, which is subject to revision as more people become involved in writing it.
Vision
NOTE: The following is written in the present tense from the perspective of 20 years from now.
As we enter the year 2033, the United States has established that our primary purpose is to serve the common good of all humanity. While taking care of ourselves and each other, Americans assist less prosperous nations to enable their citizens to live in dignity. Boosting the economies of other countries increases demand for American products and nurtures peace. At home, we’ve learned better how to balance individual freedom and social responsibility, work and play, body and soul, and other ideals that are often in tension with one another.
Liberty in Community
The United States of America fully affirms both individual freedom and the value of family, community, and nation. Individuals are free to do as they choose so long as they don’t violate the rights of others. The right of privacy is consistently respected. By preventing unwarranted governmental intrusion into private matters, we're better able to focus the government on important public issues. By inspiring people to be true to their higher nature, we foster compassion and a sense of solidarity with others.
Individuals often start new businesses, some of which enable their owners to become wealthy. A truly progressive tax system enables those with the highest incomes to repay society for the many benefits they receive that enable them to prosper. As income increases, so do taxes. This policy has reduced social strife and boosted the economy, which benefits everyone, including wealthy individuals.
Most prices are set by those who produce products and offer services. Vigorous enforcement of antitrust laws prevents the formation of monopolies and oligopolies that undermine competition.
With public support such as tax credits, low-interest loans, and technical assistance, ever more businesses are becoming worker-controlled cooperatives. In larger cooperatives, workers elect representatives to their governing boards. These businesses earn good profits, give workers a greater voice in their workplace, and are less likely to close down or move to another country. In addition, public policies support workers who want to form a union.
Our government provides essential services that the private sector is unable to provide (because they aren’t profitable) and secures the conditions that businesses need to prosper.
In these ways, we have a “mixed economy” with a blend of private businesses, cooperative enterprises, and public services. This mix is constantly shifting as we experiment to determine what works best, without assuming in advance that the private sector is better than the public sector, or vice versa.
Decentralization
In every arena, decision-making is decentralized and democratized as much as possible. For example, students, parents, teachers, and principals work together as partners, each with a real voice in how the school operates. Nursing homes involve residents and staff in decisions that shape the operation of these facilities. And health services fund self-help groups that enable participants to support one another.
Federal revenue-sharing funds are distributed to local governments that administer programs within broad federal guidelines. This decentralization maximizes local participation in funding decisions and oversight. As a result, programs are more responsive to local needs than would be the case with a federal bureaucracy.
Economic Security
Because wealthy individuals now pay more tax for the support that society provides them and the government uses these revenues to boost the economy (which increases tax revenues), the federal government is able to distribute to local governments substantial funds to hire public-service workers.
Any American who wants to work can get a living-wage job by going to their local unemployment office to find a job in fields such as:
• Childcare.
• Teacher’s assistant.
• Park-and-recreation staff.
• Neighborhood cultural centers.
• Nursing home assistants.
• In-home caregiving.
• Drug counseling.
• Environmental cleanup.
• Other important public-service work.
The minimum wage is high enough to enable single persons to make ends meet. The Earned Income Tax Credit enables working parents to avoid poverty.
Improved Quality of Life
This foundation of economic security has contributed to a steady improvement in our quality of life in the following ways:
• Workers are less anxious about the threat of losing their job.
• Employers treat their employees with more respect and pay higher wages in order to keep them.
• Cutthroat competition and greed have diminished.
• Fewer people feel compelled to work two or three jobs.
• People have more free time to be with their families and engage in educational, civic, or creative activities.
• Crime has declined.
A solid foundation of economic security has facilitated the decriminalization of behaviors that don’t involve violating the rights of others. Prostitutes are no longer pressured to accept abusive situations in order to make ends meet, which has cleared the way to decriminalize prostitution in a way that protects prostitutes and public health.
People with disabling personal problems know that a living-wage job will be available if they overcome their problems, which increases their motivation to do so. Because health and social-service centers are attractive, comfortable, available on demand, truly supportive, and voluntary, people in need utilize them more than was the case decades ago, when large numbers of troubled people wandered the streets in a daze, afraid to go to unfriendly, coercive, paternalistic, and over-crowded institutions.
Decriminalization has taken the profit out of the black-market drug business and eliminated the violence and crime previously associated with drug dealing. Mind-altering drugs are distributed at health clinics along with educational materials about their dangers and the availability of counseling programs.
Socially Responsible Business
The government encourages the development of “flexible purpose corporations” and “public benefit corporations” that serve the public interest as well as earn a profit. Examples include local development corporations and urban farm cooperatives. The growth of these corporations makes it easier for civic-minded entrepreneurs to operate socially responsible business. Most of these businesses use “triple bottom line” accounting that measures their performance with regard to caring for people and the planet as well as profits.
Many states have re-written corporate charters to require corporations to serve the public interest as well as earn profits, as Germany did decades ago. Most consumers are more likely to support socially responsible businesses. More corporations have representatives from their workers, their local communities, and other stakeholders on their governing boards.
More cities and states are establishing publicly owned enterprises such as banks and energy utilities to provide basic public services, along with publicly operated services such as police, fire, public transit, and schools. On all levels, governments support the development of local businesses, especially worker-controlled cooperatives.
Protecting the Environment
We protect the environment with a national zero waste policy and by steadily increasing our use of renewable energy, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat. All products are reused and we expect to achieve our goal of 100% renewable energy by 2065.
With more renewable energy, the restoration of forests, more efficient cars, and other measures, we’ve stopped releasing more greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere each year. These polices have enabled us to slow global warming. Within a few decades, we aim to reverse it. In the meantime, we’re dealing with the ongoing effects of climate change, including:
• Heat waves that kill thousands of people at a time.
• Rising sea levels that threaten coastal cities such as New York and Miami.
• Extreme weather events that lead to devastating floods, famine, malnutrition, and starvation.
• Water shortages.
• Agricultural instability and rising food prices.
Partly in order to conserve energy, governments encourage the development of local economies, such as farmer markets, and the construction of housing close to workplaces to reduce commute times. Imports are decreasing. The use of local resources in production is increasing. Consumers are more likely to buy products produced locally.
Permaculture, which develops sustainable environments and agricultural systems based on principles seen in natural ecosystems, continues to expand.
Community Centers
A key feature of our new society is a network of publicly subsidized community centers that use our schools, parks, recreation centers, religious institutions, and other facilities to provide free or affordable social activities, including:
• Lifelong learning opportunities.
• Cultural activities, including the arts, music, and dance.
• Recreational activities.
• Childcare.
• Support groups.
• Conflict resolution.
• Civic engagement to give Americans a greater voice in public affairs.
Learning
Our schools are lively, participatory communities that empower students, parents, and teachers to work together to guide the learning process, select administrators, and determine their school’s educational philosophy.
Computerized technology helps students learn at their own pace, assist each other with their learning, and focus on those areas that most interest them. Teachers monitor each student’s learning and are available to assist as needed.
Team projects enable students to learn the value of collaboration.
The old emphasis on test scores, “teaching to the test,” and memorizing has been replaced by a balance between self-directed and peer learning that fosters critical thinking and “learning how to learn.”
Schools nurture the whole person, feature the arts and sports, involve students in social issues, and encourage active civic participation.
Beyond Discrimination
Discrimination based on arbitrary characteristics is steadily declining. Charges of discrimination, especially in employment and housing, are quickly investigated and punished when proven. Colleges, universities, businesses, and public agencies incorporate individuals from groups that have been historically disadvantaged, including lower-income people, people of color, and women.
We respect the human rights of undocumented immigrants, who receive public health care and send their children to public school. People awaiting deportation are held under humane conditions with access to legal services.
In addition to controlling our borders, we discourage illegal immigration by assisting economic development in less developed countries so prosperity will enable citizens to remain in their homeland, as they generally prefer. Because undocumented immigrants are vulnerable to exploitation and contribute to our society, we offer them a path to citizenship.
Women are increasingly receiving equal pay for equal work. While discouraging unwanted pregnancies with sex education and family-planning services, a woman's right to choose whether to give birth is protected, with some restrictions. At the same time, society has greatly increased support services for women who wish to have their children adopted.
Criminal Justice
Whenever possible, people who commit crimes repay money or donate services to their victims and/or to society. In combination with the decriminalization of drug use, these measures have resulted in less crowded jails and prisons.
Education about the consequences of crime and other social rehabilitation services – including classes in conflict resolution, nonviolent communication, stress reduction, and meditation – are offered to prisoners as a way to reduce future crime. If prisoners prefer to be left alone and simply do their time, however, they can.
Once prisoners are released, they are eligible for all public services and entitled to vote.
With assistance from strong civilian review boards, police departments are rooting out brutality and corruption. Almost all police officers now see themselves as servants of the people, peacemakers, and mediators. The extensive use of foot patrols in urban areas contributes to higher quality, more personal police work. Vigorous prosecution of white-collar crime has led to a greater sense of fairness. The criminal justice system takes seriously crimes such as embezzlement, fraud, price-fixing, insider trading, malfeasance, and tax evasion.
Campaign Finance
In response to court rulings that enabled wealthy individuals and corporations to spend as much money as they want on elections, we are making progress in our effort to overturn the Supreme Court decision, Citizens United (in which a 5 to 4 majority ruled that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures by corporations, associations, or labor unions).
In the meantime, we match and multiply small individual donations with public financing, which has increased the influence of ordinary voters.
We also use modern technology to permanently register eligible citizens. All voters can vote by mail and all federal elections are held on a weekend to increase voter turnout.
Democratic Media
In recent years, we’ve strengthened public broadcasting, developed a wide variety of media outlets that cultivate citizen journalism, and restored the requirement that private media devote substantial time to providing public-service programming in exchange for their ability to use public airwaves. The media is dedicated to informing the public about the facts, rather than merely reporting “he said, she said.” Media outlets facilitate audience participation and encourage civic participation. We assure that no private corporation is able to own an excessive number of outlets in any one market. We protect the Internet as a means for the affordable, horizontal flow of information and analysis.
Cultural Enrichment
Because artistic and cultural expression is essential to building a more just and democratic society, we cultivate experiences that enrich the inner life, provide new insights, increase awareness, and inspire people to take action to improve the world. Often rooted in inter-disciplinary, participatory collaborations that build supportive communities as a by-product of the creative process, cultural centers enable individuals and communities to:
• Counter stereotyping.
• Communicate their sense of identity, concerns, and hopes for the future.
• Increase broad understanding of those issues.
To counter passive mass entertainment that is uniform, monolithic, and formulaic, we have strengthened our vibrant community arts network that is dedicated to art-as-action. These centers involve ordinary people in collaborations with community-based organizations to give voice to those who are relatively disenfranchised. Participants make art through the lens of diverse cultures and create new tools that integrate, synthesize, and articulate knowledge toward the goal of promoting social justice and personal empowerment.
Personal Development
Our society fosters ongoing personal development, including spiritual growth for those who share this perspective. Each individual defines his or her own goals. We primarily support each other by listening to others report on their efforts.
We are all part of the social system we inherit. Each of us reinforces it in many ways. We therefore need inner change as well as outer change. We need to improve ourselves as well as our society. If we are open, these changes are never-ending.
Often we grow slowly, in subtle ways, and sometimes our changes are sudden and dramatic. Regardless, daily, we need to acknowledge our mistakes and resolve to avoid them in the future. By becoming stronger, healthier, and happier, we can be more effective in our social change efforts.
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To realize a vision of this sort, we need a pragmatic plan for how to grow a nationwide community of individuals committed to achieving it.
An 8-Step Strategy
To transform America, we need a realistic step-by-step strategy to live up to our ideals more fully. Perfection is impossible. We’ll always strive for “a more perfect union.” But if we stick together to build a powerful, grassroots movement that moves in the right direction, we can succeed like we never have before. We can help America be America.
A strategy to transform America into a compassionate community needs the following elements:
• A viable vision. A shared commitment to the kind of society we seek can help hold us together over time, aware that no success is sufficient and no failure is reason to stop.
• Pragmatic idealism. Realistic goals and objectives help elicit participation.
• Internal democracy. Assuring members a real voice helps sustain participation.
• Transparency. Hidden agendas undermine trust.
• Strong coalitions. Organizations can focus on their own work and still unite occasionally.
• Personal development. In order to be more effective externally, we need to work on ourselves internally.
Most Americans are already working to improve this nation and themselves in one way or another. Countless organizations are doing great work on multiple issues. These efforts are important. At the same time, we need to occasionally overcome our fragmentation and unite to support one another on important, timely issues.
Following are some suggestions about how we can achieve this unity. As more people get involved, we can improve this plan.
Step One: Draft a Founding Document
The first step is to draft a statement similar to this one that a wide range of individuals could embrace. This draft presents a possible starting point for such a document. It articulates:
• An analysis of the major problems we face.
• A worldview to guide our action.
• A concrete, long-term vision for fundamental, comprehensive social transformation.
• A specific plan for moving forward, with achievable goals and objectives.
This draft may evolve into a stronger foundation for ongoing work. Or it may prompt others to start with a clean slate to craft a more effective founding document.
Step Two: Finalize the Founding Document
Whether or not it is based on this draft, a substantial team of co-authors forms to write the founding declaration for a new project dedicated to systemic transformation. By forming a relatively small team, all team members are better able to give full attention to input from all other team members, while assuring a good balance of different voices. The team also widely solicits input from others, carefully considers those suggestions, and incorporates those recommendations into their work when feasible.
Step Three: Form an Inclusive Organizing Committee
An inclusive organizing committee forms to direct, supervise, and evaluate the staff who develop the project. At least half of the members of this committee are people of color and at least half are women. Representation from other historically disenfranchised groups, including those without a college degree, low-income individuals, working people, youth, seniors, and the LGBT community is also achieved. The staff solicits start-up funding.
Step Four: Establish a Mechanism for Internal Democracy
The organizing committee posts on the project’s website proposed articles of incorporation and bylaws designed to insure that the project will be both member-controlled and efficient, with inclusive leadership that gives full voice to historically disenfranchised groups. With this structure, active members will elect the national governing board, which will operate openly, post proposed policy decisions in advance so members can offer advice, and delegate responsibility for implementing policies to staff. Organizations that endorse the project and encourage their members to join may have a representative on the governing board. Local teams will be self-directed so long as their work is consistent with national policy. Congressional districts have one member-controlled Congressional Action Team to coordinate relations with its Congressperson.
Step Five: Circulate a Commitment
The organizing committee asks individuals to sign a Commitment such as the following. Organizations sign a similar commitment and urge their members to sign.
The [name of project] Commitment
I largely endorse “Transform America: A Declaration for Action.”
If and when at least 100,000 individuals and organization sign this Commitment, I will:
• Join the [name of project].
• Donate at least $_____ to help launch [name of project].
• Communicate to my Congressperson the monthly message that [name of project’s] national office recommends (unless I have a strong objection to that month’s message).
• Work steadily on my personal development.
• Support my friends and relatives in their personal development
Step Six: Launch
When 100,000 individuals and organizations have signed the Commitment, [name of project] invites both individuals and organizations to join, donate money, and recruit more members. For two months, the national office invites comments on the proposed articles of incorporation and bylaws, and engages in online discussions about issues that emerge. After the organizing committee recruits members for the initial governing board, that board incorporates the project.
Step Seven: Adopt Near-term Goals
After incorporating, the national office facilitates a similar two-month process for considering and adopting near-term goals – that is, goals that might be achieved within two years. [Name of project] focuses on these goals for at least two years, at which time the governing board reconsiders its goals and perhaps adopts new ones. These goals include both proposed changes in national public policy as well as internal goals related to organizational development.
A mechanism is established to enable members to report that they have communicated with their Congresspersons, worked on their personal development, and supported others in their personal development efforts (without requiring the disclosure of private information). Only members who report that they have engaged in these activities are entitled to vote in elections.
Step Eight: Tactics
After adopting two-year goals, the national office launches a Million Member Monthly Mobilization. Each month, the national office urges members to communicate to their Congresspersons a particular message on a timely, important issue. Members are encouraged to express themselves in their own words, whether with a letter, a phone call, a visit to the Congressperson’s office, or by participating in a public forum with the Congressperson or a representative.
Each local Congressional Action Team is encouraged to persuade their Congressperson to convene a carefully structured Community Dialog on the second Saturday of each month that enables constituents to engage in dialog with their Congressperson or their local chief of staff. [name of project] members participate in these events and dialog with others who attend.
In addition to the Monthly Mobilization, those [name of project] members who are able and willing to do so engage in other efforts to advance the project’s vision. Those efforts may include:
• Service Team – aid individuals in need of assistance.
• Cultural Team – plan and implement cultural activities or encourage participation in others’ events that advance [name of project’s] vision.
• Alternatives Team – develop new structures as models for the future.
• Mutual Support Team – support one another in their personal development.
Since collaboration happens best in teams that are small enough to enable everyone to have a voice and large enough for a diversity of perspectives, these teams generally have 10-30 members. Occasionally some team members meet with members from other teams.
Considerable, consistent participation is needed to build team cohesion, so members generally dedicate at leave five hours a week to the team. These teams are encouraged to cultivate a spirit of “contagious happiness” and organize social and cultural activities that help attract new members.
Each self-governing team agrees on its mission, what it offers to its members, and how it will operate. The team routinely clarifies what commitments each member makes to the team. Team members hold each other accountable to those promises.
With these efforts to “change the world,” members change how they relate to each other.
When needed, local teams may engage in nonviolent civil disobedience in the spirit of Gandhi and King to push for solutions to specific problems. Though proposals may at times be presented as “demands” for tactical reasons, remaining open to compromise is essential. The intent is not to force opponents to submit. Dr. King said we should seek “reconciliation, not victory.” Gandhi said, “A nonviolent revolution is not a program for the seizure of power.” This process avoids merely shifting power from one elite to another.
Concerning national policy, winnable local objectives may include:
• Persuading local legislators to support proposed changes in national policy.
• Persuading major decision-makers to participate in a public forum to discuss the problem at hand and brainstorm possible solutions.
• Persuading major stakeholders to participate in a series of open, collaborative, problem-solving dialogs to find win-win solutions.
Any refusal to accept these invitations could be grounds for demonstrations that help attract involvement from the general public. If necessary, these demonstrations could lead to eventual civil disobedience, hopefully leading to negotiation and reconciliation.
Conclusion
To fulfill America we need to transform our entire society. We must establish that our primary mission is to serve the common good of all humanity and transform all of our institutions, our culture, our communities, our families, and ourselves to serve that purpose – while at the same time taking care of ourselves and our families as we love others, avoiding both selfishness and self-sacrifice. When we achieve those goals, we will have transformed our social system.
To maximize our effectiveness, we need a powerful grassroots movement that is able to overcome our fragmentation, unite our various efforts (briefly and occasionally), and sustain itself over time.
To create a new society, we need new methods. Rather than seeking power over others, we need to seek power with others by strengthening democracy throughout society.
If we root our efforts in compassion, humility, and collaboration, we’ll achieve what Gandhi called “evolutionary revolution.” Through step-by-step improvements on concrete issues, we can eventually become a new society that is qualitatively different and greatly improved.
No one knows exactly what the new America will look like. The vision presented here merely provides a glimpse into one possibility. But who could have predicted the many gains that have been accomplished in recent years?
The remarkable resilience and deep compassion demonstrated by humans during times of crisis demonstrate our potential. Now we need to harness that potential and see what emerges.
About the Author
After receiving a Bachelor of Sciences with a Field Major in Social Sciences from the University of California at Berkeley in 1967, I dedicated my life to organizing “communities of faith, love, and action.” Projects that I have initiated or co-founded include: New Seminary Movement, Alternative Futures Community, Network Against Psychiatric Assault, District Eleven Residents Association, Muni Coalition, South of Market Food Coop, Aarti Cooperative Hotel, Tenderloin Self-Help Center, 509 Cultural Center/Luggage Store Gallery, Solutions to Poverty Workshop, Campaign to Abolish Poverty, Economic Security Project, Internet Learning Center, San Francisco Progressive Challenge, Occupy Be the Change Caucus, and Reform-Wall-Street.org.
I’ve also played a major role in a number of other projects, including: Regional Young Adult Project, Vanguard Public Foundation Community Board, San Francisco Community Congress, Westside Community Mental Health, San Francisco Mental Health Advisory Board, Other Avenues Community Food Store,
The Tenderloin Times, and the Iraq Peace Team.
I co-edited
Madness Network News Reader (Glide Publications) and self-published
Economic Security for All: How To End Poverty in the United States,
Global Transformation: Strategy for Action, and
Baghdad Journal.
Several years ago, I largely took a break from organizing to reevaluate how the progressive movement might be more effective. During this period, I initiated several Strategy Workshops, two Compassionate Politics Workshops, and the Social Transformation Using the Three-Fold Path Workshop. I’m very grateful for the insights and support I received from the participants in those workshops.
Books that influenced me during this period include
Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman,
Power and Love: A Theory and Practice of Social Change by Adam Kahane,
Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World by Tina Rosenberg,
The Secret of Teams: What Great Teams Know and Do by Mark Miller and Ken Blanchard,
Millennial Momentum: How a New Generation Is Remaking America by Mr. Morley Winograd and Mr. Michael D. Hais,
True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development by Bill George, Doug Baker and Richard J Leider, and
Transformative Scenario Planning: Working Together to Change the Future by Adam Kahane and Kees van der Heijden.
These reflections have led me to be more explicit about the underlying values and beliefs that have motivated me since 1967. I have concluded that social change activists can be more effective if we consciously support one another in our personal development and clearly commit ourselves to the holistic, comprehensive, fundamental transformation of our social system, which includes ourselves as individuals.
This declaration makes a case for that commitment.
