[Richard Sanders]

Paul

I think your question really depends on what we mean by democratic. If we mean the libertarian ‘right’ to do whatever we like as individuals then the answer is an emphatic no.

If we mean the right to vote every 3 or 4 years in a politics that is corrupted by powerful vested interests then I think the answer is no.

On the other hand, I think the only way the crisis can be resolved is democratically (and I am taking a global rather than US or Australian perspective when I say this).

I think the majority of the world’s people don’t want the kind of dog eat dog, debt enslavement, or impoverishment of the majority kind of world created by the vested interests (the 1%).

I think governments (as the agents of the people) are the only institution that can resolve the crisis but currently the wrong kind of people occupy the vehicles of government around the world. Government has been hijacked from the people by vested interests (including political parties) who have little interest in governance or democracy (i.e. they prefer to let the market and the powerful rule).

Unless we the people can re-engage in political life, and communities can decide on the candidates (servant leaders) they wish to stand for election to represent them, and they reclaim the vehicle of governance then I fear all is lost.

I am currently working on an idea I call Planetary Dialogues. The idea is to invite every person on Earth to engage in a regular ongoing conversation about how the necessity of ecological survival provides humanity with the opportunity to co-create a planetary civilisation truly worthy of our humanity – a truly civilized and fulfilling world that is ecologically sustainable, socially cohesive and just. A world where material needs are met equitably as a right for all and enables the full realisation of our humanity.

Why dialogue? Dialogue is a special form of group conversation that seeks to reveal common ground – what we agree about rather than what we disagree about. The dialogue literature describes dialogue as being a transformational process. It is a means of creating a thread of common purpose running through the human family. So it would appear an ongoing global process of Planetary Dialogues has the potential to unify humanity in our diversity and be the agency for global transformation.

Furthermore, I believe that by utilising social media and celebrities (people to whom very large numbers of people relate to in some way) it does not take a huge organisation to make something like this go viral. Indeed it is conceivable that a single person might be able to make something like this happen.

Paul, I would value your thoughts.

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