Loomio
Thu 13 Oct 2016 12:19PM

Try to fix present model vs. co-create new model

J Joe Public Seen by 47

Do you believe it is better to keep trying to find improvement solutions for the present model? Or might better improvement come sooner if we put effort into co-creating a whole new model?

The "model" here is the overall economic/governance/education model with which the USA and other nations operate from. All the systems and subsystems. All the rules and tools. Especially leadership and communications.

The present model is best assessed when it can be compared to alternative models. I'm hoping to start up a discussion that will put forth whole new models (maybe even global operating models most everyone can agree on), so it becomes clearer whether we should shift effort to transitioning to a whole new model. Or do you feel it better to continue to keep sticking fingers in the holes that show up more and more these days in our present model.

Hopefully in exploring the pros and cons of these two paths forward, we will discover a clearer understanding (and statement) of the mission of humanity in the universe.

JR

John Rhoads Fri 14 Oct 2016 5:35AM

I can come up with 1001 reasons why the present model is counterproductive and why fixing it is futile. For me it's like changing a system of obvious coercion to a system of obscured coercion. At the end of the day it's still coercion but because we can't see it we won’t know it's undermining our lives. This has actually been going on successfully for a while and most people don't see it. Another analogy is making brutal slavery a kinder less brutal form of slavery. At the end of the day, it's still slavery but people may tend to overlook that fact because the shock factor has been minimized. In short, fixing the current system is like putting lipstick on a pig. What's ironic is people can be led to believe that the pig is now beautiful using psychological techniques. It's the "The Emperor's New Clothes" irony and it has pervaded all niches of society. It's surprising how many people prefer not to see because they are fearful, cowardly and lazy. The current system rewards this behavior in fact.

I tend to think that older systems such as a small community had good direct democracy and things worked. Small groups work best since voices get heard and people have a stronger or acknowledged (understood) interdependence and love. In essence, small villages or "valley cultures" were open-source by default and that was mainly due to trust. Everybody knew what everybody else was up to and how that affected the group. With technology, we see this idea becoming scalable to whatever size we like while still maintaining that kinship and purpose. I think technology like loomio will allow us, although we live in a big city/world, to once again become a small tightly knit community. I am open to creating a new system yet know that a new system may actually be something we had all along but didn't see it.