Living Economies, Vibrant Communities
Portland Living Earth Conference
(page 3 of 14)
If there is to be a human future, we must replace the culture and
institutions of the suicide economy with the culture and institutions
of a planetary system of life-serving, democratically accountable
living economies rooted in communities of place and functioning
in creative productive partnership with the living Earth.
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The dominator relationships of empire follow naturally from
a perception of the world as an inherently hostile and competitive
place . . .
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Our commitment to growing strong local living economies and vibrant
communities is an essential element of an even larger challenge.
The Earth Charter, a remarkable document produced through consultations
over a period of several years involving thousands of persons of
virtually every nationality, race, religion, and ethic grouping
on the planet, opens with these prophetic words: "We stand at
a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must
choose its future."
Given the unfolding policies of the present U.S. political regime
we might characterize it as a choice between American empire and
Earth community. It is a choice between two wholly different visions
of the human future: one leading to global self-destruction through
an escalating spiral of violence against life, the other leading
to a new human civilization dedicated to peace, justice, and the
love of life. This choice is a contemporary manifestation of an
epic struggle deeply rooted in the human psyche between the forces
of empire and the forces of democracy empire and democracy - hierarchy
and self-rule - that extends back to the earliest human experience.
The dominator relationships of empire follow naturally from a perception
of the world as an inherently hostile and competitive place filled
with human and natural enemies that must be controlled or destroyed
by physical force. This perception gives rise to a fear of life
itself and a desire to control or destroy life as an act of self-protection.
It stems in part from a deep inner fear of our own unruly impulses.
It creates a competitive mindset: be a winner or be a loser, rule
or be ruled, kill or be killed. It leads to a belief that trust,
compassion, and cooperation are for fools and cowards. The values
and worldview of empire find expression in a life-destructive global
suicide economy, and in the American Imperium.
The partnership relations of Earth community flow, by contrast,
from a perception that the world is inherently nurturing, compassionate,
and overflowing with creative abundance and opportunity. From the
Earth community perspective, violence and conflict are irrational,
because they are self-destructive. They are morally wrong because
all life is a manifestation of a sacred spiritual unity. Violence
against life is violence against the sacred spirit of creation.
Meaning and purpose are found in equitably sharing power and resources
to secure the well-being of all and engaging in the cooperative
exploration of life's infinite creative possibilities. The values
and worldview of Earth community find eloquent expression in living
economies and global civil society.
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