WELCOMING POTENTIAL MEMBERS OF A LOCAL VIGDEOC NETWORK
Have you all had something to eat? Food plays an important part in all the activities of the VIGDEOC networks, not just at these introductory events. Not always as brilliant as that we’ve had this evening but always good and wholesome. So, can we start then by thanking Mushir and Jenny for the delicious food they prepared for us this evening.
Now to business
My job is to explain why this could be the most important evening of your lives and your children’s lives. If I am successful you will leave here as a new member of your local VIGDEOC group.
I have to start by reminding you that you’re here because you ticked the “Agree” boxes in the questionnaire on the VIGDEOC’s leaflet.
Can I just check that everyone in this room agrees that
- the whole human family is faced by a bewildering combination of complex social, economic, ecological, managerial, security crises.
- our current systems of government and democracy do not know how to respond to crises such as fossil-fuel emissions, global warming, over-population, rising sea-levels, species extinction, terrorism, drug abuse, gross social and economic inequality, inefficient public services, street crime and much more besides.
- our democratic and governmental systems need to be re- configured so that our societies can tackle the complex crises we face effectively, creatively and intelligently and learn how to co-exist symbiotically with the Gaian Systems to which we all belong.
- all human enterprises, organisations and communities (from Amazonian tribes to Google to the EU) are complex, self-organising, quasi-biological systems.
- companies who model their operations on natural systems, not machines. can lead our economic systems onto a path that is harmonious with the Earth’s ecosystem.
Why is this questionnaire so important? Because VIGDEOC networks are not in the business of debating either scientific evidence that has already been adequately researched and peer-reviewed by the appropriate specialists or obsolete and irrelevant doctrines and dogmas. That would be, to coin a phrase, “Hamster-work”; lots of noise and energy but always finishing up where you started.We have far more important and interesting and fun things to do.
Later, I will be blunt about the business that we have to be in, but for the moment, let’s just explain what a network of VIGDEOCs means.
(USING FLIP CHARTS OR POWER-POINT
Networks of VIGDEOCs are combinations of
- Viable Innovative Gaian Democracies and
- Viable Innovative Gaian Enterprises and
- Viable Innovative Gaian Organisations and
- Viable Innovative Gaian Communities
Put together tens, then hundreds of each category and, in time, they will add up to global networks of VIGDEOCs.
The meanings of Enterprise, Organisation and Community are pretty flexible. They are intended to cover all the formal and informal human systems to which we belong.
But Viable, Innovative and Gaian are different. They all have specialised meanings within the context of the VIGDEOC networks and I’ll explain why those meanings are so important in a minute.
First, though, is there anything you’d like me to clarify so far?
TO BE CONTINUED
After Obama?? 