And the Good News is, the World Has Ended, As We Know It.

Something deeply profound is happening. Everywhere I go around the world I see profound change and transformation. From the poorest among us, to the richest we are changing. From the growing level of discontent something beautiful is emerging - a shift in consciousness is rippling across our world, awakening a sense of spirit and a growing desire to bring that spirit alive in our work, our institutions, our communities, and in our personal lives. It is a different kind of “revolution”.  It is organic, beautiful, and graceful. It is “people to people” in a flow of shifting values, from the superficial, to what really matters in life. It’s communities of people mobilized around common vision and values.

 People are awakening to the realization that we are all accountable for our current condition and our behavior has to drastically change. These “people to people” connections, made possible by the explosion of social networking on the internet, have created a beautiful, healthy pandemic. People swept into this movement are discovering a sense of empowerment. They are self-organizing unencumbered by governments, structures, hierarchy, gatekeepers, rules or traditions. They gain their power from the energy fueled by their passion and the strength of their commitment to make a difference – they are taking responsibility for conditions beyond their own lives.

I now believe, we the people of the world, can change the world. We do not have to wait for some bigger than life hero or some president or visionary leader to come save us. We have the power within ourselves to change the world person-by-person, family-by-family and community-by-community. It is possible to make our hopes and dreams come true.

Like the DreamMakers I have interviewed in my books and many people around the world, I believe that now is the most exciting time in the history of humankind to be alive.  So many barriers have broken down, we now have the opportunity and the responsibly to recreate our world in a way that leverages what we have learned from history’s mistakes, tragedies and our successes. What looks and feels like chaos and confusion can become the stuff of which dreams are made.

"What we have before us are some breathtaking opportunities 
disguised as insoluble problems."
     John Gardner, Former US Secretary of HEW, 
     author of Self Renewal, President of Carnegie Corporation

The good news is hope is starting to emerge, person by person, in groups and communities around the world. People are seeking new ways to transform their lives, organizations, communities and their circumstances. Unprecedented numbers of people are banning together to address the global issues and problems of people in communities they have never met; issues like poverty, AIDS, clean water, education. The number of social networking groups connecting, learning and working together with likeminded people to solve problems is amazing. The rapidly evolving social networking internet technology has become a powerful tool for social, environmental and political action – and it is unstoppable!

This emerging mindset is rooted in transcendent positive values that most people treasure regardless of culture, religion or circumstance. I believe everyone, everywhere desires love, compassion, a sense of belonging, the opportunity to learn and grow.  People want to contribute their gifts towards things that matter to them most. There seems to be a growing desire to live with a sense of purpose - to be deliberate about how we shape and live in our communities, our organizations and our institutions. We are developing whole new level of accountability and responsibility.

Our time requires we find the courage to authentically align our actions with our aspirations, our beliefs and our core values. It is time we let go of the beliefs, assumptions and behaviors that limits our growth and smothers our ability to pursue our dreams.

I often think of the caterpillar as it goes through its journey to become a butterfly. It serves as a great metaphor for me during these times.  Just before it goes through its transformation, the butterfly lives in a cocoon of it’s own making. Things must look very scary to the caterpillar – it’s world is dark and deteriorating; messy, ugly and even life threatening. Soon, however, a butterfly emerges, but only when the caterpillar has learned to release itself from what it was, so it can become what it is meant to be next. When I walk through a field in the springtime I see some cocoons that have turned into coffins, but mostly I see beautiful, colorful graceful butterflies enjoying the next stage of their lives.

We humans have the advantage to choose our next stage of being in this world. We must choose well and wisely, and with great respect for the dignity of all of life. In this most remarkable, unprecedented time in the history of humankind, we have within our reach the means to make our hopes and dreams come true.

When I left Herman Miller to join President Clinton’s administration, a group of employees gave me a beautiful gift that hangs on the wall in my office; I cherish it. It is a beautiful abstract painting of our planet with people connected at the head and the heart. The inscription below the painting is a poem called Ascension, it reads:


“Ascension fuels the passion to explore unchartered territories without hesitation or doubt: 
To be a changemaker while challenging others 
to make the same commitment;
To provide a legacy by which others are motivated and transformed.”

My dream is that we discover and release the phenomenal power that lies within each of us, and individually and collectively put that creative energy to work to develop the lives, families, organizations, communities and the world we desire. If we choose to use this powerful force, we can make expediential leaps in the development of humankind. We now have the means to transform our highest aspirations into reality.

We can become powerful DreamMakers and change the destructive course our world is on. We have the opportunity and the capability to leave a beautiful legacy for our children, our grandchildren and future generations. This is our right and our responsibility.