I Love these words: United Human Perspective (UHP). For some reason the words, and some foundational themes, were etched into my brain a few years ago while slumbering. As I woke, I hurriedly wrote down as much as I could remember and subsequently relayed that to my mentor (and exceptional Social Worker), Dr. Linda Plitt Donaldson. Long story short, she helped me to realize that the vision of UHP is to serve in the development of an ultra-transparent and ultra-inclusive global socio-economic cooperative system. Contemporaneously, UHP’s mission is to help recognize and develop the foundational conditions that would allow for any such global cooperative system to exist.
In aide of this mission: United Human Perspective promotes Self and Relationship Development that undergirds Social and Environmental Sustainability. United Human Perspective promotes safe space for All. And with ongoing reflection and practical application of core values (Freedom, Respect, Safety and Love), UHP must promote the Dignity and Worth of all beings. Encapsulating these concepts: UHP therefore aims to protect Mother Earth by promoting value-laden Self- and Relationship-development activities that advance Social Sustainability via individual Wellness and socio-economic cooperation from the level of dyad and onwards to larger groups. All the great Sustainability work being done in the world today? UHP can be a tool to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of those endeavors. A solution for the solutions, so to speak. All the heart wrenching life effacing problems people and societies face? Maybe UHP can help to shine a light on life enhancing best practices and contribute in some humble capacity to craft cultures of care.
Why is this important?
The Problem is multi-faceted and requires considerable ongoing explication. But to be blunt, our Earth is dying as communities crumble and more people suffer, with a tipping point soon-to-be or already reached that drastically accelerates the rate of crumbling and suffering towards a more dystopian future. The signs are all around us–declining Mental/Physical/Social/Spiritual Health. Dehumanization nations, the entrenchment of utilitarian mindsets and proliferation of fear-based decision making. Fractured relationships at all levels, extreme climate change setting some places on fire and drowning others, loss of species, habitat destruction, growing inequity, etc. Global conflicts continue to fuel massive population displacement and untold suffering. Time appears to be running out on multiple fronts along with food, oil, potable water, hope, etc. Solutions exist, but cooperation has not reached a level to effectively implement them. Solutions not yet invented, develop slowly in large part due to difficulty achieving widescale cooperation.
Our wanton consumerism and general lifestyles, all ~8 billion of us and counting, are driving a 6th extinction period and at some point the bottom will fall out if it hasn’t already. Nobody is completely innocent, and also, no one is entirely guilty or responsible–we are who we are and act in certain ways for entirely rational reasons. The drumbeats of war sound louder and louder amidst current regional and international conflicts throughout the world. Fear, tribalism and identity politics are crippling the institutions we have to effect largescale meaningful collaborative change. Nuclear apocalypse is still a very real and present danger. Supply chain and distribution networks are shown to be far more fragile than previously thought—no network is safe from cyber or other types of attack. State sponsored terror and authoritarian atrocities continue to run rampant. Well-intentioned development efforts often sow seeds of discontent and cultural/community dissolution. Political climates tend to be fraught with gridlock and zero-sum gamesmanship as competing polarities and special interest lobbies seek to assert and manifest their own version of Truth/Justice/Power. [Within the current system, what choice is there but to chaotically compete for a piece of the capitalism-democracy-authoritarianism frankenstein? To eke out social fabric and safety netting like dogs fighting for scraps thrown out by the geo-political and economic powers that be? To praise our own efforts or lambaste laziness or deficits in others while laregly being unaware of the privileges we’ve had the good fortune of being born into or conditioned by?]
Formulaic campaigns typically sow division and dehumanize the competition via an “us vs. them” approach to interaction. People are getting more and more desperate as the wealth gap continues to increase. Pursuing life of crime thus becomes identity and culture for many. Conditions are crippling cultural ability to promote the sanctity of life. MASS SHOOTINGS. All around us we see crime and cost-of-living increases. The safety net has always been frayed, but now it’s tearing at the seams and we’re running out of material and impetus to repair it.
Such ‘doom and gloom’ prompts two general responses: 1) We should do all we can to effectively support the environment and each other, or 2) Who cares? If society is so far gone, or the Problem so complex, then what’s the point of engaging in pro-Sustainability behavior? Concerning point #2, we see this already as a governing principle in the lives of so many people/entities who exhibit cynicism and/or nihilistic tendencies. Fundamentally then, cultivation of Hope becomes an existential imperative. We are seeing a rise in isolationism in individuals, groups, and nations. We are being conditioned more and more to dehumanize the ‘other’ and to see humanity in terms of “winners” and “losers”, or “that’s just the way it is.” Conditioned to be more insecure and self-interested, we see people less likely to find meaning and Purpose that values Life and Wellness–that values freedom, respect, safety, and Love for Self and Others. We see a faltering in the overall practices that promote interconnectedness, healthy relationships, and equitable globalization.
We see a rise in survivalism–not necessarily a concrete good or bad thing. For example, we have seen a recent rise in people “doomsday prepping” with an almost entirely us vs them approach, or community-oriented “simple living” along with making intentional choices such as going Vegan or being a net-zero or net-negative carbon emitter thereby amalgamating such similar lifestyles into potentially more holistic cultures of care. The life enhancing forces for light in this world are literally stemming the tide of accelerated destruction by crafting cultures of care. Interfacing with some aspect of these cultures of care can be a profoundly Hopeful experience.
Despite Hope and existing cultures of care, status-quo legal, socio-economic, and political structures at all levels are balking under the pressure to stem the tide of suffering amidst worsening chaos and destruction. Historically, we’ve been here before but the stakes are Much higher this time around. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that We drastically increase rates of development and adoption of pro-Sustainability behaviors. We need to support, enhance and otherwise energize the forces at play that are actively provisioning for the 7th generation and beyond. And in times of crisis or “re-building”, we need socially sustainable relationship development to grease the engine of goal-oriented cooperation. Socially sustainable relationships made possible within an overarching system of environmental stewardship by individuals united in value consciousness that honors freedom, respect, safety and love.
**Note Well** The Problem is BIG, highly nuanced, and likely requires substantially more verbiage and/or verbal judo in order to become more palatable for the mainstream. It’s an individual problem, as well as a societal one. It’s one of process, as well as product. We each already have our conditioned understanding of the Problem (and the Solutions) that is reasonable and correct in its own right. I humbly apologize if my words conjure up any defensive, dysphoric or otherwise distressing reactions within. I understand how unappealing it is to see a bleak world despite echoes of Hope. Doomsday preachers are annoying. Ego makes it hard to un-learn and re-learn aspects of reality we have been conditioned to identify with. Plus, the psyche often simply craves information on “the good”–on Solutions, therefore excess Problem focus can be unsettling. Be that as it may, what are your thoughts and views on the Problem?
What can a United Human Perspective do to help?
How do we, as individuals, develop understanding and adoption of Solutions for individual Wellness and Social Sustainability? There is SO much information out there! Where do we begin? What do we rely on? We have our upbringing and local culture with general environmental influences which are incredibly varied on many fronts, and tied into that is having access to an unfathomable amount of information from several sources, each of which promotes truth(s) that exist on multi-polar spectra of subjective interpretation.
A United Human Perspective addresses this concern by serving as a forum, theoretical framework, and Practice to continuously reflect and collaboratively develop a Sustainability Wisdom guide and repository of sorts–Collective and Individual wisdom from all walks of life that nurtures Life–congruent with core values of Freedom, Respect, Love and Safety. It aims to further analyze and constructively compile information on the Problem, as well as to highlight and honor Solutions for Sustainability. Practically, this means providing a more visible means of envisioning the full scope of the Problem (i.e. conditions that are life-effacing) while also “seeing the good in the world”—the incredible wealth of people, organizations, and activities that are already engaged in pro-Sustainability behaviors and aligned with a UHP vision to some extent to enhance Life. It means developing an interface for people to utilize so that we can more effectively bear witness to Problems while accessing Solutions in a spirit of Collaboration–helping us to optimize our Potential and Purpose as individuals/groups. It means actively demonstrating that Hope–as a concept for ourselves, relationships, and the future of humanity–is real and legitimate.
In conjunction with serving as a guide and repository of Wisdom, United Human Perspective also serves currently to encourage cooperative efforts and Unity among individuals and groups from different economic and political backgrounds. UHP activities that are grounded in Core Values, aims to encourage the development of initiatives that yield triple bottom line return (i.e. benefits accrued financially, to the environment, and the community). Such activities are more likely to foster cooperative efforts thereby allowing for ever greater levels of efficiency and effectiveness with regards to crafting and implementing Solutions for sustainable living. UHP therefore intends to serve as a Values-driven social and economic vehicle for cultural change that actively supports livelihoods while raising consciousness among individuals and groups, for the purpose of promoting individual, social and environmental Wellness and Sustainability. Such service, in our view, shall be integral to optimizing best practices that boost overall rates of development and adoption of pro-Sustainability behaviors.
Reflection 6/9/22
These words don’t fully explicate the Form and Function of a United Human Perspective. Too many ideas and offshoots to consider–this website and these blogs are working concepts. And it’s friggen complicated! In time, my fervent hope is that all which needs to be revealed, developed, and organized shall be revealed, developed and organized in due course with prayer, intentional effort and collaboration in line with Core Values and a spirit of egalitarian innovation. I am incredibly humbled by the sheer complexity of the endeavor after considering it the past few years. I am humbled by so many people and entities doing fantastic work and I do sometimes wish I could simply be smarter or more driven in certain ways. I am humbled by my own limitations, addictions and the weight of life experience. No doubt there are specific Self, technological, political and socio-economic “fixes” we should be advocating for in order to stem the tide of destruction and suffering in the here and now. There are many who will, to varying degrees, pursue their optimal potential and advocate for further development of technological advancements, political action + reform, free-market competition, or other interest as the primary and perhaps only Solution. “Act locally, not globally.” Many people will hold different values and assumptions of the human condition and possibly approach a United Human Perspective with suspicion and cynicism or be unable to grasp the benefits. None of this is “wrong” and I’ll never intend to imply as such. We all have a role to play. All shall benefit.
Thanks to family and friends for helping me to develop the UHP concept. I have so much gratitude for all the influences guiding my hand currently. Too numerous and varied to count, so Thank You to experience and All who have conditioned me to have the motivation required to engage in this endeavor. Indeed, I can’t see how anyone comes to be where they are if it weren’t for the seemingly infinite and intricate variable interplay conditioning us throughout life. Therefore, thanks for all the “good”, and all the “bad”. All the “hope” and all the “despair”. All the “light” and all the “dark”. All the “Joy” and all the “Suffering”. All the “easy” and all the “challenging”. Especially the challenging. But maybe… just maybe… we don’t always need to have the dark in order to find the light. Maybe we can be the ones to gleefully skip away from Omelas, towards…