2022 Vision
The Turnaround Year
Many of us have been working for social change for a long time. We have observed how difficult it is to change the trajectory that we seem to be on. We make incremental alterations but essentially the dominant narrative seems to hold its vitality.
So, what is going on here? Why do we seem incapable of changing our course? What role does social justice play in this scenario? What role do geo-politics have to play in this drama? Is it possible to find a solution to all of this without coming up with a truly global solution? What is that solution?
Social Justice
Here is a map of the world. Without being told, you could probably guess what the map represents, because we have seen this pattern so many times. The actual title is “Countries of the World, based on GDP per capita 2018”. You don’t need a legend to determine the significance of each colour on the map. This configuration of colours, this economic reality has existed for hundreds of years. What would it take to begin to address this global inequality?
There is a disparity in the quality of life between the Global North and the Global South, between individuals of the same societies and countries. This disparity continues to grow despite our awareness that this situation is untenable. At this point in time, it feels like the entire continent of South America is under siege…Bolivia, Venezuela, Chile, Colombia, Argentina. Citizens are constantly in the streets protesting living conditions and government abuses of power. We are witness to the greatest human migration in our history, a phenomenon which is destructive on every level imaginable. On close inspection, the vast majority of these conflicts are a result of outside powers intervening in their affairs seeking to overthrow governments that are not open to their requests. This battle for land and ideologies has been going on for a long, long time. And if left to continue, will not end well. Once again, there are many of us who know why this is happening. Any solutions will need to address this long term pattern and provide a way for us to disentangle from this aspect of our history.
Next up, tales of the past, for how can we know where we are going if we don’t know where we’ve been?
Tales of the Past
Once upon a time, in a land far away (depending on how far you live from the Aegean Sea), people lived peacefully for periods of thousands of years. It was a time when women and men lived together harmoniously, a time when technology was used solely to improve the quality of life for all. It was a time when all deities were women. The seeds for this prevailing order were sown as early as 30,000 B.C. and it continued to flourish and prosper until approximately 4,000 B.C. At that point, a massive cultural upheaval took place resulting in the structures and perspectives that pervade the present society.
Evidence reveals that these societies were essentially peaceful. None of the sites for towns were chosen for their ability to be defended. Rather they were chosen for their good water and soil, and availability of animal pastures. There is no sign of damage from war for a period of 1,500 years. Male domination was not the norm and a division of labour between the sexes is indicated, but not a superiority of either.
It was about 4300 B.C. that the great change came. At this time, there were nomadic bands roaming the less desirable fringe areas of the globe seeking grass for their herds. These bands swept down from the Asiatic and European northeast bringing with them gods of war. They all shared a social system in which male dominance, male violence, and a generally hierarchic and authoritarian social structure was the norm. As well, material wealth was characterized not by developing technologies of production, but rather by developing more effective technologies of destruction. From this period of devastation would come the civilizations that we celebrate in our high schools and universities as marking the beginnings of Western civilization.
We all embrace qualities of darkness and light. However, it is not human nature to be warlike because there was a time when we were peaceful. It is not our nature to dominate others because there was a time when we lived harmoniously. The concept of our interconnected relationships with nature should not be remote to us as it was an inherent belief of our culture not so very long ago. Our present focus on the individual can now be seen for what it is - a result of our socialization, from which the foundation for the present society has been built.
Our current structures do allow change - but change on their own terms. The shifts that we have seen in the past five thousand years are mostly illusions. They have largely satisfied our need to feel that progress has been made but, in the end, the essential framework remains static. Our economic system perpetuates the belief in the dictum "survival of the fittest", the idea of the rugged individual, the belief that a value system and profit margin have no relationship. It preaches disconnection from the rest of our human family and absolves us of blame for their plight. We have a judicial system that is fundamentally adversarial, a forum where you have only winners and losers. We have a government system where one group is in power and the other is in opposition. We have a medical model whose cultural legacy is the witch hunts.
This knowledge of our past will allow us to continue to broaden our perspectives. We are coming to understand our connection not only to all other human beings on this planet but to all life in the cosmos. The day will come when we will hold a holistic image of the planet as a permanent part of our consciousness. The day will come when it will be impossible to talk about the good life for some without the knowledge that it is available to all.
Narratives
Once we recognize the power of the current narrative in our life, we can begin to liberate ourselves from it. We begin to see that this was never us at our core. We witness much of what is going on around us as a form of insanity. As individuals, we are not war-like. As individuals, we know that living in harmony with the environment is well within our means. As conscious beings, we do not want others to live in misery. So, why would this be our collective experience?
The story that has unfolded over the past five or six thousand years is now drawing to a close. It has consumed everything in its path. If we are to survive, we need to consciously create a new one. Our time is limited and there are priorities that will have to be addressed immediately as we are transitioning to a new global perspective. We will begin this process very shortly.
But first, there is building to do. The new world will have four pillars that will provide a strong foundation to create this global framework.
What if there was one principle, one policy that in and of itself eradicated poverty all over the world? What if this same policy insured that everyone whose livelihood was in an industry that was no longer tenable - coal, certain mining industries, all those participating in the military industrial complex…were guaranteed a living wage as they and we all transition to a new concept of work and right livelihood? What if this same policy guaranteed everyone on the globe the right to pursue work that they have always wanted to do – art, music, dance, writing – without any need to be concerned about whether it paid sufficiently or not? What if one policy held the promise of never requiring that a person go through the humiliating experience of being supported by the state? What if one policy eliminated the need for the global aid industry?
Too good to be true? Not at all. The first pillar is called “The Gaia Principle”.
Pillar Number 1 – The Gaia Principle
The Gaia Principle stands for “Guaranteed Annual Income for All”. Every country in the world has been designated a monetary amount that represents a “living wage”. There are many definitions of this but they all basically resemble this one: “The living wage is defined as a regional calculation that looks at the amount that a family of four needs to earn to meet their expenses. The living wage includes costs like rent and groceries as well as items like extended health care and two weeks' savings for each adult.” This is in no way to be confused with “minimum wage” which is almost always lower than a living wage.
To simplify this proposal, in Nexus, every individual over 21 years of age is guaranteed to earn this amount every year. For all those who are earning a living wage already, this proposal doesn’t affect you. For those of you who are earning less than a living wage, this proposal would be a supplement to that. For those of you who are earning nothing, you will take full advantage of this proposal.
Sounds like a lot of money. How can we possibly pay for this? I am going to look at a number of scenarios to help explain how this is completely feasible as a concept. I am going to start with Canada because I know it well, and let this model stand for the U.S., Europe and several other countries who fall into this category.
In Canada, a living wage is currently set at 24,000 USD. Less than 10% of Canadians make less than this amount and so only 10% of Canadians would be affected. Upon enacting this principle, you can eliminate all aspects of the so called “safety net”. No welfare, no employment insurance (or unemployment insurance as it used to be called). No need to talk about or debate minimum wage. You can eliminate the entire infrastructure that supports these programs. How much is saved in Canada alone with this proposal?
China. A living wage is said to be 36,000 CNY per year, or 5.500 USD. This is a country where the richest 1 percent owns more than one-third of the total national household wealth, while the poorest 25 percent owns less than 2 percent. A huge cost to enact GAIA. So, even with the elimination of all social support programs and the infrastructure that support them, the money has to come from somewhere. Be patient, this is only the first of the four pillars.
India. A living wage is said to be 240,000 Rupees/year (3,500 USD). India's average national income is about Rs 132,300 a year. However, 80% of Indians earn less than the average. Only 6% Indians earn more than Rs 240,000 a year. The top 1% make Rs 800,000 on average.
Argentina – 13,000 Argentine pesos/month – 156,000/year (2,800 USD)
Bangladesh – 15,000 Taka/month – 180,000 Taka/year (2,400 USD) Sweatshop workers in Bangladesh are paid just 30 CAD dollars per month. And that's the official minimum. Most workers only get 17-20 CAD dollars per month.
Ghana – 1,000 Ghanaian Cedis/month – 12,000 Cedis/year (2,200 USD)
What this means globally is that all programs related to social services as well as monies from aid organizations (which is almost always tied to something nefarious) would cease, would be redundant. What is the global saving from that? Is it a kinder, gentler world where no one any longer will ever have to submit themselves to a means test in order to receive a subsidy?
Pillar Number 2 – Sharing
Every three years, there will be transfer of funds between countries based on a formula that recognizes inequalities, with the goal to address and reduce these inequalities over a period of time.
How do we do this?
Annually, all countries in the world would be ranked by a common measure of wealth.
“There are two standard methods of defining the richest countries in the world. One takes into account the economies that are the largest, as measured by total gross domestic product (GDP). However, the most commonly accepted definition of the wealthiest countries is to determine how rich the average resident of a country is. For this reason, the best method is to use GDP data per capita.
Moreover, using a PPP (purchasing power parity) basis is arguably more useful when comparing generalized differences in living standards on the whole between nations. This is because PPP takes into account the relative cost of living and the inflation rates of the countries, rather than using just exchange rates, which may distort the real differences in income. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per-capita wealth and when comparing economic strength between countries and living conditions or use of resources across countries.” Global Finance https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/economic-data/worlds-richest-and-poorest- countries
Using this standard, the richest country in the world is Qatar, followed by Luxembourg and Singapore. Even though the U.S. has the largest GDP in the world, it is ranked 9th by this measure. China which has the second largest GDP, is ranked 83rd. (2016).
Countries ranked 1 - 10, would contribute 1% of their national GDP to a fund. (FCG, Fund for the Common Good)
Countries ranked 11 - 20, would contribute 0.9% of their national GDP to the fund. Countries ranked 21 - 30, would contribute .8% of their national GDP to the fund. Countries ranked 31 - 40, would contribute .7% of their national GDP to the fund. Countries ranked 41 - 50, would contribute .6% of their national GDP to the fund. Countries ranked 51 - 60, would contribute .5% of their national GDP to the fund. Countries ranked 61 - 70, would contribute .4% of their national GDP to the fund. Countries ranked 71 - 80, would contribute .3% of their national GDP to the fund. Countries ranked 81 - 90, would contribute .2% of their national GDP to the fund. Countries ranked 91 - 100, would contribute .1% of their national GDP to the fund.
Currently there are 185 countries on this list.
So, how would these funds be re-distributed? Obviously, the goal is not to replicate the lifestyles and consumption levels demonstrated by our so-called industrialized countries. This is an opportunity to completely re-imagine a world that is sustainable, that seeks at the outset to allow our natural environment to heal, and then for all to consciously live in harmony with that environment.
These funds will be distributed so that all countries will be able to work towards the creation of infrastructure that supports the needs of its people in all aspects of life, including health, food, clean water, access to affordable housing, and an inspiring education.
This moment in time will allow us all to re-conceive of our notions of work, of transportation, of energy, of extraction, of population, of education, just to name a few.
This moment in time will allow us to finally and collectively address the increasing threat of climate catastrophe, and the imperative need to rapidly curb carbon emissions coupled with the accelerated creation of wind/solar power capacity.
Pillar Number 3 – The 25 Rule
Each country will address the gap between the most highly remunerated and the lowest. All countries will limit this gap to 25 times.
In Nexus, we believe all persons are created equally with strengths and gifts that are distinctive. One of the strongest markers of personal value in a society is the salary attached to a person’s work. It is not the goal of Nexus that everyone would receive the same wage or that everyone would be treated identically. Each one of us is unique. However, in an attempt to control the unconscionable discrepancy in earnings between the poorest and the richest of any country, certain controls would be imposed.
With the GAIA principle, we have established benchmark incomes for each country. That is the minimum that a person of a specific country could make. The maximum will be established at 25 times that amount. For Canada, the minimum is 24,000 CAD and the maximum would be 600,000 USD. You can make more than that, you just can’t keep it. Poorer countries, such as Bangladesh with a minimum salary of 180,000 Taka/year ($2,400 USD) would have their maximum salary set at 4,500,000 Taka/year or $60,000 USD.
To acknowledge that 8 white men more wealth than one half of the people on the planet, personal wealth will be capped at 1 billion dollars.
All monies exceeding the maximum limit will go into the FCG (Fund for the Common Good) and be re-distributed appropriately to the countries who do not have sufficient funds to meet these standards. For rich countries, we are dealing with the ½ of 1% who would be affected. Think of how much money would be made available from countries such as the U.S., China and several of the countries in Europe with this policy.
Pillar Number Four – War and Peace
We now know that war is simply a condition, a way of life that we have become accustomed to in the present narrative that we are currently leaving behind. Some might say that we are actually becoming more peaceful if you go by the statistics of casualties in the 20th Century versus those in the 21st, for example. However, as a result of the development of the atomic bomb and nuclear weapons, it only means that the rules of war have changed. These weapons cannot be used because the result would be that we would all lose, so there is some tacit agreement as to how the modern war is to be carried out. People still suffer and die but not to the same extent as say World War 1 and World War 2. This hardly qualifies as progress.
In Nexus, our first requirement is that war be eliminated, be made illegal, impossible. In our ancient past, there were periods of peace which lasted thousands of years. Once we lived peacefully, we can do it again. Disagreements, no matter how divisive, will not be allowed to get to a level where violence is unavoidable. Because war will be eliminated, there will eventually be no need for weapons manufacturing. This industry will slowly convert its production to meet the needs of a peaceful world.
A world without war will not happen overnight. Nexus will maintain a sizeable military presence all over the world to ensure all sides lay down their arms. The size of their ranks will be appropriately reduced as the world adjusts to this new position.
The Day of Engagement
Some day in the future, when we are asked when the revolution began, we will say it began on February 20th, 2020 (2020/02/02). It was on that day that the world began to shift from one paradigm to another, from one narrative to another, from one story to another. It was on that day that individuals began engaging with the idea that the world did not belong to some dark, shadowy force beyond their control, but rather it belonged to every individual on the planet. And that each had the capacity to shape what the world looked and felt like.
Here at Nexus, we hope that this will be a meaningful transition for you, where you engage with a sense of hope and excitement as we work together to create the future that we have all dreamed of.