Comprehensive Transformation: Transforming the Global Social System

[Larry Walker]

This article presents a process for global transformation -- developed by Wade Hudson.

Subject: [SW:] "The System"
Date: 5/24/2009 12:53:58 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: [e-mail]


Should we talk about "the system"? If so, how? What do you think about
the following pieces, which I wrote with help from others?

I may share your response with members of the Strategy Workshop. If you
want me to identify you as the author, please tell me. If you don't
belong to the Strategy Workshop and want to join, you can do so at
http://npogroups.org/lists/subscribe/sw

--Wade

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The System

Most people intuitively understand comments about "the system." Popular
culture and mass advertising often include references to it. Even banks
exploit resentment by using ads that affirm “beating the system.” Given
its widespread use, the American Heritage Dictionary recently added the
phrase “the system” and defines that term as “the prevailing social
order; the establishment.” We need to clarify this common-sense
knowledge by considering the nature of systems and how today’s dominant
social system emerged.

As individuals, we participate in interlocking networks. We depend on
one another and belong to various social systems. So a systemic
worldview is crucial to understanding our place in society and the
environment.

Broadly, a system, like the solar system or the digestive system, is a
group of elements that work together as an integrated whole to perform a
particular function. The components of a system interact to create a
reality that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Systems adjust to maintain stability. A worker, for example, can cope
with a bad job by getting sick, which enables the worker to escape
temporarily. But after she is cured and returns to the workplace, the
job leads to another illness. The cycle repeats itself, the worker keeps
the job, and the boss is happy.

A nation is a unified social system, a coherent whole composed of many
social systems that fit together. Without this harmony and sense of
common identity, nation-based societies would disintegrate.

Modern societies developed as social systems consisting of formal public
institutions (such as education, government, economy, media, religion,
entertainment, sports, and science), informal social institutions (such
as families), a common culture whose ideas and values were embedded
within individuals, and individuals who acted to help perpetuate those
societies. All of these elements were interwoven into self-perpetuating
social systems that reproduced themselves in the hearts, minds, and
bodies of their members.

In recent decades, the world’s various societies became increasingly
integrated into a global social system. As the planet was globalized, we
witnessed the consolidation of a global social system that shaped and
managed the entire world. Throughout the world, wherever you would go,
societies came to function in much the same way, and they cooperated to
protect each other’s interests.

Since human beings are purposeful creatures, social systems are devoted
to a common purpose. To endure over time, a social system, whether an
organization or society-at-large, must have a primary purpose. Secondary
goals serve the primary purpose.

As one can determine the purpose of a tree by its fruit, one can
determine a social system’s purpose by observing its nature. Being the
world’s most powerful country, the United States has exemplified the
nature of our global social system.

Two central facts stand out concerning this country: 1) One percent of
the population has owned 50 percent of the nation's wealth, and 2) We
have had the best government that money can buy. Similar patterns
prevailed in the world as a whole.

These conditions were not God-given. Our society intentionally
manufactured these realities to protect and increase the wealth and
power of those people who were already wealthiest and most powerful.
More than any other force, this dynamic explains how and why our society
worked. The global society’s primary purpose was to protect the wealth
and power of the wealthy and powerful.

Wealth bred power and power bred wealth. Most people who were addicted
to the pursuit of one, desired both. Greed was critical, but so was the
urge to dominate. Money was a way to keep score, to know who has the
most power. The lust for power and the desire to make money were so
interwoven, they became one. Life became a never-ending competition, as
people strove for more money and power.

In 1912 former President Theodore Roosevelt stated, "Behind the
ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no
allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people...[an]
unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics." That
same condition largely continued to prevail throughout the 20th century.

The government, global corporations, the major media, the military, and
police forces worked together to concentrate wealth and power in the
hands of a self-serving elite. The few who were richest and most
powerful got richer and more powerful, except when the majority of
people intervened and reversed or halted this trend.

This world was never a land of equal opportunity. From childhood on, the
super-rich used their enormous advantages for their own benefit and
passed on those advantages to their children and grandchildren. With a
heavy bias in favor of the sons and daughters of the elite, the
top-level managers of our institutions carefully screened applicants to
the corridors of power to assure that they would operate within the
limits of what was expected of them. The "old boys’ network" excluded
applicants who didn’t play the game properly and if managers deviated
too greatly from those expectations, they were quickly replaced.

Any adolescent could resolve to enter the upper ranks, but only a few
succeeded. The number of seats in the theatre of wealth and power always
remained far less in number than the number of people who wanted inside.
The overwhelming majority of Americans never rose far above the status
of their parents. Social inheritance replaced the biological inheritance
of wealth and power.

A few positions of power were left open for people who weren’t born into
privilege. And less powerful individuals gained benefits by doing what
the elite few wanted them to do. This limited openness enabled the elite
to argue that the system was fair. It also served as a safety valve to
let off pressure, for the more ambitious could concentrate on trying to
gain what was denied to the great majority.

Given these conditions, individual executives were not primarily
responsible. They deserved neither primary credit nor blame. They were
disposable and they knew it. As is known in folk wisdom, “the players
change but the game remains the same.” The system was self-perpetuating.

The governing elite moved easily back-and-forth through the revolving
door of big business, media, the military, and government, enriching
themselves and their friends along the way. This elite consisted of an
identifiable group of people who shared common values and
characteristics. They circulated in the highest circles and collaborated
closely to wield controlling influence over all of our major
institutions....

http://progressiveresourcecatalog.org/index.php/Book1/Three#anchor4

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Systemic Reform

Holistic transformation, by definition, will involve systemic reform,
even if it isn’t recognized as such. When progressives have achieved all
of their specific goals in every arena, we will have transformed the
social system that dominates the world.

By changing that system, we can avoid only placing Band-Aids on gaping
wounds. We can correct causes rather than merely attack symptoms.
Otherwise, our actions can allow the dominant social system to re-create
the same problems. As Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson said in 1972,
"Ultimately, black and white have only one enemy: not each other, but
those economic, social, educational, and political conditions which
cause and maintain hunger, neglect, bigotry and disease."

We need to advance reform in every arena, all at the same time. Personal
growth, social change, cultural change, and restructuring our
institutions – government, media, education, religion, families, parks,
libraries, transportation, criminal justice, etc. – are all important.
There won’t be a major breakthrough in one arena until there is a major
breakthrough in every arena. Simultaneous change throughout society will
be mutually reinforcing, because the various components of our social
system are mutually reinforcing.

Until there is comprehensive transformation that creates a new global
social system that helps us overcome our egocentric impulses and protect
the Earth Community, we will continue to be afflicted with one crisis
after another. In general, for example, we can’t effectively control the
economy in one country alone because, if they can, the wealthy elite in
that country will move their capital to where they can operate with
fewer restrictions. We need unified, coordinated policies throughout the
world.

We need a whole new way of life rooted in a common culture that respects
diversity and local attachments, customs and practices – a culture of
sub-cultures. We can insist on legitimate rights for all without
dehumanizing those who try to deny those rights. We can constantly try
to better understand those who criticize or attack us, while working to
change the conditions that lead those people to be disrespectful or
oppressive. Fear of others may be partly rooted in deep genetic
tendencies because tribes were understandably suspicious of outsiders,
but now that the world has been globalized, we need to transcend those
instincts and realize that we are one human family.

By coming together to transform our global social system, we can fulfill
humanity’s promise, reinforce our finest qualities, inspire each other
to be better persons, and insist that our institutions live up to their
highest ideals. By applying the same approach in every arena, we can
create a global society that is truly democratic, just, loving, and
peaceful – and protects the environment. Steady, coordinated,
simultaneous, mutually reinforcing, comprehensive progressive change can
place us on an upward spiral leading to the transformation of our entire
society, ourselves included.

We need to talk about systemic reform for many reasons.

Talking about systemic reform will help make it happen because naming a
nightmare makes it easier to deal with it.

By placing our own specific work within the framework of systemic
transformation, we can clarify our work’s connection with other work and
help validate that other work, rather than insist that our issue is the
single most important issue.

By elaborating concretely what we mean by “systemic reform,” we can move
beyond abstract rhetoric and more effectively connect with people.

Presenting a vision of systemic change will inspire people who want to
do more than tinker.

Agreement on a long-term commitment to systemic change will help hold
the progressive movement together over the long haul.

A focus on systemic change discourages scapegoating certain elements of
the global social system – such as corporations, rich people,
politicians, a particular President, the media, the ruling elite, the
American people, the Republicans, or whomever. We can’t justifiably
place primary blame on specific individuals or groups of individuals.
All of us are partly responsible. Without our consent, the system could
not function. Moreover, the members of the rotating governing elite are
dispensable. They can be replaced easily with no disruption to the
normal state of affairs. So understanding that our social system is
self-perpetuating helps us let go of excessive anger and resentment and
adopt a more positive, more effective attitude.

Understanding and talking about our social system helps avoid the
mistake of believing that self-improvement or spiritual growth alone is
sufficient (which is a widespread misunderstanding). Changing the world
and changing ourselves are complementary and each is necessary.
Political action contributes to personal growth and personal growth
contributes to political progress.

Understanding and talking about our social system encourages
progressives to correct personal and organizational weaknesses that
reinforce the system and undermine the effectiveness of our work.

Understanding and talking about our social system helps us maintain
many-sided awareness. Life is not a matter of all or nothing, or
black-and-white. We can acknowledge and accept our weaknesses without
allowing them to control us. We can allow private businesses to make a
profit without neglecting their responsibilities to society, their
workers, and the environment. We can be aware of future threats while
being immersed in the present. We can understand the past without
dwelling in it. We can use our rational mind while staying in touch with
our feelings. And we can promote government that exercises authority
wisely without being authoritarian.

Understanding and talking about our social system helps us avoid trying
to predict the future and control others. Living systems are not
machines. They are unpredictable, complex organisms, like a garden.
Human beings are particularly unpredictable and uncontrollable. By
nurturing self-determination and spontaneity, we foster creativity. By
being open and flexible, we can resolve contradictions and find balance
on a higher path. Life’s not always a matter of either/or. It's often
both/and. It’s not always win/lose, it’s often win/win. We can take care
of ourselves – and care for others. We can face fears – and shore up
faith in the future. We can provide for ourselves financially – and
participate in caring communities. We can love our selves – and love all
humanity, life itself, and the source of life. In loving partnership
with the rest of the world and Mother Nature, grounded in nonviolence as
a political strategy and a way of life, we can create a new world.

Understanding and talking about our social system can foster a synthesis
between liberal and radical reform because steady change can lead to
qualitative transformation. Adding heat turns water into steam.
Biological evolution transforms one species into another. Likewise,
human social evolution can move humanity to new forms of political and
cultural organization. Liberal reforms can eventually lead to
fundamental transformation.

By talking about and advancing comprehensive transformation, we, the
people of the United States, can forge a new national identity by
drawing on the best from all of our traditions. The United States is
torn. On the one hand, we hold high ideals and we have achieved
remarkable progress. On the other hand, we don’t fully honor those
ideals. By being honest about our weaknesses, we can better grow as a
nation. We can create a more compassionate, just, sustainable, and
democratic society that treats other nations fairly as members of a
global community that no one country tries to dominate. We can join
hands with other nations in partnership, rooted in the Earth Community,
and build a positive upward spiral that will change the world.

For these reasons, I recommend that progressives speak openly and as
clearly as possible about transforming the global social system.
Theoretically, it would be possible to achieve systemic transformation
by just doing it, without talking about it or even realizing it. The new
system could be invisible, like our current social system. But it will
be easier and more honest if we proceed consciously. By better
understanding what we are doing and talking about it more clearly, we
can be more effective.
http://progressiveresourcecatalog.org/index.php/Book1/Seven

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Draft mission statement for a new project:

Our mission is to help transform the global social system by:

1. establishing a new primary purpose for our society – that is, to
promote our common good, nurture personal development, empower
communities, and protect our environment;
2. reforming our institutions, our culture, and ourselves to serve that
purpose.

--
Wade Hudson, Editor
http://ProgressiveResourceCatalog.org