Every planet relies on energy for power. Yet we have robbed our planet of its ability to generate healthy ecosystems. Not only is the planet depleted but we ourselves live lives with the minimum of energy. Trapped on hamster wheels, working to earn to consume more than we can process - we exhaust ourselves.
Planet A invites new forms of energy to revitalise both the natural world and our human civilisation. In part this comes from our new relationship with nature that helps us to use what is already there - the wind, water, sun - to power our homes and enterprises. But there are at least three more forms of energy that can transform the world we live in (see bubbles below).
The Arts
Art in all its forms can liberate our minds and help us tell a new story of reality. Through the power of art - poetry, literature, music, dance - we can question everything. Too often art is used as entertainment, decorating the edges of our settled society. But the most committed art unsettles us, open spaces for wondering how different things could be.
Soft Power
If hard power is guns and money, soft power is attraction - typically generated by the story a country can tell about itself. The American Dream - the belief that anyone, however poor their origins, can become President in the US - has, until recently, been the reason everyone wants to live there and why it remains a superpower, despite its economic and military failures. Much of the energy that Planet A will be able to generate for the future will be soft power - the story of transformation that it can tell, affecting individuals, communities and the planet.
Creation of Value
Rather than think about value as a moral standard, externally defined and agreed upon, value can also refer to anything that is important to people, that enhances their experience of life. One of the core tasks of a Planet A civilisation will be to re-assign value to such interactions that generate energy for regeneration.
Sometimes this can arise from vibrant gatherings; but it's also possible that value can be created from struggling with grief and pain - the processing of which can cause determination and commitment to a better future. Everyone of us, despite our conditions in life, can be creators of the kind of value our society now needs, eg: resilience, openness, creativity.
Action Points
Explore Beautiful Trouble, Power of the Arts and The Daily Alternative “Artists” category
Explore Soft Power and The Chinese Dream
Explore The Creation of Value
From “Artists” Category in DA. Also look under “ingenuity” and “blockchain”
