We Can Rally Millions to Build a World of Abundance — and We Can Afford It!

Rays of Hope!

If these big-picture thoughts resonate for you, and you’d like to explore how you could help develop these ideas and reach out, contact Felix Kramer! 

And feel free to share or comment on this post on LinkedIn.

Key points:

• We face many polycrises, starting with democracy, othering, climate, species extinction, and inequality. To me, the calls to action, strategies, and campaigns I encounter as responses are limited, slow, and aimed at narrow audiences.

• I believe time is really running out for us humans to decide to save ourselves and our planet. Yet I still see rays of light. They fuel my determination to keep going — no matter the odds.

• In the way we talk about our challenges, as well as our ambitions and goals, feelings of anticipation or joy — or hopes for success — are mostly missing. 

• Even as we dread our futures, many of us agree we know how to reverse climate change, and repair and protect many ecosystems and species for our shared thriving.

• We can build a world of abundance. (We can afford it!)

• We can rally millions to giant opportunities. We can assemble vast resources, along with human-centered AI and other smart tools. 

• Our call to action can be along these lines: “Build, Regenerate, and Reinforce our Relationships, our Communities and our World.”

• Let’s be clear who “We” are. A vast majority of us want a healthy, humane world. With new agendas and coalitions, let’s welcome allies across political divides — including with humanist techno-optimists.

• In a few short years, we need to incubate new channels and strategies to organize and express what most Americans want. We need to act faster than ever before in communicating, motivating, and enlisting people.

• Our political structure may seem too loaded, polarized, and discredited to advance. But initiatives to rejuvenate the Democratic Party include their recently-organized Town Halls; Bernie Sanders & AOC’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour; and Saikat Chakrabati’s Zoom organizing as he aims to replace Nancy Pelosi.

• Ideally we need local coalitions to organize rapidly non-electoral mechanisms to represent our vast majority and gain authority and  legitimacy. Like Citizens’ Assemblies, they can apply leverage to our elected representatives and appointed officials. Ultimately they can influence and challenge the wealthy and powerful. This Spring, the House of the People and Assemble are building in the UK. (Coming soon: a survey of international citizens’ assemblies: We Decide: Global Strategy for Democracy in the 21st Century.)

• These local coalitions can connect with the burgeoning watershed/bioregional movement. The bioregional lens provides an inspiring new way to organize around nature’s own living patterns, complementing formal borders and other boundaries.

• This could lead to a decentralized movement that inspires and supports people, and unites us based on what we do want — what is possible when we imagine and build.

• Models? A book just released with a big buzz, Abundance, by Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein, envisions a politics of abundance. Mission for America is a 10-year vision for the future by the organizers of the Green New Deal. The Dignity of Work Institute from ex-Sen. Sherrod Brown. Ben Rhodes has some ideas. And others we haven’t heard of! 

• As we talk about aligning future visions, compelling spokespeople could appear on influential podcasts including (alphabetically): The Ezra Klein Show, Moonshots (Peter Diamandis), One with Kara Swisher, Possible (Reid Hoffman), When We Are (Alex Steffen), Why Is This Happening (Chris Hayes)

• I see opportunities to incorporate the principles of We Can’t Wait (WeCW). This project inspires people, especially those with wealth, to dedicate their time, talent and treasure to their most important causes; to donate and invest more and do both now. 

• Buckminster Fuller Institute’s Design Lab is collaborating with projects developing AI-enabled visualization, simulation, financing, and other tools to build place-sourced bioregional resilience and regeneration. (BFI is the nonprofit fiscal sponsor of WeCW.) 

• These projects are actively mobilizing collaborations, philanthropic donations, and investments. Plus WeCW can recommend some non-deductible contributions.

We can advance only if you help! Let’s be in touch by email.

Together in grief and hope, with radical determination.

Onward!

Felix Kramer

You may also be interested in hearing about other We Can’t Wait and Felix projects (list in development). I’m catalyzing new projects, then recruiting others to build & lead them. That’s why, last year, I added the second line of roles to my signature, below. 

If you’re interested in hearing about volunteer opportunities or a p/t paid projects manager job, let’s be in touch.

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Regenerate Our World to Create a Flourishing Future

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FelixKramer.com (LinkedIn)

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Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up--David Orr