Hiroo Saionji, Japan President of the Goi Peace Foundation Common Vision of the Noo-Constitution and the Creating a New Civilization Initiative Everywhere around the around, people are feeling a strong sense of urgency to address the current economic and social crisis, and there is a growing demand for a major change in the existing system. In fact, the whole of our civilization now stands at a crossroads. We have arrived at a critical bifurcation point in the history of humanity. The crisis is not only about global economy, but also with the spread of environmental destruction, cultural clashes, terrorism, overpopulation, wealth disparity, resource depletion, mass starvation, epidemic diseases, climate changes and a host of other complex issues, the world we live in today is economically, socially and ecologically no longer sustainable.
These global crises threatening our very survival are all interconnected and are the cumulative effect of human activities and lifestyles. They are at their core a crisis in human consciousness—a crisis in human thinking, human values, human priorities and human responsibility. It is therefore a choice we must make collectively either to continue on the present path toward destruction, or choose an alternative way to change our course. It is not enough simply to patch up the existing civilization founded on its old paradigms. In order to reverse current trends and constructively shape our global future, we must fundamentally change our consciousness and create a new civilization.
In 2005, the Goi Peace Foundation launched the Creating a New Civilization Initiative together with our partners such as the Club of Budapest, the Club of Rome, the Gorbachev Foundation, Institute of Noetic Sciences, and the World Wisdom Council among others. This initiative brings together organizations and individuals who see the pressing need to respond to the environmental, social and economic crises confronting us today. The aim of the initiative is to connect innovative activities and changemakers, and to inspire global citizens to employ new ways of thinking and acting in order to co-create a sustainable and peaceful planetary civilization.
The 4-S Concept
The “4-S Concept” proposes four foundational components for building a new civilization: Sustainability, Systems, Science and Spirituality.
Sustainability:
Environmental, social and economic problems—including global warming, resource depletion, wealth disparity and cross-cultural conflicts—are all interconnected global issues caused by human activities. We must recognize that we are at a bifurcation point, where we either continue on the present path toward destruction or choose the path to a sustainable future for the Earth and all life on it.
Systems:
Humanity is a part of the Earth’s natural living systems. Therefore, we must harmonize our man-made systems, with the principles of nature and ecology. Our current institutions have become outdated and unsustainable, and need to be redesigned, so that humanity walks a path not of destruction, but of interdependence and co-evolution with the Earth.
Science:
At the cutting edge of the sciences—including physics, cosmology, the life sciences, and consciousness research—new worldviews are emerging together with a deeper understanding of life. These new sciences could bring about a paradigm shift and provide key inspiration and foundation for building a new civilization.
Spirituality:
The inner awakening and the empowered creativity of individuals are the real forces that will shape our collective future. Our behaviors and priorities will drastically change, if we evolve our consciousness to a higher level and experience the interconnectedness of all life. We must ensure that all human activities in our future global society—political, economic, and social—are founded on spiritual values.
These four components are obviously interdependent. For example, if science can provide evidence to the fact that all human beings are one and that humans and nature are interconnected, we will understand that killing one another is the same as committing suicide, and that exploiting nature is equivalent to harming our own body. Such understanding will transform humanity’s consciousness and effect spiritual growth. If human consciousness is transformed, we will spontaneously see a transformation in the various systems we create, and our relationship with one another and nature will change course towards harmony and sustainability.
Building a Critical Mass for Change
We believe that the crises we face today also offer an unprecedented opportunity for a major leap forward in human evolution. Such a radical shift in our way of being requires a fundamental change in our consciousness and value system. Our initiative aspires to reach out and engage as many awakened citizens as possible in order to facilitate the transformation of our cultures and bring about the necessary paradigm shift.
The great hope is that we do not need to change the consciousness of the entire seven billion world population. New findings in science tell us that information is conserved and transmitted not only at the level of particles but also at the level of consciousness. Individuals can affect others around them not just through their words and actions, but also by the very fact that they have achieved a new level of consciousness themselves. This means that if we can reach a critical mass of people with new awareness and new consciousness, an avalanche will be triggered and changes will inevitably occur from within civil society.
Vision of the Emerging New Civilization and the Noo-Constitution
What kind of a planetary civilization are we trying to create? What transformational process must humanity undergo, and how can we prepare ourselves for this major transition?
These are the questions that we must now explore by combining wisdom and new knowledge form all fields of endeavor, including science, philosophy, education, religion, and the arts.
The Noospheric Ethical/Ecological Constitution for Mankind (Noo-Constitution) is indeed a worthy effort in this direction, providing a concrete vision of a world order for a new era. It is very much in alignment with the Creating a New Civilization Initiative in that it integrates the four components: sustainability, systems, science, and spirituality.
The Noo-Constitution also has much in common with the concepts expressed in the Declaration for All Life on Earth, which the Goi Peace Foundation launched in 2000 and which provides for our basic vision of a new civilization. Both documents set forth universal values and principles to be shared by all humanity, and emphasize the mission and responsibility of each individual as a member of our living planet in the evolving universe. They underscore the importance of human consciousness or noosphere as the foundation of peace and harmony in the world, and encourage global cooperation for the balanced development of mankind and nature, as well as the spiritual and material.
Below are relevant quotes from the Declaration of All Life on Earth:
“The earth is an evolving living entity. Every form of life on earth is an important part of this living entity. Accordingly, we, as individual human beings, must cultivate the awareness that we are all members of a global community of life and that we share a common mission and responsibility for the future of our planet.
“Every one of us has a role to play in the evolution of our planet, and to achieve world peace each of us must live up to our responsibilities and obligations....
“As we enter the new millennium, more than anything else, the realization of world peace depends on an awakening of consciousness on the part of each individual member of the human race. Today, it is imperative that every human being bears the responsibility of building peace and harmony in his or her heart....
“In the new era, humanity shall advance toward a world of harmony, that is, a world in which every individual and every nation can freely express their individual qualities, while living in harmony with one another and with all life on earth. To realize this vision, we set forth the following guiding principles:
1. Reverence for life
We shall create a world based on love and harmony in which all forms of life are respected.
2. Respect for all differences
We shall create a world in which all different races, ethnic groups, religions, cultures, traditions and customs are respected. The world must be a place free from discrimination or confrontation, socially, physically and spiritually—a place where diversity is appreciated and enjoyed.
3. Gratitude for and coexistence with all of nature
We shall create a world in which each person is aware that we are enabled to live through the blessings of nature, and lives in harmony with nature, showing gratitude for all animal, plant and other forms of life.
4. Harmony between the spiritual and material
We shall create a world based on the harmonious balance of material and spiritual civilization. We must break away from our overemphasis on the material to allow a healthy spirituality to blossom among humanity. We must build a world where not only material abundance but also spiritual riches are valued.”
In other words, we must move from the present materialistic civilization to a more spiritual civilization. We must transform our value system and consciousness from egoism to altruism; from polarity to connection; from conflict to harmony; and from competition to coexistence.
Need for a Global Civil Society Initiative
The choices which each of us makes are crucial for our common future. Now more than ever, each of us is called upon to become a proactive agent for positive change. The world cannot be changed by a handful of politicians, religious leaders or influential people. Nor can we expect a major change on the governmental level. Real change can only be brought about by the collective will and action of awakened people.
If all of us awakened individuals and organizations put our common vision into action in our respective sphere of influence and create a sense of community among the pioneers working for a better world, we can make tangible strides toward the critical mass. Working in collaboration, we can reverse the current trends toward breakdown and collapse. We can co-create a New Civilization—a sustainable and harmonious noospheric civilization based on spiritual values and reverence for all forms of life.