We are collectively at the threshold of actualizing the greatest opportunity human creative intelligence has ever witnessed and participated in. This is the opportunity to apply all of the best of our spiritual-intellectual-creative know-how to the ongoing fulfillment, at all levels of being, of life on our beautiful home planet. We humans are gifted this opportunity, and the responsibility inherent in it, at this twinkling-of-an-eye moment in cosmic history. It is, however, an option... not a given. The choices we make now require the utmost integrity towards the benefit of all: All humanity, all biospheric life, all essential natural systems of oceans, land, atmosphere, and all generations of explorers of the universe to come.
It is clear from analysis of trend lines across the spectrum of environmental and social change that humanity and the Earth are in a time of accelerating quantum shift. From species loss and deforestation to scientific and technical breakthroughs, both negative and positive trends are on a skyward trajectory. We are at an evolutionary crossroads wherein humanity must immediately choose to consciously participate in our own co-evolution with nature or run the risk of complete biospheric degradation within the next 100 years.
Many scientific, academic, and spiritual leaders today propose that the next 30 to 50 years are absolutely critical. As such, there is no time to debate whether the crisis is real. We are in a quantum transition phase and our conscious participation is required at all levels so as to ensure the maximum success in getting through it with the minimum downside ramifications. In the words of Dr. Robert Muller: "The future of the Earth will be bright and life will not become extinct if we decide so on the eve of a new century and millennium. We are entering a thrilling, transcending new global, cosmic phase of evolution... if the human species understands its suddenly momentous, incredibly important evolutionary role and responsibility."
In order to realize this opportunity it is necessary to coordinate ourselves as individuals and organizations from the perspective of a new level of evolutionary design and higher order of complexity and coherence. This evolutionary design includes the need for both an expanded time frame and a whole-system, comprehensive basis of comprehension, for it is distinctly clear that all living, organic systems (which is everything) are always-and-only interdependent, and that long-range thinking on the part of humankind is essential to our long-term success as a whole.
It is therefore called upon us to declare this first century of the new millennium the World Cocreative Design Science Century (WCDSC). (Explanation of the name)
The WCDSC is a phased initiative spanning ten decades beginning January 1, 2001 (see diagram above). Each decade will have a set of objectives and goals that reflect the priority needs and pragmatic capabilities of the times. Given that with each new innovation and ever-increasing comprehension of trends and needs comes new possibilities and priorities, "each phase should be viewed as an aspect of a continuous dynamic process out of which emerges a natural hierarchy of priority considerations." (World Design Science Decade, Document 4, 1965, John McHale).
This website is designed to serve as an initial 'talking paper' presentation of the WCDSC. Decade ONE contains the most pertinent information about the times we are in now, and ideas about the objectives and goals of this first decade. Following the ensuing links will lead you through my thinking on this to date.
The Overview section provides some background context, personal comments, and other important pages of the site which explore a variety of 'considerations' that I feel are essential to pursuing a comprehensive problem-solving approach, and prognostications and trends over the next 100 years.
Decades TWO through TEN are as yet undeveloped.
copyright©2001 Marshall Lefferts
All permissions for copying and distribution granted
