Manufacturing Vibrancy
Why social equity, entrepreneurship, and a renewed sense of place are critical for our survival
Preparing for crisis is 90% psychological. Experts say that developing a plan, gathering resources, and communicating with others in advance are common sense strategies to increase your chance of survival. Assuming that you’re paying attention in the first place.
The check engine light is on
As living organisms we’re predisposed to work towards balance or homeostasis. So why aren’t we acknowledging indicators which predict a less certain future? It’s like we’re watching a movie, where the inhabitants of a blue marble speeding through the galaxy are heading towards disaster of their own making. You’re yelling to the one person that can save them, but she can’t hear you.
In our hyper-connected, accelerating, Darwinian society; survival of the fittest leaves the majority of our neighbors behind. Together, the world’s 8 richest people now hold more wealth than the 3.6 billion people representing the bottom half of our global village (Oxfam). The gap in economic opportunity between prosperous and distressed communities continues to grow. (Economic Innovation Group). And, the number of startup companies has decreased 48% in the midst of a 30 year decline in the US (Kaufmann Foundation).
Teach ’em how to fish
Businesses solely driven by profit motives, as well as social programs offering only handouts, serve to widen the opportunity gap. Powerful organizations who hold most of these resources also have the power to take them away. In 1887, Lord Acton mused that ‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely’. I’m side-eying you, Roman Empire.
The practice of co-powerment lifts others towards independence and away from dependence. It also requires selfless acts like acknowledging privilege and relinquishing power. While there are plenty of ways in which people are implementing macro and micro solutions to avoid crisis, New Sun Rising believes there are three values on which we can rebuild more vibrant, local systems: 1. Embracing Social Equity, 2. Unleashing the Power of Entrepreneurship, and 3. Commiting to the Regeneration of Place.
The matter of you
‘But I’m only one person?’ said every person who had yet not realized their unlimited potential to inspire change. Personally, I’d become detached from this truth before spending a week this Fall, along with a dozen complete strangers in Mt. Hood, Oregon. Led by a global tribe with the mantra that ‘Happy is the new rich’, Alptitude was an intense, surreal, life-affirming elixir.
As the week wound down, I began to reflect on what made the experience so powerful. The answer was beautiful: simplicity. We acknowledged inherent truths that we should all cultivate. We explored the limitless power of gratitude, empathetic listening, sharing of authentic self, and immersion in nature. Leaders like Laurence and Carlos of The Happy Startup School, and my new Alptitude friends, are pioneers in a shift of global thinking. Do things that align with your purpose while improving the lives of others. Slow down. Be happy.
Vibrant Communities
Whether working globally or in your neighborhood, the matter of scale is a question that should be considered in any design process. Many investors will say that supporting a business or nonprofit which cannot scale to a 10x financial return or serve millions of people is not worth it. Therein lies the flaw. Confining solutions to a single dimension of scale, growth, does not reflect the complexity of our human systems, where the depth and length of impact are often more important predictors of success.
Another barrier is that agile, responsive strategies are often at odds with decades-long community development cycles. We encourage the design of effective social experiments which follow the scientific method: small enough to test a limited number of variables but large enough to have a significant impact. For this reason we choose to work at neighborhood scale.
If we truly believe that citizens are the experts in their communities, and hold the wisdom and talent to develop their own opportunities, together we can reverse the disastrous trends of financial inequity, decline in entrepreneurship, and quality of life disparities between our neighborhoods.
Imagine if we begin to direct our resources towards the manufacture of Vibrant Communities through the development of culture, sustainability, and opportunity.
Can we avoid the crisis?
