A World Built on Common Purpose

In 2022, thus far, we’ve seen more than 300 mass shootings, including 19 fourth graders and two teachers murdered in Uvalde, Texas by an 18-year-old using a military assault weapon.

What kind of democracy consistently fails to address that kind of horror? In fact, there is only one–the U.S. of America.

There’s more.… What kind of nation allows its land and waterways to be dumping grounds for millions of tons of commercially generated toxic chemicals? What kind of nation purposely ignores the welfare of the least well-off 80-90% of its people, while funneling most of its wealth to a fraction of one percent of all its citizens?

Early in the 21st century, we live in a world where entrenched interests–a few percent of all the humans on Earth–use their wealth and power to maintain their corrosive control over the vast majority. Those privileged few are intent on staying the course. Any honest assessment of the world we live in will recognize that this course amounts to self-immolation on a planetary scale.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can fight this craven self-interest. We must fight it, for the sake of our survival. 

Today we stand together all around the world, joined in a common purpose–to remake the planet into a haven of joy and understanding and goodness. –Michael Jackson, Pop Icon

The good news is that now we have unprecedented ways of doing just that, by communicating with each other directly and across cultural lines. The more we focus on using recently developed channels enabled by the internet, to encourage humanity to move together behind a common vision and purpose, the better the chance of steering the human course in a worthy, life-affirming direction. 

There is no time to waste. Let’s all of humanity get together behind a common purpose. Here are three things we all must stand for:

• Responsible stewardship of our planetary environment.
• A shared vision of what we accept as our Human Rights and Responsibilities.
• A commitment to define and work toward a worthy rebalancing of the human relationship with nature.

All these things together give us the best chance of remaking ourselves into a transcendent human society worthy of being the planet’s apex species.

We must choose to work together for the good of all.  

The key challenge in moving forward is to communicate the message of common commitment in every possible way.

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them. –Dalai Lama

 Here’s how I hope that it goes:

• We wake up to the common threats driven by the current cultural inertia. 
• We embrace a worthy common-purpose vision.
• We remake our world in such a way that humans can prosper as stewards of nature and all of planet Earth that we share as our common home.

That’s what we should all work for as responsible planetary citizens. 

Our greatest hope lies with women. Being hard-wired for nurturing, women must be at the forefront of our cultural remaking. Fortunately, that is exactly how our world is evolving. In more and more places, women are stepping up and taking key leadership roles. Our best men are standing with the growing cadre of women who are choosing to be transcendent in their commitment to nature, people, and planet.

The digital integration of the globe is driving an equivalent need for collaboration, common values, and a global code of ethics. –William Halal,  Beyond Knowledge 

This is what we must work for: all the good people of Earth together choosing to become our better selves. That’s the look of a worthy world built on a Common Purpose.  

If we want this better vision of ourselves to become the rule, now is the time to do all that is possible to assure we will see it. 

Let’s choose to stand together for our common humanity.

Geoffrey Holland is a veteran media writer/producer and a committed advocate for nature and for gender rights. You can find his ongoing dialogue series on Stanford MAHB. He is also the author of The Hydrogen Age.

The MAHB Blog is a venture of the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere. Questions should be directed to joan@mahbonline.org