10 most important questions

[wil]

Its Conversation Week (oh yeah?? we do it every day!!)

And these are the 10 most important questions as voted on by 1500 folks in 39 countries. (did any of you vote?)

So its wide open, discuss the event, discuss it anywhere, or add a thread if one of the questions you feel is worthy...

1. How can we best prepare our children for the future? (Our Children, Our Future)
What knowledge, skills and values and will our children need to flourish in their lifetimes? Do you know an especially gifted parent, caregiver or educator? What can we learn from them? Who are the children in your life and how are you preparing them?

2. What does sustainability look like to you? How do we get there? (Making Sustainability Real)
How can humanity both continue to provide lives of dignity for its billions while concurrently living within the resource-means of the planet? What does sustainability look like in different cultural contexts? What are your most hopeful images of sustainability? What changes can we make, and what must our leaders make?
3. How do humans need to adapt to survive the changes predicted for this century? (Survival in the 21st Century)
Humans survive because we are so good at adapting to changing circumstances. What changes are you predicting? What changes do you hope for? Will the adaptations be technological, social, spiritual, economic – or all of the above? What are the best adaptations you’ve heard of? Where do you see good adaptations happening in your community?

4. How do we shift from “Me” to “We” on both the local and global levels? (From “me” to “we”)
Where do you see a need to shift from “me” to “we”? What can a “we” approach give us that a “me” approach doesn’t, and vice versa? What needs to change to have people used to “me” engaged in “we” solutions? In your family and community, where have you seen collaboration work wonders when competition and confrontation failed? How can 6.6 billion people work together?
5. How can you, as Gandhi said, be the change that you want to see in the world? (Being the change)
Does fighting for peace or making war on terror make sense - or do our goals and means have to match? How have you tried to “be the change” in your work and life? Who inspires you by “walking their talk”? What gaps do you notice between your “walk” and “talk” and what steps can you take towards “being the change”?

6. What kind of economic structures can best support a shift to sustainable living? (A healthy economy)
What’s the economy for, anyway? How does “the economy” make it hard to make choices for sustainability – a healthy balance between material, social and ecological needs? Where have you seen economic structures that actually contribute to greater sustainability? In a sustainable economy, how would you and your community meet your needs for the basics and also for those things that make life worth living?

7. How should we re-invent the political process so that people feel that they have a voice? (Having a political voice)
When have you felt that your voice mattered in a political process? What contributed to that? Where do you want your voice to matter that it doesn’t, and how has that impacted your political participation? What re-inventions in the political process would inspire you to participate more than you do now? What one change would matter most?

8. What kind of leadership does the world need now? (Who leads now?)
What does leadership mean to you? When has a leader moved, inspired or motivated you and what did you do in response? Is there a new kind of leadership emerging in response to new challenges? What gives this new leadership the power to lead? Are there different kinds of leadership for different times?

9. How can we balance our personal needs with the most pressing needs of our community and the larger world? (Personal Balance in Demanding Times)
How are you doing this balancing act? What would help you balance better? Who do you know who seems to balance well – and what do they know? How does your life touch the life of the larger world and what would allow you to feed your soul and relationships while making a difference “out there”? How can you feel satisfied you’ve given enough – to yourself, your family and your community? If our world is really looking down the barrel of an environmental catastrophe, how do I live my life right now?

10. What can we do to reduce or eliminate violence in the world? (Ending violence everywhere)
What incites people to violence and how can those conditions change? When have you experienced a potentially violent situation transform into a more peaceful resolution and what can we learn from that? Where is violence happening in your community and what would you like to see in its stead? What will it take to not just end violence and war, but wage peace?

[China Cat Sunflower]

I can't see how we're going to be able to dial back from our present course toward three, possibly four super power coalitions. We're not going to be able to address any of the above quoted issues in any meaningful way while on our present course. It's good to continue consciousness raising activities, but it's going to be a long, long road.

Chris

[gp1628]

The fact that so much of the world appears to feel this way does not bode well for the US if it continues in the attitudes that it has had for decades. We need to get off of the Monroe Doctrine and become more community minded IMHO.

[wil]

not

can't

won't

never

Are these words that benefit this discussion?

[Paladin]

Originally Posted by wil

not

can't

won't

never

Are these words that benefit this discussion?

Only for contrast my friend.

YouTube - Peter, Paul & Mary - The Times They Are A Changing

[Muslimwoman]

1. How can we best prepare our children for the future? (Our Children, Our Future)
To give love and accept love. That other people have a right to an opinion even if you don't agree with it. That there is no tangible proof that you are right and someone else is wrong. Not to eat too many sweets - they rot your teeth.

2. What does sustainability look like to you? How do we get there? (Making Sustainability Real)
We have to accept change and be willing to make small sacrifices for the sake of humaity and the planet we inhabit.

3. How do humans need to adapt to survive the changes predicted for this century? (Survival in the 21st Century)
I see good happening in the Green movement but alas I fear it too little and too late. We need political will to make the huge changes we need in global warming, pollution, starvation, human trafficing, etc. We also need to take the politics out of the media so we can make informed decisions.

4. How do we shift from “Me” to “We” on both the local and global levels? (From “me” to “we”)
We have to teach this from a very young age and then pray in a couple of generations the message has sunk in.

5. How can you, as Gandhi said, be the change that you want to see in the world? (Being the change)
I am a hermit so it is difficult to do very much but I try to be kind, to teach others to be kind and tolerant. I try not to be wasteful and re-use wherever I can. I shop selectively. I use my vote.

6. What kind of economic structures can best support a shift to sustainable living? (A healthy economy)
Rich countries have to take down their trade borders they have in place to make themselves richer. Oil and gas, etc should be traded in various currencies not just US$.

7. How should we re-invent the political process so that people feel that they have a voice? (Having a political voice)
Remove veto's and let the people speak. Have annual referndums on important issues both within borders and outside them. Create a global community not gangs of countries sticking together.

8. What kind of leadership does the world need now? (Who leads now?)
HONEST

9. How can we balance our personal needs with the most pressing needs of our community and the larger world? (Personal Balance in Demanding Times)
We have to create social concious in everyone, start when children are young and make them see that no man is an island.

10. What can we do to reduce or eliminate violence in the world? (Ending violence everywhere)
I wish I knew

[kiwimac]

The questions are important but more important (or so it seems to me) is to be willing to live WITH the questions without seeking answers necessarily. Before a jug can be filled it must be empty, perhaps we need to live with the emptiness of the questions before we can be filled with the answers.