The third principle of Planetary Philosophy is One Purpose. It is the responsibility of each individual human alive right now to be part of the solution or else he or she is part of the problem.
According to Systems Theory, when a system in a steady state of equilibrium takes in too much new content – new forces, new elements, new relationships – it goes into a state of disequilibrium, which is unstable. At that point, the system has to evolve and transform to a new, higher form of organization or else devolve into a new, lower form of organization.
We Have to Evolve or We Will Devolve
The Earth is a system. The human species is a sub-system of the Earth. The system of the Earth and the sub-system of the human species have entered a state of profound disequilibrium. Humanity and the Earth must now either evolve to a higher level of organization or devolve to a lower level of organization.
We see the instability caused by and causing this disequilibrium wherever we look – climate change; habitat destruction and species die-off; failing and failed states; poverty, hunger, and disease; economic recession; wars and the threat of larger wars. Half of us, over 3 billion of us, live each day on less than it costs for a cup of coffee and 24,000 children die each day because they are so poor.
We Need a New and Better System
We need a new and better system for the human species and the Earth, a system that yields:
- Peace among people and peace with the Earth.
- Health and wellbeing for all people on a healthy planet.
- An opportunity for each person to live a satisfying and creative life and make a contribution to the whole.
We need to evolve to a higher level of organization or the Earth is going to devolve to a lower level of organization as a planet, which may take it outside of the narrow tolerances required for human life, if it comes to that.
The time is short. We all have to act right now. Let’s call this aspect of Planetary Philosophy “One Purpose.”
In One Planet, One People, One Purpose, I have found a philosophy that I can believe in and that can guide my thinking and my actions. In fact, I would contend that the three principles of Planetary Philosophy can provide the foundation for a Planetary Movement that everyone alive can join. Every religion, every nation, every ethnic group can find its place on our One Planet as an aspect of our One People embracing our One Purpose. That is the promise of Planetary Philosophy.
