Creating A One World Consciousness

"The modern crises are, in fact, man-made, and differ from many of their predecessors in that they can be dealt with." [emphasis in original] - Mankind at the Turning Point, 1974 (p15)

"Therefore we have concentrated out efforts in this report on a number of vital worldwide issues whose mastery we consider essential for man's survival and for an eventual transition into sustainable material and spiritual development of humanity." [emphasis mine] - XII

"Whether or not to embark on the path of organic growth is a question of mankind's very survival..." [emphasis mine] - 70

"Today it seems that the basic values, which are ingrained in human societies of all ideologies and religious persuasions, are ultimately responsible for many of our troubles. But if future crises are to be avoided, how then should these values be readjusted?" [emphasis mine] - 11

"An analysis of problems and crises as reported in subsequent chapters indicate that (1) a "horizontal" restructuring of the world system is needed, i.e., a change in relationships among nations and regions and (2) as far as the "vertical" structure of the world system is concerned, drastic changes in the norm stratum - that is, in the value system and the goals of man - are necessary in order to solve energy, food, and other crises, i.e., social changes and changes in individual attitudes are needed if the transition to organic growth is to take place." [emphasis mine] - 54

"The changes in social and individual attitudes which we are recommending require a new kind of education..." - 148

"Development of a practical international framework in which the cooperation essential for the emergence of a new mankind on an organic growth path will become a matter of necessity rather than being left to good will and preference..." [emphasis mine] - 145

"The transition from the present undifferentiated and unbalanced world growth to organic growth will lead to the creation of a new mankind [emphasis mine]. Such a transition would represent a dawn, not a doom, a beginning not the end. Will mankind have the wisdom and will power to evolve a sound strategy to achieve that transition? In view of historical precedents, one might, legitimately, have serious doubts - unless the transition evolves out of necessity. And this is where the current and future crises - in energy, food, materials, and the rest - can become error-detectors, catalysts for change, and as such blessings in disguise. The solutions of these crises will determine on which of the two paths mankind has chosen to travel." [emphasis in original] - 9

"Regarding individual values and attitudes the following lessons seem to be outstanding for the new global ethic implicit in the preceding requirements:

1) A world consciousness must be developed through which every individual realizes his role as a member of the world community... It must become part of the consciousness of every individual that "the basic unit of human cooperation and hence survival is moving from the national to the global level."

2) A new ethic in the use of material resources must be developed which will result in a style of life compatible with the oncoming age of scarcity... One should be proud of saving and conserving rather than of spending and discarding.

3) An attitude toward nature must be developed based on harmony rather than conquest. Only in this way can man apply in practice what is already accepted in theory - that is, that man is an integral part of nature.

4) If the human species is to survive, man must develop a sense of identification with future generations and be ready to trade benefits to the next generations for the benefits to himself. If each generation aims at maximum good for itself, Homo Sapiens is as good as doomed." [emphasis mine] - 147

"In order to achieve balance between regions in global development a more coherent regional outlook must be developed in various parts of the world so that the "preferable solutions" will be arrived at out of necessity rather than out of good will... we are talking about a regional sense of common destiny that will find its expression through appropriate societal, economic concepts and objectives... Such a regional outlook will create a "critical mass" necessary for the practical implementation of new and innovative ways of functioning in cultural, economic, and agricultural areas, especially on the rural level." [emphasis mine] - 154

"Governments and international organizations are currently too preoccupied with military alliances and bloc politics. But this problem is becoming of secondary importance... Therefore, barring suicide, mankind will face the most awesome test in its history: the necessity of a change in the man-nature relationship and the emergence of a new perception of mankind as a living global system." [emphasis mine] - 146

"Precisely because the symptoms of these global crises might become fully visible only toward the end of the century, the time to act is now; when the symptoms become clear the remedy will no longer be possible, as has been shown repeatedly in this report. Future history will not focus on personality and social classes, as has been characteristic of history in the past, but on the use of resources and survival of the human species. The time to affect that history is now." [emphasis mine] - 146

"In searching for a new enemy to unite us [all of humanity], we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. In their totality and in their interactions, these phenomena constitute a common threat which as the enemy, we fall into the trap about which we have already warned, namely mistaking symptoms for causes. All these dangers are caused by human intervention and it is only through changed attitudes and behaviour that they can be overcome. The real enemy then is humanity itself." [emphasis mine]