It’s Time to Rethink Civilization
Modern civilization is unsustainable.
We need a form of civilization, one that can co-exist with the millions of other species of life on this planet. We need a form of civilization that is socially just and does not equate human happiness and well-being with the endless consumption of material goods. We need to shift away from a worldview that separates humans from the web of life. We need to create new ways of living that are more sensitive, more just, more joyous, and more sustainable. We need to build an ecological civilization. Our starting point is where we live, in our local communities and in the communities-of-communities that support us.
Rethinking civilization requires wider education (not just higher education).
People talk a lot about "producing" college graduates and about education as job-training. And we have come to think of higher education as a means to making a living rather than making a life. But life is bigger than a career. Much bigger. We are not simply employees. We are members of communities.
The goal of education should be to teach us how to increase the vitality of human social relations and the living systems that support them.
It should deepen our sensitivities and understanding, enliven our relations with the world, and harness our creativity in ways that contribute to life.
