Chapter One:
Systemic
Society pushes everyone to get ahead by stepping on others. People try to control those they see as "below" them while giving in to those they see as "above" them. Most of us do this without even thinking about it—it's just how things work in our schools, jobs, and daily lives. This system must change.
But there's hope. Many caring people and groups are creating a better way of doing things. They help those in need, fight for what's fair, and make the world a better place. These helpful people and groups work alone instead of together.
If these people joined forces, they would create a new system where everyone has a voice and power is shared fairly. This new way wouldn't completely replace the old way - instead, both systems could exist side by side and balance each other, each with its own strengths.
To make this happen, we all need to admit our own faults, help each other overcome our habits of trying to control others or giving in to power for our own benefit, and be honest about what's wrong with our society.
The Problem
In the social realm:
Almost everyone is seriously disrespected. The list of insults is endless. It includes: white trash, deplorable, irredeemable, stupid, idiot, slow, welfare queen, lazy bum, wetback, fat, ugly, cripple, flyover country, spic, chink, kike, faggot, rebel, troublemaker, and of course, the N-word. No wonder “dis” and “diss” became a popular way in the 1980s to express anger at insults.
At the same time, many terms are used to praise people based on superficial characteristics, such as: pretty, beautiful, attractive, smart, articulate, disciplined, hardworking, creative, well-behaved, charming, ambitious, upwardly mobile, loyal, obedient, and, respectful.
These insults and praise are used to rank people and label them as inferior or superior. It worsens toxic competition andhelps to justify huge gaps between the wealthy few and everyday people who are struggling to get by. Society teaches people:
"Get ahead of others. Chase your dreams. You can be anything!"
Being a leader means getting people to do what the leader wants.
"Just work hard and you'll succeed."
"Being selfish is just how things are."
“Life is a zero-sum game - if you win, others lose.”
"Money is a way to keep score."
“Winning is everything.
“Cheating is no big deal.” ”
"Anyone can get rich if they really try."
"Poor people aren't trying hard enough."
"Rich people earned everything they have."
"Being greedy is fine - everyone's doing it."
"What's in it for me?"
"Life's a competition - there are winners and losers."
"Buy nice stuff to show you're successful."
“Keep up with the Jones’.”
"I need the latest gadget because everyone else has it!"
"Someone must be in charge."
"My boss is a dictator."
"At least I can be the boss at home."
"Don't rock the boat."
“Go along to get along.”
We grow up hearing these messages everywhere. They become our deeply engrained, default way of thinking and acting. As a result:
We learn to climb social ladders, look down on people "below" us, obey people "above" us, and do what everyone else is doing - often without even realizing we're doing it.
Society becomes divided.
The status quo is protected.
People use others' fear and anger to get what they want.
People, organizations, businesses, and nations chase power, money, and status
Even people whose job is helping others (like counselors or social workers) talk down to people and treat them like children, which weakens them.
Trying to be in charge ruins equal partnerships.
Thinking about yourself first damages relationships.
People get angry and blame each other,
People give in to more powerful people and follow the crowd when it's convenient.
Most people think they're morally superior to others.
In the personal realm:
When people are scared, they get angry and think only about themselves.
They compete ruthlessly and become super selfish.
People need to be "better" than others to feel good about themselves.
By thinking they're superior, people justify pushing others around.
Those who "lose" end up feeling worthless.
You rank yourself by the size of your salary and what you own.
Worrying about status makes people doubt themselves.
Many Protestant churches preach the “prosperity gospel.”
Spiritual teachers cultivate dependency, submissiveness, and insecurity.
Spiritual seekers become chronic navel-gazers and fail to engage in compassionate action to relieve suffering and change public policies.
In the cultural realm:
The mainstream media, television, movies, and music reinforce these top-down notions.
They suggest what’s right and wrong is a matter of opinion.
They glorify the rich and famous.
They spread a deadly mix of materialism, militarism, and selfishness.
In the economic realm:
Large corporations bust up unions and stop others from forming, with help from federal laws.
They cheat to avoid paying taxes (as with sending money to offshore tax havens).
They use unfair methods to create monopolies to destroy competitors.
The super-rich (aided and abetted by controversial Supreme Court rulings) spend enormous sums of money to unfairly influence elections.
Federal laws require corporations to maximize returns to shareholders, which pressures them to manipulate their short-term stock prices rather than invest in long-term returns.
Employers are like dictatorial “private governments” with sweeping authoritarian power over our lives, on duty and off," “regulating workers’ speech, clothing, and manners, leaving them with little privacy and few other rights.”
The government subsidizes corporate farms that brutalize animals and fails to support family farms that could help revitalize rural communities.
In the environmental realm:
Humans exploit natural resources with little regard for long-term consequences.
We fail to slow down and reverse devastating climate change.
We forget to commune with Mother Nature.
Corporations produce enormous quantities of plastic and other materials that can’t be recycled.
Cities out trash in landfills.
The ocean is becoming a giant dump.
In the political realm:
Politicians use their power to get richer.
Money has a huge influence on who wins elections.
People hate and misunderstand those who disagree with them.
Most political activists don’t want to meet in the middle anymore.
They care more about defeating their opponent than achieving their own goals.
Politicians care mostly about winning the next election.
People forget that the more others thrive, the more they thrive.
Hyper-nationalism fixates on short-term national self-interest.
Powerful nations try to dominate other nations and bully them into submitting.
Politicians will do almost anything, even start wars, to keep their power.
America and other countries try to control other nations through invasion, violence, dividing nations against each other, controlling them indirectly and bullying them.
The big picture:
Society is like a giant machine made up of these different realms that work together as a "Top-Down System." This system is all about people getting more money, power, and status - being "better" than others. People either try to control others or give in to get ahead. They constantly rank themselves and others based on who they think is a better human being. You see this everywhere - including friendships, local groups, big companies, and how countries treat each other.
No one person or group controls this system. The people at the top can be replaced and often are. The system just keeps going.
We all help this Top-Down System run, often without thinking about it. Every time we buy cheap clothes made in factories with terrible working conditions, for instance, or when we vote, we're part of it. Everyone's both a player in this game and getting played by it.
It doesn't matter how you get money, power, or status - so long as you get it. Doing the right thing doesn't count. People forget that everyone could win if we worked together.
Society likes to say that anyone can make it if they're smart and work hard enough - that everyone has an equal shot. But that's not true. People with advantages have a much easier path, and they pass on their advantages to their children and friends.
In today's world, people chase money, power, and status just to have them, not as tools to help others or make the world better. This me-first attitude damages all kinds of organizations - including activist groups, religious communities, charities, families, schools, and workplaces. People disrespect each other, are bossy, act superior, point fingers, hold grudges, and maneuver for a better position. These selfish behaviors make the dominant Top-Down System stronger.
This system inflames fear and anger while pushing down trust and love. It corrupts both individuals and communities and results in a few people getting most of the advantages. In these ways, it stops people from working together, leads to widespread corruption, and produces a society that's unstable because it’s top-heavy. Many particular problems are symptoms of this bigger issue: the Top-Down System.
Hidden patterns make all this worse. We can't see these patterns directly, but we can figure them out by looking at what's actually happening.
Solutions
Compassion-minded people everywhere are reducing suffering, spreading happiness, giving others a better chance to succeed, working to become better human beings, and growing caring communities. These efforts are isolated, however. By coming together, these social and political activists could create a powerful movement to build a Bottom-Up System to counter the Top-Down System from the ground up, led by regular people.
They could endorse core principles, use a few shared simple methods to achieve their mission, and help publicize and build support for the movement. We could build a society focused on taking care of each other, where everyone can afford to live comfortably, feel safe in their communities, and have power to help shape their lives.
We humans are caught between two opposite forces: fear/anger and trust/love. This happens in our individual lives, in groups, and in whole societies. Ideally, these forces balance each other. Fear helps keep us safe from danger, and it's natural to get angry about unfair situations. Trust helps us relax, care about others, handle fear without panicking, and use anger to make positive changes. When people feel safe, have enough money to live on, and feel free to be themselves, it's easier to show love and stand up for people who need help.
Many individuals and groups are working hard to build trust, spread love, manage fear, channel anger, grow compassionate communities, help each other, and make the world better. They counter the Top-Down System that inflames fear and anger, spreads harsh judgments, and divides people.
These compassion-minded people respect everyone’s infinite worth and dignity.
They use power, money, and their position to help each other reach their full potential.
They form worker-owned cooperatives that earn money, provide good working conditions, and don’t move to other countries.
They form unions.
They incorporate public-benefit corporations that are legally required to serve the interests of their communities and their workers as well as earn a profit.
They volunteer in homeless shelters and food banks.
They respect authority where it makes sense (like teachers having authority to teach or coaches to train), but reject people bossing each other around for personal gain.
They form opinions about what’s right and wrong or true and false.
They stand up for what they believe while staying open to hearing different views and negotiating compromises.
They find a sweet spot between being confident and listening to others.
They appreciate praise without letting it go to their heads.
They unlearn or control the habit of automatically dominating or giving in and learn to work together better as equals.
They talk less and listen more.
They create spaces and systems that bring out the best in people.
They reform our me-first, top-down culture while keeping its good parts (like innovation, hard work, and legitimate authority).
They create new ways of doing things that make society fairer and more cooperative.
They learn from each other instead of some people always being the "experts" teaching from above.
They learn to understand both their thoughts and feelings and to speak honestly about what matters to them.
They focus on both long-term dreams and realistic short-term objectives.
They learn to work in a collaborative way to turn whatever setting in which they have authority into a purposeful, humane, democratic, empowering, and community-connected environment.
Professional helpers work in communities as equals alongside activists and regular people.
They form projects such as:
PACE Programs (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly). Programs that aim to keep seniors in their homes while providing comprehensive care and emphasizing participant autonomy in care decisions.
Cohousing Communities. Intentionally designed neighborhoods that combine private homes with extensive common facilities and resident participation in community planning and management.
Green House Project homes. Alternatives to traditional nursing homes with small-scale residences (usually 10-12 people) that emphasize resident autonomy, meaningful relationships, and community integration.
Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs) with Supportive Service Programs. Regular apartment buildings or neighborhoods with a high concentration of older residents, many of which have added social services while emphasizing resident leadership.
Community Development Corporations (CDCs). Many CDCs involve residents in decision-making about affordable housing development and management. Some explicitly prioritize tenant organizing and leadership development.
Mental Health Empowerment Projects. Recipient-run, not-for-profit corporations that develop and strengthen self-help and mutual support/recovery activities.
Self-Directed Support Global Network. A global community working to define and improve best practices in self-directed support for people who need help.
Valor Collegiate Academies. A network of three public charter schools in Nashville dedicated to acquiring content and knowledge cultivating holistic human development.
These “servant leaders” prioritize the needs of others and are committed to their growth. They’re empathetic, good communicators, and have integrity. They encourage people to help each other become their best selves.
But these compassionate efforts are scattered and disconnected from each other. Usually, groups focus on fixing one specific problem, helping certain people, or working in particular communities.
Even when these groups do good work, they're like putting a bandage on a deeper problem. By focusing on just one issue at a time, they miss how all these problems are connected. They don't show people how many of these problems come from the same source - the "Top-Down System," where power and decisions flow from the top down. Sometimes this leads people to blame specific groups instead of looking at the bigger picture.
These helping efforts face huge challenges. The current system creates many problems - like not enough good jobs, laws that make it hard for workers to band together, rich people having too much power in elections, and companies fighting against worker rights.
If all these servant leaders joined forces, they could build a "Bottom-Up System" to balance the Top-Down System. As unions balance the power of big companies, this Bottom-Up System would give regular people more power to match the power at the top. As we balance our fear and anger with trust and love, we could do something similar in society.
Sometimes it makes sense for people to have authority over others - but only when it helps everyone. Like parents keeping kids safe from cars, or traffic lights preventing crashes. We accept this kind of authority because it protects people.
With this perspective, we could address not only symptoms but also the whole person and the whole society with a “holistic democracy” that gives people a say in decisions that affect them while respecting different views. With a holistic democracy movement, we could benefit everyone with win-win solutions, protect the environment, and support all forms of life.
This website wants to help caring groups work together to:
Challenge unfair rules made by governments and big companies
Strengthen the Bottom-Up System where regular people have more say
Make relationships between people more equal
Work both with current leaders and with community groups to improve the world
Reform the Top-Down System to make it more just, democratic, and compassionate
Advance these goals with a member-controlled holistic democracy movement
The more people understand and talk about these ideas and build support for this new movement, the better chance we’ll have to change the world and make it more sustainable.
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Getting everyone who cares about making the world better to work together would be super challenging. But just imagining what's possible can lead to good ideas. So let's try a thought experiment.
Imagine:
People join the holistic democracy movement because they share three basic principles: 1) We believe everyone has equal worth and deserves respect, safety, economic security, and a voice in matters that affect them; 2) We help each other become better human beings, especially by learning to undo or control the instincts to dominate and submit for personal gain; and 3) We choose our leaders fairly and hold them responsible for their actions.
This movement is which integrates new egalitarian institutitions, cultures, and movement members into the Bottom-Up System that counters the Top-Down System and balances it, while working to make it fairer and more democratic.
Movement members work to advance these ideas throughout society. Some members do so informally in how they live and where they work. Others join with other members in a small team and decide together how to collaborate. Some devote only a few hours a month to this work, while others contribute much more. Some organizations join the movement and help their members form small teams. Everyone takes time for rest, recreation, and self-care.
Members reduce suffering, promote fairness, spread joy, and help create a society where people work together better. Instead of everyone just looking out for themselves, they consider how their actions affect others and the environment. You can see the positive results in every part of society.
The movement makes sure everyone can get:
A living wage job opportunity
A secure retirement
Affordable housing
Affordable childcare
Affordable health insurance
The movement ensures a living wage job opportunity by persuading the federal government to distribute money to local and state governments to hire people to do important work in their communities - like helping elderly people in their homes, providing childcare, drug rehab counseling, and cleaning up the environment. This fund gets its money from:
Donations from wealthy donors and charities
Cutting wasteful military spending
Higher taxes on wealthy people
Cracking down on people and companies who avoid taxes
These revenues go into a Public Service trust fund similar to the Social Security trust fund.
Due to these public service programs, there are now enough good drug and alcohol treatment centers and mental health crisis centers for everyone who needs them. These centers often employ people who have recovered themselves and want to help others. Since clients know they’ll be able to get a good job, they’re more motivated to get their act together than was the case before jobs were assured.
The government also raises the minimum wage so that anyone working full-time can afford basic living expenses. The minimum wage automatically goes up when prices go up. The government also increases wage subsidies such as the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure working families don't live in poverty.
Instead of giving most farm support to big corporate farms, the government helps family farms stay in business. People also support local farmers by shopping at farmers' markets. More investment in clean energy creates good jobs in every region. All of this helps rural communities thrive.
The President helps control prices by leading boycotts against companies that try to charge too much (price gouging), which is especially important when everyone has enough money to spend.
With these basics covered — having enough money to live on and feeling safe — everyone has a chance to live well and take care of their family. People can be creative, help their communities, and try to leave the world a little better than they found it. They don’t have to constantly worry about becoming homeless just because they live paycheck to paycheck.
With this kind of security, people who want to improve their situation by finding better jobs. But many feel their lives are good enough and spend more time on art projects, community activities, and working for causes they believe in, Those who want to earn more money do it ethically without trying to crush their competition.
We still have rules and authority where they make sense - like protecting kids from traffic, having traffic lights, and holding people responsible when they hurt others or violate their rights. Police walk through neighborhoods and get to know residents and business owners, which helps keep communities safer. If people need to go to jail, we treat them like human beings, not animals.
We’re strengthening partnerships, cooperation, and empowerment throughout society. Couples share power equally in their relationships, deciding together how to handle household responsibilities. When possible, families include kids in decisions about family activities. Schools give students more choices about what they study and how they work.
More and more companies are changing their rules to say they must serve the public good while making profits. The government has changed laws to make it easier for workers to form unions. Now, more workers belong to unions, which gives them more say over their working conditions and pay. Workers also get seats on company boards and help make sure companies do right by their communities. Workers regularly evaluate their bosses, as bosses evaluate workers.
With loans and technical assistance, governments support workers forming worker-owned cooperatives.
In families, schools, workplaces, and other organizations, many people regularly:
Conduct a “holistic check-in” that involves: 1) Starting meetings with a quiet moment for thinking, relaxing, or praying if they want to, and; 2) Taking time for everyone to briefly share how they're feeling and how they’ve been working on their self-improvement, especially concerning controlling their desire to dominate unfairly and their willingness to submit blindly.
Have special meetings where people talk about how the group is working together. In these “process groups,” people share what they appreciate about others or what's bothering them. They might bring up times when they felt others were too controlling or when they themselves tried to control others or just went along with things for personal gain. They might not solve these issues right away but work on them later.
Movement members:
See themselves as part of the human family while being proud of who they are - their religion, race, gender, and everything else that makes them unique.
Work together to break free from the dehumanizing messages society has taught us all - like prejudices that we might not even realize we have.
Take breaks to chill and have fun (because you can't help others if you're burned out!), and create activities that let everyone have a real voice.
Really listen when others speak - not just waiting for their turn to talk.
Respect everyone’s equal human value while appreciating what makes each person special.
Find a middle ground between only thinking about themselves and totally sacrificing their own needs.
Understand they're part of a self-centered, top-down system they didn't create, but commit to helping improve it.
Take an honest look at themselves, face their problems instead of avoiding them, and admit when they mess up.
Set goals to become better people (including spiritually for some), while knowing nobody's perfect.
Deal with their fears and anger in healthy ways while staying open to love and trust.
Work together with kindness and share leadership instead of bossing each other around.
Focus on what they can do right now to work toward their bigger dreams.
Try to change both how people think AND how society works.
Spread happiness, help out in their community, make organizations more human-friendly, and take practical steps to create political change.
Some members also form:
A Network of Holistic Teams. Regularly conduct holistic check-ins, as described above. These groups - which could be book clubs, study groups, activist teams, religious groups, or anything else. Every now teams from the same area meet up to share what they've been doing and come up with new ideas.
Citizens' Juries. Raise funds for randomly recruited registered voters who get paid to spend a year studying big problems and suggesting solutions. Experts in getting people to work together guide these meetings.
Citizens' Assemblies. Convene randomly chosen people to make recommendations about major issues.
Community Dialogues. Get the federal government to require Congresspersons, Senators, and the President to hold Community Dialogues with their constituents at 12 Noon on the second Saturday of each month where they listen to people and answer questions. To keep it fair, they randomly pick who gets to speak. Movement members and other activists use this meeting as an organizing tool by mobilizing people to participate.
A Purple Alliance. Pushes for laws that most Americans support while engaging in protests, civil disobedience, and boycotts if needed.
A New Political Party. Reform one of the existing political parties or create a new one that's run by regular people. This party works with the Purple Alliance and organizes year-round in local neighborhoods. The local teams don't just do political stuff - they engage in social and educational activities, help each other grow as people, and do community service.
The movement gets the U.S. government to own up to its mistakes - like having started unjust wars and dominating and exploiting other countries. Instead, they want America to:
Work with other countries as equals
Join the International Criminal Court (which helps bring war criminals to justice)
Sign important global agreements the U.S. has refused to sign
Support giving more countries a real voice in the UN Security Council
Respect UN General Assembly votes
Give more aid to developing countries so their people don't feel forced to leave home
They also build connections with groups in other countries, creating a global network of local teams that show how a fair society based on helping each other could work. Sometimes these teams from different countries get together to share ideas and support each other in global assemblies.
All these changes - in culture, society, personal growth, the economy, the environment, and politics - work together like a chain reaction. When they all push in the same direction toward making things more democratic and equal, it creates an awesome snowball effect. When something works well, other people copy it, adapt it, and make it bigger. All these improvements support each other and help reform the whole society into something better.
These changes work together to create a society where people don't just automatically boss each other around or give in to being bossed around. Instead, they build something that gives both individuals and communities more power to shape their lives. When organizations need leaders, they pick them democratically. Being caring becomes part of how everything works.
The movement brings people together by pointing out that our biggest problem isn't any particular group or individual - it's the whole Top-Down System itself. When we get this, we stop blaming each other and start focusing on making everything more human-friendly: our neighborhoods, our culture, our workplaces, our government, ourselves, and our relationship with nature. This helps everyone understand things better and commit to making deep, lasting changes. They know they won't create a perfect world, but they keep moving in the right direction.
Like a spiral staircase going up, this movement works on every level - in your neighborhood and around the world, in people's hearts and in politics, in how we treat each other and how we organize society. All these changes support each other to make society kinder and fairer. They affirm that everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities their whole lives - not just at the beginning - and work to break down the barriers that keep people apart, bringing the world together as a more caring community.
The movement got started when a diverse group of community leaders organized a big founding convention. Now, as time goes on, members update their strategies while staying focused on changing the whole system for the better.
This thought experiment is meant to get you thinking - it's not a blueprint we have to follow exactly. While we’ll never create a perfect world, this vision could be our North Star - giving us direction as we work toward something better.
A holistic democracy movement could be a new kind of global movement that brings together all sorts of people and causes. Unlike movements of the past that focused on single issues, it could nonviolently tackle multiple challenges at once, led by regular people (not political parties), and be even more powerful than past movements like labor, civil rights, women's rights, and environmental protection.
This movement could address root causes and work to improve pretty much everything - from how we treat each other to how we run our economy and protect the environment. It could create new ways of doing things while keeping the good parts of our current systems.
Looking back at history, we've made progress on specific things like voting rights, but it's hard to say we've really become better people overall. We still have huge problems like unfair wars and people starving. It's unclear if society is getting better, getting worse, or just stuck in place.
But one thing's for sure - we desperately need big changes in everything: our culture, how we treat each other, how we grow as people, our economy, how we treat the environment, and how we run our government.
It's going to be really hard to make these big changes happen. Our society is super focused on looking out for yourself, buying stuff you don't need, solving problems with military force, and a whole system of people either dominating others or submitting to being dominated. And we definitely can't count on politicians to fix things - most of them are just looking out for themselves.
However, even though the odds aren't great, just talking about this dream of a better world might plant some seeds of change. Maybe these ideas will inspire small improvements here and there that make people's lives better. Or maybe a massive movement will emerge. All we can do is speak up about what we think is true and do our best to create the changes we believe need to happen.