The starting point is that we can´t carry on as we are now. In multiple ways, the model of society established throughout the era initiated by the 18th century Industrial Revolution is in deep trouble. For those of us in affluent "western" nations, the mainstream quality of life has entered a period of sharp decline. Central to our dilemmas are the increasing cost of living crisis, a growing lack of affordable housing, global concerns about escalating migration, a rapidly widening gulf between rich and poor, grave warnings from the scientific community of environmental & climate disasters, an "epidemic" of mental health disorders... and much more. Almost everywhere we go, the talk is of how it´s all falling apart, of who or what is to blame for the mess we can all see. Whatever your perspective is, it´s easy to get angry, anxious, frustrated and pissed off.

What can´t be denied is that we are at the start of an historical period where great change is poised to take place. Driving the change are 3 international groupings, each offering a radically different vision of that change. First off is what we can call the "business as usual" model. Briefly stated, this is the current political and economic system. It´s generally accepted that we need to transition from generating energy by the burning of fossil fuels, but this must be balanced against the damage to the economy from acting too soon. In practical terms, this is interpreted as either sitting in the worsening daily traffic jam in an electric vehicle rather than a diesel or petrol one... or using better public transport. Because vastly more electricity is needed to accomplish this, the country needs to be covered in new pylons, solar farms and windfarms. Huge amounts of money are needed, which is to be provided by further strengthening and safeguarding an economic growth system. In practice, this implies the need to remove regulatory safeguards, of the environment & human rights, that restrict business development. It also aims to operate within self-created fiscal rules; the domain of the money supply, how and what the government taxes, what public services are affordable and what are not. The financial profitability of artificial intelligence, consuming vast amounts of energy, is central to this vision. A plan for dealing with the massive unemployment it will create is not clear. In general, there is a growing loss of confidence in this group to effectively address the many crises we face.

The 2nd international grouping also responds to the various crises mentioned in the first paragraph. Coming into power through exploiting and stirring up the distress & grievance felt by many, an international movement of divisive & war-like authoritarian leaders is rapidly growing. As a movement often claiming to be inspired by God, this grouping, including both the richest men in the world and also the most oppressed, has its own ultra-radical agenda and is against lots of things... including illegal migration, green stuff, gender diversity, democratic norms, women´s rights, climate change mitigation and much more. Many of its adherents are aggressive, untruthful and consumed by power-seeking ambitions. Characterised by passionately held separatist ideologies, they are to be found in many political arenas; throughout Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and beyond. They are currently dismantling the international rules that have governed global relations since the end of world war 2. Both democratically elected leaders and terrorist cells belong to them. Supporters of this group can be found everywhere and are appearing to grow stronger in their convictions..

Both of these groupings claim a mandate to act through the appointment of elected representatives, for defined or longer periods. In pursuit of the required votes, both employ propaganda, use of simplistic slogans, and a spectrum veering from mild deception to outright lying. Common to both groupings in different degrees, the 2nd group especially draws its power from a manufactured sense of outrage, entitlement, greed & cruelty.

The 3rd grouping, by far the largest, are mainly hidden, but can also be found everywhere, in all cultures and classes of humanity. They are the people of goodwill; drawing their power from generosity, kindness and forgiveness. They see the remedy to the malaise of the modern world within... for want of a better word... a "spiritualised" human consciousness, although this may not be fully realised.

What does this mean in practice? It doesn´t necessarily mean to follow a religious or spiritual path, but it can mean that. It does mean a devotion to "truth" in matters small and great, both personally and globally. It usually means a recognition of beauty; in nature, in the arts, hopefully in oneself and in each other. Such people see the course of a lifetime as a learning curve into enhanced awareness, wisdom and creativity. Members of this grouping often have a distaste for conventional politics and economics; and the enormous damage being inflicted on both people and the living planet. For this reason, and to create the better world that they know is both possible and needed, there is a great attraction to "system change", however that is understood.

The systems of society... politics, economics, education, work patterns, etc... have not always been as they are now. They have evolved and developed over millennia and there is no reason to think that they are somehow fixed and unchangeable. Their current form largely derives from the 18th century Industrial Revolution and subsequent years up to the present day. All of them are becoming progressively dysfunctional and harmful to human beings.

Beginning in the 20th century, these systems began to encounter new thinking that did not quite fit the established order. Amongst other things, developments in the fields of Science, Psychology, world Spirituality and the Arts change our understanding of what it means to be a happy fulfilled human being, which the current system is failing to create. New models of participative democracy, more neighbourhood based and self-help, are appearing as an alternative to the system of choosing a handful of distant individuals to make decisions for us. Computerisation and digital technologies have changed the nature of money, such that in a very real sense the amount of money available to us all is potentially unlimited at a keystroke, without having to destroy nature in the process. The internet has brought all of humanity into close communication and an awareness reaching into every corner of our One World. In stark terms, we face a binary choice. Our current path is rapidly leading to the creation of a planet that can no longer support most human beings to live healthily & comfortably. We can carry on as we are now... and/or we can start anew with a globally agreed vision for a "fresh start". The One Humanity begins individually with each one of us; to follow our own unique path that beckons from the heart.

All 3 groupings offer differing visions of a desired transition, with many overlapping policies and personnel. The question becomes which of these 3 visions is best placed to enable us to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing world.