A lot of positive change is happening in the world. As the economy gets more "flat" new oppotunities are created online and offline. You can be the change you want to see in the world - change your beliefs, heart and actions.
"For more than 30 years, Project Censored has searched out the most important undercovered stories of the year showing what's wrong with our world. But in 2008, Project Censored began offering a new feature: a list of the top underreported stories of hope and creative change. These stories suggest that a better world is both possible and practical, and that every day, all over the world, people are solving problems. The message is simple: Stop fighting or lamenting existing reality – be an innovator and help create something better. Below are 12 key examples from the year 2011. To download the full list of inspiring news, click here.
Arab Spring Topples Dictators: In Dec. 2010, following a vegetable seller named Mohammed Bouazizi, the people of Tunisia rose up in an unarmed insurrection to overthrow dictator Ben Ali. Their success prompted a popular uprising against President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, which, after weeks of unprecedented protests, succeeded in ousting him. Soon, the grassroots struggles for democracy spread, with protests taking place throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Though some protests were violently suppressed, movements of the Arab Spring have dramatically increased prospects for democratization in the Middle East. (More here)
Social Media Isn’t Changing the World; It’s Creating a New One: Social Media is a great tool for spreading information and connecting people worldwide. 96% of Generation Y has joined a social network. Google, Facebook, and Twitter connect around two billion people worldwide – a third of the planet’s population! More video was uploaded to YouTube in six months than was produced by the three major TV networks in 60 years. Wikipedia has over 13 million articles, all written by volunteers. Through social media, a new order based on open access, decentralized creativity, More here)
Couchsurfing: Offer Your Couch, Make New Friends: The gift economy is alive and global among an improbable network of “Couchsurfers.” Since its launch in 2003, Couchsurfing.org has become an international phenomenon. It has attracted 1,930,000 registered Couchsurfers from around the world and facilitated 2,086,778 successful surf and host experiences. Couches are offered in 230 countries and 73,339 cities. (More here)
The New Economy Movement: The emergence of the term “new economy” in public discourse in recent decades may be a sign that support for status quo capitalism is wavering. A growing movement of people accepts the idea that the entire economic system must be radically restructured for critical social and environmental goals to be met. They call for institutions with more egalitarian priorities than the narrow corporate focus on profits and growth. As the economy continues to falter, this movement is working to define a viable path toward long-term systemic change. (More here)
Three Ways to Bring People Together in Your Neighborhood: Great ways to connect your community: set up a “gift circle” for neighbors to meet each others’ needs by sharing what they have; throw a community swap meet where people come together with food, music, and all kinds of creative exchanges; or start a neighborhood work group that pools local talent for meaningful collaboration on community projects. (More here)
How to Get Free from Wall Street: Redefine Wealth and Create New Systems of Exchange: Inspiring international economist David Korten proposes that we create real wealth through increased political participation; by basing value on living systems rather than on the money system; by shifting power from global financial markets to local, community-controlled economies; and by expanding the areas of our lives that are based on gift economies, barter, mutual aid, and caring for the greater good. (More here)
Transformative Films Educate and Awaken as Well as Entertain: Transformative movies are deeply impacting 21st century audiences. What differentiates these films from others is their explicit intention to either affirm a positive vision of the world or to –to challenge personal or cultural conditioning or beliefs. (More here. Transformative films and videos available free here and here)
Coherence and Chaos – Why We Need Both: On every level of living systems, there exists evidence of the value of both chaos and coherence; healthy function is dependent on their coexistence. Each is important in different situations. When we exclusively reify one over the other, we pay a price. For example, a lack of healthy variability in neural activity is associated with depression. Conversely, a lack of coherence in brain wave patterns is characteristic of schizophrenia. Context matters. (More here)
Research Shows That Eco-Farming, Not Big Ag, Is the Key to Feeding the World: The power elite claim that only industrial-scale corporate agriculture can feed the growing human population. According to this myth, growing enough food will require expanding the current agribusiness model based largely on fossil fuels, petrochemicals, and capital-intensive monocultures of genetically modified crops. Yet recent scientific evidence demonstrates that farms designed to emulate natural ecosystems not only protect and restore natural resources, but are more productive than industrial farms. (More here)
Wind and Solar Are Competitive with Coal and Nuclear: Accounting for the full economic, environmental, and health costs of coal and nuclear energy makes wind, solar, and other non-fossil fuel power economically competitive. (More here)
Studies Indicate Humans are Wired for Empathy: Scientists recently discovered mirror neurons in all primates. Mirror neurons enable us to experience another’s plight as if we were experiencing it ourselves. Several studies suggest humans are not soft-wired for aggression, violence, and self-interest (products of hierarchical oppression), but for collaboration and companionship. Our main drive is to belong. Consciousness has changed throughout history. As we evolve, we extend our empathetic ties. Today’s technology allows people around the globe to interact, furthering our potential for empathetic connection. (More here)
The Health Benefits of Gratitude: The world’s leading expert on gratitude, Robert Emmons, finds that people who regularly cultivate gratitude report a host of physical, psychological, and social benefits. Gratitude celebrates the present, blocks negative emotions, and affirms goodness by recognizing external, greater-than-self factors. People who are grateful have a higher sense of self worth because they are continually aware that others are looking out for them. (More here)
Note: For summaries of some of the most inspiring major media articles ever published, click here.
