I should have blogged this, oh... a month ago... but better last than never. :P

Before Christmas, Alex Steffan from WorldChanging wrote to ask me whether I'd be willing to answer their "What Next?" question. They were looking for a range of submissions about emerging and inspirational movements and ideas, to be posted on their site. My first thought was "oh no, I can't answer that... I don't know enough about the new cool things in sustainability." But then I realized that that initial feeling was actually masking a deeper feeling for me, and so I replied to Alex with my real response.

And they published it! I was flattered. But the best part was that I had dug a little deeper, and written something that I believed – which is better than trying to come up with someone in line with what I thought they wanted, or worse, assuming that I had nothing to contribute.

You can read it, and see the comments, here.

Call me a hippie, but I place myself firmly in the "we have to change ourselves first" camp. In my mind, there is no single tool, model, idea, or key piece of knowledge that is going to tip the scales in favour of the world we want to see. I am inspired and endlessly relieved by the practical, solutions-based work being done by so many in the world today – WorldChanging writers and readers among them – but it's as important that we look deeply into ourselves as it is that we look deeply into innovative tools and models for saving the world.

I'd go so far as to say that all would-be worldchangers have an obligation, to themselves and to the greater whole, to embark on such an exploration. The violence we see in our world, the injustice, the apathy, the resistance to change, the fear... all these things originate in each of us, and often in incredibly subtle ways. So befriend yourself, in all your imperfection. Wake up. Stop hoping for external "solutions". Get really honest, first with yourself and then with others. And then begin to allow what you discover to change you, and in turn to change how you engage with the world.

Call me a hippie, but that's my vision for real social change.

So, last night was the WorldChanging Book Launch here in Vancouver. It was well-attended, though a quick survey of the blogosphere reveals mixed opinions about the evening.

The highlight for me was probably the after-party at Six Acres (which I learned was the original size of Vancouver, back in tha day). Interestingly, I ended up talking with Alex Steffen (editor of WorldChanging site and book) about Kunstler and his ideas. I was somewhat relieved to hear Alex (who is a very well-informed guy) say that while he thinks Kunstler is bang on in his assessment of the problems and the situation (basically, suburbia was a really bad idea), he's not sold on his predictions for the future. He's a little more optimistic than Kunstler is, and thinks we have a moral obligation not to tell people that we're screwed and will never pull ourselves out of disaster in time.

I'm not sure where I stand. Sometimes, I must admit, I'm kind of pessimistic... but somehow that doesn't usually lead me to despair. I mean, even if we're going to hell in a handbasket, I actually still enjoy being in this world and sharing it with the many beautiful people in my life.

I should mention that I definitely didn't do justice above to Alex's thoughtful perspective on the situation. I'd love to hear what others think about The Long Emergency? Has anyone read it?

The stellar folks from WorldChanging have recently released a (big and pretty) book, and they're doing a big ol' tour across North America to promote it. Carbon-offset, I'm sure. ;)

Lucky for me, the Vancouver event is the day after I get back from my two weeks on the road – November 5th, 2006. It's being held at WorkSpace and promises to be a great time. So if you live in the city, come on out and play!

November 5th
6:00-8:30, party afterwards
WorkSpace: 400 – 21 Water St.
Vancouver BC

A bit of context...

WORLDCHANGING: A USER'S GUIDE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

You're invited...

Come join some of your community's most creative, inspiring people for an evening celebrating our new book and the worldchanging power of great ideas. Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century is a 608-page compendium of the most innovative solutions, ideas and inventions for building a livable, prosperous future, written by more than sixty noted writers and thinkers, with a foreward from Al Gore and an introduction by Bruce Sterling.

From consumer consciousness to a new vision for industry; non-toxic homes to refugee shelters; microfinance to effective philanthropy; socially responsible investing to starting a green business; citizen media to human rights; ecological economics to climate change, we think this is the most comprehensive, cutting-edge overview to date of what's possible in the near future -- if we decide to make it so. www.worldchanging.com/book

Want to volunteer? Contact us at volunteer@worldchanging.com

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