By Jim Nicholson
“The Necessary Revolution” presents a very simple premise—the planet is in trouble and those of us inhabiting it must revolutionize our collective way of thinking or suffer the consequences—and offers some exceedingly practical possible solutions, while placing the contemporary situation in an historical context. That the book also utilizes an economic context, which has become all too relevant since it was written, is an added bonus.
Peter Senge is also the author of “The Fifth Discipline,” which has been honored as one of the five greatest business books of all time by the Financial Times.
The authors view revolution as a naturally occurring shift of thought when what is viewed as a better way suits the collective need. In this context, the Renaissance was such a revolution, as was the Industrial Revolution, which the authors argue must give way to a new way of thinking and collective lifestyle. In relating example after example that the industrial system which, in the past, has brought us so many benefits is now generating countless dangerous side effects that swamp its ability to continue advancing our standard of living, the book argues that one of two outcomes is possible: Either we keep on with business as usual until the accumulating side effects overwhelm us, or we rethink our existence.
In drawing a parallel between financial and societal ‘bubbles,’ the authors, almost inadvertently, provide an uncomfortably visceral context vis a vis our current economic condition. By delineating two parallel realities between those inside and those outside a financial bubble, they explicate that those inside the bubble ultimately can no longer comprehend the point of view of those outside the bubble resulting in ruin or hardship for both. Societal bubbles, they argue, operate no differently, and can last decades, if not centuries. The longer the bubble grows, the more people and resources get drawn into it, the more people may benefit from it, and the more its beliefs become deeply entrenched. The bubble, however, cannot continue expanding indefinitely and, at some point, the inconsistencies of life within the bubble and the larger reality outside the bubble must be resolved. Just as the now unthinkable credit binge has plummeted the entire world into a financial crisis, accrued consumer and commercial waste and toxicity has plunged the world into environmental crisis. Optimistically, the authors argue, “climate change is a particular sort of gift, a time clock telling us how fast the Industrial Age is ending.”
The environmental crises associated with the Industrial Age may be garnering the most publicity, but there are plenty of other related problems of equal magnitude contributing to its inner/outer bubble dichotomy. Perhaps the most distressing concerns simple wealth: the combined wealth of the 200 richest people in the world exceeds the combined annual income of the world’s 2.5 billion poorest people in the world. Even if post-9/11 foreign policy was not partially the result of this dichotomy, the staggeringly divergent points of view of these two populations should give anyone cause to reflect.
When faced with challenges of magnitude, rather than embracing change, the vast majority of people and institutions try harder to maintain the status quo. In psychological terms, the brain ‘downshifts’ under stress and most people revert to their most habitual modes of behavior. Societies follow this pattern, which is why, even when the need is most pressing, political leaders tend to fight, rather than embrace, change. If each major problem (for instance, climate change, water shortage and/or poverty) is viewed as a separate issue and approached separately, the ‘solutions’ (witness the recent frenzy of turning the corn crop into ethanol) will be short-term and will do nothing to address collective problems.
The necessary revolution in “The Necessary Revolution” is one, which provides mankind a sustainable future, and three guiding principals are viewed as essential for delivering that promise:
- There is no viable path forward that does not take into account the needs for future generations.
- Institutions matter.
- All real change is grounded in new ways of thinking and perceiving.
It is necessary, the authors believe, for societies to dispense with “either/or” thinking. “Assuming that we must choose either a better standard of living or healthy ecosystems and cannot have both is a
by-product of the Industrial Age. This is not to assume that a regenerative society will not involve changes that will be difficult, such as adjusting to higher energy prices, having fewer material acquisitions, or taking greater responsibility for our impact on the world. But to assume that this is automatically a step backward in terms of overall quality of living is to assume that our answers from the past are automatically the answers for the future.”
Finding those answers will also extend to the way society is organized and sets its priorities. The quest for efficiency and standardization in the Industrial Age has resulted in relentless homogenization, destroying both cultural and biological diversity. People around the world watch the same television shows, buy the same products and embrace the same consumer ideals. In stark contrast to this drive to homogenization is nature’s love affair with diversity and uniqueness: No two trees, leaves, alley cats or people are the same. The necessary revolution is not about giving up, but about rediscovering what we most value. It is about making quality in living central in our communities, businesses, schools and societies. It is about reconnecting with ourselves, one another, and our fellow non-human inhabitants on earth. Doing nothing, the authors convincingly stress, is no longer
an option.
