INTRODUCTION
Systemopedia is a rich Knowledge Base created to support nonviolent civic activism. The information provided is both broad and deep, providing the rationale and methodology for transforming our society to better meet the needs of the people.. The Front Matter in the left sidebar describes the vision, purpose, values and principles which are foundational for this Knowledge Base. /The 8 chapters identify the areas of society targeted for transformation and provide numerous resources for deeper understanding. Multiple methods of navigation help the reader quickly zero in on areas of interest. The left sidebar is the primary structure containing all the information and reached by drill down access. The Index provides a direct listing and access to all topics covered, and tags enable cross-sector access to items related to more than one sector of society.
This website compiles key resources that promote holistic democracy and systemic transformation. Compassion-minded individuals, including activists, can use these resources to better understand pressing issues and incorporate into their daily lives methods to serve humanity, the environment, and life itself.
As conceived here, holistic democracy
Addresses the whole person and the whole society.
Advances dignity and democratic equality throughout society.
Nurtures respect for everyone’s essential equality and opposes unjust discrimination and other forms of social injustice.
The System
Consists of our culture, our institutions, and ourselves as individuals woven together into a single, self-perpetuating social system. The System integrates into one system society’s multiple systems, each of which reinforces the System. This System encourages everyone, for personal gain, to climb social ladders and look down on and dominate those below (and the environment) — or to submit to those above. It inflames the desire to dominate and the willingness to submit. This selfish desire to dominate (and the willingness to submit) is the foundation for behavior throughout society. It’s the root cause of many personal and social problems. Individuals’ daily actions reinforce the System, which oppresses everyone. Suffering is not equal, but everyone is an oppressor and a victim.
Gives status and power based on 1) roles that can be gained or lost over time (class), and; 2) inherited, fixed characteristics such as skin color (caste). It promotes assumptions of essential superiority and inferiority, both individual and collective. This conditioning increases hyper-competition and division. Power over is more important than power with. Addiction to top-down power afflicts almost everyone.
Systemic transformation
Establishes social structures that enable everyone to participate fully in society throughout the course of their life.
Changes the nature, structure, character, and appearance of society and its people. How much any one individual can change is unclear, for human nature is inherited and social conditioning is deeply embedded. Nevertheless, steady personal growth is possible. Humans can learn to control their actions, develop new habits, and redirect their energies. And new laws and regulations can help shape behavior.
Is enhanced by the more people see that they share in common having been socialized by the System. Then they can more fully unite across issues and support each other in joint, collective action to alter social structures, advance self-improvement, and transform the System.
With mutual support for self-development, people can
Overcome the System’s conditioning with intentional efforts to unlearn its hyper-competitive, self-centered, top-down power relationships.
Listen closely to others, learn from them, and benefit by being heard and understood.
More easily admit their mistakes, resolve not to repeat them, and face their tendencies to assume essential superiority or inferiority and dominate or submit.
Take these principles into their daily lives to help make the entire society more democratic.
These reforms can
Promote a new mission for our society — to serve humanity, the environment, and life itself.
Synergistically reinforce each other with evolutionary transformation.
Demonstrate that a new world is possible.
Reform in each social sector — cultural, social, personal, economic, environmental, political — is equally important. Since they’re interconnected and interdependent, reforms in one sector impact reforms in the other sectors. It doesn’t matter where you start. Follow your heart. Focus on where’s most compelling to you and still pay attention to the work of compassionate people in other sectors, learn from them, and when the opportunity presents itself, support them.
You can contribute to holistic and systemic transformation by shaping your work to be consistent with this goal and talking about it. Being clear and explicit about your goals helps to build broader support for them and nurtures unity with others who share them.
Nevertheless, even if you don’t explicitly affirm this transformative goal, in your daily life you can improve society by promoting self-development, mutual support, nonviolence, structural reform, democratic equality, and dignity for all throughout society. In this way, in countless ways, day-by-day, you can contribute to holistic and systemic transformation with actions such as:
Cultural: Buy, read, and discuss a soulful book.
Personal: Work constantly on becoming a better person.
Social: Cultivate co-equal partnerships at home, at work, and in the community.
Economic: Support efforts to empower workers and establish economic security for all.
Environmental: Talk with people about the threat posed by climate change.
Political: Participate in movements to promote democratic equality, alleviate suffering, and establish justice.
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Holistic and systemic transformation involves unlearning oppressive tendencies that our culture embeds within us. At a 2015 day-long intergenerational teach-in honoring Vincent Harding, a close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. James Lawson, the principal mentor for the 1960 Nashville sit-ins and his brother, Rev. Phil Lawson addressed this issue. Following the lunch break, James addressed two points about which, he said, “I haven’t heard anything today.” First, he declared, “All of us have the task to be as fully human, loving, and alive as possible.” Second, he urged activists to promote personal nonviolent struggle in order to become more fully nonviolent as individuals and more effective as activists.
He urged the audience to work on “how we treat each other and ourselves and how we work together” so that we better “learn how to respect each other.” In a challenge to traditional methods of organizing, he argued, “You can’t overcome this society with the old order. You can’t overcome darkness with darkness. You can’t fight evil with evil. We need a new model.”
Later, Phil echoed this theme when he asked, “Who is the enemy?” and answered: It is “a spiritual power that has captured everyone” and fosters a wide variety of destructive “addictions.” To counter that force, he said we need a new spiritual power of our own: a profound commitment to nonviolence as a way of life, not merely as a tactic. “Everyone is an addict and we need to be in some program of recovery from the addictions of our society. We need a long-term, disciplined project.”
It was no surprise that the morning session failed to address these issues. This vacuum still permeates similar gatherings, including those convened by faith-based organizers and other activists who limit their nonviolence to tactical considerations. “The addictions of our society” and the need for holistic and systemic transformation are neglected.
Numerous writers address the need for holistic strategies, but most activists focus on changing others and neglect mutual support for self-development. Moreover, so far, I’ve found no grassroots organization that has: 1) adopted a clear, focused commitment to holistic and systemic transformation, and 2) encourages its members to support each other with their self-development. These failures foster fragmentation and undermine prospects for building the unity that’s needed to transform the System.
Holistic and systemic transformation can advance fundamental change in the nature and spirit of everyday life. Mutually reinforcing reforms in every sector are essential. With a heartfelt collective will, each nation can more fully realize its highest ideals and cooperate with other nations to restructure our global society to better serve humanity, the environment, and life itself.
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The resources in the Cultural, Personal, Social, Economic, Environmental, and Political sections do not explicitly or implicitly affirm holistic and systemic transformation — as do the resources in the Systemic section. Nevertheless, by helping to advance compassion, democracy, and justice in these sectors, they serve humanity, the environment, and life itself. In this way, they contribute to holistic and systemic transformation. Progress in each sector reinforces and contributes to progress in every sector.
Some of the visionary Proposals for Action presented here are offered to indicate the kind of action that’s needed. Other proposals are grounded in current practice and pragmatic idealism.
One concrete method to nurture personal growth is quite simple. The members of a group can commit to supporting each other in their self-development, with each member defining their own goals. At the outset of some or all of their meetings, they can “check-in” by briefly reporting on their recent self-development efforts. With no “cross-talk,” they simply listen to each other, get to know each other more fully, and learn from others about issues that relate to their own lives. Knowing they’ll be asked to report at the next meeting helps hold them accountable for their commitment. Easy-to-learn intentional structures like this are critical. But few activist organizations engage in mutual support for self-development or affirm holistic and systemic transformation.
A massive, broad-based, united, nonviolent, proactive, grassroots movement dedicated to holistic and systemic transformation could include a broad-based alliance, perhaps called a “purple alliance”, that
Addresses root causes of injustice and overcomes selfish special interests.
Advances positions supported by most Americans.
Persuades Washington to respect the will of the people.
Unites activist organizations to briefly focus on a timely, top priority, winnable issue — while continuing to work on their own issues most of the time.
Motivates time-limited unaffiliated individuals to participate because it’s powerful enough to make a difference.
Attracts a broad range of membership with leadership that’s representative of the American people.
Employs a decision-making process that’s open, democratic, and accountable to the members, who have a real voice in shaping the direction of the movement, which enhances a sense of ownership and boosts participation.
Short-term reforms can reinforce each other, erase unjust and oppressive domination, and establish wise and compassionate cooperation. An upward spiral can reverse the downward spiral we currently face. Reforms in each social sector can reinforce reforms in the other sectors. In addition, as envisioned here, a grassroots, holistic democracy movement can regularly push for achievable, positive changes in national policies, with many members of this movement forming small teams whose members support each other with their self-development. A Declaration for Holistic Democracy illustrates the kind of affirmation that could be the basis of unity for a holistic democracy movement.
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You can orient yourself to this site by navigating down the left sidebar, or you can move through the top-level introductions to each section by clicking on NEXT at the bottom of each page. Each link leads to these brief documents:
Preface. Presents the motivation behind this project and the editor’s background.
Mission. Summarizes the site’s worldview.
Principles. Articulates the core convictions underlying the site’s worldview.
Declaration. Presents the Declaration for Holistic Democracy, which illustrates the kind of affirmation that could be the basis of unity for a grassroots movement.
Introduction. Elaborates on the site’s worldview and structure and describes how to navigate the site.
Sections. The first six Section links lead to resources concerning society’s major sectors. “Multi-sector” presents resources that address more than one sector, such as economic and political. “Systemic” addresses how all of these sectors are interwoven. Each Section is introduced with a brief, overview essay.
Proposals for Action. The resources page (s) for each of the eight Sections concludes with Proposals for Action.
Conclusion. Considers possible steps forward.
At the bottom of each Section’s introductory essay, there’s a list of linked topics related to that Section that lead to resources such as articles/essays/op-eds, books, activist organizations, and proposals for action. Some of these topics are introduced with overview essays (as feasible, more such essays will be posted). Information about organizations is based primarily on their website content. If and when additional information is obtained, descriptions and categorizations may be updated. Descriptions of some resources are followed by editorial comments (as feasible, more such comments will be posted).
The Index on the top navbar is a linked list of all of the site’s topics. The Blog consists primarily of original posts and posts about resources. Subscribe is a link to the site’s newsletter.
The Advisers have been invaluable and in addition to the Editor’s essays so far the following individuals have contributed content:
Penn Garvin, Self Care.
Shariff M. Abdullah, Donald Trump: The Triumph of Frustration, The Failure Of Vision.
Larry Walker, Platinum Communication Tutorial: Communicating in Today’s World.
Hector E. Garcia, A Gen-Z and elders alliance for an American renaissance.
John Sanger, Rebuilding the Community Fabric for the Information Age and Developing Community Voice
Fulfilling this site’s potential will require much more participation. So you’re encouraged to:
Submit your own essays.
Offer feedback, criticism, and support.
Share ideas and reports on activities that can help with this effort.
Collaborate as a co-editor fo the site or a section.
If you want to discuss, brainstorm, or experiment with possibilities — in person or electronically — please be in touch. If you’re interested in helping to develop a holistic democracy movement, let us know and we’ll put you in touch with others who share your interest and want to work horizontally.
If you find this site useful and can imagine it becoming more so, please comment — which may encourage others to help build the site. You can reach us with the Contact form (or by commenting at the end of any of the sections.)