Criticism of “the system” is common, but there’s no consensus about what our dominant social system actually is. This lack of shared understanding weakens reform. Without a clear picture of what we are trying to change, our efforts remain fragmented and reactive.
 

If enough people did agree on the nature of the system we live in, that shared understanding could become the foundation for a massive grassroots reform movement—one aimed not at surface fixes, but at root causes. Such a movement could reduce suffering, promote justice, strengthen community, and help joy spread more widely across society.
 

This book is written in that spirit. It seeks to help inspire a movement of movements—one that reaches across social, economic, cultural, political, and personal life. It is rooted in pragmatic idealism: the belief that both core ideals and effective methods matter. Values without workable strategies remain wishes. Methods without values lose their moral compass.
 

Ideals should guide action—but they must also be tested, refined, and sometimes revised through experience. Real progress often comes incrementally. We can move toward our highest aims without falling into utopian fantasy, rigid ideology, or pure expediency. It is possible to hold fast to our values, stay honest about reality, and adapt as we learn—without giving up what matters most.
 

As Joe Darion wrote in “The Impossible Dream,”
 

And I know if I'll only be true
To this glorious quest
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm
When I'm laid to my rest
And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star!
 

This book does not offer a single blueprint. Instead, it presents options grounded in this set of shared principles:

Our Purpose: 
 

We build a world where: ​

Society recognizes everyone is equal at their core and treats all with respect.

People can afford what they need to live well and feel safe in their neighborhoods.

Society prevents small groups from controlling most of its wealth and power.

 

Our Methods​: 

We take action by:

 

Standing up to unfair power and refusing to simply obey without thinking.

Growing communities whose members support each other in becoming stronger.

Repairing problems at their source, not just treating symptoms.
 

With this shared commitment, people can form small, member-run circles to decide how to advance these principles. My associates and I have experimented with—and demonstrated—practical methods for conducting such circles.

​

Closely collaborating with ChatGPT, this constantly updated digital book explores ways these circles might structure their activities, influence public policy, and support one another in becoming better human beings. Each group would shape its work according to its own interests and skills. At the same time, affirming shared principles could help foster a broader sense of belonging and common purpose.

​

Across the globe, countless individuals and organizations are working to cultivate compassion and improve the world. Yet this compassionate humanity community remains fragmented. United, we could accomplish far more together than we can apart. For example, we could join forces to insist on fair taxation—closing loopholes and offshore havens that allow the super-rich to avoid paying their share for the public systems that make their wealth possible.

​

Beyond caring for what is close to home—our institutions, relationships, and inner lives—such a movement could also engage in sustained, coordinated nonviolent action focused on national policy. This might include rallies, marches, sit-ins, and boycotts to insist that governments respect the will of their people and protect a livable, caring world. At times, people across nations might act together, even coordinating global boycotts aimed at specific corporate abuses.

​

Much discussion of “the system” focuses narrowly on politics and economics. Some emphasize pro-democracy reforms to resist authoritarianism; others stress populist efforts to address economic injustice. These struggles matter. But the problem we face is broader than that—and most people know it.

​

A clear majority of Americans believe the country is “on the wrong track.” Many long for genuine community and a stronger sense of belonging. People want to feel they matter, to trust one another, and to be meaningfully connected. Yet only a small fraction report a strong sense of belonging where they live. The real problem is not too little social contact, but too few deep, reliable relationships.

​

Many people also feel shut out of decisions that shape their lives. Most say they have little influence in Congress. Many workers report micromanagement, low autonomy, and not being heard. Students often feel they have little control over their own learning. Women report unequal burdens at home. Many Black Americans describe recurring experiences of discrimination, including in housing and everyday life.

Taken together, these patterns point to something deeper than isolated policy failures. They reflect a social system that concentrates power, wealth, and status; weakens voice; and erodes trust across many domains at once. 

​

This book begins from that shared experience—and explores how a healthier, more participatory, bottom-up alternative might be built.

 

My Personal Journey
 

All my life, I have pushed against selfishness, greed, war, and injustice. My aim has been steady: to cultivate supportive, egalitarian community—and to live the values I believe in.
 

I have not always lived up to them.
 

I have fed my ego without noticing.
Judged too quickly.
Cared too much about approval.
Pushed my ideas when I should have listened.
Reacted defensively when I felt attacked.
Looked down on others for being “too materialistic.”
Refused compromise when compromise was wiser.
 

But I am learning.
 

When I began earning a decent living driving taxis—after years of voluntary poverty devoted to community work—I came to appreciate the comforts of middle-class life. I also came to see more clearly that some structure and some authority are necessary.

 

My ideals remain. But I no longer imagine a single sweeping transformation or revolution. I now believe change best comes step by step — and that lasting progress requires holistic, systemic reform.

 

Life rarely offers simple answers. When do we speak up? When do we yield? When do we stand firm? We do the best we can, with integrity, learning as we go.
 

My Work and Goals

 

Across the years, my work has focused on:

• Seeking truth, fairness, and beauty

• Linking personal growth with political change

• Empowering ordinary people

• Countering concentrated power

• Upholding human dignity and equality

• Encouraging compassion

• Flattening hierarchies

• Strengthening freedom and democracy 
   

These values have guided my efforts in civil rights, anti-war, educational reform, mental-patients’ rights, public transit, co-ops, cultural projects, and anti-poverty work.
 

From 2004 to 2019, I organized strategy workshops exploring how activists might become more effective. I researched, drafted proposals, conducted interviews, ran surveys, published books for feedback, and learned from experience—including failure.
 

This digital book reflects what I’ve learned so far. My thinking continues to evolve. I welcome your help in improving it.

 

Our world needs a movement rooted in compassion, equality, joy, and shared power. I offer these essays as a starting point — an invitation, not a final word.
 

Thank you for reading, for questioning, for offering feedback, and for walking beside me.