I have a vision for New Zealand. Actually, for the whole world, but it seems more manageable country wide and eminently possible locally! And as time goes past this vision becomes clearer and I see it starting to manifest itself.  This vision is already starting to unfold in the community of Lyttelton.  It is possible!  Others can do it too.

I have been fascinated for a long time at how nature structures herself. Similar patterns emerge at an atomic level, cellular level, species level, Gaia and universe levels. Everything is interconnected, interwoven, integral to every other aspect. Through all these systems energy – life force flows. We as humans are designed to be and are part of this larger system. We function at our best when we are true to our part in the whole.

So the vision I have is around humans realizing this interconnectivity, becoming aware and taking responsibility for how we interact with all of nature.

I am a fan of Appreciative Inquiry as a concept – looking at ourselves at our best, building the stories around those times, seeing what the values are that underpin those moments of success. It builds a culture of possibility. It creates a fulsome future. Here is a story of us at our best…

So, let’s imagine…

A country where people understand that they are interconnected with everything, that their way of being and their actions influence the direction of our planet. That the thoughts they have influence the words they speak which influences what is created.

New Zealand is a country playing with the ramifications of these ideas and creating a sustainable world, vibrantly alive and well for multiple generations to come.

In this world all decisions are made out of love – we all are well able to sniff out where fear resides and choose not to make decisions on that basis.

People learn who they are and hold true to their particular light. We no longer let the media, our materialistic economic model of consumption and hierarchical control systems dictate who we are.

We listen to one another, each voice is heard and acknowledged. We take delight in life. We see all life as sacred, part of a daily miracle.

We care for and look out for one another. We share, we develop systems to enhance this. New systems of communication evolve. This includes plenty of real time interaction with one another, plus well developed electronic systems of communication. Democracy takes on its original meaning, enabled by technology – it is now fast, efficient, effective, enabling us at last to tap into the wisdom of the collective mind.

Because people have left behind their stylized versions of themselves and have become true to themselves, they are confident. A spirit of playfulness emerges. While we play, creativity increases. No problem is insurmountable. We adapt to new ways of being/relating to our environment and develop new tools. Old problems like the destructive monetary system which was based on interest bearing debt and the inevitable separation between the haves and the have-nots have been solved – a raft of complementary currencies serves the various needs of communities.

Since people realized that they indeed make a difference, they no longer dissolved themselves into states of inertia, depression, anxiety. They became aware that they co-create their universe – so choose to do so in ways that work for all of Gaia.

We learn from nature and work closely interlinked with her – we are one and the same thing! We learn her rhythms, we learn to speak her language, we are connected with her wisdom.

So how do we arrive at this vision?

In nature, for organisms to flourish they need to know what is going on around them and to be able to react in appropriate and healthful ways. Humans are part of nature. This need for accurate feedback is essential for us as well.

So clear, open, free communication is essential. This includes opportunities for people to meet, play, work together freely; it means having well developed internet systems in place, it means having opportunities for people to ‘play’ with the big issues as communities and come to solutions that are enacted.

It is about encouraging one another to extend ourselves, go out on the edge – this is where the new growth takes place – play with possibility and support one another as we do this process.

It is about making our intent clear. What is it we want? We create our future. Don’t let’s arrive at the future saying, “This isn’t what we wanted!”  We become clear as to what we want, put it out there, start creating it and TRUST!

It is about being open, practising letting go of attachments we have to ways we have been doing things and beliefs that are limiting.

It is about keeping our eyes wide open to see the serendipitous nature of life as she places numerous opportunities in our path.

We think as ‘we’ rather than ‘I’.

Where this vision is manifesting itself.

I live in Lyttelton. Many things are happening in this community. The changes in the way the community is, thinks, is tangibly different from a few years back. It has always been a community that regarded itself as welcoming, so I guess the changes that are happening have had fertile ground to grow in.

I am part of a group called Project Lyttelton. A collectively created vision statement leads this group and its community forward. The organisation is a values based one – so are a lot of organizations we are told – but being values based is really central.

We strive towards clear communications in all styles, have opportunities for people to meet, play and work together (and eating together is important too!). We are creating a culture of possibility. Many innovative projects unfold in this community in this atmosphere. In a community of 3000 we have 100s of volunteers doing significant work. People are a-buzz, they choose to spend a lot of time together. We believe that we can create what we are imagining for our future – a vibrant, sustainable community.

We have various projects happening that are helping us move in that direction – a Farmers Market, New Zealand’s first Time Bank, a community garden and community building (The Portal), a newspaper, a website, weekly newsletters, radio show, facebook, welcome bags, festivals…

The recent earthquake has shown how this community functions. With no Civil Defence presence, the Time Bank stepped into the breach to organise people to help one another. This has been a great opportunity as people now see what is possible when we create what we want ourselves.

Project Lyttelton and especially the Time Bank is being talked about throughout New Zealand. If one community can move towards this vision and others are starting to as well, then it is easily foreseeable that many communities can do this, - a country can do this, so can the world!