About Us
History
Developing out of the work of the charity Spirit of Peace, Flourishing.Global builds on the previous Pathways for Human Flourishing programme to include the flourishing of the Earth, which goes hand-in-hand with Human Flourishing.
Living for the Whole
Our work centres around the concept of living for the whole. Everywhere we turn we are confronted with growing polarisation amongst people and in politics as well as the enormous destructive effects of climate change. How can we remain hopeful and take positive actions in the light of the many catastrophes and conflicts?
Living for the whole is important in creating a just and sustainable future for all life on planet Earth. In many ways “living for the whole” or “life for the whole” is not a completely new idea and has been expressed in many traditions in different terms. The essence of many religious and spiritual traditions and creation narratives is love for your neighbour and care for the earth.
Today scientific knowledge has expanded our idea of what loving your neighbour and caring for the earth might mean. Best-selling author Lynne McTaggart points to the “illusion of separation”. We are all more deeply connected with each other and the whole of creation than the materialist world view which has dominated science for centuries allows. This view has focused on the idea that nothing exists beyond the material world. What some people call the New Science suggests that we are all parts of one interconnected energy field which extends throughout the known universe.
Science has proved we are one. All is intermingling energy…
Jude Curriven
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
Albert Einstein
Individual and Collective Action
Through our work and the website, Flourishing.Global seeks to engage concerned citizens and foster and encourage positive action that we can take individually and together.
You could not remove a single grain of sand from its place without thereby … changing something throughout all parts of the immeasurable whole.
Fichte, The Vocation of Man
However small our actions, they can have far reaching effect as in the often quoted statement:
A butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can produce a tornado in Texas.
Edward Norton Lorenz
For Human and Earth flourishing for all to be achieved, living for the whole needs to become a core value for humanity, and in this way huge and urgent change can happen.
Our choices matter!
We are all connected
At surface level we are separate beings, but beneath this we are more deeply connected than is often imagined. Even though we may not recognise it, our decisions, thoughts and actions impact the world around us in ways we don’t always understand or realise.
What can we do?
ALLOW FEELINGS
Grief for the earth and for human suffering shouldn‘t be shied away from and can point us to our underlying values. Recognising what we have lost, and what we fear, can lead to change. What are the values indicated by our sense of loss and how can this inform our actions in the future? Allow hope to emerge. What we hope for also indicates our values.
FOLLOW OUR VALUES
Many of the leaders in the world today do not represent our everyday values of kindness and compassion. We need to be our own leaders. We can do this by getting to know and understand our values, and then letting them inform all areas of our lives. This way, we can be the change we wish to see in the world. Working in alignment with our values connects us with our hearts, and energises and sustains us, allowing us to be more committed and effective in our actions.
BECOME INFORMED
Faced with the overwhelming challenges in our world today, it can be easy to bury one’s head in the sand. However, it’s necessary to educate oneself on the bigger picture of what is going on both locally and globally, if we are to take actions to avoid continued degradation of the earth. This in itself takes courage and strength and commitment.
LIVE FOR THE WHOLE
Though the majority of our actions may be rooted locally, our interest and concern need to extend out to the whole, because even relatively small actions can have wide impact. Local actions can have global impacts, and global conditions have local impacts. Living for the whole involves having a sense of how our lifestyle and choices ultimately affect all life and the wellbeing of the planet.
CONNECT
Positive actions can be more effective when we connect with others who have similar concerns and interests. Networking is a powerful force for change. In any process of change, having buddies or mentors can both inspire us and provide some necessary accountability, which can help sustain our action.