Planetary Culture

 THE LEGEND OF 2012 IS ALL ABOUT THE SOCIAL REALM!

A Planetary Culture would be characterized by the following attributes.

    Direct democracy

    Ecological sensitivity

    Evidence based policies

    Gender balance-respect

    Diplomacy and cooperation

    Government transparency

    Incorruptible monetary system

    Cross cultural unity and respect

    Egalitarian socio-cultural philosophy

    Egalitarian lawmaking

        By egalitarian lawmaking I mean the enactment of rules, laws, and codes that do not favor any particular group or individual to the detriment or disadvantage of the rest.

    Demilitarization, disarmament and non-violence

    Clean and harm minimizing technologies and products

    Identification with the Planet as a whole i.e. Planetary/Global Citizens

    Acceptance of others customs and beliefs with the following exceptions;

        Militarism, coercion or force as a solution,

        The subjugation of women and minorities

        Slavery of any kind,

        Discrimination based on sexual orientation,

        Child sexual abuse,

        Religious proselytizing

It should be glaringly clear to all, but the most self-absorbed and isolated among us, that the Current World System is a menace to life, liberty, sanity and universal prosperity. And by universal prosperity I don’t mean that everyone should have the same standards of living. Natural inequality is a fact of life, but legalized criminality, organized predation and systematic exploitation is the socio-economic strategy of the “one percent” and not a fact of life.

By virtue of its definition it is the destiny of a Planetary Culture to abolish the horrors and stupefying inequalities perpetrated by the owners of the Current World System (CWS). There is no bright future in store for the Earth and her inhabitants unless the CWS is dismantled and transformed. The ongoing breakdown of the CWS and the emergence of a Planetary Culture is precisely what the Legend of 2012 is all about. An old epoch(culture) is coming to a close and a new one(culture) is dawning.

The ancient Mesoamericans responsible for the much maligned and misunderstood Maya Meso-American Calendrical (MMAC) system made no predictions about what would happen at the end of the Maya Long Count cycle that ends on December 21st, 2012. They did not need to. Implicit in the closing of a cycle is the notion of transition.

Transition implies the extraordinary changes that concur with such times.

emergent-culture

Democracy

A study into the state of democracy in Britain over the last decade warns it is in "long-term terminal decline" as the power of corporations keeps growing, politicians become less representative of their constituencies and disillusioned citizens stop voting or even discussing current affairs.

The report by Democratic Audit shared exclusively with the Guardian notes there have been many positive advances over the last 10 years: stronger select committees of MPs holding ministers and civil servants to account; devolution of power to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and publication of much more information about politicians' expenses and party donors. But it found evidence of many other areas where Britain appeared to have moved further away from its two benchmarks of representative democracy: control over political decision-making, and how fairly the system reflects the population it represents – a principle most powerfully embedded in the concept of one person, one vote.

Among its concerns, identified from databases of official statistics and public surveys, were that Britain's constitutional arrangements are "increasingly unstable" owing to changes such as devolution; public faith in democratic institutions "decaying"; a widening gap in the participation rates of different social classes of voters; and an "unprecedented" growth in corporate power, which the study's authors warn "threatens to undermine some of the most basic principles of democratic decision-making".

"Over time, disengagement skews the political process yet further towards those who are already more advantaged by virtue of their wealth, education or professional connections. And without mass political participation, the sense of disconnection between citizens and their representatives will inevitably grow."

Membership of political parties and election turnout has fallen significantly in the last decade, with only 1% of the electorate belonging to a party, and just over six out of 10 eligible voters going to the ballot box in the 2010 general election and barely one in three in European and local elections. But the depth of public disillusionment and the range of ways voters are turning away from politics revealed by the latest study could shock even those involved.

Sadiq Khan, shadow justice secretary and former chair of human rights group, Liberty, said: "What I find really troubling is there's no shortage of big issues which we must get to grips with – the economy, the future of our health, education and social care systems, our environment – many of which grab the attention of the public, but there's a disconnect when it comes to party politics."

However, there were 92 areas in which there are "continuing concerns", such as the uncertainty over England's constitutional settlement as powers were increasingly devolved to the other three parts of the UK, and increasing evidence of press harassment; and a further 62 "new or emerging concerns", including electoral fraud and declining newspaper sales and audiences for TV news.

Britain also ranked below average compared with other wealthy democracies in the OECD and the EU, and even worse when measured against Nordic countries for issues from party membership and turnout to corruption, press freedom, income inequality and trade union membership.

Source:  The Guardian

Global Democracy

 The United for Global Democracy statement was adopted by Occupy London and reached consensus at the General Assembly by St Paul’s Cathedral in October 2011.

On 15 October 2011, united in our diversity, united for global change, we demand global democracy: global governance by the people, for the people. Inspired by our sisters and brothers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Bahrain, New York, Palestine-Israel, Spain and Greece, we too call for a regime change: a global regime change. In the words of Vandana Shiva, the Indian activist, today we demand replacing the G8 with the whole of humanity – the G7,000,000,000.

Undemocratic international institutions are our global Mubarak, our global Assad, our global Gaddafi. These include: the IMF, the WTO, global markets, multinational banks, the G8/G20, the European Central Bank and the UN security council. Like Mubarak and Assad, these institutions must not be allowed to run people’s lives without their consent. We are all born equal, rich or poor, woman or man. Every African and Asian is equal to every European and American. Our global institutions must reflect this, or be overturned.

Today, more than ever before, global forces shape people’s lives. Our jobs, health, housing, education and pensions are controlled by global banks, markets, tax-havens, corporations and financial crises. Our environment is being destroyed by pollution in other continents. Our safety is determined by international wars and international trade in arms, drugs and natural resources. We are losing control over our lives. This must stop. This will stop. The citizens of the world must get control over the decisions that influence them in all levels – from global to local. That is global democracy. That is what we demand today.

Today, like the Mexican Zapatistas, we say “¡Ya basta! Aquí el pueblo manda y el gobierno obedece”: Enough! Here the people command and global institutions obey! Like the Spanish Tomalaplaza we say “Democracia Real Ya”: True global democracy now!” Today we call the citizens of the world: let us globalise Tahrir Square! Let us globalise Puerta del Sol!