garalperovitz | The richest 400 Americans now own more wealth than the bottom 180
million taken together. The political system is in deadlock. Social and
economic pain continue to grow.
Environmental devastation and global
warming present growing challenges. Is there any path toward a more
democratic, equal and ecologically sustainable society? What can one
person do?
In fact, there is a great deal one person working with others can do.
Experiments across the country already focus on concrete actions that
point toward a larger vision of long-term systemic change – especially
the development of alternative economic institutions. Practical
problem-solving activities on Main Streets across the country have begun
to lay down the elements and principles of what might one day become
the direction of a new system – one centered around building egalitarian
wealth, nurturing democracy and community life, avoiding climate
catastrophe and fostering liberty through greater economic security and
free time.
Margaret Mead famously observed: “Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the
only thing that ever has.” Some of the ten steps described below may be
too big for one person to take on in isolation, but many are exactly the
right size for a small and thoughtful group committed to building a new
economy, restoring democracy and displacing corporate power.
As the history of the civil rights movement, women’s movement, and
gay-liberation movement ought to remind us, it’s precisely actions of
this sort at the local level that have triggered the seismic shifts of
progressive change in American history.
