Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us

Because they believe in the contribution people can make, Citizen organisations adopt core processes that are designed to make those contributions possible. They are open and transparent; they show their working; and they invite participation at every available opportunity.

‘People who really care are just not resourced at all,’

Yet there is hope. Because something is happening. There is a coalescence. A different story is rising and ripening. It is a story of who we are as humans, what we are capable of, and how we might work together to reimagine and rebuild our world.

If we look up and out again at the broader context of this moment in time, at the collapse of the Consumer and the resurgence of the Subject Story, it’s plain to see this kind of incremental, organisation-by-organisation change is necessary, but not sufficient. In parallel, this must be a moment for a radical renewal of the relationship between the

Interdependence is the acknowledgement that we are all connected. This is a basic assumption of many indigenous peoples. No one is truly safe until we are all safe; no one truly thrives until we all thrive. In this view, giving is not regarded as ‘charity,’ but as ‘reciprocity.’

Our task is to earn money, spend it, and compete with one another to climb society’s ladder. Along the way, we express our personality and our vitality by making choices: these choices represent our power, and make us who we are. We pride ourselves on being self-reliant and liberated, the creators of our own destiny.

Stories matter. They can trap us, but they can also inspire us.

How might you ask for your customers’ experience and ideas, not just their money?

I am intentionally avoiding using the terms capitalism and communism. These are so laden that they overwhelm us, stultify conversation and prevent us from seeing alternatives or taking action.