This Post combines two papers I presented in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa, that make the connection between the values of social sustainability and peace.
International Institute for Peace through Tourism World Symposium on Sustainable and Peaceful Communities and Nations
Ekurhuleni, South Africa
February 16-19, 2015Educators Forum
Values express themselves as beliefs:
Values ► Beliefs ► Expectations ► Measurable Behaviors
(Assumptions)
Quality of Life — While life is fundamental to survival and continued existence, it is the quality of life that makes life worth living and gives life meaning. Quality of life is the primary value, with growth and equality being the subordinate values.
Growth — Growth is essential for improving our quality of life. To be human is to grow! This value ensures that the inherent potential of individuals, societies, and a civilization becomes expressed and fulfilled, which encourages an improving quality of life for everyone.
Equality — Equality is inherent in the value of life. We give equal value to each individual, and we would seek to provide more equitable opportunity to every individual to develop their innate potential, as we would our own. Symbiotically, each individual is seen as a “social asset” whose contributions to society ensures that society becomes socially sustainable, and vice versa.
In a democracy, access to the quality of life is provided when a person not only has an equal right to life, but that person also has an equal right to growth as anyone else. In a socially sustainable society everyone is valued equally for the potential of their contribution to that society.
The Six Values of Social Sustainability provide us with the innate values of our species to insist that social justice, social equity, the common good and what is fair become the visible and effective standard of stable and peaceful societies.
Eponymously, the union of these 6 values provides a values-based theory of human motivation that I call the “Raphael Unified Theory of Human Motivation” (RUTHM). These 6 values are fundamentally necessary to underwrite all sincere efforts for peace.
The reason why violence and war exist is due to
DISCERN THIS CLOSELY: It is not changing conditions that cause the downfall of societies, but the failure of societies to adapt to those changing conditions. The survival of any species is reflected in their ability to adapt to changing conditions.
Concurrent Session: B-2 Community Empowerment —
3. Local Community Social Sustainability Design Teams
♦ Team Roles. These roles support the synergism that develops in the Team Process as members work through the Schematic.
4. The Design Team Process
Here is a brief, incomplete and speedy example:
Quality of Life, Growth and Equality:
Beliefs:
Expectations:
Criteria of Fulfillment (measurable):
Statement of Findings:
International Institute for Peace through Tourism World Symposium on Sustainable and Peaceful Communities and Nations
Ekurhuleni, South Africa
February 16-19, 2015
Daniel Raphael, Ph.D.
Social Sustainability Leadership Training and Consulting
[email protected]
PO Box 2408, Evergreen, Colorado 80437
001 303 641 1115
USA
Social Sustainability Leadership Training and Consulting
[email protected]
PO Box 2408, Evergreen, Colorado 80437
001 303 641 1115
USA
Educators Forum
“Where Does Peace Begin?
Examining the Fundamentals of Our Urge and Yearning for Peace”
♦ Where does peace begin?
- It begins from within each of us
- It begins with our beliefs.
- We believe that peace is good for us.
- We believe that peace is good for others.
♦ Why do we believe that peace is good? (A value judgment.)
We believe that peace is good because it supports the values that have sustained our species.Values express themselves as beliefs:
Values ► Beliefs ► Expectations ► Measurable Behaviors
(Assumptions)
♦ What values is Peace based on?
Quality of Life Growth Equality
These “Three Core Values of Social Sustainability” are innate to our species and exist in us as an incessant urge to fulfill. They are self-evident, universal to all people and innate to our DNA. They have sustained our species for over 250,000 years and underlie all of human “progress” individually and collectively.Quality of Life — While life is fundamental to survival and continued existence, it is the quality of life that makes life worth living and gives life meaning. Quality of life is the primary value, with growth and equality being the subordinate values.
Growth — Growth is essential for improving our quality of life. To be human is to grow! This value ensures that the inherent potential of individuals, societies, and a civilization becomes expressed and fulfilled, which encourages an improving quality of life for everyone.
Equality — Equality is inherent in the value of life. We give equal value to each individual, and we would seek to provide more equitable opportunity to every individual to develop their innate potential, as we would our own. Symbiotically, each individual is seen as a “social asset” whose contributions to society ensures that society becomes socially sustainable, and vice versa.
In a democracy, access to the quality of life is provided when a person not only has an equal right to life, but that person also has an equal right to growth as anyone else. In a socially sustainable society everyone is valued equally for the potential of their contribution to that society.
Sustainability |
|
| Material Sustainability | Social Sustainability |
| Quantity-Object Based | Quality-Value Based |
| Resources: Material Environment — Natural Resources are valued as material assets |
Resources: Social Environment — Individuals are valued as social assets. |
|
Sustained by:
|
Sustained by: > A symbiotic relationship between individuals and society. Society improves the quality of the individual’s capability … … to participate effectively in society, which increases their social value to society. > Individuals then become “social assets” whose innate capabilities are to be nurtured and developed. |
♦ What values underlie our beliefs in the necessity of peace?
Quality of Life |
Growth |
Equality |
| The Secondary Value-Emotions that make us human — humane: |
|
|
These “Three Core Value-Emotions of Social Sustainability” are also innate to our species and exist in us as an impulse to do good. They are proof that people are innately good. We want peace for others as much as we want peace for ourselves because we are wired with the values that make us human – humane.NOTE: I put “love” in quotation marks because love is the summation of its secondary values: Honesty, truthfulness, respect, loyalty, faithfulness, recognition, acceptance, appreciation, validation, discretion, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, authenticity, vulnerability, genuineness, listening, supporting, sharing, consulting, confiding, caring, tenderness and many more. (Source: Sacred Relationships, A Guide to Authentic Loving, by Daniel Raphael, 1999)
—
The Six Values of Social Sustainability provide us with the innate values of our species to insist that social justice, social equity, the common good and what is fair become the visible and effective standard of stable and peaceful societies.
Eponymously, the union of these 6 values provides a values-based theory of human motivation that I call the “Raphael Unified Theory of Human Motivation” (RUTHM). These 6 values are fundamentally necessary to underwrite all sincere efforts for peace.
The reason why violence and war exist is due to
HOW people INTERPRET the values of Social Sustainability
As educators and parents we have failed our children, our families and communities when we have not enculturated our children with the assumed belief that peace forms the basis for all stable and sustainable social existence.
Further, peace and social sustainability are not possible when the values that have sustained our species are not a conscious intention (The “Why?”) of education, particularly in all pre-school, elementary and secondary curricula.
And this leads us to the failure of institutions and organizations.
Further, peace and social sustainability are not possible when the values that have sustained our species are not a conscious intention (The “Why?”) of education, particularly in all pre-school, elementary and secondary curricula.
And this leads us to the failure of institutions and organizations.
♦ Consider the following historic juxtaposition:
- The Sustainability of the Homo sapiens species — The three values of social sustainability have sustained the Homo sapiens species because they have been and still are innate and universal to every person of every race, ethnicity, culture, nationality and gender.
- The Unsustainability of Organizations — When we examine the history of human civilizations one startling fact emerges: All civilizations, societies, nations and their organizations have failed! They all failed to survive!
♦ Consider the causes of failure for all organizations to survive throughout history:
None were founded on an intention to become sustainable. None were designed to become sustainable, either materially or socially.
They failed because the Three Values of Social Sustainability were not embedded in their founding documents and operational decision-making processes.
All failed because they were not designed as “learning organizations.” Learning is the result of our urge to grow to improve our quality of life, individually and collectively.
They failed by not learning from their experiences, and did not keep functional libraries of wisdom to guide them.
They failed because the Three Values of Social Sustainability were not embedded in their founding documents and operational decision-making processes.
All failed because they were not designed as “learning organizations.” Learning is the result of our urge to grow to improve our quality of life, individually and collectively.
They failed by not learning from their experiences, and did not keep functional libraries of wisdom to guide them.
♦ ALL HISTORIC ORGANIZATIONS FAILED TO ADAPT TO CHANGING CONDITIONS
They didn’t know HOW, did they? But now we do.
DISCERN THIS CLOSELY: It is not changing conditions that cause the downfall of societies, but the failure of societies to adapt to those changing conditions. The survival of any species is reflected in their ability to adapt to changing conditions.
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Concurrent Session: B-2 Community Empowerment —
Foundations of Sustainable and Peaceful Communities
“Social Sustainability Design Teams for
Community Capacity Building”
Community Capacity Building”
The Four Components for Designing Sustainable and Peaceful Communities:
1. The Three Core Values of Social Sustainability.
2. The Schematic for Validating Social Sustainability. (See page 9.)
1. The Three Core Values of Social Sustainability.
2. The Schematic for Validating Social Sustainability. (See page 9.)
The Schematic provides a methodology for developing the proof that designs of new and existing social processes, organizations, institutions, social policies and statutes support social sustainability.
Validation comes through the transparent process of examining and cross-checking all beliefs (and assumptions), expectations and measurable behavior against each core value.
Validation comes through the transparent process of examining and cross-checking all beliefs (and assumptions), expectations and measurable behavior against each core value.
3. Local Community Social Sustainability Design Teams
- The best working teams are those whose members enjoy the dynamics of a team setting, with individuals who have had some experience in the functions of their roles; and whose members are willing to risk not knowing the answers ahead of time; and who have a common interest in the topic that they are exploring. A certain amount of personal humility is necessary to allow the “flow” of the synergism of the Team to surface.
♦ The Team consists of 5-11 people with 7-9 being optimal. It is not a committee or a discussion group. Team members have specific roles and functions. Members are of equal authority.
- What “burning issue” exists in your local community that you would like to submit to a Local SS Design Team? Who will initiate its organization, discover who would like to participate, and then engage in “Team Bonding Exercises” to build trust within the hearts of team members? You will need a dedicated time each week, and a dedicated meeting place. Meeting online has NOT proven to be an effective method of team work. Too many non-verbal and social cues are missing from interpersonal exchanges.
♦ Team Roles. These roles support the synergism that develops in the Team Process as members work through the Schematic.
Organizer – This person represents that unique 1% of every community who sees that something needs to be done and initiates and organizes a local community SS Design Team. The Organizer is rarely the Facilitator.
Facilitator – This person facilitates the work flow and social flow of the team. He/she is NOT a leader or “head of the team,” but an equal member of the team.
Recorder – This person does NOT record verbatim, but records the occasional “Ah-ha!” and insight that is shared; and notes the change of topics as discussion suddenly changes. This allows the team to pick up the “lost line of inquiry” of the preceding discussion.
Inquiring Members – These members have the pivotal work of asking insightful, connecting questions that open up the topic of discussion. Understanding the “art of inquiry” is essential for the development of topics. Everyone on the team is an inquiring member, and in many ways everyone assists in all role functions.
Consultant – When needed, the Consultant offers the Team a strategic perspective to help the Team see how their project fits into society’s progress to move toward social sustainability in terms of 50-500 years.
Facilitator – This person facilitates the work flow and social flow of the team. He/she is NOT a leader or “head of the team,” but an equal member of the team.
Recorder – This person does NOT record verbatim, but records the occasional “Ah-ha!” and insight that is shared; and notes the change of topics as discussion suddenly changes. This allows the team to pick up the “lost line of inquiry” of the preceding discussion.
Inquiring Members – These members have the pivotal work of asking insightful, connecting questions that open up the topic of discussion. Understanding the “art of inquiry” is essential for the development of topics. Everyone on the team is an inquiring member, and in many ways everyone assists in all role functions.
Consultant – When needed, the Consultant offers the Team a strategic perspective to help the Team see how their project fits into society’s progress to move toward social sustainability in terms of 50-500 years.
4. The Design Team Process
- The Design Team Process is very similar to the process of developing proofs in a high school geometry class, except several people are working together. A proof is a written account of the complete thought processes that are used to reach a conclusion. Each step of the process is supported by previously validated postulates, definitions or proofs of social sustainability. In the case where there are no earlier proofs, the team will have to develop those first.
- In a Local Community Design Team, team members will fulfill their role-functions by assisting the team to work through the Schematic. Typically, a synergism develops in the team process as members offer their complemental skills in their roles in the discovery process of working through the Schematic.
- The best way to learn how develop the Design Team Process is to do so experientially and in person.
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Here is a brief, incomplete and speedy example:
Does the International Institute for Peace through Tourism support social sustainability?
Quality of Life, Growth and Equality:
The Primary Questions:
1) Does peace contribute to the quality of life, growth and equality of all people?
2) Does tourism contribute to the quality of life, growth and equality of all people?
1) Does peace contribute to the quality of life, growth and equality of all people?
2) Does tourism contribute to the quality of life, growth and equality of all people?
Beliefs:
We believe that peace and tourism support better lives and living conditions for tourists and residents. (Refers back to Quality of Life.)
We believe that peace and tourism give people the freedom to enjoy learning experiences. (Refers back to Growth.)
We believe that the development of peace is served when people who enjoy tourism observe that people in other nations are no different from themselves. (Equality)
(Assumptions:
1. We assume that people will use peaceful conditions to their personal and collective benefit;
2. We assume that organizations that promote peace and tourism will have a beneficial effect upon those who participate in the activities of the organization;
3) We assume there is a positive linkage between peace-and-tourism, and tourism-and-peace;
4) We assume that tourism has an effect that encourages peace.)
We believe that peace and tourism give people the freedom to enjoy learning experiences. (Refers back to Growth.)
We believe that the development of peace is served when people who enjoy tourism observe that people in other nations are no different from themselves. (Equality)
(Assumptions:
1. We assume that people will use peaceful conditions to their personal and collective benefit;
2. We assume that organizations that promote peace and tourism will have a beneficial effect upon those who participate in the activities of the organization;
3) We assume there is a positive linkage between peace-and-tourism, and tourism-and-peace;
4) We assume that tourism has an effect that encourages peace.)
Expectations:
We expect that people who enjoy the work of organizations that promote peace and tourism will become familiar with and friendly toward the people they visit.
Criteria of Fulfillment (measurable):
People who have been exposed to the work of IIPT and who visit other nations can be seen to enjoy the cuisine, relationships, culture and geography of the nations they visit; and, are more friendly and at peace with themselves and their hosts for having done so. The services of IIPT increase the social value of people.
Statement of Findings:
The International Institute for Peace and Tourism
is hereby certified as a Socially Sustainable Organization.
is hereby certified as a Socially Sustainable Organization.
Schematic for Validating Social Sustainability |
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| Project: | Page: | |||||
| 1. Global Statement of Project: |
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| 2. Statement of Intention (briefly): |
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| 3. Area of Sustainability: | a. Social or | b. Material ? (Circle one) | ||||
| 4. State the social project being designed for sustainability (e.g., family, childrearing, community, education, health care, economy, commerce and trade, governance, or other) : |
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| OR State the material project being designed for sustainability: |
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| 5. Venue: → Individual/Family → Community → State/Region → National → Global Region → Global |
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| 9. VALUES | 8. BELIEFS | 7. EXPECTATIONS | 6. CRITERIA FOR FULFILLMENT (See #1) |
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| We value… | We believe… | We expect…. | We observe… | |||
| ♦ Quality of Life |
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| ♦ Growth |
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| ♦ Equality |
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© Copyright Daniel Raphael, Ph.D. 2015 USA.
[email protected]
{Permission is granted to copy this form without revisions, additions or deletions.}
[email protected]
{Permission is granted to copy this form without revisions, additions or deletions.}