{"id":2788,"date":"2019-12-03T16:45:23","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T15:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/?p=2788"},"modified":"2019-12-03T17:15:28","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T16:15:28","slug":"common-man-chapter-2-the-search-for-a-new-governance-system-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/?p=2788","title":{"rendered":"Common Man: Chapter 2. The search for a new governance system continues."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The following is an excerpt from a coming book \u201cCommon man\u201d which is a novel about a journalist who sets out to come up with an alternative form of world governance. The novel is a product of imagestreaming, a technique of invention and creativity developed in the 80s by Dr. Win Wenger. For more information about imagestreaming, and about other imagestreamed <a href=\"https:\/\/avbp.net\/?p=2094\">novels <\/a>and stories, <a href=\"https:\/\/avbp.net\/?page_id=261\">visit this link<\/a>. If you\u2019d like to be kept up to date as new chapters get published, sign up using the form in the right-hand column. If you haven&#8217;t read the first chapter you might <a href=\"https:\/\/avbp.net\/?p=2739\">want to here.<\/a> The video below explains why a story is needed and gives some of the motivation behind the book project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Easter Island, Population Overshoot, and a Global Choice\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fRurAYbLUFs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>This video from Charles Eisenstein explains why we need to search for stories like the common man book project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst I was preparing the first chapters, an article in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-019-03595-0\">Nature appeared warning of tipping points. <\/a>Evidence is mounting that these  events could be more likely than earlier thought, have high impacts and are interconnected across different biophysical systems, potentially committing the world to long-term irreversible changes. This poses a duty of care on every person. Trying to find a new story is one of the ways I am pursuing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chapter two: a structured, facilitated process.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>To handle global governance of global and common assets, a remarkable meeting place was established in a remote, mountain area somewhere on the edge of the European and Asian continents. This place is an attempt to create goverenance of a world where its inhabitants live within the boundaries of what nature can provide &#8211; now and for future generations. It is the result of a search for a story that can guide us into the future.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My first visit&nbsp; gave me a lot to take in;&nbsp; fortunately I was invited to come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On\nmy way to the terminus for the second visit I reflected that I had expected the\nplace to be focussed on law or economics. Not so. The well-being of people, the\nfunctioning of the global commons and the safety and security of people were\nput first. Peace was the anchor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\narrived, wearing my suit, at the terminus to be greeted by the facilitator. I\nunderstood \u2013 he pointed it out &nbsp;again, in\nno&nbsp; uncertain terms &#8211; that this was an\nextreme privilege.&nbsp; To underline the\ngravity of the task everyone dresses in formal business wear and are expected\nto conduct themselves with a high level of moral integrity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\ntook me quickly to the waiting plane. We sat facing each other with a small\ntable between us and I had just put my seat belt on when he pulled out a large\nfile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before\nI could see it had to sign a non-disclosure paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He showed me a set of squares that represented the steps that each decision goes through. Each square produces one or more deliverables and relies on the input of one or more deliverables. The squares represent tensions or challenges that are appropriate to be raised and handled internationally at federal level. The first squares are about screening out issues that are not global or global commons in nature.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\nfacilitator team guides the issues through the process. Each step or \u201csquare\u201d\ncomes with checklists. As the facilitator pointed out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe\nfacilitator team\u2019s role is to ensure that the process runs effectively, and\nthings are not missed out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nsquares represent a federative framework for the stewardship of the global\ncommons. The original framework is human rights but there is tension between\nhuman rights and sensible stewardship of the commons that needs to be managed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\nland and Mustapha arrives up with his limousine to pick us up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m\nlooking forward to understanding this in more depth,\u201d I say to Mustapha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\nhave the expert with you there,\u201d &nbsp;Mustapha says, pointing at the facilitator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Going\nthrough the check points and security it does not feell like the place I\nvisited last time. I realised that the centre is more like a stage where a play\nis going on and different things happen at different times of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cCome\nto the garden, we can have tea,\u201d says Mustapha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\nare four for tea \u2013 I am introduced to a Swede called Persson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI wanted you to meet Mr. Persson to hear about the Swedish experience\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\nshake hands with Mr Persson and we sit down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\nwe brought up,\u201d said Persson, \u201cwas the issue of the legal rights and\nresponsibilities associated with land.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWas\nit possible to reach an agreed definition of health of land? We asked if\necological maturity \u2013 the status of the land compared to a naturally mature\neco-system \u2013 would be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\nstarted to understand how the steps contained tests of logic and duty of care.\nIn this case, was there a possibility that bringing ecological maturity into a\nlegal framework could reasonably be expected to be useful and if dealing with the question would\nget us closer to where we need to go connecting the framework to the other\nresponsibility of land ownership towards the commons .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To put it\nanother way, would it help the purpose of the Commons Government if there were\na legal basis for taxing and fining land owners depending on the status of\ntheir land. Would global principles help member nations?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nfacilitators have the responsibility to make sure the process runs as smoothy\nas possible and using the hands, heart and head approach. In this case the first\nstep results in a report going back to Sweden on the results of the initial\nprocessing of the case with proposals for dealing with the next steps. This is\nimportant as the ramifications of changing frameworks can be huge, including\nchanges to trade law and international law. So an analysis of ramifications\nneeds to be carried out at an early stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And what\nthe process costs is immaterial. Loss of productive assets is not valued in\nmoney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I stand up\nand thank Mr. Persson, and that Mustapha for bringing us together so I can see\na little bit of how the process works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I find\nmy own way out, I try to summarise what I have seen. A nation raises a case, it\ngoes through steps that comprise an initial screening to decide if it is suitable\nfor handling by the international global commons process. The processing is facilitated\nby the facilitators who have no say over the result, only to ensure the process\nis carried out as well as possible. One deliverable is a report back to the\nnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A\nforeboding comes over me. Something is very wrong. I cannot put my finger on it,\nbut I have one of those feelings that I am not quite on track. Even if the\nanswers I am getting are OK I am not quite \u201chitting it\u201d. I will have to come\nback, but I will need to pluck up courage to do it as I don\u2019t know what will\nawait me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following is an excerpt from a coming book \u201cCommon man\u201d which is a novel about a journalist who sets out to come up with an alternative form of world governance. The novel is a product of imagestreaming, a technique of invention and creativity developed in the 80s by Dr. Win Wenger. For more information [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[76,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-common-man-book","category-envisioning"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2788"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2788"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2791,"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2788\/revisions\/2791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avbp.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}