Dear Violeta,

As I said the other day, “The alarm has changed in tone and volume.” This came to my mind when reading the book of Carola Rackete.Through the overwhelming effects of the pandemic we have realised that this is not about taking temporary shelter and waiting until everything ‘gets back to normal’ – that ‘normal’ has gone for good.
Nothing remained as it was before. And yet, while we are healing the mankind from the terrible pandemic, we still have the planet to heal.

Is it already too late for the planet? After all this it’s clear that humans have a problem seeing the exponential growth of any phenomenon coming. Are social hierarchies totally inapt for the challenges we are facing today?
The unprecedented global impact and the perceived duration of the crisis makes it clear that we have entered a new era. The adaptation to a socially-constrained life and keeping up with the most urgent matters, besides health, has spontaneously prompted an ongoing reflection in many of us on how we can make use of this collective global experience for the good of the humanity. However, what are the right questions to ask, among many questions that remain unanswered these days?
I am not simply asking, what will the world be like afterwards. Or, when all this will end. Nor, how. I am thinking about another question: What can we do to make the world more livable afterwards?
Even in this complicated period so much depends on us. And I understand this as the beginning of hope.
What can we learn from this extreme global experience?
How can we equip ourselves to defeat the pandemic and prevent anything like this ever happening again?
Not less importantly, what can we leave behind? Which habits can we drop?
How can we reimagine our lives, our households, our organisations, and our living environments: the cities, infrastructure and communications?
How can we reconcile humanity with nature?
And how can we distribute the achievements of science and technology in a more just and more efficient way across the globe, among all generations and within our societies and communities.

These are some of the questions that pop up in my mind.
So, where do we start our thinking process?

Here I am leaving the word to you to start the conversation.

Regards, J.
…

Dear Jurij,

Thank you very much for your letter. It has been a while since I have exchanged a real letter with my colleague. I am realizing that it feels really good to respond in writing. It is more personal, it gives me an opportunity to pause for a second, formulate the thoughts and look at my comments with a bit self-reflection.

I hope my reply will find you and your loved ones healthy and in good spirit. Indeed, the current situation is inviting us to re-think many things: our relationship with those close to us, with our purpose in life and the trace we want to leave behind, our relationship with our inner and outside world. It challenges us in our immediate reactions to the crisis; what can I do; where is my place; what is my attitude towards the good of the society and to my own. Do you have similar thoughts in your quiet moments?

We moved into the 3^rd week of self-isolation and I expect many people experiencing serious emotional challenges, psychological stress and trauma. Today’s news from Germany is just a living example of that.

I am even more disciplined with my meditations, walks, organized work and really permanent virtual coffee chats with my family and friends. Just to stay focused, active on all levels, connected, real.

But I have to say, I often think also about how this crisis is or could be misused by those in power. I was alarmed by the article that my friend sent me just few hours ago. 

These are the times when we will all have to face a new reality and as you say the ‘normal that we know is gone for good’ and it is now up to us to bravely and boldly imagine the world we want to live from now on. I feel that much more than just a health system is at stake right now. We are talking about our freedom, democracy, economic order. Many might think that these challenges are too big to think about. But they are not. They are profoundly touching every one of us – now and in the future.
How do you feel about it? I want to invite the whole city of Ljubljana, Slovenia, the EU and the entire world to go deeper into our own thoughts, to feel our own revelations, to see the light that shines through the cracks, as Cohen is saying, and open the doors that can shine on all.
But before I dive too deep into my own corridors, let me compliment you on the questions you have raised. Let me pick up a few and leave the rest for our future debates. 

Is it already too late for the planet? After all this it’s clear that humans have a problem seeing the exponential growth of any phenomenon coming. Are social hierarchies totally inapt for the challenges we are facing today?

No, it is never too late. It is always the right time to start walking a new, fresh path. The history is teaching us that even the most powerful empires transformed into something new after a while, or even entirely disappeared, the most solid convictions have been overthrown, the most solid relationships changed. But it is true, that the world that for centuries was the one bringing changes, new philosophical shifts, fresh understandings with ourselves, the Universe and life (I have Europe in mind), became too compliant with the cocoon of the society we live in. Like a frog in worm water. But there is bubbling happening underneath and not all the people are in the pot… I have hope.

However, what are the right questions to ask, among many questions that remain unanswered these days?
I am not simply asking, what will the world be like afterwards. Or, when all this will end. Nor how. I am thinking about another question: What can we do to make the world more livable afterwards?

I hope you are not asking for a final solution yet?! I believe we need to foster as many discussions as possible, hear each others’ thoughts, inspire each other and find a collective move forward. The new solutions will very likely emerge from the civil movements, which will also bring on board professionals from different areas of work and convictions. 

Even in this complicated period so much depends on us. And I understand this as the beginning of hope.
What can we learn from this extreme global experience?

Well, during my quiet moments one strong message is emerging: We are done with “izms”: capitalism, socialism, nationalism, communism, federalism… They served the purpose. Now it is time to thank them and dare to enter a new dynamic structure of self-organization. Network-based: in a sense of creating and sharing value, recognizing common challenges, co-creating new solutions based on the principle “we all make efforts to build a critical mass of awareness, knowledge and operational capacity to deliver solutions without fear of being misused or left behind, because the outcome will be shared, too. For that we need a new understanding of intellectual rights that acknowledge the contribution of the society to the exceptional achievements of an individual and vice versa.
What do you think about that?

How can we equip ourselves to defeat the pandemic and prevent anything like this from ever happening again? 

I believe that there are three ways to respond to the virus, and this is an accumulated understanding that I credit to everything I have read about the virus in the last few weeks in media or has evolved through the discussions I was a part of.
Firstly, we can find a way to kill the virus. Yes, we can and will have a vaccine eventually, but viruses are learning fast too, and they keep mutating, re-inventing themselves. So, such a response is weak and short-sighted.
Secondly, we can try to change the way we live, prevent the virus from getting in touch with us. That is another of immediate responses needed, but it is not a sustainable one. We are social, community type of spices that work best when in direct touch with others. Isolation goes against the fundamental principle of life. Homo-sapiens eliminated the Neanderthals because it started to gather in larger communities and develop group defence systems to defend against other creatures and/or natural disasters. Community was what kept us alive.
Does this make any sense to you?
And there is also the third option, that we strengthen our immune system and learn how to co-exist with viruses without being threatened, killed by them. I like this third option best, but it will require a fundamental shift in how we cooperate, trust each other and share the benefits of our work. How do you feel about it?

Not less importantly, what can we leave behind? Which habits can we drop?

To get the synchronization with nature back is easier than we think. But to do it fast we need leaders that can lead the change. That will make sure that circular economy enters every decision we make, every investment we make. I have seen major changes developing in front of my eyes – also with my help – at the EU level: greenification of transport, transformation of EIB to a green bank, major shift in individual data ownership rights against a strong US dominance, etc. I feel that we can do it, I know that we can do it…
The future models for sustainable societies will be network-based and will in their core embrace system thinking… I just hope that we can smoothly transition to these new structures without physical conflicts and terror.

Dear Violeta,

Many thanks for your thoughts. They represent starting points that can foster more than one good debate.

Dear Jurij,

It almost feels a bit mischievous to write letters like this. Private, yet, I know we plan to share them. But this privacy opens many doors in my deeper thinking, higher self. It seems like I am also discovering myself while debating with you. It is a beautiful, crisp and sunny day outside, nevertheless unusually cold for this time of the year. Just another manifestation of climate change, I suppose – another invitation that we raise our awareness and do whatever we can to leave this planet as a better place than the one we inherited.

 But let me focus on our questions. I like your narratives and I hope I can explore them even further, inviting our other colleagues into this debate circle. Please, find my contribution imbedded in your text below. I wish you well – stay healthy and positive.

Let me go deeper with one of the key points your mentioned, namely the network-based society. You say:

“The future models of sustainable societies will be network-based and will embrace in its core a system thinking.”

I tend to agree. Let’s elaborate this very bold statement. 

Throughout this crisis we have been reconnecting with each other through the basic institutions through which we are fighting the pandemic: the state; the government; our health systems; the media. Certainly, the social media and digital platforms likewise help us stay connected.

Indeed, I, too, sense that we started to recognize the value of meaningful relationships, of what true wealth and the real needs are.

The EU set in front of an unprecedented test of solidarity, crisis management and cooperation. Convergence is a must this time, an utmost necessity, not just a remote goal. Even though no European country has got a viable exit plan at this point in time, we can perceive that our lives in the future will be much better off if we can strengthen the functioning of the EU, in order to preserve a large common market and all other achievements of the European integration. We will need each other even more, because the world of tomorrow is sliding into new divisions between “planetary superstates“.

I could not agree with you more. It puzzles me often, when people have so much to say about matters they have no clue about, and they do not even make an effort to learn about them either. EU with all its weaknesses and strengths is a great demonstration of a network-structure. It is a net, and a project, not a state (many get constantly confused with this), yet, because of the level of delegated responsibilities from the member states, it is politicly recognized as an entity and a partner in a dialogue at a global level. I am also surprised (or not) with a lack of reporting about the EU mechanisms and initiatives that, as you rightly so recognize, keep the single market going, organize the solidarity and financial means, help citizens and companies to cope, adjust, and manage the new reality well. All these activities have network-structures underneath.    

A positive collective experience may emerge from a thorough re-thinking of our societal connectedness, without any ideological prejudice beyond a convincing prioritisation of a human and humanity over any other interest. This recognition, no matter how obvious it may seem to be, is not trivial.

Yes, indeed.

The rising inequality in the past decades is definitely a result of a decremented value of a human life, together with wars, massive ecological devastations, etc. This pandemic bitterly teaches us how to value a human life. The severity of the crisis has eventually brought its value afloat, above any other consideration or interest. We are now putting human lives ahead of the economy, above anything else. This, I hope, will re-state the collective priorities in the long run, long after the pandemic has been overcome. And should our collective decisions be centred around the human life, this brings more equal chances to everyone, more respect for diversity and personal freedom and more responsibility for the common good, rooted in the collective awareness of our interdependency- If we simply want to preserve and sustain our current achievements of the modern civilisation.

Let me be a bit bold here. Yes, re-thinking, re-inventing, re-structuring are the words that need manifestation. For months, even years, a concept of a new civilization has been intriguing me, keeping me busy. Let me share with you my own dream. Yes, I have a dream about a new civilization. The one where we change the perspective on what matters. As you say, where (human) life has a new value. Here, I share with you a picture I drew a few nights ago and would love to get your response on.

I also owe you a short background explanation: I see the society as a network of dynamic structures which are constantly subject to evolutionary processes.  

These dynamic structures (entities), such as: beings, land, state, community, or consciousness, are connected through dynamic relationships. Each of the entities has its own dynamic path, with its own content and behaviour. Yet, when they co-relate, they co-relate bi-directionally or multilaterally, based on the understating of the characteristics and priorities of each other.

In such a view, the current static functions we are so used to today (i.e. economy, education, science, police, health…) become properties of a relationship, or projects for the manifestation of relationships that are defined by the sincere needs of the entities. For example, if people are at the level of awareness of creative, innovative societies, then education system and economic models need to nurture such needs. Today I have an impression that the tools are the goal not the means. So, I propose a view where the entities and their relationships are seen as dynamic networks and nodes, in the constant dynamic re-invention. This is possible in a value-based society, in a relationship-based civilization.

An open question remains whether democratic institutions, human rights and freedoms, may fall short during this period or even after the pandemic is defeated; at least in some countries.

In the model I shared with you, I see all of the above in the systemic foundation.

From here on, another question that puzzles me is the future geopolitical map of the world. Globalisation is being replaced by macro-regionalisation. This calls for bold responses from the EU, in terms of its relationships towards other “planetary superstates”, noticeably China, Russia or the US. In economic terms, for the EU, accelerating the transition to a circular economy and the mass migration of businesses, institutions and households to renewable energy resources becomes an even more important part of the solution. In terms of global security, Europe will yet have to devise the way to defend the value of a human life elsewhere. A “fair trade” principle should work, but it may not be enough, given the current vulnerability of the EU. Leaving aside the tariff wars, just look at the effects of mass immigration or the competition in the field of 5G.

Indeed, these are important global questions. As far as I see it, there is a chance that we do not gather so much by regions but by shared visons. Yes, as soon as I said that, my inner voice screamed, “no”, we shall continue to evolve multilateral cooperation, shared planetary visions and shared aspirations. Yes, this feels right now. I have a dream for the Planet Earth to be a unique, inspiring planet in the Universe with biodiversity as its mayor treasure and humans as its stewards. Do you share my vision?

Well, a more resource-sustainable European economy is not possible without the recognition of the value of a human life. For us, Europeans it means we should definitely strengthen our nexus of social institutions across national borders, including healthcare, commercial and personal transport, pension system or financial regulation, to make it more just and less exposed to such symmetric risks. While the financial crisis of 2008 urged us to develop the safety net for the financial nexus, noticeably through the European Stability Mechanism??, the European Banking Union, this time we are challenged to do much more in order to provide basic health security to the European citizens. It is not a question whether to do it or to what extent, but rather, how we will do it. A common sense of collaborative network- and stakeholder-based approach of the 21st century should prevail over national differences and, sometimes divergent views. It is a long process. I believe this can really strengthen the EU.

This is such an important thought. I wish I had a magic wand. But I can sense that there will be a growing conflict between net-type of structures/systems like the EU and the hierarchical, static systems as Member States. I hope Member States can re-invent themselves. They are needed, but currently in many cases only used by groups of political opportunists that seek power instead of strength, positioning their own elite instead of the prosperity of the people. We have all the knowledge to resolve such conflict in peace, but what do you think – will we?

Finally, you say you favour the option of beating the virus by gaining sufficient immunity. Here is an article I can share with you in this regards: Don’t Just Avoid the Virus — Defeat It by Strengthening Your Immunity – Simple, science-based steps to boost your immunity can help prevent or moderate infection — including challenging the conventional wisdom about Vitamin C.

Thank you for the article… well put.

Have a good day and write back soon,

Jurij.

Osti Jarej,

Violeta