Yes its true. But there should be some good ideas to promote
collective action for better world.

Thanks for your comment, Packiaraj. I believe there are too many of those "good ideas", food and energy crisis among them. When we witness the world falling apart, we should start realizing that something should change.

Hello Aiste, I share your worried diagnosis. I like the think -> talk -> act. I don't think that we need to be united about a particular issue to make a difference. At least, this might be a too difficult condition to meet. Perhaps it is sufficient to start with small initiatives and grow them?

I recommend that you have a look at this:
http://www.tellus.org/seib/publications/Great_Transitions.pdf

Kind regards,

Benoit

Hey Benoit, thanks for your comment and the link - it seems interesting, I'll check it out (when I have a bit more free time:) ).
After your replu, I am still intrigued about your idea about the organized action (btw, personally I'd advice you to stick to this term because volunteering does not automatically imply any sort of power and ability of influence on the higher level, if you understand what I mean). I do think we need bigger changes to solve the big problems, especially because the changes I foresee are not some sort of sacrifice but a rather great improvement for every state (if you look at it from a state-perspective). But it is true that organized action could be a good start. Though, what do you think counts as such activity? Lobby and interest groups? Don't we then have it already? But it doesn't seem to be helping to solve the problems...? Help me here:)

Best,Aiste

Hi Aiste,
I was really intrigued by your statement that "the most selfish thing to do is to care about the mutual beenfit" and the way you explained it in the essay also by emphasis that well developed countries want to realize their way of thinking in the developing countries, that forcing people to any behaviour is one of the worst ways we can try to implement anything. That's undoubt true! And I also agree that we should respect our neigbours cause who would better understand our culture, our problems and our needs than our neighbour? :) I think that this cooperation you mention about should come out of regions, and that we should respect every individual if we really want to change things for better.
Magdalena.

PS> Personal question - is name Aiste some form of Asta, or are they completely different ones? I have a friend from Lithuania and her name is Asta, that's why I'm asking. :)

Hello Aiste,

You're right: "organized action" is a better term but volunteering was needed to make the link with well-being. Moreover, this essay competition has set a very "politically correct" context so I kept the whole thing very soft. However, we really are talking about a broad citizen movement not only putting tremendous pressure on policy-makers to advance progressive change but also civic-driven innovation to create and grow alternatives to conventional modes of life, consumption and organization.

This force is not just a theoretical possibility but a growing reality, often labeled as "global justice movement" or "alter-globalization movement" (also "global citizens movement" in the study of the Global Scenario Group) and encompasses both resistive and creative activity from protest, advocacy & lobbying, research, as well as alternative modes of organization and production. The movement meets every year at the World Social Forum which took place a few weeks ago in Belem, Brazil this year.

I hope this sheds a bit more light on what I have in mind.
Kind regards,

Benoit