Comments on: The Global Financial Crisis – From Despair to Excitement

By: joushuoa

joushuoa — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:20:23 +0000

hi pauly wauly

i disagree with you.
because global financial crisis is not a blessing for humanity.it indeed is a punishment.

LEARN YOUR FACTS PAULY WAULY BYE

By: The Great Disruption - now available in most media formats! - Paul Gilding

The Great Disruption - now available in most media formats! - Paul Gilding — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 02:03:29 +0000

[...] those who prefer a quick read, my first Cockatoo Chronicles summarises the arguments in 850 words here. Or you can read how Tom Friedman at the NYT sees the question here. The original letter from July [...]

By: Ian

Ian — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:22:39 +0000

At last! An energy emerges from the true heart of people. (it’s always been there, but cleverly masked so we only looked to external gratification.) Perhaps brought about by the disrespect we have had for the planet we live on, we now see impacting us locally, the corporate greed, we now see affects our neighbour. This is the actions of one causing impact on another person, collectively impacts a whole tribe, a nation, a country.
It seems we needed a “stop moment” like the financial crisis to actually allow change to be at least considered. No longer was the greenie movement a fringe left ideal for tree huggers only, it became a mainstream question about sustainability – even enonomic brains had to look at the impact of linear values. Hooray.

So we can react in fear and try to find something to comfort our old patterns of behaviour, and go back to denial and reaction, or recognise it and embrace it honestly and start to live in a new awareness of personal energy with joy and love of our union to others and ability to change things, one choice at a time, each minute, each day. it seems crazy that with all our so called advances of technology, science, medical breakthroughs, why depression, bi-polar and cancer is now worse than ever – surely it should be far less – so if we are so “advanced” – Our health, the health of
the planet will only improve when we live in harmony with self and our surroundings – A change of heart changes everything. With love, Ian.

By: june shenton turner

june shenton turner — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:19:02 +0000

I was riveted by your talk on ABC this (Sunday) morning and would like to keep in touch and receive information.
You are right – despair has changed (shakily) to hope during your talk. I am so desperately fed up with Kevin Rudd and his antics, in fact politicains generally, and three year terms when they spend one year finding their way, the second year maybe doing something and starting to get into election mode and the third year nothing but electioneering and silly projects to capture the votes. I can see that you are making a difference by cutting through to the people, who actually need someone riveting to focus on, away from party politics.

Very best wishes to you,
June Shenton Turner in Perth, W.A. (the dear old West)That gives me away, yes I am 83.

By: Carroline Ravenall

Carroline Ravenall — Sat, 16 May 2009 17:31:36 +0000

Thank you Paul
You have inspired me to research and act. I guess we can all plan and pontificate about the perfect solution, delivered at the perfect time by the perfect recognised body or government. Yet, every one of us has a choice. Our life as we experience it today is nothing more than a sum of the choices we have made. We can choose to take control of our own situation and ‘do our bit’, or to sit back and wait for someone else to take the lead. Wherever we are, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves we can contribute or contaminate. We can encourage a spirit of community essential to the sustainability of large scale efforts or we can contribute to it’s demise by our own complacency and pessimism. We can encourage others to take control of their destiny or we can tolerate their pessimism and helplessness, which only serves to fuel our own. We don’t think we can m.ake a difference in life, but I believe we can. It all depends on the difference we want to make. Let’s not wait for someone to show us the way, why don’t we start something now…anything… with gusto. I am sure that there are many like me who want to live in a better world. Organisations and countries don’t change, people do. Let’s be accountable for the change we want to see in the world and become the forerunners of something amazing. And, so what if we don’t succeed in the ‘ideal sense’ then we can be comfortable in the knowledge that we have at least got off our butts and made a difference…even if it’s to just one person, somewhere.

By: Paul Bull

Paul Bull — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:10:09 +0000

Dear Paul

Thank you for creating a space for the debate that needs to happen and the passionate, overlapping and uncertain voices that need to be heard. As always you write from the heart and with a truth that is compelling and clear. I know from my persoanl experiences that change is happening as most of the conversations I have these days are with a broad spectrum of people who recognise that business as usual belongs in the past. No one seems to be able to predict what will happen but many cling to the hope that we won;t be affected – which is why we need writers like you and the people who’ve responded to be part of the shift in understanding and actions these bring to be part of helping people understand, get ready and adapt.

The future is unfolding in front of us.
best wishes. Paul

By: Oliver Scofield

Oliver Scofield — Sat, 02 May 2009 08:11:21 +0000

Dear Paul, you have proved again what I first discovered in 1975/6 that you were an insightful and original thinker. All power to you. I work all over the world and increasingly find thinking people infused with hope. It is as though the silent majority has voice after a long time. We all need to be shocked from lethargy and this has been a fundemental change agent – now the flu adds other levels of clarity to how we live, manage food production and importantly how totaly interconnected we are. Of course we are not perfect and things will not be better overnight but the doomdayers and the status quoers have both had their time. Its a time for renewal and hope. Its time for multitudes of mico action rippling around the world setting new standards for the bigger players. We let this once in a generation moment slip from our hands at our peril. Thank you again for your worthy contribution to the debate.
Much affection
Oliver Scofield

By: Jeremy Rabie

Jeremy Rabie — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:11:18 +0000

Hi Paul,
I was present at your speech last night at the Seymour Centre. I would like to make a few comments in the interests of moving the debate forward. I believe your characterisation of the present crisis facing mankind is correct. But short of ‘love’, new shopping habits and ‘excitement’ at the upcoming opportunities, you offer no real vision for the future. Please don’t take offence – this is not personal.
I believe I have limited space, and will try to keep my comments short.
Mankind has long passed dealing with vital social, political and economic questions in such a nebulous manner. We have centuries of human history, experience and thinking to draw upon, and yes, hopefully to improve. The alternative will be that the millions that die will be the world’s poorest and weakest (as usual), while we have the luxury of expressing love and hope for a better world while letting our governments enforce these privileges with all means at their disposal. This is what’s being prepared for, in case you hadn’t noticed. WIth the record high spending on ‘defence’, with the repressive and anti-democratic laws now being enacted in countries like ours, there is a very clear view about what’s heading towards us and a very clear determination to ensure that the ’system’ remains in tact for us priviledged few, and business returns to the ‘as usual’exploitation of the planet.
But you are right when you say that the moderate peoples of the world need to get on their feet and act in their defence. The big question is – how, what, where, with what objectives, (etc.), and these sorts of tiresome but crucial questions. People do get up and act – when the alternative to doing nothing is death. And this crisis will inevitiably produce the same. Look at South Africa and the ending of the Apartheid system. And there are many other examples of people overthrowing their awful regimes or circumstances and fighting for a better life. But, as has also been shown over and over again, it’s easier to change a system than to build the future. Without a plan for what that future looks like, such changes so often lead to more of the same in a new guise.
Unfortunately, the crisis will not generate universal human love and a desire to cooperate – although this is what ideally must happen. As said above, the ‘haves’ will find it in their interest to act one way, and the ‘have-nots’ in another. Look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While I know that moderates on both sides want peaceful co-existence – the Israeli side see things differently to the desperate Palestinians, and so unity of purpose which could effect real change is as elusive as possible.
I won’t bang on any further. The crucial discussion for the human species remains what kind of future will equitably meet the needs of humanity and in a way sustainable for current and future generations. This needs a discussion about what form of social, political and economic organisation can make this possible. This is the discussion we need to have if our futures (or those of us who survive) is not to be determined by the same sorry policies which dominate the globe presently.

By: Randy Yale

Randy Yale — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:31:36 +0000

I have just finished reading “The World Without Us.” It is a fascinating intellectual exercise in projecting what the world might look like if humans go extinct.
What is both encouraging and frightening is that things would definitely be better. But we wouldn’t be around to enjoy the sudden abundance. Of course, it would be much like the sudden calm after your obnoxious neighbors finish having the loudest, trashiest party in history. Much of the toxic/radioactive/non-degradable waste we leave behind will plague the environment and other species for millions of years. I also think quite a bit about Jared Diamond’s “Collapse.” Human society doesn’t have the greatest record of changing course in the face of looming catastrophe.

That having been said, I share some of Paul’s belief that humanity will figure out a better way forward. Though I do worry about his reference to “transition” towns. There was an article in the NY Times magazine’s Green Issue about a group in South Dakota. They seemed both impractical and disorganized–not a great blueprint for the future.

I believe the only real hope is for a technological breakthrough. I don’t see those of us who already have affluence giving it up nor do I see those who aspire to it saying “well the West has gone overboard so we need to settle for a more sustainable lifestyle.”

By: Troy

Troy — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 23:29:47 +0000

Hi Paul,

Thank you, what a refreshing read… not the usual stuff about what bad is going to happen, but the inspiration about what good IS happening to combat that. I have sent this onto to my sustainability committee in my office (an Australian funds management company) to promote further inspiration about what we all can do. I look forward to further installments.