...with the shared purpose of improving the world. The growing stable of TED and TEDx events around the world is quickly gaining traction; the next challenge will be to further democratise and create shared value from more of the bright ideas that these processes generate.
...more flexible and more relevant to our times. This is the daunting challenge that Mark Malloch-Brown addresses head-on in The Unfinished Global Revolution, which he discussed compellingly at the Carnegie Council (see transcript) and on Start the Week in early 2011.
Malloch-Brown argues that national governments are no longer equipped to address complex international issues and that, as the world has become more integrated, we have also become less governed, even though if we are to tackle challenges such as poverty, international terrorism, climate change and the reform of the financial system, stronger global institutions are needed that revive, rather than replace, national governments.
...emerging from the broad spectrum of lifestyle possibilities available in a variety of new sustainable communities around the world.
..."an economy designed to promote not unchecked growth, but a steady state of wellbeing", characterised by gratitude.
Many now believe that such an economy must come to realisation through the most far-seeing entrepreneurs of our time, from people who dare to think beyond the confines of the old box.
This was also effectively the central theme of a major recent social entrepreneurs' forum, which is striving to create partnerships, networks, knowledge and collaborative pathways between the social, policy, academic and private sectors.
Google recently asked the global public for ideas to address the following societal issues:
Thousands of people from more than 170 countries submitted more than 150,000 (or around 10^5.2) ideas. Voting is complete and Google will announce the winning big ideas in the near future.
What other answers can we dream up and enact together?
At TEDGlobal 2010, author Matt Ridley shows how, throughout history, the engine of human progress has been the meeting and mating of ideas to make new ideas.
This closely reflects Theodore Zeldin's desire to introduce ideas that have never met.
The UK Royal Society of Arts' new mission seeks to combine "thought leadership, social engagement and innovative forms of collaboration". In short, the RSA is now calling for nothing less than a "21st century enlightenment".
Karen Armstrong, making her wish when accepting her TED Prize, called for a global charter of compassion. Her call for universal outreach chimes well with the idea of xenophilia. She believes that we can all follow the golden rule (i.e "do unto others...), but that we need to now move beyond mere toleration of the other, towards active appreciation of the other.
Hers is a fine idea, as long as (a) it can be secular/humanist as well as religious in tone and (b) it doesn't just evolve from a wish into a wishlist - i.e. it will need to specify what tangible benefits might adopting the charter accrue to individuals and societies.
Halcyon would be keen to partner with interested parties to help develop, communicate and roll out similar charters for all the values that we cover.
