In the first half, researcher in non-local consciousness and futurist Stephan Schwartz spoke about his research into social transformation and how individuals and small groups can change the course of history. He developed eight laws of change that all promote well-being, some taken from the philosophy of the Quakers. These include:
- The individuals and the group must share a common intention.
- Though they have goals, the group shouldn’t have cherished outcomes.
- The individuals and the group must accept that their goal may not be reached in their lifetime, and be OK with this.
- The group members must accept that they may not get credit for their efforts.
- Each person in the group must enjoy fundamental equality, even while allowing for hierarchical roles.
- The individuals must make their private selves consistent with their public postures.
Schwartz discovered that change achieved through violent means tends to have a shorter lifespan than transformations arrived at by consensus or peaceful solutions (like Gandhi). Benjamin Franklin was one of the earliest Americans to practice these type of laws, he said, such as through his creation of micro-lending, and private philanthropy. “When you support well-being,” Schwartz remarked, “you get a social policy which is more efficient, more effective, easier to implement, more productive…and much much cheaper.” Currently, we are in a civilization-threatening crisis, he continued, and if we don’t focus on empowering integrity and connecting with something greater than ourselves, future generations could be in serious trouble.
