Next Step Together

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Rise like Lions after slumberIn unvanquishable
number,Shake your chains to earth like dewWhich
in sleep had fallen on youYe are manythey are
few. Shelley
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Insanity in individuals is something rare but
in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the
rule.        Friedrich Nietsche
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It's time to begin treating your world like you
treat your toilet.When your toilet is broken,
you fix it. You don't pray that God fix it. You
don't go to a protest against the injustice of
its brokenness. You don't write a letter to your
congressperson asking for action. You don't give
to a charity for sick toilets. You don't read or
write articles or books arguing that the
socialist way to fix toilets is better than the
capitalist way. Your toilet is important, so you
don't piddle around. You JUST FIX IT.
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If fixing the toilet requires more work than you
can do alone, you get help fast. If the break is
complicated, you problem-solve and plan with
practicality and effectiveness.Today and every
day, there are 50,000 people unnecessarily dying
of poverty. We are quickly destroying our
Earth's species, forests, oceans, rivers,
atmosphere and life support systems. Economic
inequality is worsening. Wars rage. By the
evidence of human actions, it appears that our
planet and its life forms are not as important to
us as our toilets.
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Were calling the circle now.
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Next Step Together
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NST The gift of common sensegovernance
Just like three friends deciding which movie to
see.
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VisionAn interlinked world of organizations
where the needs of individuals, groups of all
kinds, and the environment are met. Everyones
unique value and capacity to contribute is
honored and each person has a voice in the
decisions affecting them.
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MissionTo connect all groups and individuals
who are in agreement with The Earth Charter into
a massive, sociocratic, decision-making
structure, in order to plan and foster actions
that meet our common goals efficiently, using
only peaceful, life-affirming means.
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In or out?
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Would you kill someonefor trying to create a
just, peaceful, sustainable world?
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YesorNo?
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Absolutely impractical!I couldnt be bothered!
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If you would kill to maintainyour wealth or
power,youre not in and you cantspeak in this
circle.
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ButLISTEN!
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Please dont kill us.
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Were on your side!
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Were on your side,your deepest side.
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If you could have all the money in the
worldORhappiness, which would you choose?
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How about if we give you so much love and
happiness that youll want to give us the army?
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We love you.
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Our fates are married.
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Well make you a deal 1. We will confer
survival benefits upon you.2. You will
not kill us for trying to make your life better!
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Simple choice Kill me or let me love you!
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Deal?
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Again, in or out?
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Im in!
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Goodyoure like almost everybody.But whats
our next step together?
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Get into a group of no more than12.Start one or
join one.
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12 is like a Good Friend group.A friend helps
you move.A good friend helps you move a body.
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Tell everyone you know.Call those old
friends.Help them get into circles.Link up.
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If you dont have much time,dont worry.
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Someone in your groupwill have enough timeto
connect you to a massive Love Armyof everyone
who wantsa safe home for their children.
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Your group of 12 selects two representatives.
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Those two will represent your 12, forming a group
of eight 2 people from four groups of 12.
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Dont worry about the overlap! Just organize
using the relationships you already have.
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The group of 8 will represent4 groups of 12.
A maximum of 48 total.
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Because of groups smaller than 12 and overlap,
the average will probably be about 36. A good
number fora weekend retreathint!
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4 x 36 144The largest efficient sizefor a
factory or a church. Dunbar's number, 148, is
the limit to the number of individuals with whom
any one person can maintain stable social
relationships. Proponents assert that group sizes
larger than this generally require more
restricted rules, laws, and enforced policies and
regulations to maintain a stable cohesion.
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4 x 144 567A small town.
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4 x 567 about 2,400A big high school.
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10,000 40,000120,000500,0002,000,0008,000,000
36,000,000150,00,000.5 billion2 billion8
billion(more than all of us)?
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You are a maximum of 16 circles from the top
circle.
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In the Top Circle, and thenear top circles, are
peoplewho are already thereJimmy Carter,
Nelson Mandela, Bishop Tutu,Obama, Vaclav Havel,
the World Future Council, and the UN.
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Nearly everyone who hasa clue, and is in
chargebecomes a servant tothe one large, flat,
circleof almost all of us.
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Everyone has 1/6.5 billionth of the
power!(always should have ?)?
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Probably, everyone shares the wealth
equally10,200 a year!
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No more unnecessary death or environmental
destructionat all.
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No terrorism.
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No war.No healthcare crisis.No inequity.No
loneliness, because well all have to live,
work,and celebratetogether!
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Yummy!
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Weave your life into a web of love.  Sark
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Thrust your life into thebreach of history.
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Start a huge, foolish project like Noah.  Rumi
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We are calling the circle now.
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in?
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Sit down in this circle
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www.NextStepTogether.net
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The three rules of epidemicsGladwell describes
the three rules of epidemics (or agents of
change) in The Tipping Point.              
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The Law of the Few "The success of any kind of
social epidemic is heavily dependent on the
involvement of people with a particular and rare
set of social skills." Gladwell describes these
people in the following ways         
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Connectors are the people who link us up with the
world... people with a special gift for bringing
the world together.

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Mavens are information specialists, or people we
rely upon to connect us with new information. 
They accumulate knowledge, and know how to share
it with others.
     "
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Salesmen are persuaders, charismatic people with
powerful negotiation skills. They tend to have an
indefinable trait that goes beyond what they say,
that makes others want to agree with them.
    
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The Stickiness Factor the specific content of a
message that makes it memorable and have impact.
The children's television programs Sesame Street
and Blue's Clues are specific instances of
enhancing stickiness and systematically
engineering stickiness into a message.
         
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The Power of Context Human behavior is
sensitive to and strongly influenced by its
environment. As Gladwell says, "Epidemics are
sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of
the times and places in which they occur."  For
example, "zero tolerance" efforts to combat minor
crimes such as fare-beating and vandalism on the
New York subway led to a decline in more violent
crimes city-wide
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NST Essential Understandings
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We need a mass movement We will use our great
numbers. How many people really will still want
to kill us after we offer them utopia and
happiness?The numbers are on our side.We
simply need to connect and work TOGETHER.
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Critical mass Before acting on a specific
project we will build our numbers until we have
enough people organized to complete that project
efficiently.
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Barn-building Quickly and in a practical
sequence, we will combine our energies and act on
as many groups projects as possible. I build
your barn, you build mine.
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Everyone's invited and expected to share an equal
role We assume that almost everyone on Earth is
in the circle and nearly ready to participate in
the process of determining and taking next steps
together.
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We'll stay focused on the root causes of
problems This is about actually fixing the
problems. We'll use whatever strategies we all
consent to, in order to effect big, lasting
change.
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We'll plan We'll be PROactive, not reactive.
Experience has taught us that we are likely to
lose battles fought on ground our opponent
chooses. Our "opponent" is the status quo system
of governance in our world, in which "might makes
right", and which disregards the needs and
potential contributions of many.
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We'll use only non-violent methods The evidence
of centuries is very clear on this violence
begets violence. Hostile domination of others
invites hostile retaliation and perpetuates
long-term cycles of violence. We're done with
that.
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Our essential strategy, Love more than anything,
changes things for the better. Love is the offer
no one can refuse. Love force was Ghandis tool,
called satyagraha, "the Force which is born of
Truth and Love or non-violence". Loving everyone
means working for a world in which everyone
thrives.
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We'll start where we areWe'll build from the
relationships that already exist, connecting
groups, individuals and leaders.
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We'll seek the highest common denominator We'll
only act in the areas upon which a critical mass
already agrees. We will deal with divisive
problems like abortion only after the biosphere
is safe, slavery and poverty are ended, and
preventable diseases are no longerkilling masses
of people.
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This is simple We'll use common sense ideas
that spread quickly. We'll avoid artifice.
This is noninvasive, natural, organic, elegant.
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This is Powerful and Fast.Things are in a dire
state.We've no time for failure or fiddling
around.
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We'll incorporate fun People go in directions
where they see joy, hope and pleasure. We'll
foster a culture that gives everyone a rich and
wholesome life.
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What is easy, usual, comfortable, fun will work
the best.
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Sociocracy is key, and will guide our
self-governance This advanced form of
democracy provides a new structure for
decision-making that can work in any group, and
which assures that every person has an equal
voice in all decisions affecting them. It is fair
and fast.
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Boekes sociocracy was based on three fundamental
rules"First, the interests of all members must
be considered, the individual bowing to the
interests of the whole.Second, no action can be
taken if there are no solutions found that
everyone can accept.Third, all members must be
ready to act according to these unanimous
decisions."
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The Four Sociocratic Principles1. Circle
organization structure A circle is
semi-autonomous, making policy decisions within
its domain. Circles have their own aims and
designate functions to their own
members. Hierarchy in Sociocracy reflects
different levels of worknot control
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• Consent governs policy decision-makingConsent
  means there are no argued and paramount
  objections to a proposed policy decisionIf the
  objection cant be resolved the proposal doesnt
  go forwardNot every decision requires consent

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• Double Linking/RepresentationThe connection
  between two circlesA dynamic process by
  designOrganizations must be able to adapt
  appropriately to changesDouble linking allows
  for heterarchies

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• Selection of People in open discussion to roles
  responsibilitiesCircles select people for roles
  and responsibilities in open discussion by
  consentThe process is highly affirmingEliminat
  es leadership by someone who is not trustedNo
  winners or losers

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CyberneticsThe study of steering, based on
lessons from living nervous systems.Feedback
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Decisions don't have to be perfect.They can
always be changed.Is this proposal within your
range of tolerance?
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The Bush administration runs Iraq, mechanics run
machines, managers run machines.  They don't
listen to the people they run.Living organisms
run themselves.
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The brain in a human has 100 billion nerve
cells.  There are only 6.5 billion people on
earth. Each of us is much smarter than a nerve
cell.If we LISTEN to each person like the body
listens to each cell, we can run the world so we
don't  kill off a third of it, and impoverish
another third.No more throw away people.We
must cherish everyone. Alice Walker
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We are the real countries,not the boundaries
drawn on mapswith the names of powerful men.
Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient