Transformative global values are now prevalent among 10 to 20 percent of the population, a number that will need to increase if we are to forestall global chaos.

"We are beginning to see a fundamental shift in humanity's consciousness - our way of both perceiving and acting in the world . . . The shift accompanies a profound rite of passage that the earth and its people are going through now as well as in the future. What is going to change?  The prevailing societal trends of unlimited economic growth and material consumption will not continue, as they are not sustainable.  On a global level, humanity will outgrow its adolescence, learning to become better stewards of the earth and its resources.  Nations and cultures will increasingly come to honor each other as part of a global family, regardless of differences in race, religion, or nationality.  Cooperation among nations will, out of necessity, begin to supercede conflict.  Such values and inclinations are prevalent now among perhaps 10 to 20 percent of the population.  They may not achieve a broad base, however, until the challenges humanity faces reach a critical mass.  Increasing problems posed by climate change, ecological disruption, diminishing resources (especially oil and water), population growth, and poverty are rapidly reaching a point where dramatic worldwide changes in priorities will be REQUIRED to forestall global chaos."

Edmund Bourne,

"Global Shift"

Photo: Rainbow-colored clouds soar above trees gilded by last light; Lory State Park, CO; December 26, 2012