Guiding
Principles
The
inspiration and direction of the N.E.D. Foundation is based on the following
perceptions:
1. That the
earth and the human species, are facing a crisis, in which their
survival as healthy living entities is now threatened as never before
in recorded history.
2. That, in order to face
this crisis, we all individually need to make use of our potential
for inner growth. Only through the maturity gained by continual
engagement in this, can we become effective - for the genuine, long-term
benefit of ourselves and the world we live in.
Implied in this is the need for cross-awareness between all religions
and personal growth disciplines, whilst retaining the essence and
unique power of each. We particularly need a new global spirituality,
especially for those for whom the traditional approaches no longer
have appeal. One that is relevant to the modern secular world, and
offers effective solutions to the growing malaise of meaninglessness,
which disempowers all our personal and social endeavours.
3. That, above all other
social theories and experiments, the principle of citizen involvement
as expressed in the historic development of "Democracy" and "Co-operation",
must be the primary impulse for our next evolutionary step. This principle
needs to permeate and guide all areas of group and social activity
- political, commercial and cultural. This principle expresses at
human level, the larger principle which governs all life - that of
ecology.
As
a key factor in our species' survival and growth-evolution, and for
the purposes of meaningful life as distinct from short-term emergencies,
we need to move beyond traditional style 'leadership': i.e., beyond
past allegiance and willingness for the imposition of a single individual's
vision - enacted through highly energetic single mindedness; to engaging
in the slower, more frustrating yet more enduring, organic methods
of a broad based participatory learning process.
Here decision making, responsibility and 'consequence-awareness',
become an intended mutual reality. This implies a shift from 'top-down'
militaristic, short-term efficiency, to 'ground
up' involvement of all of us, both in facing reality together and
as well in maintaining group-cohesion. This we see as the primary
task, with learning, meaning and long-term effectiveness
as the ultimate aim - our particular current engaged 'activity' is
seen merely as the means. Thus personal development, within social
and cultural development, becomes elevated as an equal and integrated
component of human purpose. In this way society can become both personally
meaningful and collectively effective.
4. As an essential underpinning
of these responses, we all need to attend retreats and workshops,
as pragmatic personal experiences which allow us to regularly view
our material goals and objectives from 'outside'. Such review
needs to become a routine part of our personal, social and work life.
Action Strategy
The
Foundation's main action strategy is to use the 'NED-Net(work)' of volunteers
to assist and encourage individuals and groups to adopt the principles
of 'involvement', and in each person's case to do this through a broad,
species-nurturing, interpersonally developmental approach to
how they tackle their particular specialised work role or field of interest.
Individual activists are thus encouraged to adopt the Taoist
maxim: "Follow me, the wise man said, but he walked behind". Personal
contact and word-of-mouth are centrally important in our process,
and are basic to the way we have been coming together as a Board
to develop our mutuality and derive productivity out of our differences.
How
Did the NED-Net and the N.E.D. Foundation Begin?
The N.E.D.Foundation is the Will-project of Ned Iceton. Ned has spent
the last 23 years making connections with, and and fostering connections
between, people who, like him, believe that we humans will have to speedily
undergo our next cultural-evolutionary steps if we are to survive as
a species. He has built a network of mutual support, to link individuals
who seek to make personal and socially developmental change for either
specific or general purposes. Ned works in a process-oriented way, i.e.
he does not himself have a particular personal content-field of interest,
but is keenly aware that the necessary evolution of humanity will have
to embrace interconnected change in all areas and subjects. His interest
is in that general process.
Ned wants his Will to enable at least
one person to continue working full time along similar change-fostering
lines after his death. For this purpose he is now designing his estate
in such a way that it will permanently support the employment of a professional
'social developer', who will be helped in the task by a network of volunteers.
The
NED-Net is a group of interested people who are currently supporting
Ned in devising the practical and philosophical basis for such a foundation.
Seven people, including Ned, formed an Interim Board (IB) in 1997, with
this specific purpose in mind. Others are playing the role of consultants
and are invited to lend their practical, inspirational or financial
support.
The IB's first activity was to create a draft job description for the
future professional social developer, because ensuring the employment
of such a person is seen as the initiating task of the foundation. The
IB meets at least once a year to discuss the current state of development
and to consider the next necessary steps.
The
Underlying Framework of Purpose
The core principle is the insight that in order for any whole to
prosper, all of its parts have to be healthy. The basic idea is that
healthy life consists of ecologically (i.e., non-hierarchically) organized
communities of participants. Healthy plant, animal or human communities
are like this. They co-operate firstly through horizontal networks
of two way mutual agreements on the same level, (eg., cell-to-cell,
person-to-person) and also vertically across ascending levels of complexity
(i.e., individual - family - local community). This ecological integration
allows individuals and the community to evolve healthily; and it best
ensures, in Ned's words, 'the life everlasting' (i.e., that life evolves
permanently).
The focus of individuals thus needs to become wider than their
own immediate advantage, and has to be 'response-able', i.e. must
include some vision of mutuality (love') within the greater whole.
In turn, there is a responsibility for large groupings to consider
both the well-being of their own constituent members, as well as
the legitimate mutual needs of other large groupings (e.g religious
groups, nations, multinational companies, ethnic groups, races,
etc.).
The Initiating Mission Statement
NED-Net affirms the life-enhancing importance of fostering co-operative
and mutually supportive relationships among Australian citizens. We
seek the emergence of an invigorated, unifying Australian ethos, and
then beyond this we advocate an Australian role in helping humanity
steer itself to secure a future on the Earth. In point form we want
to see:
- a life-enhancing, inclusive
ethos;
- improved linkages,
mutual acceptance and co-operation;
- a maximising of our
human potential at the levels of :
- the individual
person,
- communities everywhere;
and
- global society;
and thus
- steering ourselves
effectively and collectively towards a future for our planet, by
- building whatever level
of world cultural convergence is necessary to energise effective,
comprehensive global action on global issues.
This vision is spelled
out specifically as:
Action
Statement:
- Promote and develop
socially developmental values, through supportively stimulating
individual people to define and redefine to each other what
their life is about, and then to take specific individual and collective
action as citizens, to achieve mutually agreed, evolving goals;
- Intercultural:
- Facilitate dialogue
towards convergence across cultures, and across the differences
that are the legacy of history;
- Launch this kind
of mutual engagement internationally so as to seek solutions
to global problems identified in common; and harness integrated,
collective global intelligence and energy;
- Maintain, enhance,
expand and improve linkages in relation to;
- NED-Net members
& contacts;
- The existing Social
Developers' Network in Australia;
- Individuals or
groups pursuing similar goals by similar means; and
- Individuals or
groups believed to have a similar potential;
- Identify and foster
linkages between those particular men and women who can help us
lift our social functioning 'up a rung' - i.e. people with skill
who are taking the personal risk to convene new social development
groups and thus enable their members' entry, via group process,
into that higher level of mutually tolerant and life-enhancing community
'spirit' that our vision for humanity calls for.
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