Social Synergy and Conscious Evolution: Natural Awakenings Chicago Interviews Barbara Marx Hubbard

You are an 86-year-old “Conscious Elder”, who continues to be an amazingly vital and energetic role model for conscious evolution. What keeps you so motivated?

I am energized by the foundational work of Ilyla Prigogine, a Belgian physical chemist who won the 1977 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his study of dissipative structures and complex systems, as well as how nature jumps from entropy to syntropy. Based on his overall evolutionary understanding, which led to pioneering research in self-organizing systems, at times of crises, entropy and disorder, nature, which humans are part of, has a tendency to innovate, transform, and mutate. At some point, there is nonlinear connectivity of what is being newly created; thus the system jumps to a higher order.

Nature forms whole systems out of separate parts, which is how we evolved from single cells to multi-cells to mammals and to humans. Today’s understanding is that we are humans in a planetary system that is considered as one living organism that humanity is part of. Generally speaking, humans consider themselves as separated—from one another and from nature. If we want to take a leap in consciousness, creativity and cooperation, we must find new ways to connect the separate parts to make a new whole.

How do you envision this can be done?

My work in the social arena is based on my vision that we are an evolving humanity and that our crisis is an evolutionary driver which could lead either to devolution and destruction or evolution and transformation. The “first age of conscious evolution” is a worldview of how we are moving from evolution by chance to evolution by choice. We are responsible, and as we accept our part in the responsibility for evolution, we have to have structures of cooperation and co-creation, rather than competition.

By using my “wheel of co-creation”, we can connect separate parts to make a new whole. There are 12 sectors of the wheel: economics, science, education, justice, health, spirituality, infrastructure, environment, media, governance, relations and art. Individuals enter the sector where they feel the most passionate about creating something using their talents, gifts and skills and match their common goals with the talents, gifts and resources of others who are also in in that sector. Eventually, when all the sectors are complete, the partitions can be removed so that everyone has an enlightening experience of how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The wheel can be used on a local or global scale.

Has this process been done somewhere?

Yes, in Monterrey, Mexico, at a conference pioneered by Christina Gonzalez, wife of one of the former governors of Monterrey. I spoke at this conference several years ago. Afterwards, I met with young activists who were protesting the ineffectiveness of government and human services. I drew my wheel and asked them if they would like to fill it in with projects, initiatives and programs that were already working in their area. In 2014, with Christina’s help, I organized the process of connecting the separate parts for a “Social Synergy” event with my partner Juan Carlos Kaiten.

Christina invited six universities from the area to research all wheel sectors regarding existing conditions. Government officials, university students and other in necessary participants collaborated with each other to explain projects—Golden Innovations—capable of making a real difference in Monterrey communities. On stage at the event, officials were amazed, because it never happens that the necessary individuals or groups come together in one place to ask how they can help and support your ideas. 

When and where will you repeat this experiment?

The demonstration of social synergy was so successful that Christina asked me to organize a group of global leaders to identify and demonstrate their key initiatives, needs and resources needed to create a compassionate culture. Juan Carlos joined me and my Foundation for Conscious Evolution, and several others to organize a Social Synergy event during the Seventh Worldwide Meeting on Human Values: Building a Compassionate World. I am co-hosting with my partner Ervin Laszlo, founder and president of The Club of Budapest, who is also a Conscious Elder and a very distinguished evolutionary.

We invited leaders such as Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. in science; Justin Rosenstein, who invented the technology for Facebook’s “like” button; Bharat Mitra, founder of Organic India and the Uplift Movement; Marc Gafni, author of Unique Self; Sandra de Castro Buffington, who brings Hollywood producers together to hear the new story; as well as Mary Robinson, a former president of Ireland; and Claudio Naranjo, a Chilean-born psychiatrist who is considered a pioneer in integrating psychotherapy and the spiritual traditions. There are others.

Social Synergy will be live-streamed on October from Monterrey as a part of Global Oneness Day 2015 summit.

For more information, visit BarbaraMarxHubbard.com/calendar.