Old & New Worldviews for Regenerative Futures

A father and son are in a horrible car crash that kills the dad. The son is rushed to the hospital; just as he’s about to go under the knife, the surgeon says, “I can’t operate—that boy is my son!”

Explain, what’s going on here!

Don’t read on before giving it some serious thought!

When this riddle was run by psychology students only 14% got it right. The answer? The surgeon is the kid’s mom. Unfortunately, even as a feminist, our brain takes the easiest way, the way of stereotypes and gender schemes. This doesn’t mean that you are opposed to the idea of women as Doctors, it just means that your brain will first think within the frame of “Doctors are Men”. This is exactly why it's important to actively challenge & develop your worldviews, assumptions and beliefs.

Take for example the idea of success. I actively unlearned that success is determined by your career and that life is a competition years ago. But when I come across someone, of my age, with impressive accomplishments and a powerhouse of a career, I have to actively stop and question my own thinking, otherwise, self-doubt or even jealousy would seep in. In the journey of shifting horizons from Business-as-usual to regenerative, I accept many (new) worldviews as the way forward, but my deeply engrained thinking patterns haven’t always caught up yet. It’s very likely the same situation for you, and that’s okay! As long as we are aware and actively work on our brain flexibility and capability to shift horizons.

Every systemic transformation is based at the most fundamental level in our brains. All designs, systems and ideas sprouted at one point from a thought, ignited by a feeling, reflection or realization and these are directly linked and framed by our worldviews. Meaning that any form of systemic transformation starts with changing our mental modes.

The Business Transition Trajectories

Forum for the Future created four trajectories to 2033 based on four different mental models, or in other words, worldviews.

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“We will continue to maximise our profits from fossil fuels as long as it remains a profitable endeavour. We anticipate being able to exit at the right moment.

• “Businesses focus on their historical purpose: to maximise short-term shareholder value.
• Some companies don’t engage, unclear about what to do.
• Some businesses may respond to the pressure to actively oppose the value of sustainability initiatives – seek to make it a ‘culture war’ issue.
• Critics challenge whether efforts actually do any good.”

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“We’ve set bold targets for transformation in… 2050.”

• “Businesses appear to take actions to address environmental and social challenges, but are unable to commit to the trade-offs that will be required.
• Bold announcements are made and “green” product lines are launched but these efforts fall short of creating meaningful impact.
• People publicly repeat the rhetoric of ‘change’ but efforts ultimately resemble shallow gestures.”

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“Humanity has a long history of innovation and overcoming challenges with technology.”

• “Companies utilise the power of data and technology to address environmental and social challenges.
• Companies that rely on technology platforms that are asset-light and skilled in quick innovation and experimentation.
• Technology solutions become central in managing the transition to decarbonisation, disaster resilience, and restoring nature.

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“Adaptation requires a mindset that deals with uncertainty. That’s not a mindset so much of ‘seeking ever in creasing profits and growth’; it’s a mindset, at least in the extreme, of survival. And it’s a mindset of being prepared to let go of dearly held, constricting beliefs.”

• “Business, government, and civic leaders demonstrate the courage to step forward to accelerate the emerging paradigm shift.
• New regulatory, policy, and procedural approaches that expand the economic agenda to encompass safeguarding and rejuvenating ecosystems while bolstering communities.
• Defining value evolves to encompass equitable and regenerative business models that enhance resilience.

Which trajectory resonates with you? What do you see as the dominant worldview within your industry or business?

Want to dive deeper? Check out the Courage to Transform report.

Number of people = Number of worldviews

These are just four dominant worldviews, around the globe the amount of different ways to view the world and its current situation is uncountable. A couple of other dominant worldviews worth mentioning are.

• Carbon essentialists have a strong focus on solving the climate crisis purely through the reduction of carbon.
• Green Mobilization, the mass mobilization of individuals, communities and coalitions as the primary way to realize behaviour and systems change.
• Green Growth, transitioning all products, services and systems to green energy & green production whilst continuing to focus on growth and consumerism.
• Doomers, we are already doomed anyway, so let’s enjoy it whilst it lasts.

What other dominant worldviews are you seeing?

Old & New Worldviews for Regenerative Futures

Luckily there is an abundance of Old and New worldviews that can help us to envision and realize radically different and regenerative futures. We have the opportunity to make these worldviews a reality! To do so, let’s start by imagining how the world can look once a certain desirable worldview becomes the norm.

Imagination exercise

Choose a worldview, new or old, that you believe holds a pathway to regenerative futures. You can go with one of the worldviews listed below or just play around with any worldview that comes to mind. Make sure you have a couple of undisturbed minutes, close your eyes if you want and wonder what a future world would look like in case, for example, the kinship worldview became dominant?

• How would this alternative reality feel like?
• Look like?
• How would you feel?
• How would Wales feel, or trees, or the air?
• How does it smell or sound?
• What would the norms that we live by be?

There is no right or wrong here, just let your mind wander.

Kinship worldview

Embrace the kinship worldview by recognizing the interconnectedness of all living beings. It encourages us to reflect on our relationship with nature and our deep emotional bonds with the environment. This perspective inspires a sense of harmony and cooperation with all forms of life, promoting actions that honor and protect this kinship.

Darcia Narvaez in Restoring the kinship worldview presents powerful speeches from indigenous leaders around the world. Some of the key takeaways shaping this worldviews are;

• Egalitarian rule versus hierarchical governance
• A fearless trust in the universe, instead of a fear-based culture
• The life-sustaining role of ceremony
• Emphasizing generosity and the greater good instead of pursuing selfish goals and for personal gain
• The laws of nature as the highest rules for living

Degrowth

Degrowth is a planned reduction of energy and resource throughput designed to bring the economy back in balance with the planetary boundaries. It’s a call for overdeveloped countries to start decreasing consumption and production, often of unnecessary and harmful products and start focusing on regenerating the wellbeing of citizens and wider nature.

Small Is Beautiful

The small is beautiful worldview celebrates the beauty of simplicity and the elegance of small-scale, sustainable living. It prompts us to appreciate the value of local communities and businesses, fostering a sense of interconnectedness and supporting local economies. This perspective empathizes with the challenges of embracing a smaller-scale lifestyle and advocates for sustainable consumption and community building.

Uncertain Courage

Embracing uncertainty and letting go of the controlling mechanistic approach to business and life is perhaps one of the hardest worldviews to adopt. The idea that we can control our lives, future and wider nature has led us to have a false sense of security and power. Letting go of this feeling scary but vital to be able to shift horizons. We are living in fundamentally transformative times, and even if they claim or think so, nobody actually knows what the world is going to look like 10 or even 5 years from now. Embracing this uncertainty and allowing yourself to dance with life might well be one of the most powerful and nourishing decisions you can make in a rapidly changing world.

The Ecological Worldview

Embrace the ecological worldview by recognizing the beauty and wonder of nature and the need to protect and preserve the environment. It encourages self-reflection on our role within the larger ecological system and our impact on the planet. This perspective acknowledges the emotional connection many have with the natural world and advocates for global environmental consciousness through personal actions and advocacy. It challenges our human dominated thinking, doing and feeling. Inviting us to explore a wider range of perspectices and including wider nature into our language and lives.

Only once we as humans once again truly understand the interconnectedness and essence of life on earth, will we be able to shed our destructive ideas, beliefs and behaviours. Until that moment, every attempt to move forward remains blocked by the limitations of our own ego-centric world. “People deeply embody an understanding that they are part of the web of life and existence, not separate from it.” - The Regenerative Lens

Regenerating Wellbeing

The Wellbeing Government Alliance is a collaboration between governments who belief economies should be designed to serve people and the planet, not the other way around. They are advocating the regenerative wellbeing worldview. Wellbeing economies put human and planetary needs at the centre of their activities. An economy built around fairness, participation, nature, purpose & dignity.

“The Old way: The current economic system (the “old way”) responds to the common needs of humanity and the planet in ways that do not address the heart of problems and do not make life better for all. In fact, often problems are made worse.

The new way: In a Wellbeing Economy (the “new way”), solutions are people-centred, geared towards environmental protection and regeneration, and long-term. The exciting thing is – the new way is already emerging, with inspiring examples around the world showing us the way.”

Which old and new worldviews are you exploring on your journey to Shifting Horizons for regenerative futures? Which worldview sounds amazing to you, but you are struggling to truly embrace it as a potential trajectory?

Reading Tips to Imagine, (Un)learn & Regenerate

Creative Destruction, a weekly newsletter by Thomas Klaffke exploring thought-provoking perspectives and ideas to create a better future.

Courage to Transform, the 2023 sustainability report by Forum for the Future, explores various worldviews and transformation approaches.

Growing the Alternatives, a co-created three-episode publication on alternative futures initiated by Greenpeace.

Restoring the Kinship Worldview Indigenous Quotes and Reflections for Healing Our World by Darcia Narvaez

The Regenerative Lens: A conceptual framework for regenerative social-ecological systems (One Earth (2023)