So how can we save our world again ???? | Dirk saves the world ??

New ideas - like NARDIS - are often a bit strange, especially at first.

Here are some questions and answers that can help you understand NARDIS better.

Here are some answers to questions you may not even have had

Not sure if it shows but coming up with a concept like NARDIS and writing it down took me a very long time. Almost 9 years in its first version. And not just because I’m a natural born procrastinator.

There were different approaches at first.?

It started in 2010 with just one idea (the new corporation) but it soon became clear that one economic idea wouldn’t be enough. So I broadened the scope and added the need for new ecological and social ideas as well.

I tried out several dimensions that I thought were needed to create a solid sustainable idea and after moving the words around a bit, I ended up with an acronym that brought it all together: NARDIS.

NARDIS is not even a real word. If you’re into jazz, NARDIS may ring a bell, as it is the song title of a jazz tune that Miles Davis wrote but there are no known recordings of him playing it. If you’re not into jazz, it probably sounds like gibberish. If you’re looking for a link to something more relatable, you could consider the flower Narcissus (aka daffodil).

As I was going over what I had written, I kind of got the feeling some of it may need some additional explanation. That’s how I ended up with a series of questions and answers. To one question, you now already know the answer: where does the silly name NARDIS come from.

Below are some of the Qs and their As, but there are quite a few more questions that one could answer. If you want to know more, check out the book.

I hope this will help clarify NARDIS and “How we can save our world”. If you want to learn more about some of the concrete ideas that came out of it, just browse back through the blogs. I hope you find inspiration for your own new sustainable ideas in it.

Kind regards,

Dirk (saves the world)

-----EXCERPT FROM “How we can save our world”-----

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… on NARDIS

?Why does NARDIS focus on the ecological, the economic and the social? Surely, there are other challenges too?

You are right that the ecological, economic and social challenges are by no means the only ones. But in these three domains we, as ordinary citizens, can still generate direct impact.

In some other domains, like politics and technology for example, that is a lot more difficult.

To us, citizens, political and technological solutions are often indirect solutions: they happen to us rather than that we make them happen. All too often, they’re non-inclusive. Almost all political decisions are made above our heads.

But we do have a direct impact on the ecological, economic and social domains. Especially in our close, immediate environment. That is why it’s sensible to focus on those three domains.

In these three domains, sustainability works like communicating vessels: ecologically sustainable ideas are often also socially sustainable, while economically sustainable ideas are also ecologically and socially sustainable. Initiatives in these three domains reinforce each other, creating a win-win-win situation.

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… on current and new ideas.

How about the current political and technological ideas?

We will still need political and technological solutions: technological innovations will continue to play an important role and political agreements will remain necessary to steer the world in a better direction. But it is naive to believe that we will get there with technology and politics alone.

If we really want to increase our chances of success, each of us will have to do her or his part: citizens, politicians and innovators alike. We all have a role to play in bringing about the changes we need! NARDIS is about our role as citizens.

To tackle the major challenges that we face, we will have to do a lot more than we do today. Coming up with many new NARDIS ideas and realizing these, is a logical next step.”

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... on sustainability

Are we even still allowed to do anything if we want to live an ecologically sustainable life?

Whatever we do, there will always be impact on the environment. Taking into account any possible ecological impact on all future generations is simply not workable or viable. If that would be the objective, it would soon become clear that we are not able to do anything anymore.

But we can definitely set a time horizon for doing things much more sustainably, namely the next two generations, our children and grandchildren.

Two generations is tangible for everyone. Look at the previous generations that have had a direct impact on your personal development and life: your parents and your grandparents. A perspective that takes into account the next two generations is therefore also very useful, tangible and concrete. The positive impact that you create for them, you can still partly experience yourself.

If you do that for your children and grandchildren, and your children then do that for their children and grandchildren, and then they do it again for their children and grandchildren, and then they again...

... then we’re in for a very long sustainable ride.

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… on change

Isn't it naive to think that ordinary citizens like us can change the world?

Maybe so. But it is just as naive to believe that we can get the world back on track by relying solely on more technological innovation and more politics. Despite the availability of all these green technologies, our global ecological footprint continues to grow, without any prospect that it will decrease any time soon.

Despite all the political decision-making, the ecological, economic and social challenges remain immense. Unless there is intensive, sustained effort from all of us, any attempt for change risks being insufficient.

To achieve real, sustainable change, we need to think and act differently. In the book "Towards a sustainable society", this is referred to as "hegemony": how we think and what we do, from individual over social organisation to institution. Change within society and the current hegemony is always possible and even inevitable, but at the same time not obvious: hegemonic change usually happens slowly and from the bottom up, not the other way around.

We, citizens, are therefore the main lever for change. When we change, hegemony changes. When we think and act more sustainably, our world becomes more sustainable.

"Towards a sustainable society" zooms in on how hegemony determines how we think and what we do, as individuals, social organisations and institutions. It examines how sustainable counter-hegemony can lead us away from the current hegemony and thus put us on the road towards a sustainable society. In a way, it is a precursor and theoretical foundation to “How we can save our world”.

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More Q&A can be found in the booklet, but here are already a few snippets:

NARDIS is quite complex, isn’t it?

Maybe so. But so are the ecological, economic and social challenges we face.

Why use this strange name "NARDIS"?

Because SARDIN sounds even sillier.

Isn't this too little? Shouldn’t NARDIS aim higher?

When it comes to solving these wicked problems, every little bit helps!

Is this not too late?

It is never too late to do something.

Shouldn’t we think bigger?

Honestly, the biggest lever that we have to save our world, is us. We’re with many.

How do we know if this will even work?

We will only know for sure when we start to put NARDIS ideas into practice. Which we’re doing.

How fixed are these NARDIS ideas anyway?

Each of us is free to interpret these NARDIS ideas as we see fit.

Is NARDIS not too innovative? Too revolutionary?

NARDIS ideas are evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

Is NARDIS intended to become this new, big story?

Oh dear, absolutely not. What we need are millions of little stories, written and realized by ordinary citizens, like you and me. NARDIS offers us the tools to realize just that.

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What about the current ideas and organizations?

Many of the current ideas will simply continue. What’s important is that we not only rely on current ideas and organizations but also work out new ones. NARDIS is ultimately an and-and kind of story.

Will these new ideas replace the current ones in the long term?

No idea. What we need first of all is many more new ideas: we need more variety, not less.

Won't the current and new ideas clash?

Possibly, but that’s not bad per se. There will be continuous interaction anyway.

What is the main difference between new and current ideas?

NARDIS ideas are new, action-oriented, realizable and impactful, but above all they are direct democratic and sustainable. That’s probably the main difference with the current ideas.

Shouldn’t we try to introduce newness in as many areas as possible?

Possibly. But creating and realizing a whole series of new economic, ecological and social NARDIS ideas is already a good place to start.

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Does direct democracy even work?

Why wouldn’t it? As humans, we are perfectly capable of making decisions based on equality. Such decisions are usually more qualitative even!

Doesn’t direct democracy lead to chaos?

Running things direct democratically doesn’t mean there is no more authority. But authority is interpreted differently. In many ways, the direct democratic organization is genuinely meritocratic.

If direct democracy is so wonderful, shouldn’t we try to apply this to as many domains as possible? Also within politics?

More direct democracy in as many different domains as possible is a good idea for sure. NARDIS simply focuses on new organizations in the economic, ecological and social domain, as we have more leverage there as citizens.

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How about economic growth?

Our current economic system is exhausting the people and the planet which is why we need to bring the ecological, economic and social domains back in balance. We will have to rethink the way we interpret and redistribute wealth. NARDIS can help with that.

What’s so problematic about our current economy?

The current economic landscape looks a lot like a monoculture. If we want to have a more stable and sustainable economy, we need to create more economic variation.

What about the current companies?

Not every current company is a bogeyman. Many small and medium-sized (family) businesses are already trying to implement sustainable policies. However, the larger a company becomes, the harder it often turns out to be to operate ecologically, economically and socially sustainable.

Do we even need new companies? Can't we just transform the current ones?

Changing a company is a very difficult exercise. To become more sustainable, in many cases, it can be better to start from blank page and create something new.

What current economic challenges could the new company possibly solve?

New companies will not solve all of our problems, but they can help remedy many.

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Is this type of change even possible?

Everything changes. Hardly anything (maybe even nothing) remains static forever. The world is changing us and we are changing the world. And each of us can make a difference. The more NARDIS ideas we come up with and realize, the better our chances of changing and saving our world.

What about direct action and protest actions? Are these NARDIS?

Direct actions are often an absolute necessity to create awareness or generate an immediate outcome. Although they're not the same as direct action, NARDIS ideas do aim to generate direct impact on people and their world.

Isn’t this a utopian attempt to return to a long-gone past?

No, NARDIS ideas are future-oriented. It is an action plan for a new, sustainable and direct democratic world today and tomorrow.

Why you should read the next blog??

Because it contains…

• The very final chapter of “How we can save our world”. Yes, this series of blogs is coming to an end. I will miss you, dear reader. It's been great hearing from you every week ????.
• A short story about “Planet Titanic” (yes, it’s a love story and no, I know it doesn’t end well, but we may still be able to do something to avoid our pending doom).

Coming soon! See you there!

FYI: you can also still read the previous blog = Here’s the elevator pitch for 4 new sustainable ideas ?? ?? | Dirk saves the world ??

How to stop global warming??How to save our world? It seems almost an impossible task. Yet?we, ordinary citizens, will have to make a difference.

“How we can save our world - Creating and realizing new sustainable ideas together” shows you how.

The book centers around?NARDIS, a framework that enables each of us to create and realize New, Actionable, Realizable, Democratic, Impactful and Sustainable ideas. Ideas that change our world and preserve and reinforce that which makes us human. What will be?your NARDIS idea?to save our world?

Read “How we can save our world” for free online at issuu.com or academia.com. Or download the free PDF.

Or read on at www.dirksavestheworld.com.?