It’s tough to take in the news these days and not feel out-of-sorts. Even depressed. Global warming. Income inequality. The pandemic. Techno-job theft. The drumbeat of problems is incessant and solutions seem always out of reach. But there is another way of looking at this situation. We can see it as the challenges we must overcome to establish something that’s far better than what we have to day. Or have ever had in the past. We can see the problems as stepping stones to a new era, a time best described as the Neonaissance (neo nay sance).
The easiest way to understand the Neonaissance is to compare it to something with which we are already familiar: The Renaissance. While there is ongoing academic debate regarding the causes and central dynamics of the Renaissance, most agree that it can be accurately described as follows:
• The period looked backwards for inspiration. It was shaped by the “rebirth” of classical Greek and Latin philosophy, literature and culture, beginning in Italy and then sweeping across the whole of western Europe.
• It produced a deluge of societal, philosophical, political and scientific advances that reset the human experience, including most significantly, the rediscovery and then extension of humanism, a system of thought that emphasizes realism and reason, observation and evidence.
• The goal of humanists was to leverage research, data, analysis and logic “to create a universal man whose person combined intellectual and physical excellence and who was capable of functioning honorably in virtually any situation.”
• While the period saw the patronage of scholar-princes produce some of humankind’s greatest artistic accomplishments, the most important societal development was the replacement of feudal relationships with commercial ones, enabling broad segments of the population to achieve occupational independence and the ability to pursue their own fortunes and dreams through paid employment.
The Neonaissance
The Neonaissance will have an even more consequential impact on human society, economics and culture. It will achieve that influence by creating alternative visions of the world of work and the world in which we live.
• The period will also look to the past for its inspiration, but it will be a “new birth” of human endeavor and exploration. It will not rediscover and then build on ancient ideas and values, but instead continue the perfection of America’s founding vision by enriching it with a more inclusive and holistic conceptualization of the human experience, one that is centered on a reverence for both human talent and aspirations and the beauty and bounty of planet Earth. This new-found allegiance will open in the United States and then sweep across the rest of the developed world from there.
• The Neonaissance will produce not one, but two outcomes:
o A vast array of societal, philosophical, political and scientific developments that reset this period in history, expanding its focus on humanism and advances derived from rationalism and reasoning to include an equal commitment to the perfection of each individual’s unique being through self-development and the expression of that being through purposeful work rather than paid employment.
o A vast array of altered individual behaviors, societal expectations and governmental actions, all designed to advance the remediation of the harm already done to the land, sea and air of the planet; to acknowledge and meet humankind’s responsibility for nurturing the Earth’s health for future generations; and to ensure our exploration of the cosmos leaves it without human alteration or pollution.
• The goal of this movement will be to leverage all learning and existential inquiry to create a “noble person.” Each individual will be encouraged, empowered and enabled both:
o To identify their unique capacity for excellence – their innate talent – and to develop that capacity to its fullest extent so that they can then employ it in service to others, thereby achieving actualization and its outcome, personal fulfillment.
o To acknowledge and cease their personal actions that pollute the planet, interfere with its ecosystem or contribute to its warming and to adopt new habits that will protect and preserve the biosphere and serve as a model for our kids and grandkids.
By performing those deeds, each and every American will be able to participate in and thus personify the Age of Self-Ennoblement, the defining dynamic of the Neonaissance.
• While figures of great nobility will emerge during this period and their individual acts and accomplishments will fill the pages of post-22nd century history books, the most important cultural developments will be two that liberate humans to reshape the content of their days and the distinction of their legacy:
o Technology’s elimination of nonvoluntary work, enabling all Americans to discover and reach for the epitome of their being through service to others.
o America’s commitment to reverse global warming, inspiring and mobilizing its citizens to care for the Earth’s health through public service.
Sound too good to be true? Read how it could actually be your destiny and the destiny you leave for your kids and grandkids. Download your free copy of The Neonaissance: The New Birth of a Noble Democracy in America and the Two Mega-Crises We Must Overcome for It to Happen.
Food for Action,
Peter
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