You can't fight an idea whose time has come.
I've always believed that the pen is mightier than the sword; words can create ideas and change minds, ultimately making the world a better place. The internet and social media are the political and social game-changers that the invention of the printing press, telegraph and electronic media have been in the past. Increasingly, people are finding new ways to tackle social and economic issues using the unique opportunities brought about by instant, mass, worldwide access to information and communication.
About twelve months ago, I started trying to more clearly formulate ideas that I had been thinking about for many years, to do with how to improve our society and move beyond the tired left/right political divides that hold us back from positive change. I've thought about getting involved in politics but hate the idea of joining a party. Like many people, I'm frustrated with party politics and its failings. Similarly, while I have a journalism degree, I don't think of much of a lot of modern journalism, which seems to be more about creating problems/arguments than solving them.
As I thought more about the idea of creating common ground between those who traditionally look at social and economic problems from different perspectives, I came up with the idea of "healthy society" as a common goal, and set up a Facebook page by the name of Healthy Society Australia as a place to explore and express some of my thoughts on this.
That Facebook page is still only VERY small, but when I Googled the words "Healthy Society", I stumbled upon the work of Dr Ryan Meili, author of A Healthy Society: How a focus on health can revive Canadian democracy, and now a driving force behind Canada's Think Upstream project.
The most exciting thing about discovering Dr Meili's work is that it seems to me that if two very different people on opposite sides of the world can completely independently come to much the same conclusions, it's a good indicator that this indeed an idea whose time has come.
This blog is just one of many seeds being planted by people who are looking for new and positive ways to change the world for the better. If you'd like to be part of this growing movement, I'd like to welcome you to this blog and look forward to hearing your comments, ideas and suggestions and building a healthier, happier Australia.
About twelve months ago, I started trying to more clearly formulate ideas that I had been thinking about for many years, to do with how to improve our society and move beyond the tired left/right political divides that hold us back from positive change. I've thought about getting involved in politics but hate the idea of joining a party. Like many people, I'm frustrated with party politics and its failings. Similarly, while I have a journalism degree, I don't think of much of a lot of modern journalism, which seems to be more about creating problems/arguments than solving them.
As I thought more about the idea of creating common ground between those who traditionally look at social and economic problems from different perspectives, I came up with the idea of "healthy society" as a common goal, and set up a Facebook page by the name of Healthy Society Australia as a place to explore and express some of my thoughts on this.
That Facebook page is still only VERY small, but when I Googled the words "Healthy Society", I stumbled upon the work of Dr Ryan Meili, author of A Healthy Society: How a focus on health can revive Canadian democracy, and now a driving force behind Canada's Think Upstream project.
The most exciting thing about discovering Dr Meili's work is that it seems to me that if two very different people on opposite sides of the world can completely independently come to much the same conclusions, it's a good indicator that this indeed an idea whose time has come.
This blog is just one of many seeds being planted by people who are looking for new and positive ways to change the world for the better. If you'd like to be part of this growing movement, I'd like to welcome you to this blog and look forward to hearing your comments, ideas and suggestions and building a healthier, happier Australia.