Oi Polloi

26/10/2023

Essential reading from the founder of , Christine Charitonos, who is leading the way in creating a culture of kindness and resilience. An excerpt:

"As we continue to navigate this bleak time of breakdown of old systems, it’s critical we find ways to build bridges between people and cultures. While the world is marred by division, the art of listening can unite us in ways nothing else can — and create a chain reaction and ripple effect of goodwill that, in its fullest expression, can turn wars into antiquities, and relics of a more primitive time. None of this is a utopian vision. I’ll explain why."

"Scaling up innovative approaches to cultivating listening, can disrupt the social fabric like few things can. Society continues to be plagued by the turmoil of anxiety, stress, and general chaos caused by virtue signalling, self-promotion and self-absorption — yet the ability to listen has become a rare artefact, rarer than a polite internet comment section. Being a good listener is an act of rebellion. It’s a form of resistance against the tide of narcissism and hate — and turning away from the addiction to the war p**n streaming through our screens. It’s saying, “I choose to tune into your story instead of my feed.”

Link in bio.

19/01/2022

What if we thought not just from the perspective of our future selves – but also from the perspective of future generations? Does thinking that we won't change prevent us from directing our own change? As Professor Gilbert says: "human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished."

https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_psychology_of_your_future_self?rid=CBs3G6on62aa&utm_source=recommendation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=explore&utm_term=watchNow

"Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished." Dan Gilbert shares recent research on a phenomenon he calls the "end of history illusion," where we somehow imagine that the person we are right now is the person we'll be for the rest of time. Hint: that's not the case.

02/01/2022

New year, new blog – featuring a sneak peek into our business plan and immersive systems change approach:

"If I imagine I'm the two-headed Roman god, Janus, with a consciousness that straddles the razor's edge of beginnings and endings – having just surveyed the past I described, I get a warm glow inside. Covid has accelerated the breakdown of inefficient systems, and has highlighted the structural problems of capitalism for all to see. Suddenly, systems change is not a niche pursuit – but something everyone is consciously or unconsciously seeking.

We have been in a womb since 2020 shattered all new year's resolutions, desperate to get out – and not recognising the perspective and paradigm shift that being birthed entails. It makes the times we live in exciting and pregnant with potential, the real upside of uncertainty we've not stopped to acknowledge in our desperation to get back to normal.

And so, my forward facing view looks a little like this..."

https://hummusaintgreek.medium.com/reframing-the-past-to-create-a-new-future-c838e68ac2db

What a Roman god, Greece adopting the Euro, the toilet paper panic, the Great Resignation, and the Oi Polloi executive summary all have in…

26/11/2021

Ian McEwan delivering this year's Orwell Memorial Lecture on politics and the imagination. Starting in 20 minutes.

About the lecture series: "In 1957, Albert Camus wrote, 'it is always possible to record the social conversation that takes place on the benches of the amphitheatre while the lion is crunching the victim.’ George Orwell’s 1940 essay Inside the Whale raises important questions about a writer’s sense of obligation towards issues of the day, social justice and political commitment. Do such duties compromise that absolute freedom necessary to all good art? Or is such freedom a form of privileged and selective blindness? Perhaps this circle can never be squared. Camus and Orwell demonstrated that it can."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sItNZGpEBqA

'In 1957, Albert Camus wrote, "it is always possible to record the social conversation that takes place on the benches of the amphitheatre while the lion is ...

28/10/2021

"The Regional S+T+ARTS Centers Repairing the Present focus on a ​resource, urban​, ​ICT & ​art-driven​ transformation as the path towards reconfiguring the social, cultural and economic fabric. We believe this reconfiguration can only be done with the involvement of different perspectives and by tapping into artists’ potential to act as catalysts for change and actively contribute to innovation. We propose shifting the role of artists from that of observers and critics of societal contexts into that of active participants in the reimagination and building of possible futures. With Repairing the Present, we want to create the frameworks needed for this shift."

https://www.onassis.org/open-calls/open-call-starts-repairing-the-present

12 Regional S+T+ARTS Centers from 11 different countries launch a call for 21 fellowships aiming to address the unintended consequences of steadfast technological development resulting in the European continent’s present social, economic, and environmental challenges and propose ways of tapping in...

13/04/2021

Over the last few weeks, near the city of Ravenna, Italy, multiple 3D printers have slowly laid down layers of earth to form a dome-shaped house called Tecla (“technology and clay”).

“There’s a long history of architecture made by mud, like adobe. This is a palette used everywhere in the world. I think this combination expresses the idea that reducing the ecological footprint is not only about high tech, but a mix between new tools and an old material.”

~ Mario Cucinella, Architect

These 645-square-foot domed buildings were printed in Italy over the course of 200 hours.

18/03/2021

Exciting things from our partners at regenerative currency, SEEDS 🌍🌱

https://youtu.be/KNBjjGVZypw

Join us live at 5pm UK time on Saturday 13th March as Charles speaks to participants of the Tools for the Regenerative Renaissance course. Those tuning in li...

16/03/2021

All change! 🚂
"Our institutions increasingly fail even at chugging along and are instead beginning to embarrassingly explode. Californians are familiar with the result. The sky turns red, as if in warning.

These failures of governance cannot be dismissed as temporary speed bumps or unforeseeable complications. Together, they represent a pattern of a more fundamental long-term erosion of our governing institutions. It is this pattern that far-sighted foreign actors, from the Aga Khan to Xi Jinping, are responding to when they bet that the United States of America is in terminal decline and needs only to be placated and avoided until it inevitably becomes irrelevant.

Even if you recast our historical moment as merely a period of comfortable stagnation, that is not good enough. Perpetual stagnation, which is always fatal, becomes uncomfortable sooner or later. Our lowered expectations betray our felt sense of how well our society is doing.

But the growing recognition of these deep failures points to a shared understanding of a diagnosis and a cause for hope. American governance is due for an upgrade, and early adopters are settling into an appreciation of this need. With inspired effort on the right problems, we retain the potential to build the greatest society yet seen by history."

https://palladiummag.com/2021/03/10/a-new-golden-age-of-governance/?

Existential problems confront our society. Our response will be the foundation of a new golden age of governance.

11/03/2021

"Visionary art matters, because the visionary and mystical experience is the most direct contact we have with the divine, and all sacred art and religious traditions are founded on this mystic state. The best currently available technology for sharing the mystic visionary experience is a well crafted artistic rendering by an eye-witness." Alex Grey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_YJToyOp_4

About the Presenter:Visionary artist Alex Grey began his career as a medical illustrator at Harvard Medical School, but is best known for paintings that pres...

26/02/2021

A convo on artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and their implications for education and society, by two Greek academics from MIT.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/revolution-of-tomorrow-artificial-intelligence-data-science-and-society-tickets-140757203585?fbclid=IwAR2mgtVQw1ey-BeLZAPL7w8XWtvGKknp6cwJfaiXDelBshAmJdYIPxViYpA

Webcast: The Revolution of Tomorrow: Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Society

22/01/2021

We couldn’t resist to add our own meme into the mix.

20/01/2021

"In Greece, we certainly don't need another Tate, MoMA, Guggenheim or Pompidou. We have neither the means nor the collections. Besides, these museums seem to be in an identity crisis. The neoliberal development model they have adopted has trapped them financially by taking away the necessary freedoms. In Greece, we need something that reflects our own position and concerns - always in dialogue with the outside world. A model that should reflect our own history and cultural identity, but certainly not in nationalist terms. I firmly believe in the educational role of museums and the fact that they can be important centres for alternative knowledge and critical thinking".

https://www.greece-is.com/interview-renowned-curator-katerina-gregos-on-todays-greek-art-landscape/

For the acclaimed curator and writer, there’s no better way for a country to promote itself internationally than supporting its culture domestically.

19/01/2021

Join systems thinker Phoebe Tickell for a 6 week course on upskilling for the regenerative renaissance. It's better than free, meaning you get paid on completion.

https://renaissanceu.medium.com/tools-for-the-regenerative-renaissance-de8784a168ca

A new 6-week better-than-free scalable course funded by SEEDS, the regenerative currency, to help onboard civil society onto open-source…

15/01/2021

The renaissance of humanity is already here. Join us on Jan 19th at 7pm GMT to connect the dots and see for yourself how the needed change is already unfolding. Panel discussion hosted by our founder, Mary Valiakas.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/generation-share-world-changemakers-digital-launch-tour-focus-on-greece-tickets-131605460475

The Generation Share World Changemakers Digital Launch Tour: Focus on Greece, will bringing together changemakers and communities worldwide.

12/01/2021

Crisis = opportunity

Industry leaders say uncertainty over future funding is causing concern.

10/01/2021

When dream becomes toxic, self defeating delusion, time to dream a better dream? Progress means understanding current cultural narratives and their implications. A fantastic thread on why the poor identify with the greedy and corrupt to such an extent as to vote them into power.

08/01/2021

What can we learn from what's going on in America? Inequality breeds instability. If ever there was an argument for wealth redistribution, America is it. And the unrest tells us you cannot legislate equality. Let us sift through the rubble of this crumbling system for the wisdom that will build the new.

31/12/2020

New year, new energy era.

"It’s difficult to recognize civilization-sized shifts in behavior until after. But if we look back from here & see the oil peak clearly in the past, what follows is the evidence of how the energy future snuck up on us."

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-peak-oil-era-is-suddenly-upon-us/

A pandemic crash and breakthrough electric cars signal the end of the Oil Age

24/12/2020

Humans: a cooperative species 👌🏽
"In this podcast they start by exploring cooperation in hunter-gatherer living: how human cooperation is different from other species’, collaboration needed for big game hunting, egalitarianism & competition, hierarchy myths, impacts of weapons, how far cooperation goes back in history, the size & make-up of cooperative groups, altruism, and prerequisites for group selection. They then talk about collaboration in cultures more broadly: the wonder of nationalism, the pros of external threat, cultural progress, leadership, paradoxes of the prisoner’s dilemma, differences in cultural cooperation, the “civilizing force of markets”, game theory, punishing free-riders, the limitations of unconditional generosity, and more."

Sam Bowles talks to Jim about his book, A Cooperative Species: Human Reciprocity and Its Evolution: competition, hierarchy, game theory...

10/12/2020

A healthy earth ecology means a healthy personal ecology
"The study, published in Ecological Economics determined that happiness correlated with a specific number of bird species. The authors calculated that being around fourteen additional bird species provided as much satisfaction as earning an additional $150 a month."

The study, published in Ecological Economics, focused on European residents, and determined that happiness correlated with a specific number of bird species. "According to our findings, the happiest Europeans are those who can experience numerous different bird species in their daily life, or who li...

09/12/2020

We cannot allow the truth about conditions in Greek camps to be hidden.

New rules in Greece mean that anyone working inside refugee camps will now be bound by a confidentiality clause which could be used to ban them from sharing anything they see or hear.

This censorship will make it harder than ever to show the terrible conditions people face.

This comes just after Human Rights Watch released a report suggesting that the new camp on Lesvos could be contaminated with dangerous levels of lead, from its use a military firing range. Just days after The Times reported that unexploded mortar bombs and bullets had been found on the site.

New rules like this will make it even more difficult to speak truth to power. NGOs and civil society groups must have the freedom to speak out. Now more than ever, we ask for your help in sharing our updates about conditions in Greece - it is vital we are able to hold authorities to account.

08/12/2020

Following being listed as one of Forbes' top 5 isolation reads to help focus on a positive future, Generation Share is going on a digital tour. First stop, Greece. Looking forward to sharing the hopeful changemaking stories that are coming out of 🇬🇷. See you online. Register below

The Digital Generation Share World Changemakers Launch Tour: Focus on Greece, will bringing together changemakers and communities.

01/12/2020

"Lake Erie now has legal rights, just like you
Ohio voters passed groundbreaking legislation that allows citizens to sue on behalf of the lake when it’s being polluted."

Ohio voters passed groundbreaking legislation that allows citizens to sue on behalf of the lake when it’s being polluted.

01/12/2020

Mary's latest editorial for The Alternative on why large scale social change starts with personal change.

"The seeds of top-down systems change are planted with President-Elect, Joe Biden, filling economic posts with experts on systemic racism. This is one of the best news stories of 2020, and a culmination of a long year of facing our collective shadows.

I mean “shadows” in the Jungian psychology sense of making conscious what previously was not in our conscious awareness. Think of it as facing our skeletons in the closet. How could there be any meaningful progress without doing so? If society is always hiding some dirty secret?

What would happen if systems change work embraced shadow practice as a matter of course – as a starting point for deep and long-lasting change? From systemic racism, to deeply entrenched misogyny, I believe shadow work can undo much of the othering going on in our societies. It can heal divisions, and help us create a more conscious and humble civilisation rooted in empathy, kindness, and compassion."

https://www.thealternative.org.uk/dailyalternative/2020/11/30/editorial-shadowwork

Our guest editorial is from Founder of Oi Polloi, Mary Valiakas . Mary suggests that acknowledging our own and society’s skeletons is essential to meaningful change. Stories, she says, are made to be rewritten. In week 34 of The Shift, the seeds of top-down systems change are planted

28/11/2020

'The pandemic is inspiring Europeans to think the previously unthinkable.'

The COVID-19 pandemic is inspiring Europeans to think the previously unthinkable, according to a ground-breaking survey out today from a team led by Professor Timothy Garton Ash, the leading Oxford academic.

23/11/2020

Knowledge is power

A more beautiful, just and sustainable world is possible. Take this library and use it to inspire global change!

21/11/2020

*On deriving gratification from the future and developing a cathedral mindset* How will we be viewed after we die? If we were faced with our descendants 10 or even 20 generations from now, would they see us as good ancestors? Short term thinking and instant gratification has ravaged our world. What would a long term approach and a commitment to the survival of our species look like? Enter the cathedral mindset. To have the mindset one would need to participate in building a cathedral, where you may never see the completion of what you're working on, but you're part of something much bigger than yourself, that would have benefit for many future generations.

"Cathedral thinking / mindset: the act of undertaking a visionary long-term pursuit that requires decades of foresight, purposeful design, and generations of motivated workers to complete."

19/11/2020

“Selfishness is unnecessary. War is obsolete. It is a mater of converting the high technology from weaponry to livingry.” (Buckminster Fuller) We couldn't agree more with Bucky Fuller. Our view is that war and the philosophy of plunder are outdated relics of another age. We have mapped out a way to develop what we call a technology of peace. Essentially, a community regeneration toolkit people can download that helps spread prosperity, stability, and personal empowerment. 2020 may have forced a detour in our plans, but we're very happy we did what was hard while it was easy, (to quote Sun Tzu) and what was great while it was small 🚀

19/11/2020

What's behind the latest surge in interest for tales of hope and resilience?
"The connective tissue between the various x-punk subgenres—steampunk, cyberpunk, solarpunk, etc—is the idea of social disruption, usually related to major technological shifts. But when we look at pure, unadulterated social disruption, that’s where hopepunk truly shines. Hope as resistance, hope as the antidote to apathy, hope as a motivating force to inspire action in the face of overwhelming odds... Hopepunk says that kindness and softness doesn’t equal weakness, and that in this world of brutal cynicism and nihilism, being kind is a political act. An act of rebellion.

While there are certainly various cultural factors driving this movement, it’s also helpful to look at what science can tell us about our need for hope and empathy.

We all know the narrative of the fight-or-flight instinct, the idea that our physiology responds to help us escape or defend ourselves against threats. But new research shows there are actually other stress responses that can help us to understand the positive aspects of stress and how our bodies respond to hardship.

In The Upside of Stress, Professor Kelly McGonigal highlights two lesser-known models of how we respond to stress: a “challenge” response, characteristic of artists, athletes, or surgeons (also known as a flow state); and a “tend-and-befriend” response, exemplified by nurturing behaviours and desire for connection after traumatic events.

With this new understanding of the psychology of stress, I looked at the stories I’ve been drawn to over the years. I grew up reading Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, where the bonds of friendship and family are your greatest assets in the face of true evil. Others have written extensively about the proliferation of dystopian YA novels, but when I look at The Hunger Games now, I see that Katniss’ empathy is what really saves the day, assisted by her impressive survival instincts.

How do we write narratives of resilience in times of trauma? How do we cultivate empathy as an act of rebellion when all hope seems lost?"

https://www.tor.com/2020/03/02/hopepunk-and-the-new-science-of-stress/?fbclid=IwAR3QYSPzkq8quka1HJ910091OzVI6N8pQpcQOEbgERtajxoGEeiYsGjJj4o

When I first saw encountered the term “hopepunk,” I felt an immediate sense of recognition. To me, it described the state of joyful protest I aspire to: Knowing enough about the world to be absolut…

18/11/2020

"To care for the Earth and for life’s common future does not require some form of spiritually motivated altruism once we are conscious of the systemic interdependencies that our survival depends upon. The motivation for intelligent and aware people to transform business as usual can simply be a form of enlightened self-interest. It is also true that once we start the practice of caring for others (humans and other species) in the same way as we care for ourselves, we begin to realize that our perception of a separate self was in itself a limited perspective. We are relational beings in a world where everything affects everything and therefore to care for others is to care for our self. We are integral participants and expressions of Life." Daniel Christian Wahl

To care for the Earth and for life’s common future does not require some form of spiritually motivated altruism once we are conscious of…