dynamic5

Proposal for dynamic 5

1 BACKGROUND

11 A profound malaise

We are witnessing the destruction of hundreds of millions of human lives, caused by extreme destitution and the exclusion of growing numbers of people from access to land and work.

This is due to the workings of an economic system that cares little for humanity.

Seemingly powerless, and with great distress we are watching the destruction and global pollution of nature by an unscrupulous exploitation of natural resources, non-ecological modes of production and unbridled material consumption, especially in the West.

We are also witnessing the destruction of cultures, for example that of the European peasantry and the cultural and architectural landscape that they have created. They have all been subjected to the logic of capital, the world market and industrialization. While cultural evolution is normal in human societies, we refuse to accept the irresponsible and materialistic development which is drastically affecting the lives of people all over the world.

Humanity and nature are suffering deeply, but much of this suffering can be avoided. We are fully aware of this and it makes us profoundly sad and ill at ease. The suffering is caused by structures that are economically and socially unjust, for both mankind and nature. We ourselves are responsible, for these structures are the product of our way of thinking. We can and must change what we have created as soon as we recognize the mistakes we have made. This proposal is one of many efforts undertaken by thousands of concerned people who are working for a fundamental change of the debasing and humanly unworthy situation of the world today.

12 Renewing our ways of thinking

In 1830 the world population reached its first billion. From the birth of Christ, when the population was about 150 million, it took 1,830 years to multiply this figure by six. A the present rate of growth the world population will have increased to ten billion by 2050, a tenfold increase in only 220 years. Homo sapiens is experiencing a staggering population explosion.
The conditions of our existence have changed fundamentally in the last 200 years and we too must fundamentally change our way of thinking. In the year 2000, with a population of six billion, we cannot continue to be attached to ways of thinking that were developed over 200 years ago by Descartes and the rationalists, by Adam Smith and the liberal economists, at a time when the world was less densely populated and people travelled by sailing boat and on horseback. Such arguments are even more valid when thinking about constructing the future.

We are in a position to fundamentally renew the social structures we have developed, and to create living conditions that are much better for both mankind and nature. If we change our way of thinking and our inner concepts of what is possible and desirable, we can transform the conditions of existence on earth. In order to do this, human beings do not have to undergo any biological change. We have all the necessary mental and spiritual faculties to broaden our way of thinking and perceiving and thus to change our behaviour.

There needs to be a transformation in people's consciousness in three fields:

In our relationships with other human beings: There should be concern and a desire for justice for all human beings, instead of the more prevailing feelings of egoism and competitiveness. We should be moving away from rivalry towards profound solidarity with the whole of humanity.
In our relationships with nature: There should be an integration of mankind and nature instead of the present tendency to subordinate nature to man's extravagant desires. This means moving away from arrogance and selfishness towards respect, care and integration.
In our relationships with other religions, cultures and peoples: Rather than engaging in violent disputes motivated by a desire to suppress or eliminate others as well as anything foreign, we should experience joy in the diversity and richness of other cultures and develop respect for one another. However, in a world society that consists of 10 billion people, a fundamental agreement on common values, a planetary ethic, will be absolutely necessary. In a restricted space - the Earth of today - all communities will need to develop an agreed set of rules to regulate social and economic lives.

Bringing about such a transformation in people's awareness in a short space of time is indeed a formidable challenge. The activity of a political party is one possible way to accelerate this transformation process and to give it shape and strength. We desire peace between human beings, justice, mutual respect and joy in the unfolding of all forms of life. This presupposes that we are at peace with ourselves. Therefore we must also work for peace in our own hearts and in our relationship with ourselves. This effort is of crucial importance for the future.

2 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE PROPOSAL

21 Concerning fundamental change

As long as society finds solutions to its problems through traditional ways of thinking, large-scale changes are not necessary. What usually happens is that there is a succession of many small changes which take place within the dominant mode of thinking. But the scale and the gravity of the social and ecological problems that confront humanity today require solutions of a fundamentally new kind. As Einstein said: "One does not resolve problems by using the ways of thinking that created them."

It is by introducing other ways of thinking that new solutions can be found. Progressively, a new culture, new ways of thinking and behaving, new choices in our everyday lives, in politics and economics are being developed. This cultural transformation is indeed already under way. It usually begins with a few solitary minds and hearts who spread their awareness mostly by writing and talking and also, partly, by a new way of living and being. The spark then spreads to others - perhaps only one or two in a thousand -, to people who are concerned and are searching for solutions. These new ideas then spread to increasing sectors of the population. This process is happening now: initiatives concerned with a new awareness of the body and with a broadening of the mind, as well as new enterprises, cooperatives and communities are developing and testing new forms.

What is this basic new awareness which is in the process of being transformed into a new cultural form? We will mention a few examples here, but will return to the subject again later.

Spirituality and rationality must co-exist, in a new synthesis, at the centre of our lives. The development of reason was an important achievement in the history of mankind, but the simultaneous repression of spirituality from society and within individuals during these last two centuries - especially in Europe and North America - has proven to be a crucial error.
A peaceful world order entails first and foremost social justice. Whether we like it or not, it is our fate as human beings to live on our (small) planet. Within fifty years, its 10 billion inhabitants will all be living close to each other. Unless we all work together across the entire globe to bring about a world order which is fair to everyone, we will perish in increasingly destructive conflicts and wars.
Nature has its rights, too. Human beings do not only have rights over nature, they also have duties. Even if humans can be considered as the most highly developed part of nature (creation), they are nevertheless part of it and must respect it. If not, the laws of nature will eliminate this creature which has no respect and does not adapt.
Integration into the whole, cooperation and the recognition of obligations are essential principles for the organization of society, as important as liberty, independence, competition and social rights. Freedom and individual rights were important acquisitions during the Age of Enlightenment and thereafter. But this freedom has become excessive, self-centred and indifferent towards the common good and the harmony of nature. Unlimited license to consume and accumulate goods, capital and power is a fundamental error of the economic liberalism that developed in the 18th century.
Relationships between women and men are changing. Women are freeing themselves from submission and exploitation by men, which prevented them from realizing their full potential. The new culture will involve a new contract between the sexes in which roles and obligations will be redistributed. Transcending patriarchy will help bring new values to society.

At this point in history, the bringing together of spirituality and rationality is, we feel, the most meaningful way to bring about the fundamental renewal of our economic and social order. This synthesis contains the necessary power to transcend the dominant culture of today. The liberation of women and a new contract between man and woman are essential and complementary elements of this new synthesis, but by themselves they cannot overcome egocentrism, integrate humanity with nature and establish social justice. To attain such objectives the driving forces will have to be spirituality, love and integration into the whole.

22 Why a new political party?

The European ecological parties have integrated points 2, 3 and 5 into their programmes. But point 4, and above all point 1, have by and large been overlooked. This is why many people who aspire to a new socio-spiritual and eco-spiritual conscience have no political space. They have no party because there is as yet none that corresponds to their emerging awareness. Neither do Christian parties meet the above requirements in a satisfying way. Our appeal is to a spirituality which transcends Christianity in terms of the Church: to a spirituality that is "trans-religious" and universal, embracing the truth of spirituality in all traditions.

In democratic societies, there are other institutions apart from the political parties which can bring people together and represent their views in the decision-making process. There are associations and unions. But these normally have specific and therefore necessarily limited agendas and are not concerned with society as a whole. These institutions therefore cannot serve our purpose. Networks and idealistic movements are possibilities, but there comes a time when they too need to be represented in parliaments if they want to have their views considered when legislation is being drawn up. It is for this reason that "dynamic 5" could be considered as the political instrument of these new movements. We feel that both the party and the movements are necessary. The associations, communities and centres, where new ways of thinking and behaving are practised and where changes in thinking can really get under way, are of major importance. But in order to meet the need to orient society's basic conditions towards a new way of thinking, we cannot see any alternative to a political party.

Our proposal therefore wants to

provide a political instrument for the many people who are trying to attain a new spiritual-political consciousness, a political forum in which forces at present scattered can gather together to share in the formulation of legislation;
see the political work as an important way of disseminating new ways of thinking and new approaches to solutions;
understand the activities of the party as a means of education and personal growth where a new culture can be practised in interpersonal communication and in the resolving of conflicts.

Other aspects are elaborated in paragraph 51 towards the end of this document.

3 SPIRITUALITY

31 What we mean by spirituality

Spirituality is a devotion towards the SPIRIT - the unborn source of all forms of existence - and it is a constant effort to come closer to it by the broadening our own consciousness. Spirituality is also an awareness for the whole of creation, an attitude of respect towards all beings, both living and inanimate. Spirituality means putting the SPIRIT at the centre of things, both in internal and external actions. This does not extinguish reason, science, law, and art, but rather gives them wings as well as support and orientation: the integration into the whole.

We see spirituality as the best possible replacement of the main watchword of today's society: the pursuit of profit. We are aware that spirituality can also lead to excesses as history has shown. We would therefore place rationality beside spirituality as a principle of equal importance.

As soon as people begin to live and practise their spirituality, materialism will melt away like snow in sunlight. A truly content soul does not chase after substitute satisfactions. Regular spiritual practice is the "magic means" against materialism and all the ecological destruction that it engenders. Respect for our true nature - our spiritual core and essence - requires that we engage in regular spiritual practice, which is truly a fundamental need and a means of fulfilling our real selves. The most profound and real joy is to fulfil one's whole being.

A cultural renewal will reintegrate spirituality into our lives and into society: a spirituality which is seen as the essence of religion and as a universal phenomenon. Spiritual activity, this slow and wonderful process of interior growth by which we approach God (or whatever name you want to give to the SPIRIT), stimulated by the seeds that have been deposited within us, will once again become a major focus and joy, and a directing force in our lives. Human beings do indeed belong, through their bodies, to the bio-sphere, but they transcend it through their mind and soul, which in turn create the noosphere (Teilhard de Chardin), i.e. the spiritual sphere.In one of his most recent books, Ken Wilber1 impressively shows how spiritual growth is not irrational: rather, it follows an empirical process. At school we are taught and given exercises by our teacher, who trusts we shall carry them out assiduously, so that we can develop new skills and knowledge or find a solution to a problem. Our spiritual growth follows the same rules as the development of the mind and artistic skills: learning - practice - new knowledge and ability - evaluation. The verification of the results by the teacher, who has already gone through this process, is as important in spiritual practice as it is in physics. The development of our consciousness takes place in a series of stages and levels which are known to the teachers and can be identified in the students. The pathway to spiritual growth is an empirical one, which has been verified time and again, and it meets the requirements of scientific methods in its broadest sense: formulation of the hypothesis or problem - exercise - experiment/ apprenticeship - verification.

Ken Wilber describes evolution (of nature, of consciousness) as the "opening up of the SPIRIT".

It is possible to approach spirituality through the intellect, in terms of reason, as we have been doing here. But it can also be approached through intuition and feelings. Some artists - in search of the ultimate truth - show us the way. Their works, especially perhaps in the field of music, give us a direct experience of approaching God.

Therefore we shall try here to express spirituality with a text of a different quality.

32 About SPIRIT

You are before us like this flower rocked with love by your breath; you are in the shaft of light which strikes a drop of moisture on a leaf and is broken into a thousand crystals; you are in the moss and the blackbird's evensong, you are everywhere: a book open to the eyes of those who can see, for it is you who has written the book of Nature with your loving hand, in a rich and exquisite script. Your words are embodied in the manifold beauty of a world which moves us deeply. This beauty is your expression, your imprint, the visible trace of your inextinguishable word.

You are in the clouds and the earth and the river and the sea, you are in the unfathomable blue of the heavens, where the mountain sits enthroned beside you, silent amidst all the sounds of your breathing.

SPIRIT, we have seen you in the confident gaze of a child holding it's father's hand, we have heard you in the cries of pain and joy of a mother giving birth to the child you created between us; you are in the trembling hand of the old woman who brought so many children into the world, children who in their turn gave birth to many more.

Be among us then like cement between stones, be our joy in everything, and be in the very centre of our being, displacing our egos. Help us always to remain your servants and we in turn will place you -as symbolized by a burning candle - at the centre of each of our meetings, so that we may be reminded always that the heart and the centre is You - not I, whoever I may be.

In this spirit we will engage in our human work, accepting our imperfection, and if strife and dissension and troubles should darken your light, we will lower our heads to ask forgiveness of each other. Then your mischievous smile will warm our backs again with its gleaming rays.

4 SOME FUNDAMENTAL ERRORS IN OUR CURRENT DOMINANT CULTURE

41 Overrated individual liberty

Western philosophical thought has made individual liberty the core of liberalism and of our economy. When individual thought was still greatly restricted by the straitjacket imposed by the Church and the monarchs of the Middle Ages, the advent of this almost absolutist concept of individual liberty was an understandable reaction. But studies of social and political systems and the evolution of consciousness such as that made by Ken Wilber1 clearly show that, while all individuals (he calls them holons) possess a certain autonomy and freedom and the drive to assert themselves, they also embody a complementary opposite force tending towards integration and cooperation with others of their kind. Communities in their turn - as the expression of the group tendency - are likewise subject to the same forces tending to integrate them into the larger systems which surround them.

Perhaps the greatest error in modern European culture that appeared in the 16th and 17th centuries was this considerable imbalance between the right to individual freedom and the need to integrate into the whole: human communities on the one hand and nature on the other. This imbalance was built into national constitutions and legislation. It is said that the freedom of one individual should stop where the freedom of others begins. This principle is not respected. We feel free to consume indefinitely, even if nature is destroyed as a result. A relative few have the 'freedom' to accumulate as much capital or property as they can and exclude others from its use - for example, by taking a whole lakeside into private ownership. A small number of people can decide to get rid of 10,000 jobs here and recreate 5,000 there, to introduce genes from bacteria into plants, to splice the genomes of plants and animals. What kind of distribution of freedom is this?

It seems that the monarchical order of the Middle Ages has simply been supplanted by the capitalist order. The nobility was dispossessed of its property and its arbitrary powers. But they were progressively transferred to the new nobility, the big capitalists. Today, as they juggle round the globe with hundreds of billions of dollars and with tens of thousands of jobs at their disposal, there is little to distinguish their power from that of the absolutism and arbitrariness of the old kings.

It seems obvious today that the accumulation of individual property should be limited to a reasonable amount and that excesses should be automatically used for social purposes. A reworking of culture should find a new balance between the right to individual liberty and the need to integrate with the group, humanity in general and nature.

Similarly, it is clear that individualism has become excessively egocentric. "Après moi le deluge...". It is not a question of curtailing the right to self- fulfilment, but of understanding that mature self-fulfilment also includes consciously accepting limitations of our individual behaviour where this is necessary for the well-being of the community and the survival of humanity. In our present crisis it would seem that one of our central tasks is to work on reducing our sometimes over-inflated egos.

4.2 Materialistic rationalism

The emergence of rationality and free thinking, and the division of culture into the fields of science (the truth), ethics (the good, religion) and aesthetics (the beautiful) were historical victories in the evolution of consciousness during the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment. Few would deny the contribution of this era towards a genuine liberation of mankind, entailing human rights, the abolition of arbitrary monarchies, democracy, the rule of law, abolition of slaveryand women's emancipation. All this is the result of the development of reason, in opposition to most of the churches and the monarchies.

Nevertheless, the triumph of free reason (the benefits of which cover everything in the fields of science and art) also involved a dusky error: the disappearance of the spiritual from public life and, in most cases, of the spiritual from life altogether. Religions had fought so hard against the emergence of free thinking that the latter, by reaction, excluded religion. It was considered a private matter and dismissed as irrational, a dreadful degradation. The church has not yet recovered from these consequences.

What we see now is a powerful steamroller of rationality, which is applied to all sciences, to economy and to State policy, and even to individual lives. We now claim the right to exploit nature, which is being pillaged rapaciously to meet the "basic" needs of people - interpreted as purely material needs! And as individual liberty no longer has any limits, the "new nobles" can satisfy their greed and appetite for power and prestige. This appetite has no restrictions because the God who formerly set limits to mankind's activities is no longer recognised and has not been replaced by any other comparable ethical authority. Thus growth has become exponential. Each year it must increase by 2 to 3 per cent, as if a finite world could support indefinite growth! Exponential growth in a finite system is a serious disease, a cancer. It is madness, profound irrationality, and it dominates economic "reason".

What happened? How did this come about? Rationality did not stop at the differentiation of the "great trio" (the good, the true and the beautiful). The next step was that "the true" (science, reason) declared that the good (religion) and the beautiful (art) were inferior. In psychology this is called repression - when something is pushed into the sub-conscious. But if we deny our religious sense and our emotions rather than integrating them into our consciousness, they get out of control and because they are such powerful forces, they have a dangerous potential of destruction. This explains, at least partly, the overwhelming irrationality of our economy and the rise of insane movements such as national socialism and the ethnic and religious wars that are breaking out all over the world.

Rationality is dangerous when it pushes religion and the emotions into the sub-conscious. Irrationality cannot be fought by pushing it away (dissociation). It must be integrated, which is best done by engaging in a creative interaction with it. Love and poetry associated with brilliant rationality: that's what we aspire to, not a rationality that has been cut off from its roots, from life, from exuberance, from joy of life, from the contemplation of beauty. Is love rational?

43 Exaggerated competitiveness

All individuals have some elements of competitiveness. But they also need co-operation. In our society, competitiveness has been overemphasized at the expense of co-operation. This serious imbalance originates to some extent in social Darwinism, which makes the unsubstantiated and therefore unscientific assumption that competitiveness is inherent to human nature: humans must fight to exist, as only the most competitive will survive. This belief shows a considerable lack of understanding of the mechanisms of survival both of individuals and of species, as co-operation, sharing and exchange play a role that is as important as competition and the elimination of others. This lack of understanding of how living creatures actually function has induced - and continues to induce - opportunists to violent and power-hungry attitudes that aim at eliminating those who are less productive or at making them dependent and servile.

Humanity is not only composed of those who are ready for action or those who are a hundred percent efficient and productive in the conventional sense of a business manager. The others, the "inefficient" must also have their place and remunerated activity!

For the neo-liberal economy, people are cogs that are to be used to the maximum of their capacity and to be dispensed with when they are no longer needed or have become 'inefficient'. Capitalism has gone too far in dehumanising us all. It has become out of date, so that it is now a question of replacing it by an economic system that is human-oriented. Competition will have its place, but it will be reasonably balanced with co-operation and sharing. It is a question of creating a new balance between independence and integration, between competition and concern for others.

5 PRINCIPLES AND FOCAL POINTS OF THE PROGRAMME

51 Focal points

Once again our motivation for this proposal: as a civil society we are already active, we create associations, networks, communities, educational centres, alternative businesses. This search and 'educational work' - analysis and the search for new solutions and internal growth - remain essential. But what political parties exist for those thousands of people whose consciousness has been raised to express their new awareness, their preferred choices? Are there parties which satisfy the requirements of a radically new way of thinking and are powerful enough to break through the blockages and limitations of the dominant system?

Principles of dynamic 5

Human beings are spiritual by nature. They have a fundamental need to practise spirituality in various forms.
Human rights, together with obligations and responsibilities, are essential to a world order and for the co-existence of human beings in a world community.
Democracy and federalism are key principles in the functioning of existing political parties and states, and in the international institutions yet to be created.
The equality of women and men leads to a redefinition of their roles and tasks.
There can be no peace without social justice: co-operation must replace competition. State welfare and insurance must operate in a way which preserves both the dignity of the individual and that will allow human grown-ups to take responsibility for their lives.
Nature has inalienable rights: respect is due to all living things, as to the earth, to water and air, without which life is unsustainable.
The economy is subject to democratically defined conditions and regulations
Reasonable restrictions must be placed on the accumulation of private property so that wealth and resources are fairly distributed.
Capitalism is transcended. There will be new forms of common ownership where workers and a majority of the public own businesses.
Regionalisation of the economy: the flow of goods should be minimized. The globalisation of knowledge and information should be maximized. Small and medium-sized business should be encouraged, as well as the creation of a dense economic regional network.

There is currently no political party which espouses an agenda like the one above, which incorporates into its programme two radically new elements which are generally considered to be taboo:

- the spirituality of humans and indeed of the whole of creation, hence the rights of nature.
- the abolition of today's capitalism which in its present unlimited growth is destroying both nature and democracy

For lack of a better alternative, many of us belong to political parties such as the Greens, the Social-Democrats, Christian Socialists or others. The votes that dynamic 5 could win in the future should in no way weaken these progressive forces. On most practical issues, dynamic 5 would find itself in the same camp as the other parties mentioned above and would therefore strengthen their vote.

52 Other important points

It is inappropriate at this time to go into too much detail on specific policies relating to such areas as education, health, transport, the arts or the law.
However, there is one area - the economy - which we feel deserves more extensive treatment, as it is central to modern society and dictates so much of our thinking on a whole range of issues. It is also the cause of many of today's problems.
Before dealing with this area we would like to focus our attention on a number of other issues.

Youth, training and employment
The education of young people needs maximum attention. The development of artistic and creative skills is as important as the elaboration of rational thought and the acquisition of professional qualifications. Creative activity is an indispensable skill to be able to lead a content life.
After their training all young people - except those who are severely disabled - must be incorporated into the world of work with a decent income, so that they can become autonomous members of society in their own rights, without having to be dependent.

We need to ask what kind of spiritual training can be instituted so that it does not lead to narrow sectarianism or indoctrination. We will have to make considerable efforts and try many new ways to find satisfactory solutions. The spiritual emptiness which is partly experienced today testifies to the great spiritual poverty of the industrial-electronic society. The serious quest for meaning and direction, on which many young people and adults embark, shows to what extent human beings have a fundamental spiritual need.

Senior citizens
More and more people are living to pensionable age and beyond, and they remain fit and active. Their role in society needs to be re-thought. The abrupt passage from "active life" to being on a pension is traumatic for many of them - above all for men who have never done any housework and looked after children. Commissions of senior citizens should think about the best way to integrate older people into society so that they may, if they wish, continue to make an active contribution to social life.

Art, science and spirituality
Not so long ago these fields of knowledge were not separated. During the humanist period, you could study these three fields without experiencing a conflict . Spirituality and scientific research were held to be of equal value. We feel it is important that art, science and spirituality be reunited within human beings and that they play equal and complementary roles in society. Artists, scientists and spiritual teachers - all have an important part to play for the quality of our endeavours.

53 Concerning the economy

These are preliminary remarks; they need to be elaborated.

Capitalism
Through the mechanism of interest and other levers designed to increase capital, exponential growth has become an intrinsic characteristic of liberal capitalism. Capital infiltrates itself little by little into all vital spaces, subjecting all fields of activity to its logic and bleeding them to death through interest rates and dividends: tropical forests, the ocean and seafood, sports - (football, skiing, tennis and hockey)- native populations, music, health systems, agriculture, seed production, the genetic code of life - everything, in fact. We feel greatly concerned when we see how every aspect of life is being subjected to the logic of maximizing profit and competition. We do not want it, we do not want it any more. It does not correspond to our spiritual essence nor does it fit in with nature.
Through its built-in mechanisms for the accumulation and concentration of capital, capitalism gradually demolishes the democratic system of power-sharing which was set up after the era of despotic monarchies. At present, this unhealthy pattern of arbitrary and excessive power has returned to our world. We have had enough: this era is historically over and done with.

We will place limits - by non-violent means - on the private accumulation of capital, because such accumulation runs counter to our democratic conviction that power must be shared. Businesses (except for small-scale enterprises) would belong to the employees. Enterprises must of course be run on good business principles, including the delegation of power and subsidiarity. On his/her level, everyone will thus have responsibility, not only of a political nature but also at the economic management level. This is an expansion of democracy.

There shall no longer be enormous revenue from capital, because this is an offence to those who work and it constitutes a serious injustice that we can no longer tolerate. If the efficient operation of the capital market requires the maintenance of such features as interest and dividends, part of this revenue should be spread fairly among everyone.

It is up to society to define reasonable limits to private property. This does not in any way mean increasing the property of the State, but distributing land, housing and the means of production among the population. Changes in inheritance legislation can gradually bring this about.

We would not propose any interference with private family property of a reasonable size: on the contrary we would do our best to ensure that everyone should have their own place, their own home (as is completely natural in African villages). As people would then have no fear of being thrown out of their homes, they would have a greater sense of security and well-being.

It is thus a question of preventing an unbalanced accumulation of property, power and responsibility and of redistributing it across the whole population - it is not a question of allowing the State to accumulate it! Nor is it a question of being hostile to the economy, as both medium-sized and large businesses function just as well within a cooperative structure as within that of a conventional limited company.

Decentralization of economic structures
We are aiming for a regionalized economy, composed of micro-regions, medium-sized regions and a macro-region, Europe. In the micro-regions production centres should be close to the consumers, and small and medium-sized businesses should be strengthened. The transport of goods should be limited to the essential, so as to reduce the ecological damage of road and air transport. To set up a dense and diversified economic structure like this there would have to be economic incentives at the market level. The most effective means of achieving this at the moment would seem to be an annual rise in the price of transport and non-renewable energy at the rate of five per cent a year for a period of thirty years. This would mean doubling the price over a period of 14 years. Distance would once again protect local economies. (For the disadvantaged inhabitants of remote regions, there should be financial adjustments at the level of both business and the State.)

Social justice, income scales
Limiting income scales, for example, from a minimum to a maximum ratio of one to nine at the beginning, gradually moving towards one to five (maximum income not more than five times the minimum) would make social justice possible, thus promoting stability. In Switzerland, for example, we would move from a scale of annual revenue ranging initially from 30,000 to 270,000 francs to a scale ranging from 50,000 to 250,000 francs. At the moment the scale is from 25,000 to 2.5 million francs, in other words, one to a hundred. It will be up to parliaments to fix the scale of income and decide on how to implement it.

Socialization of the benefits gained from exploiting natural resources
Many of the world's largest and richest industries are those which derive their income from the exploitation of natural resources - oil, diamonds, gold, fisheries (the pillage of the sea), tropical forests, etc. It is legitimate to consider these resources as the collective property of humanity and to socialize the benefits from their exploitation in order to finance urgent tasks. Such benefits could be used, for example, to finance research on alternative ecological technologies and the reforestation of all areas that are eroded and liable to desertification. The money could also be used to provide schooling for children all over the world and to train young people. Finally, it could help restore the environment where it has been destroyed, thus defusing the ecological time bombs that industrialization and armaments have bequeathed us: those mountains (both visible and hidden) of toxic waste.

Financial adjustment
Natural resources are distributed very unevenly and the costs of production vary according to the different natural sites. Mechanisms for financial adjustments would be put in place to reduce these inequalities, but not to the point of discouraging the poorer regions from making their own efforts. At the world level, Europe could contribute 0.35 per cent of its GNP towards a world adjustment fund, in order to finance international solidarity activities.

6 STEPS TOWARDS FORMING A POLITICAL PARTY

New ways of thinking about production and consumption are on the increase, as evidenced by the growth of organic agriculture, ethical banking, alternative medicine and the renouncing of private cars in favour of public transport. This broadening of people's consciousness beyond individualist and materialistic interests is perhaps now shared by enough Europeans to make it possible to launch a political party that subscribes to the above principles. However, it is far from certain and remains to be verified.

First step: The dynamic 5 proposal was first distributed mid 1999 in German and French to target audiences in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Switzerland. The text was meant to facilitate discussion and the formation of initial core groups to support the initiative. The European association "dynamic 5" was founded on January 23, 2000, in Basle.

Second step: During the first half of 2000, the initial core groups went on distributing this "Proposal" in their countries or regions. The objective of this phase was to evaluate the level of public interest in such a political party. This will not be set up unless 100 per million of the population show an interest (in Switzerland this would be 700 people). In the Autumn of 2000 there will be a second meeting, attended by enlarged initial core groups. If it is felt that there is sufficient support, work will begin on creating the political party: drawing up the manifesto, statutes and setting up the main structures.

Third step: Creation of the party. Although the event would be decentralized to the various countries involved, there should be a common symbolic act on the same day at the end of year 2001 or beginning of year 2002.

Fourth step: In the two following years, local structures and training courses will be set up, especially in the regions where there is a higher density of members. At the same time, national or European commissions will be created which will be concerned with major themes such as health, education and training, transport and communications, currency and the banking system etc. Cooperation will be sought with associations with specialized competence in these areas.

Fifth step: In 2003 the first candidates will present themselves for election.

Members, delegates and elected representatives

It will be impossible to create a political party with a completely new culture right from the beginning. We are all too much prisoners of our past, of our inherited behaviour. But we are aiming at a new relationship with each other, bearing in mind the development of our inner maturity, as the transformation of the structure of society cannot be carried out until we transform ourselves. Our work within the party therefore becomes a school of personal development.

Anyone can be a member of dynamic 5 who freely supports its programme. However, delegates and candidates for the elections must declare openly before the public assembly of the party what their spiritual practice is, i.e. how they incorporate spiritual practise into everyday life. This test of credibility is important - even if it can never be definitive - as today many people talk of fulfilment, self-realization and spirituality without adopting any real inner commitment, without any regular spiritual practice and sometimes with excessive self-centredness.

This "ritual" will in no way ensure that there are no conflicts and painful exchanges. However, a person who has practised spirituality - whether through prayer, meditation or yoga, or simply through a constant effort to be sincere, modest and reconciliatory - will probably find it easier to temper his or her pride, to ask pardon and seek reconciliation. This is why we feel the need to apply some test, however minimal, to the quality of consciousness and conscience of candidates, in spite of the obvious limitations of such procedures.

And now: Let us go forward, without undue haste but resolutely. Human beings are fully responsible for the future of humanity. May the SPIRIT inspire us and be with us, in our midst.