What is this page about?
It is about hope in a time when most of the people on earth are experiencing a growing sense of unease and far too many fear for their future and for their children and grandchildren. More and more people are concerned about growing inequality and multiple environmental crises. People need to know that there is an alternative to corporate globalization that works, and one they can play a meaningful role in creating. Humanity is at a crossroads. We can travel down the road of fear, hatred, violence and revenge – the path of Brexit, Trump Fascism and the extreme right. Even in Canada those who would call themselves middle class has declined from 70% in 2002 to 47% in 2014. We need to learn from the lessons of the past – the racism inherent in slavery and our treatment of indigenous peoples is the foundation of capitalism. We can do better!
Hope springs from the acceptance that co-operation is a more powerful part of human nature than competition. That sharing, helping and caring for each other is a more natural and rewarding human response than violence, greed and selfishness. Hope springs from understanding that the ideas of co-operation are a sound foundation for building our economic as well as our social relationships. Hope comes from the knowledge that if we build our economic and social relationships on co-operation and caring, the mounting problems in our communities and in our world will recede and become more manageable.
It is time to begin the process of moving from Corporate Globalization to Global Co-operation – We owe it to each other and our grandchildren.
Who wold be interested?
People who want to build a better world: People who are involved in co-operatives and social enterprise. Thoughtful, reflective people including students, scholars and academics who are seeking an alternative to a society that serves money. People concerned about public policy in government. Groups like the Council of Canadians and indigenous people’s organizations, excluded minorities, women’s groups, social justice groups, Black Lives Matter.
What do you want to accomplish?
A growing set of interconnected networks of people who are choosing to establish co-operative relationships, who move their money to credit unions, get their insurance from co-operative owned companies, develop co-operative food, energy and housing firms. Networks of co-operative managers and leaders who will increasingly believe in the inherent elegance and utility of the co-operative business model and lead the co-operative evolution.
The thoughts on this website are those of Tom Webb, a co-operator and co-operative educator. I am indebted to many people for their ideas and I hope people will borrow from my reflections as I have borrowed from others. Please feel free to comment. I hope these reflections stimulate thought and action to build a better world.
Global Co-operation 