“Is it possible for the people of this century to literally or figuratively write a constitution for humanity, and be the founding fathers and mothers of the future? We need to ensure that we set a course towards achieving this bright potential over time. That’s what fascinates me at the moment.“
— Toby Ord, senior research fellow in philosophy at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University, author of The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity
Wisdom Wheel
What fascinates you at the moment? What fascinates me is how we’re going to save ourselves. Our belief systems are at the root of all our behaviors. They contributed to this pandemic, for instance. To navigate our way out of it, and our other problems, we need to reconsider the basics of our social structures, in light of what ensures our lives, hopes, and futures.
Like many others, I’m back under lockdown again. Given the dire news of our current situation, Toby’s suggestion we “write a constitution for humanity” and become “founding fathers and mothers of the future,” sounds rather lofty and far-fetched. But so did the bold language of the US Declaration of Independence, and our Constitution, during their day.
Crises create changes. They clearly demonstrate what’s not working. How to “ensure we set a course towards achieving bright potential” when our state has just run out of beds under the surge of Covid patients? This morning my nurse daughter reported for work at a makeshift field hospital, nine months into this catastrophe. She just moved back in with us because she couldn’t find a safe room to rent in Providence. People don’t want to share their spaces with healthcare workers right now. My husband is currently in solitary confinement quarantine, eight time zones away, in the Middle East. He must remain in his room on the 20th floor of a hotel in Doha, Qatar for two weeks before being permitted to begin his eight week consulting assignment. We did not have the luxury of celebrating Thanksgiving together, and he’ll be missing Christmas and New Year’s…but at least he has work.
In the face of all this, what good can the Wisdom Wheel do? It steadies me. I use it to steer through the chaos as Covid continues to test our stamina, characters, and coping mechanisms. Before the Wheel, I survived other rough patches in my life, but I am grateful for its very concrete guidance more than ever. Not feeling lost, and knowing we’re in the time of Choices, heading toward Renewal etcetera helps curb my impatience.
Until Toby Ord suggested it, I had not considered the Wisdom Wheel and its 36 Universal Laws to be a potential constitution for humanity but it’s a great idea. The world needs to articulate a common set of beliefs. And these themes come from the ground up quite literally. That avoids the resistance to a top-down set of rules, imposed by force.
This is both the strength and weakness of the Wheel. People have to want self-rule. And voluntarily choose to live by a shared code, which honors the needs of the many as well as the rights of each individual.
I’d like to invite you to put the Wheel to the test. Is it a potential candidate for humanity’s constitution? Let’s conduct an experiment. Join our 2021 theme of the month Journey. Use our new planner journal to keep track. To participate, all you have to do is commit to live consciously by the Wheel’s first twelve Laws. And see if your daily life improves by applying them. We will share our findings, via email, and a members only Facebook group. Twice a month we will check in, via Zoom meetings, to discuss our discoveries and cheer each other on. Those who contact me for more information will receive an invitation to our Question & Answer Introduction on Zoom. Reserve a seat. Your interest is much appreciated.
News & Events
We are taking pre-orders for the 2021 Return to Wisdom journal planner, I co-created with Rosanne Romiglio. This agenda book makes a unique gift for Christmas or birthday. Now available for $27, plus shipping, it guides users on a 12 month tour of the Wisdom Wheel. Complete with directions, quotations and lunar cycles, it features one Law per month, starting with Balance in January. Easy to follow, it can track the results of applying these bedrock principles.
My husband Malcolm’s brand new musical comedy recording is now available. On sale, at half price, for the next few days, the upbeat music and satisfying storyline will cheer you up.
The online version of my popular workshop, Would I, Could I, Should I Write a Memoir? is coming soon. This six-week series is designed to give you an overview of the entire process. From conception through the writing process, publishing and distributing, it will answer your questions and concerns about this genre. Find out if writing a book about your life is what you want to do. I will tell you the unvarnished truth about what it took to write my award-winning memoir, The Importance of Paris. Contact me to reserve a spot.
You can see samples of the writing by our Westerly writing group in HOMELAND, our 2020 anthology. We each have about five pieces inside. Kudos to Wendy Bradford and Dyann Boudreau who did so much behind the scenes to make this happen. This is the second year we have gathered and published our own work. This was our 2019 issue.
Email me if you are interested in any of our ongoing Zoom groups.
- Every Saturday morning 10:30 am Westerly Writing group
- Every other Wednesday evening 6pm Book Writers group
- Every Monday evening 7pm Zoom Lodge
Ceremonies
Soaring coronavirus cases have made it unsafe to include anyone from outside our immediate household for this Winter Solstice ceremony, Sunday December 20th. Prayers will be said for all as we enter this season of hibernation. Check our HOPE HOUSE Facebook page for any updates.
“We the People… in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution...”
