What is Peacetopia?

Throughout history there have been turning points when it has seemed to be the best of times AND the worst of times. Many before have felt that humanity is standing at the threshold of a potential new beginning that could either turn into something amazingly wonderful, or profoundly horrible. We are living in one of those times.

An Evolution of Consciousness
There have always been people who have dreamed of a better world. Although we surely have far to go, throughout history, much has been done to make the world a better place. While day-to-day newstories often paint a picture of stagnation and even hopelessness, from a Big Picture perspective, we can see that there has been a slow evolution of shifts in consciousness that have been moving humanity towards a more interconnected, egalitarian, peaceful, just and sustainable coexistence. Although individual opinions vary about the courses of action to take, human consciousness itself has been evolving so that a shared global view of a more utopian world is struggling to emerge.

Paradigm Shifts
Throughout every human era, there have been visionaries who have sought to create 'paradigm shifts' - a shift in consciousness that becomes the generally accepted worldview, which is closer to the ideal of optimum behaviors and conditions for a better world. We can point to specific milestones along the way that have helped shape these shifts in consciousness. At the same time, there have also been counter-forces at work, seeking to undo 'advancements' that have been made, in order to return to the status quo. In fact when a system has become ingrained as the pervading paradigm, the default of inaction is often a return to the status quo. It takes charismatic visionaries to inspire action from the shared efforts of a significantly sized group of people who actively create and promote new alternative patterns and institutions to transform the pervading paradigm into a new worldview.

From Utopia to Peacetopia
In the 16th Century, Sir Thomas More described an imaginary place called Utopia, whose inhabitants lived in a much more sustainable and egalitarian society than those which existed in Europe at the time. His vision inspired centuries of Utopian literature in which writers shared their visions of a better world. However, Utopia literally means 'No place.' Paxtopia, meaning 'Peace Place', is a much more accurate description of a vision of peace on earth. Peacetopia would be an even more apt contemporary description.