Date: 2024-08-16 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00016943
Thought Leadership
Buckminster Fuller
THE INVISIBLE REVOLUTION ... Fifty years ago, the evolutionary manifesto Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth laid out Buckminster Fuller’s vision for an invisible revolution.
Peter Burgess
By David McConville
Fifty years ago, the evolutionary manifesto Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth laid out Buckminster Fuller’s vision for an invisible revolution. In it, he argued that status quo conceptions of “wealth,” combined with ever-increasing over-specialization, would lead to extinction. True wealth, he claimed, derives from humanity’s 'organized capability to cope effectively with the environment in sustaining our healthy regeneration and decreasing both the physical and metaphysical restrictions of the forward days of our lives.' In other words, true wealth is rooted in our capacity to regenerate know-how, well-being, and conditions conducive to life. There were caveats, however. Truly regenerative wealth, Fuller insisted, would need to include everyone. The transformation had to happen fast. And achieving this scale of transformation would require a revolution: Not a bloody revolution, but an invisible revolution of design and invention. In the years after his death, BFI has worked to support this invisible revolution in its contemporary manifestation. The world has shifted, but many of Fuller’s principles and provocations are more alive than ever. Fuller intuited that humanity’s continued existence depended on our ability to discern regenerative design principles in order to support the integrity of life’s cycles. He hoped the invisible revolution would catalyze unprecedented levels of cooperation. And I recently had the honor to speak about the invisible revolution at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where the Operating Manual was originally published: Since joining the BFI board of directors in 2007, it has been my greatest honor to serve this community. Through the Buckminster Fuller Challenge and other programs, the BFI team has had the privilege of identifying and working with those on the vanguard of this revolution. From water retention in India, to carbon-sequestering in grasslands, to toxin-removing bioremediation in decimated landscapes, these efforts share an ethic of caring and compassion, driven by a commitment to making the world work for everyone. While some of the practitioners have been deeply influenced by design science, others have arrived at principles and practices through other means. And the strategies developed by this community have never been more urgently needed. After twelve years of board service, over half as chair or co-chair, I'm honored to hand over the ship’s wheel to the good Tom Chi, a true comprehensivist. Words cannot adequately express the gratitude I’ve felt to work with and learn from the BFI community, including Allegra Fuller Snyder, Jaime Snyder, Elizabeth Thompson, Josh Arnow, Kurt Przybilla, Bonnie Devarco, Medard Gabel, Lucilla Marvel, Sean Holt, Kirk Bergstrom, Mark Beam, Jessica Lipnack, Sarah Brooks, Dawn Danby, Carson Linforth Bowley, Faith Flanigan, Amanda Ravenhill, and the other dedicated staff, board members, supporters, and volunteers that make, and have made, the work of the Institute possible. I look forward to cooperating with all of you in the next phase of BFI’s own regenerative evolution... Omnidirectionally, as ever, David McConville WELCOME FROM TOM CHI, BFI'S NEW BOARD CHAIR Dear BFI Community, I'm excited to serve as the new chair of the BFI board of directors. My background is in the technology world working initially as a physicist, inventor, engineer, designer, executive, and (most recently) investor seeking to help humanity become a net positive to nature. You can learn a lot more about how I see the world here: Tom Chi on how 'Everything is Connected' As the new chair, my focus will be on the practical work of co-creating a world that works for 100%. This is an essential time in our history, and one for which the foundational philosophy and intent of Fuller is more prescient than ever. It is a time to make significant strides toward a more inclusive and prosperous world that makes brilliant use of the design constraints of Spaceship Earth while striving to preserve and enhance the rich complexity and beauty of all of life. To this end we will ask you to learn with us, contribute your time and insight, and bring the best of what we discover to your corner of the planet. On behalf of the entire team, we look forward to working with and being inspired by all of you as we embark on this journey together. CO-OPERATING MANUAL FOR SPACESHIP EARTH 50 years ago, Fuller wrote a powerful book entitled Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. Published at the height of the cold war in a world deeply divided, it advanced the compelling perspective that we are all passengers on the same vessel, Spaceship Earth. More profoundly, we all have a shared mission -- like a baby chick must develop for ongoing survival before exhausting the limited resources of the yolk, we must develop as a civilization toward ongoing prosperity before exhausting our limited fossil fuel and elemental resources. This work went on to inspire many at the heart of the environmental and human potential movements, and the essence of its message is more vital today than ever. So we're pleased to announce that BFI is marking this anniversary by kicking off what we’re calling the Co-Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. Our goal is to come together as a community and take that same grounded, visionary, and inclusive perspective toward how we practically realize a civilization that works for 100% of humanity. The work will be divided into chapters - energy, water, materials, cities, ecosystems - each will become a resource for deep sense-making that provides clarity for decision-makers, communities, individuals, and sponsors. To goal is not to publish a book, but to be an active participant in making this new world. To this end, the institute has been building relationships with sponsors who are looking to make key decisions on how their organizations act on the areas above. Our research efforts help them move forward confidently in taking action and also provide us with starting material for each chapter. As a next step, we look forward to inviting all of you to contribute to the chapters -- either directly in the areas where you have working expertise, or via resources and links in areas where you have a passion but less hands-on experience. We will be reaching out in the next TrimTab newsletter with more details on how to engage. Lastly, if you know of any organizations or individuals that would be a good fit to sponsor a chapter, let us know. Thanks so much, and looking forward to co-operating on our shared future! This email was sent to peterbnyc@gmail.com why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Buckminster Fuller Institute · 2261 Market Street · #469 · San Francisco, Ca 94114 · USA