Meaning 2019: a review
3 December 2019
Meaning 2019, on 14 November, was a big day full of wonderful, sometimes challenging, ideas. When it almost seems like too much to take in, it’s good to check out someone else’s reflections. We asked Anca Rusu of ethical.net to offer her thoughts on the speakers we heard together in Brighton…
On the importance of meaningful conversations on a planet in crisis
I went to Meaning Conference not knowing what to expect. I’m not your usual conference participant, and this was the first famous conference I had attended.
I knew most of the speakers from previous encounters or by hearsay, and the wide palate of topics under the larger climate emergency umbrella sounded intriguing, challenging and rather ambitious.
I was coming from a place of grief for the state of our world, after months of daily reads of scientific reports, future predictions, exponential increase in carbon emissions, business-as-usual, political apathy, uprisings, turmoil, and loss.
From the moment I stepped in that warm and welcoming temple of music that is the Brighton Dome, I felt I was joining a community (of change) event, more than your standard conference. I’d met people who were Meaning regulars having attended previous editions, excited about this one even before the first speaker took to the stage.
From the vegan catering, to the fair trade chocolate bars, and reusable cutlery, it felt that Meaning was also practising what it preached. The setting itself was positively adding to the general sense of possible futures focused on fairness, justice for all, and sustainability.
The twelve speakers hailed from different professional backgrounds focused at least part of their presentations on tackling not only the climate crisis but also imagining or reimagining ways of being in the world, as individuals, as a group, as a species, as part of a complex ecosystem.
I filled pages with notes, as you do when ideas start darting around. I was suddenly wide-eyed and all ears, hungry for stories of change, unique projects that could be the norm in an ideal future if only we get to fix the current mess.
Refreshingly, the first takeaway from Meaning wasn’t empty promises and far-future carbon targets, it was about viable projects taking place now – which (aside from yesterday) is the best time to do something.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
Onlyness
Nilofer Merchant coined the term ‘Onlyness’, which comes from an interesting exploration of the uniqueness of the self in a co-created future where everyone has – or should have – a role to play.
Because the current system is exclusive, with not everyone allowed to compete on the same terms, potential is being squandered by organisations around the world. Inclusion should be key in fixing challenges that transcend the individual.
Key takeaways:
- “Onlyness”: singular, but not separate (we all have value to add).
- And those who are valued create value (and that should be everyone!).
Peaceful civil disobedience
Clare Farrell’s reminder that civilization is facing a terminal diagnosis due to climate and ecological breakdown was not the easiest talk to kick off an otherwise enjoyable day, but neither is Extinction Rebellion, the climate movement she co-founded, a “popularity contest.”
Clare’s perspective is that one way “to be in the service of life” is to let go of both denial and false hope, and instead face up to reality.
Key takeaways:
- Storytelling, branding and effective preparation are essential in building and maintaining a movement.
- Be detached from the outcome, be in love with the process.
- Grief is a constructive human state (“When hope dies action begins”).
- “We know enough to start doing the work. We need to defeat cynicism; we need love.”
- When all else fails in rarefied political and corporate circles, peaceful civil disobedience is the best tool to fix the problem.
The Green New Deal
Anyone interested in environmental issues should know by now about the Green New Deal (GND) – the much-discussed proposed legislation in the United States aiming to address both the climate crisis and economic inequality by decarbonizing the economy.
This plan is gaining traction in the UK too, and Miatta Fahnbulleh of the New Economics Foundation can convince anyone this is one of the most viable plans to transition to a just and sustainable future, even if it means we’ll have to rewrite the rules on investment and economic power.
Though such a plan would transform the economy to the benefit of all humans on the planet and the living world we all depend upon, it necessitates unprecedented mobilisation of resources. We’re talking about radical changes because major problems require bold solutions.
While catching the imagination of a large and increasingly environmentally-aware audience, the plan has inevitably attracted backlash from the business-as-usual world.
The pace and scale of such a plan are indeed monumental – but not impossible; and the conditions for these changes are already taking root.
Key takeaways:
- In practice, this would mean phasing out fossil fuel subsidies and investing in renewables; credit caps for those investing in dirty businesses; making sustainability the mark of a good business – among many other things.
- The GND is not only about mitigating climate change, but also arresting the depletion of resources at an unprecedented rate (for example, if topsoil continues to be lost at the current rate, we may have as few as 60 harvests left).
- Decarbonise the economy on fast forward in conjunction with fixing inequality.
Sortition
Brett Hennig reminded us of the hard truth that election was not originally intended as an instrument of democracy. The “aristocracy of birth”, and later the “aristocracy of the rich”, were key to either running in elections or voting in them. We easily forget it was only decades ago that women won the right to vote.
In his search for consensus-seeking formats, and new ways to govern ourselves, Brett explained the ancient practice of sortition: the random selection of people to come together and make informed decisions as part of a citizens’ assembly. This alternative system could hold the key to tackling the climate crisis and societal injustice.
Key takeaways:
- Citizens’ assemblies – decision-making bodies drawn directly and randomly from the public – are being increasingly seen as a functional, transparent alternative to the democratic systems that are currently overcomplicated, and corrupted.
- Involving regular citizens in decision-making can help bridge political divides.
Public-powered journalism
With most mainstream mass media failing to serve a larger audience, especially in times of crisis, it was refreshing to listen to Jennifer Brandel’s vision of an audience-first revolution to reinvigorate reporting in newsrooms.
The need to bridge the gap between journalism (telling) and the readers (listening) is not new, but Jennifer made it her goal to fix this with her engagement consultancy Hearken and its unique – though common sense – technique: listening to the audience first, not last.
It started from the core belief that journalism should help people learn about each other, and make their lives better by creating an open conversation; a mutually beneficial feedback loop.
She shared several success stories. One started from a reader’s simple query why public drinking fountains are always on, day and night. The ensuing investigation brought a scandal to light a scandal about lead contamination (too much lead in pipelines needed to be flushed out).
Key takeaways:
- ‘Zebra’ companies: when nonprofit and for-profit coexist. Zebras Unite calls for a more ethical and inclusive movement to counter existing startup and venture-capital culture.
- Eric Liu’s Three Laws of Power (there are other ways to generate power!)
- Create interactive public-powered newsrooms.
Social mindfulness
I knew mindfulness helps us. When times are hard, finding peace in oneself is a way to cope with the problems in the social system we belong to. But how do you change and challenge the system? With the world in dire need of change at both individual and global levels, the concept of social mindfulness discussed by Rachel Lilley opened my eyes to a type of mindfulness that enhances not only our own lives, but also the lives of those around us as a force for systemic change.
Key takeaways:
- Not all solutions are technical: “The public sector is based on the idea that decision-making is rational and hierarchical. It fails at being collaborative, inclusive and long-term thinking.”
- Emotions do not get in the way of clear thinking; these mental processes are interlinked.
- Practising mindfulness can bring us closer to our values – but these values themselves require reflection because they carry biases and do not guarantee ethical behaviour.
- All decisions should consider the wellbeing of future generations. 👇
- Check out the Welsh Well-Being of Future Generations Act 2015!
Steward ownership
I’m not a business owner, so I don’t think much about this sector, but I am aware of the need for integrity and purpose that should be at the core of every enterprise.
So I was all ears when Armin Steuernagel – a self-confessed capitalist who founded his first business at 16 – presented an alternative model of ownership that should replace the currently dominant shareholder model of capitalism which prioritises “absentee control” of a business (by controlling a company, one abolishes ownership as there is no clear sense of who’s ultimately responsible for it) over “steward ownership” (allows self-governance, decommodifies the company from soulless investors focused on just the bottom line).
In the current system, a company is just an asset: a number that can be easily sold or closed in spite of the consequences for those working with or depending upon it. The steward ownership approach would shift the emphasis away from profit-maximisation towards, yes, purpose, and responsible stewardship.
Self-owning a company enables individuals to keep their business independent and focused upon its fundamental ethos. Such companies are self-governed: the majority of voting rights stay in the company, with those people directly connected to stewarding its operation and mission. In this model, it isn’t possible to put the company onto the stock exchange market, and you can’t sell it without agreement from all of its owners. In this way, it becomes a life-long commitment.
There is evidence that this model of ownership leads to healthier, more resilient businesses, the long-term success-stories of which speak for themselves. Start-ups like Ecosia – but also bigger and more established companies like John Lewis, Zeiss, or Organically Grown Company – use this purpose-led scheme as an alternative to faceless (and therefore, detached) capitalism.
Key takeaways:
- “Be stewards, not owners.”
- Treat your business like you would ideally treat your own child.
- Decouple power and money in order to transform the economy.
- Wealth generated by these businesses cannot be privatised.
- Profits serve the mission of the company, and are either reinvested in the company, stakeholders, or donated.
- Asset-lock (purpose-principle) = only those working in the company/business have rights. De-legitimising absentee ownership in business enables purpose to flourish. With the control of the company held in a trust, it can no longer be bought or sold.
Fair trade (organization!)
Erinch Sahan of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) reminded us that fair trade shouldn’t be just as a form of certification for products, but a way of operating that supports communities, enables sustainability, and creates local prosperity.
Fair trade should be “in all ingredients, not just the supply chain”, and the new formula proposed by WFTO is rooted in a mission-led business model for a new economy intended to do more than just “maximize returns”. Fair trade social enterprises practise fair trade at all levels of business, with far-reaching impacts, focusing on necessary priorities, and the positive transformation of local communities.
This is not just an idea, it is a movement, with a global community acting locally, successfully rethinking the current economic model.
Key takeaways:
- “Commodity certification” must not be divorced from the mission of the business.
- Business mission and supply chain should come together as the ultimate goal, the priority, in a world where financial capital still leads.
- No shareholders! While social enterprises investing everything back into the business and into people does not maximise profit, but is economically viable nevertheless.
Community wealth-building
Here’s an idea: co-operative businesses should operate in partnership with public institutions to grow communities towards a common goal. The localised economy helps build a healthy and resilient community. Everyone wins.
This model of collaboration exists and Sarah McKinley talked about it: ‘the Cleveland Model’. From community-owned energy to social enterprises and new models of ownership, Sarah underlined the importance of community-focused wealth-building as an alternative to the current system; models that better realise fundamental values of equality, democracy, and sustainability.
Key takeaways:
- The story of community wealth-building in Preston (the Preston Model)
- “This is our time in history. Let’s not blow it.”
Community energy
I’d seen Agamemnon Otero speak before and as a Londoner interested in sustainability, it’s wonderful to hear about the amazing community projects initiated or supported by Repowering.
He demonstrated how meaningful change happens best in the hands of the people most directly affected by the projects in question. The power of cooperatively owned projects moves beyond setting up solar panels on schools and council flats. It’s also about educating youth about energy independence, even teaching them to build their own panels, sticking together, building resilient communities.
Though such projects do offer a reasonable return over a reasonable amount of time, empowering communities by offering more control over their resources is the long-term goal.
Key takeaways:
- You are in the right place at the right time.
- You don’t have to leave your village or city to make a difference.
- Be local; come up with ideas in your community.
- “We [men] have nothing compared with the energy of women”.
- Social wellbeing is financially viable.
- Community and sustainability go hand in hand.
Being human today
Paul Mason tapped into the growing age of the machines and made us ponder more on what it means to be human in a world and during a time of markets and algorithmic decision-making. Are we mere customers, numbers, puppets, serving a system that feeds upon our insatiable pre-controlled need to buy stuff?
His new book, Clear Bright Future: A Radical Defence of the Human Being, is a call to action for those of us who feel we have become slaves to the faceless forces we call ‘the market’.
Key takeaways:
- To take back control over ourselves, our economy, and our environment, we have to fight for universal rights, for human-centric institutions (technology euphoria versus social-economic doom), and for the right to resist the control of our lives by algorithms.
- We need to recreate a knowing solidarity, fix the crisis of the self and our binary perspective on everything as being of worth or non-worth.
- There is a vacuum in ethics by those deploying AI.
- Become non-fatalistic! (Fatalism = we hand all decisions to the market.)
Community, without a doubt
At the heart of all these projects was community. The community of people working together in a business with a greater purpose than financial profit; community making journalism work for the citizens; community claiming the right to use natural resources like solar energy; a community of rebels demanding that politicians tell the truth about the climate crisis. Community: ultimately the only force which can alter the course of our world in order that it works for the benefit of all.
Friends and purpose
Community was at the heart of the conference’s final talk, by Maff Potts. This man lost dear ones early in life, worked for years with homelessness charities, was himself homeless for a while, and close to putting an end to his life. But his decision to set up the warm-hearted movement Camerados radically changed his take on life.
The Camerados believe the answer to our problems is each other, not new business models and new ideologies. As such, we need to reconnect with each other in a meaningful way.
To facilitate this, the Camerados have recreated the comfort and intimacy conducive to facilitating valuable conversations, with ‘public living rooms’. Bring a couch, some fairy lights, maybe a few postcards, and the people will come.
These public spaces are set up to achieve NOTHING. A public living room is an “outcome free zone”; no-one will give you advice, everyone will simply listen, and share their own story.
This space encourages direct engagement with other people – no intermediaries, no assessments; you’re just looking out for other people, meet and support each other through difficult times. This may sound like a performance or PR stunt, but the results of this simple method of connecting to others had incredible results for those involved. We felt its purpose and warmth even in the cold concert hall.
Key takeaways:
- Watch the film of your life! Close your eyes and let every year pass on fast-forward. When you reach the present moment, rewind to a happy day. Breathe that day in. Hold that thought. Ask these two questions: did that day involve people you like? Were you doing something you like?
- Helping others, friends (relationships) and purpose (doing what you like) give meaning to life.
And most Meaning attendees agreed.
Now is time to walk the talk.