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At the global scale, and in families and communities of every nation, individuals and organizations experience
a wide variety of problems -- some are common to all, some are specific to particular locations. Yet, undergirding many
of the dilemmas is a deep-seated cultural contradiction caused by an inadequate framework to make sense of individuals' experiences
and to under-gird decision making about their collective future. The papers and resources on this page provide
an overview of the Cultural Problem and point to ways of moving to a new, solid foundation. The writings
of Thomas Berry, shown at right, the research of the Institute of Cultural Affairs and others have been helpful in understanding both the current global situation and the way forward. At the 2009 Joseph
Wesley Mathews Symposium in Washington, DC, Nelson presented a paper entitled "Maliwada's Grandchildren". This paper higlighted some of the ICA's journey over the past 35 years and outlined Nelson's vision for how
the organiztion might participate in the planet-wide cultural transformation of the 21st Century.
To understand and respond to the complex issues of the 21st Century requires a new set of Foundational Understandings. As detailed in this paper, these involve: a) a new conception of the final reality in which we live, b) a fresh
committment to social change and c) standing on holy ground -- being wholly grounded.
The magnitude of the changes being called for in the 21st Century will be experienced by many as a Cultural Tsunami. This paper presents, in overview fashion, the sweeping changes at the individual and institutional level that are required to meet the challenges of the coming decades.
One by one and then collectively around the Planet, human beings are encountering an imaginary line in the intellectual sand -- this line divides the awareness of living in an Emerging Universe from the perspectives based on a Created Reality. This line in the sand creates a distinction between self-consciously deciding to live in an Emerging Universe in which every person and particle participates in creating the shape of the as yet unknown tomorrow and trying to live in a Created Reality in which the objective of each individual piece of creation is to fit in, to live according to rules and regulations defined for its kind. A version of this Inspirational Challenge is available for download.
Many of the new perspectives that will carry society into the 21st Century can best be expressed poetic form. Some initial expressions are included here.
The work in preparing this material on Cultural Transformation has been coordinated by F. Nelson Stover. Many individuals and organizations influenced these writings. Nelson has worked for over 40 years with the Institute of Cultural Affairs and currently serves on its international board. The author and cultural historian, Thomas Berry, reviewed many of these documents while he was living in North Carolina. Thomas Berry's comments, inspiration and encouragement have shaped the many of the perspectives being expressed.
In April 2009 Morgan Glover, a reporter with the Greensboro News and Record, interviewed Elaine and Nelson Stover as part of an article on the influence of Thomas Berry on the work of individuals and groups in Greensboro.
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