Introduction to Planetary Human
We need a new generation of people with a planetary worldview to grow up on Earth - Earthlings - Planetary Humans
Pandemics, soaring inflation, social inequality, climate change, cyber attacks, mass migrations, real wars, trade wars, job precarity, and the resurgence of nationalisms — highlight one or more that have personally affected you.
Challenges bigger than any nation
These are the global challenges. No nation can tackle none of it alone. And as we can witness it in 2024, even groups of nations are still helpless.
There are many organizations, large and small, whose actions are aimed at promoting peace, defeating extreme poverty and combating climate change, but despite all their successes, humanity as a species seems to be heading towards the abyss.
The end seems inevitable. The only question that remains is what exactly we will die from: a nuclear war organized by the next dictator, famine caused by climate collapse, or from a rise of the machines led by the ChatGPT.
National identity is limiting
My point is that we humans — as we are today — we are limited. And among others limitations our national identity is the one that prevents us from handling global problems, no matter how hard we try.
A monkey can’t drive a bus, a toddler can’t run a city, humans of today can’t stop wars, can’t defeat poverty and can’t do anything about ferocities of climate change. Just can’t. How do I know? Well, look around!
In 2022, 55 state-based conflicts were recorded in 38 countries, and 8 of these conflicts were classified as wars. Around 9 million humans die from hunger every year, yet 2.5 million tons of food is lost or wasted daily. This is how limitations of national identity look like.
And climate change, I mean, we don’t need scientists to convince us about it anymore. There is climate change. We are experiencing it!
The use and abuse of history
In many countries around the world, students begin their morning at school by raising the national flag and singing the national anthem. And in history class, each country tells its children its own story. The story where we are the good, we are the right, we are the heroes, and those others are the bad, the wrong, the villains.
Marc Ferro’s 1981 book “The Use and Abuse of History or How the Past is Taught to Children” is still relevant today. In this text, the author provides examples of how different countries describe the same historical events in very different ways.
States would hardly invest their efforts and resources in shaping national identity if it were not profitable. It does not appear in us naturally, it is purposefully formed over the years by many big and small events and rituals throughout our childhood.
National identity as a lever
National identity is useful in many ways, yet it is a rigid limiter that hinders the resolution of planetary challenges, and sometimes is even the basis for the emergence of these very challenges.
If a dictator comes to power in country N, he can use national identity as a lever to send his citizens to try and conquer a neighboring country.
National identity allows some countries to use other countries as a dumping ground. It turns out that now it is dirty there and clean here. Ignoring the fact that there is still the same amount of garbage on our planet, it is just in a different place.
National identity hinders the effective functioning of international organizations. Instead of truly solving global problems, each representative only tries to benefit their own country. If they support a solution that is beneficial for the entire planet but not very profitable for their specific country, their compatriots are unlikely to support them.
A planetary human?
The idea is this: We need a new generation of people with a planetary worldview to grow up on Earth - Earthlings - Planetary Humans.
To be planetary means to be mindful of the planet. A planetary human can do ordinary things and not just save the planet. For example, they can sweep their yard, but at the same time, they can keep the planet in mind. When you walk around your neighborhood you are still mindful of the town you are in, aren’t you? Being planetary is just the same, but one level up.
Planetary identity does not exclude national identity. Just as national identity does not exclude urban and even neighborhood identity. They are like matryoshka nesting dolls, one inside the other, only the planetary identity doll includes all the others.
Just like Jennifer Lopez sang: “Don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got. I’m still, I’m still Jenny from the block” — meaning the Southside Bronx.
Although planetary identity often escapes our attention, it is actually our basic identity that we possess de facto. After all, we are humans and we are born on this planet. Therefore, being a planetary person is something we are from birth. But too many of us live our lives without ever remembering it once.
People tend to take care of places where they feel they belong. To have a planetary identity means to feel like a resident not only of your neighborhood, your city, your country, but also... of your planet.
If we, the living today, can create the conditions for future generations to grow up with a planetary worldview, then — I believe — these new planetary people will be able to reduce the number of wars on Earth, organize efforts to jointly defeat hunger, disease, the threat of climate change and other planetary problems that we are unable to solve today.
How can we raise such a generation?
What rituals and events could form a planetary worldview?
I don’t know yet, but I will explore it and I will talk about this in the following posts.
