The current times—it is both unbelievably exciting and unbelievably treacherous at the same time. But it is only when there is movement and lack of stasis that change is possible. Certainly, we’re experiencing that now. It’s not the “same ol’ same ol’ “—not just in reality but equally in perception. And it all begins with belief. If one believes that “things are the way they are and you can’t do anything about it,” then nothing changes. But when there’s a belief that “things are changeable or changing,” then there is hope for change.

And it can go either way. Which way it goes is entirely up to us. It’s not based on gravity. It’s not based on the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening. It’s entirely up to us. What’s going on today is conscious and deliberate. Actions and plans that involve long-standing educating, advocating, organizing, and planning. Some of it before our eyes that we were unable to recognize behind closed doors.

Obviously from the reality around us, what we’re seeing today is multiple crises that are political, economic, environmental, social, and psychological. The old way of thinking, the old way of doing, is, I think, coming to an end. Historian Gene Sharp, who wrote extensively on the success of nonviolent social change movements from ancient times to the end of the 20th century has concluded that it always takes longer than one may think for a “tipping point” or “spark” to be reached for fundamental change to begin. So, it may be longer than we think it’s going to be before there is a fundamental “tipping point,” but it IS happening.

All to say is, simply, there’s an incredible amount of resistance going on right now. Organizations, like us, are feeling the same sort of discomfort and unclarity of what direction to go in. The old way of operating is going out; we need to think outside the normal ways of operating.

What can we do as an organization that is not already on the cutting edge? Should we directly work on an issue like monetary reform that is not readily apparent and being talked about by the people of conscience? There are two tracks that need to operate simultaneously:

• ACTING IN SOLIDARITY: Find out what the salient issues are, and figure out ways to connect to those to stay relevant. Whatever the problems that are being talked about, offer solidarity and do it in a way that says we have a piece of the answer, not the only one. Part of our survival is to address the collective survival of others.

• OFFERING A VISION: It’s not just about saying “no” and resisting what’s going on. That’s not enough. It’s also about being part of the new vision, a new story, a new way of operating with one another, a new way of operating between people and institutions we create, and a new way of operating between us and the natural world. It’s not just opposing, but also proposing.

And so, it’s fundamentally up to us to create change.