Our Future

By Ray Allwork

The book that connects us all and sets out a unified way forward for the 21st century. At just 100 pages, a direct, easy read - clear and super fast. Dip in and out or read the whole - your choice! Rooted in nature, it shows our past, delivers the new ideas, shows the problems with modernity and how to regain Our Future from those who are stealing it from us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716832369

Book preview

978-1-71683-236-9

Prologue

For some life on Earth is the best it has ever been. Humanity has made great progress to greater freedom and better lives. Enlightened ideas have created a world of health, wealth and happiness…but only for a few of us and at a terrible cost to the planet. The benefits of modern life must flow to the hardworking, deserving many rather than the exploiting elite. This is vital because the enrichment of the few is leading us to yet more disasters – to poor lives for the majority, to social unrest, to war and to ecological collapse – a dark, narrow future.

A new idea is to work out a way of life that follows and aligns with nature – the higher laws that govern our existence. We must change our laws and work their roots to be in nature, from the same place everything else comes from. In so doing we will improve life on Earth for the vast majority of people and create a more sustainable future.

These are RADICAL IDEAS and they are linked to ACTION that EACH OF US can take to improve life for ourselves and for others. We are not waiting for politicians, governments, business or anyone else to take a lead. We will do it ourselves. This way we will have a bright, wide, open future that can be enjoyed by as many as possible. A Universe of possibilities!

This short, easy book reveals the rights and the wrongs and then describes this new idea. A Natural Constitution. 

To best present the ideas in the clearest, quickest way we will discuss our origins, evolution, our natural world, human history, the meaning of life, law, society, business, government, other matters and then our wide, open future together. The text is highly structured for ease of use. The language used is plain and simple. It is in two parts – brief statements of basic ideas and then chapters that expand on the basics and give the detailed information that backs them up. You can choose to read the whole text, to select parts of particular interest or to mix and match as you see fit.

Reading the basic ideas first is probably a good way to start.  All are necessarily brief – detail is presented later.

I hope I write clearly, maintain your interest and stimulate you to join the journey. My writing is simple to aid understanding. My drawings likewise. I have created Wiki pages for this book. The Wiki pages are editable and I would like you to refine, improve and evolve the original ideas that I have placed here. This is vital – I cannot know it all! Let’s collaborate! Experts and amateurs are all welcome. Don't be shy! I will re-publish the book version when it needs updating with the latest ideas. To find the Wiki just search the web.

Together we can change the world…

Basic Ideas

1.  Origins

Immediately after the Big Bang matter gravitated into galaxies. Today there are about 125 billion galaxies. Our local galaxy, the Milky Way, has about 200 billion stars and the Sun is one of these. The Earth is one of eight planets that orbit the Sun. The Earth comes from nature and we live in this natural world. Natural laws (e.g. gravity) dictate our lives. The laws are complex (many elements interact) and dynamic (the results are constantly changing). These natural laws are higher than any abstract, man-made laws that humanity can construct and they have created our evolving world.

2. Evolution 

We are one species among many in an evolving, interlinked environment.  The evolution of the Earth can be divided into a number of broad, overlapping and intertwined periods. Pre-Cambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary and lastly the Quaternary period - in which humans have become widespread. Human history is very short compared to the history of the Earth and the Universe. We are a small part of this natural history.

3. Nature

Nature evolves. Elements combine and compete to survive in the overall environment. Species have developed from minerals to chemicals to amoebas to plants to fish to birds and to land animals. Only species that survive long enough to breed continue to flourish. Successful species are well adapted for a given environment. Each species forms part of a given environment and its action within it feeds back into the overall system. Change is constant, adaptation is essential. There is no single determiner for nature. The species that exist at any point in time are rational solutions to the challenge of that environment. There is no great goal for life on Earth. The Earth began as debris from the original explosion of the Sun. By chance the assembled elements have led, very slowly, to life existing. The complex and dynamic system that we understand today will be destroyed when, in the distant future, the Sun explodes. This is the natural context of humans.

4. Humans 

Humanity has struggled to live. We have evolved from primates and our history is very recent. Tribes have led to master and servant systems, which in turn, have led to feudalism and now capitalism. We started by division of tribal lands and have progressed into nation states and larger areas of cooperation. The situation is constantly changing. Paths taken are not the same; development is uneven and not predetermined. Millions have lived, worked and died to bring SOME of us to a modern age based on the rule of law, limited democracy, specialisation of production and trade on the free market, capitalism, freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of belief, equality of gender and race, protection for workers and material prosperity for a lucky few. However many of us still live in poverty. War is still widespread. We seem to be a violent species with many in the richer countries attempting to divorce themselves from nature. What then is the meaning of our lives?

5. The meaning of life.

Our past, present and future are directed by nature. The meaning of our lives could be almost anything we can imagine it to be. People have many different goals, ideas and meanings to their existence. I believe that THE OVERALL MEANING OF LIFE IS LIFE ITSELF - TO LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL WORLD AND EXPERIENCE ALL THE JOY AND PAIN OF BEING ALIVE. There is no great direction or right path to follow. Rationally we should follow nature in order to survive, to allow or create the maximum amount of life for everyone and everything. This should lead us to love, friends, families, co-operation with fellow humans and being responsible with our freedom - sustainability. Some try to enrich their lives at the expense of others. Their actions accumulate wealth for themselves, but at a terrible cost to everybody and everything else - including the future. In our natural world we require human laws to restrict some behaviour in order to promote more life.

6. Law 

Living without rules results in the tyranny of the strong, fear and restricted opportunities and slow progress for all. We need laws to improve our lives. The abstract, human laws that we make to govern our lives are thus very important. They can help us to live or, if used badly, they can hinder us. Law has developed quickly. Some laws are valid and good. Some laws are unfair and bad - made by an elite to suit their needs at the expense of others. Laws must be in-line with the reality of our existence - in line with nature. Most laws should be initiated and discussed at local level. Local diversity and experimentation should be encouraged. Other laws that are chosen by a democratically elected, weak, central government must be subject to constant review and adaptation in local courts. The law of the court is the key to evolving, living rules. The law of a parliament must be subjected to the wisdom of the courts. Laws of private property need to be revised. Private ownership of resources at a relative level is legitimate and convenient, but with