“It is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change”
Charles Darwin

I guess the coin really dropped for me in 2002 at the opening night of David Suzuki’s film Sacred Balance (http://www.sacredbalance.com/web/portal/) which was premiering at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival. He was invited to speak after the film and he said “in essence we need a new bottom line decision making process, one that not only measures the bottom line financial cost, but incorporates the environmental and social impact as part of the decision making process.” (or something like that!). He articulated something that had been resonating in me my whole life and which now thankfully had words. Our decision making process is completely skewed. I have had a deep interest and curiosity in social systems (i.e. questions about our relationship to others and the planet, questions about how to live) my whole life and Suzuki’s words really rooted an inner process of contemplation and thinking that had been going on for a long time. I was keenly aware that the planet was out of balance. It wasn’t just the planet as a self-contained biological system but the totality of life on earth; our social systems, our governments, our communities, our values – everywhere I looked I saw a lack of wellbeing and fulfillment.

If I look at my own history, I seem to be perpetually involved in the pursuit of personal wellbeing with it often having a two-fold dimension. The inner world of personal contentment, and physical well-being and the outer experience of well-being with community, society and environment. I desire to live in a global community that promotes respect, nourishment, and reverence. As my life and personal journey unfolded, I first found what I was searching for represented in the belief system of the First Nations people, and spent time hanging out at the Native Canadian Centre, in Toronto. When I was a university student this was one of the things that nourished me.

There is great commonality in the belief systems of indigenous cultures around the world, and what is fascinating is that similar value systems seem to re-emerging. De-centralization, sustainability, local governance, respect for nature are all themes that are part of the emerging conversations that are springing up in the global dialogue about how to protect the planet.

All Living Things are uniting behind an ethos that believes in Commonsense, Commonwealth and Commonlaw. We are interested in connecting with filmmakers, organizations and individuals to participate in a mass media collaboration for social good. 60 years ago, the barbarism of two world wars gave birth to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There are countless organizations giving voice and taking action against environmental pollution and destruction and continuing the struggle for social justice (for a bit of inspiration read Paul Hawken’s Blessed Unrest or watch

We can not deny we are living in changing times – with the advent of the internet and Web 2.0 culture and the recent economic collapse we are witnessing an incredibly dynamic time of change – changes on all levels of society, business, and economy.

We want to unite with committed and caring citizens far and wide to promote, embrace and uphold a set of governing principals representative of the 21st century. We believe there is a need for an updated document that encompasses respect and the protection of both people and the planet, it’s resources and all its species – a Universal Declaration of All Living Things.

We invite individuals around the globe to share their voices, their stories, ideas, and actions around the building of a new governing document that supports our collective values and inspires us towards a prosperous future.

We look forward to discussing and taking action around this in the coming months. Please sign-up and stay tuned.

Not sure who said this, but “Where the people lead the leaders follow.”
(anybody know who said this?)

JoAnne Fishburn
15th Novemer, 2009

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