I am committed, with others, to evolving a compassionate ecologically sustainable world.

Achieving a viable society requires greatly increasing people’s thinking ability, emotional functioning, and sense of responsibility for our common well-being – a new Evolutionary Paradigm for social change.

So I write about how to improve thinking skills, and how to improve emotional functioning... in the context of a new kind of social change movement.

I have a vision of people of ordinary intelligence and goodwill helping people they know think better. I call people who do this Evolutionary Catalysts, or citizen-communicators.

I’m aware that it could seem to be odd for one adult to suggest to another adult that you can help them think better. But it doesn’t have to be done bluntly. It can be done lightly in the context of friendly conversations where you ask, “Can I show you a new possibility?” or “Would you be willing to try something with me?”

Why is this important? Ordinary thinking on the part of politicians, influential decision-makers and the general public has us on track for catastrophic ecological collapse, and possibly for nuclear annihilation.

My background

I am experienced in several disciplines that are not widely known in the environmental progressive movement. Applying insights from these disciplines can make us vastly more influential.

Moshe Feldenkrais introduced the idea of improving brain functioning. We Feldenkrais practitioners typically help people move better. But Feldenkrais’s approach to improving brain functioning can be applied to any skilled behavior. I apply it to transformative social change.

I am a psychotherapist. My book Inner Work: Resolving emotional triggers introduces techniques people can use for themselves to resolve their own emotional issues.

I was introduced to DesignShop thinking by Matt Taylor. DesignShops have been used by decades by companies with almost intractable problems; they needed to come up with innovative new approaches or they might go out of business.

And I am an innovative thinker in my own right.

My book Creativity Games has games and exercises that develop creative thinking skills often used by great innovators.

I’m on the Executive Team for Stable Planet Alliance, and I am the instigator of the League of Evolutionary Catalysts. Both embody what I call the new Evolutionary Paradigm for social change.

My books include Becoming an Evolutionary Catalyst, Inner Work, and Creativity Games.

My paper, A strategic review of climate communication, introduces important aspects of climate change that most climate activists have not thought much about. They can make a big difference in how we respond to climate change.

My TEDx talk is Transitioning to a life-affirming culture. I wrote a future scenario about How the Evolutionary Catalyst movement blossomed.

My stake in the game is that I am committed to the well-being of coming generations.

I and colleagues are building a new kind of social change movement devoted to fostering healthy intellectual and emotional functioning. We are just a speck, and we recognize that the momentum towards disaster is enormous. We cannot stop the unraveling, but perhaps we can reduce it.

If you are reading this, you probably have not given up – nor have we. Check out Stable Planet Alliance, and if our approach makes sense to you, get in touch.

Andrew Gaines FRSA Stable Planet Alliance andrew.gaines@InspiringTransition.net The challenge of our time is to evolve a compassionate ecologically sustainable world.