A New Spirituality Integrating Ecology and Technology
The Centre for Change expresses a new paradigm, a new spirituality encompassing a consciousness of oneness in which all life maintains itself at the expense of everything else. In other words we are all connected -not separate. The big turning is an integration of spirituality with ecology and technology. We need to see ourselves as inextricably connected---mind, body, spirit, society, environment in which we take a holistic approach.
The Centre for Change sees the health of an individual in society as tied up and inextricably related to human rights, human justice, lifestyle change, reduction of stress and the fundamental conditions for resources and health including peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable eco-system, sustainable resources, social justice and equity.
The aim of The Centre For Change is to promote a renaissance in conscience, consciousness and ethics, which sees the dignity of the human psyche as paramount. The Centre challenges entrenched, conservative, restrictive approaches and over specialization seeing our Global Problems as being interrelated and interconnected. The Centre promotes unity within diversity and enquires into the cause of dis-function within our Global and Australian society whether it be in the context of individuals, societies, communities, governments or the environment itself. It is open-minded in its enquiry and seeks comprehensive solutions.
The damage we are doing to ourselves and our environment was described in the first Conference Earth and recent United Nations conferences. The planet's capacity to support people has been irreversibly reduced in both developing and developed countries and the resource base of major industries is shrinking. Arable lands and forests are being decreased at an alarming rate, as is the genetic diversity of plants and animals. In Europe, forests are being destroyed by acid rain. The effect on trees is only the tip of the iceberg. Industrial pollution (from sulfur, nitrogen, heavy metals, etc.) is poisoning our soil and even our water supplies are endangering human health.
The current population of the world amounts to about 6 billion people, and this will probably rise by 4 billion to 10 billion in the next 20 years, giving rise to enormous problems of maintaining even a minimum standard of health and subsistence in vast areas. Even at present, there are 0.5 billion in the world who are underfed, 1 billion who are illiterate, 1.5 billion who do not have adequate medical care, and a billion who do not have adequate housing. This problem of deprivation is further magnified by the millions of refugees and the degree of unemployment in the world.
The arms race throughout the world causes an enormous strain on resources. The approximate cost of armaments for 2002 are estimated at over several trillion dollars. In the world today, there is one soldier for every 43 people and only one doctor for thousands of people. Every two seconds a child dies - a victim of avoidable disease - whilst another is bound to be damaged, physically and emotionally, for life.
The Center For Change is working with the new Middle Eastern Journal of Business to initiate an International Conference on Spirituality ,Sustainability and Economics. Sustainable survival of the human race is dependent on new ways of thinking. The writers for the Middle Eastern Journal of Business and speakers for our Conference are all International experts in innovative thought in these fields
Conference Earth was established in Melbourne in 1989
Founders:
Dr Michael Ellis and Ms Jager Ellison and supported by
Sir Mark Oliphant (Founding Patron - now deceased)
For more detailed information regarding our conferences, please visit either the Archives for past events or please click here to see what's coming up in the future.
Overall Aims of Centre for Change
Raise money to channel into environmental and peace support projects
Empower the community to participate in the solutions to world social and environmental
deprivation
Herald a new era of transformation as we move into the third millennium
The Centre will become self-financing over the ten year period through registration
fees, sponsorships, advertising, data bank access fees, newsletters, videos
and publications. The executive committee will assume responsibility for the
development of :
A
virtual centre on the Internet including a global information bank
A
trade magazine highlighting environmental sustainability and social integration
An international peace and environmental awards program
Audio-visual
educational aids on issues of relevance for use by schools and universities
Establishment of The Centre of Research and Learning
Interaction
with Commerce
Presentations on new technologies which are environmentally friendly
Conservation of energy and water
Encouragement of organic and innovative farming
New ways whereby we can reverse the demise of our planet
Educational Development Data bank of publications and audiovisual materials
which can be used in schools and universities
Humanity and the Universe - A Youth Centre with Scholarships
A charitable foundation is planned to support the development of centres of
learning to bring out the finest qualities of humanness global vision and leadership
for the youth of the future.
It is proposed to conduct an independent evaluation of the conference process
and The Centre for Change after the completion of the 2001 conference.
Criteria of evaluation consist of:
Conference aims as
perceived by the organising team, the participants and the broader environmental
networks
The viability and effectiveness of the organisational structures in achieving the objectives of The Centre for Change
The progress towards the establishment of economically viable activities as outcomes of the conferences and The Centre for Change
The Centre for Change mobilizes the population giving information instead of misinformation.
The aim is to access genuine news and information and enable the ordinary person
to realize what effect the latest advances in science will have on their lives.
We are facing massive economic change which can disempower people, as the human
element is taken out of the work situation. Also, the ordinary person does not
understand what effect the three great changes in science are going to have
on them in the next 20 years.
These three changes are:
The computer revolution
The quantum revolution
The biogenetic revolution
The Centre for Change aims to integrate the specialties seeking a common ground
amid life sciences and science in general. There are four basic categories that
are dealt with.
These are:
Environment and Resources
Healing and Relationships
Communication and Education
Economics, Politics and Technology
The aim of our Centre is to enhance human creativity and human potential, revitalizing
the individual and his or her community.We aim to break down the barrier of
consensual reality and delusion that permeates the world.