It starts in our own back yard.

COEXIST has grown from just a few friends and associates to more than 1500 members worldwide in only a few short months. It has developed constructive dialogue with many of its members and together we are broadening our horizons and discussing the steps which need to be taken to create a more just world. At COEXIST we believe that the mainstays to a truly Peaceful society will be economic justice, social justice and environmental justice. Without these aspects in place, living in a world of limited violence will not be sustainable. A society seeking peace, whilst striving to have a positive influence on events abroad, must primarily attend to domestic issues. The individual at the heart of the equation has the responsibility of checking the excesses of their own institutions and encouraging positive attitudes.

We will not solve knife crime by sitting mutely in our comfy chairs. We are in this world together – all of us. We have the responsibility of building the future we would like to see. It starts in our own back yard.

Refreshing
COEXIST has had many new members of late, and it is time for a quick refresher of our goals:

Economic Justice

The ultimate purpose of economic justice is to free every individual from the tyranny of greed and allow everyone the opportunity to take part in the world economy without fear of exploitation. It means the abolition of unfair economic institutions, controlling monopolies and unfair trade. It means creating economic strategies which allow individuals freedom to pursue activities beyond the pressing needs of income generation and to engage in the unlimited work of life-building, childrearing and self advancement. It means protecting the rights of the individual to organize and to receive a living wage for their work.

Social Justice

Bound inextricably to economic justice is social justice. This is about developing fair systems of co-operation which span the generations and enable a bedrock of equality and fairness in all that we do. Social justice also imposes on each of us a personal responsibility to work with others to design and continually perfect our institutions as tools for personal and social development. It means operating within the values of compassion and respect. Society can only be just if individuals and institutions are just.

Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is a matter of life and death. Affluent nations plunder the resources of countries with little bargaining power. Often the result is brutal poverty, poisoned land and polluted waterways. Environmental justice requires that every individual has the same degree of protection from health hazards, and equal access to the decision -making processes affecting them. It means allowing only sustainable developments, respecting the resources we have and treating the natural world with the same compassion we would afford to each other

So what caused the economic crisis?

Here is a bite sized explanation of the causes of our current financial mis-management and a possible remedy, by Michael Greaney. Reading the first two Q and A’s puts it in a nutshell.

http://just3rdway.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-caused-economic-crisis.html

Powerful Words for Global Visionaries

The global political economy does not make pretty reading. Governments are currently injecting trillions of dollars into their financial systems and the broader economy simply to cushion the fall of equity prices, home values and employment rates (and prop up the bonuses of unrepentant bankers).
This crisis could catalyse the reorganization of the global political economy. Moeen Yaseen comments on the state of the economy and puts forward ideas for a way out.

There is no middle way, he says: http://www.thursdaynightmagazine.com/Yaseen