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“Think Globally, Act Locally”

Dada Maheshvarananda

2007 Proutist Universal

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• “Another world is possible”: tremendous power in this common dream.

• But what type of world do we want?

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Six Keys to Peace

1. Just Economy2. Community3. Ecology4. Ethics5. Ideal Leadership6. Spiritual Values

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1. Just Economy1. Just EconomyThe Global Capitalist Economy is based on profit, selfishness and greed. The tragic result: half of world population lives, suffers and dies in poverty.

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6Corporate-owned USA government

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Economic Inequality:Does it matter?

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The Richest Venezuelans

1. Lorenzo Mendoza and family, head of Polar beverages, has US$ 6 billion.

2. Gustavo Cisneros and family, the emperors of mass media, have US$ 6 billion.

They are 3 times and 4 times richer than they were 10 years ago. Are you?

www.forbes.com

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Advertising• Portrays a very pleasurable life • Makes people want the glamorous clothes,

cars and houses of TV • Most Venezuelan children see their parents

struggling with insufficient money.• Start to feel backward and primitive. • So TV makes people want to be rich…• …and white!

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What do you really

want?

• Happiness• Love• Peace• Health

Most people respond:

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“Progressive Socialism”

Prout is the abbreviation for the Progressive Utilization Theory, a new socio-economic model based on:

• economic self-reliance• cooperatives• environmental balance and • universal spiritual values.

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Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar(1921-1990)

• Indian philosopher• Author of 400+ books• Composer• Spiritual master• Political prisoner from 1971-

1978.

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“Prout’s cooperative model… sharing the resources of the planet for the welfare of everyone, deserves our serious consideration.” – Dr. Noam Chomsky, MIT

"A welcome, interesting and valuable contribution, … showing how ancient and new wisdom can join to build a better world, based on spiritual values and sustainability." – Frank Bracho, former Ambassador of Venezuela to India, ecologist, writer

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Prout is not a rigid mold to be imposed on any society. It is a holistic set of dynamic principles that can be applied appropriately by the citizens and leaders to help their region or country prosper and achieve self-reliance in an ecological way.

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Prout’s Solution to Economic Inequality

• The world’s physical resources are limited. If individuals accumulate too much, there is not enough for everyone.

• Every country should decide maximum salaries, wealth and land ownership.

• The only reason to pay more is to motivate people to make a greater effort to benefit society.

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2. Community2. CommunityLatin definition: to give amongst each other.Sociologist Sergio Luio: A group of people who do favors for one another.Prout: A group of people moving together like a family towards a common goal.

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Neoliberal Perspectives on Community

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher: “There is no such thing as society – there are only individual men and women.“

Neoliberal Economist Milton Friedman: The idea that business has a social responsibility is “fundamentally subversive“.

Sir James Killen, Australian Minister for Defence: “Anyone who does anything for anything other than profit is either a madman or a bankrupt.“

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Moving together

• “Bayanihan” in Philippines means to move a house together.

• Ayni in Quechua (the language of the Inca Empire) means cooperation and solidarity as a way of life.

• Cayapa in Venezuela also evokes the cooperative spirit of community.

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COOPERATIVESCOOPERATIVES ... ...

... the path to full employment ... the path to full employment

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Cooperatives

"Cooperatives are the businesses of the future."

Felipe Perez-Marti• Workers own the cooperative.• More incentives for workers to be efficient.• No conflict between owners and employees• Workers benefit from the effort they put in.

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1. Honest leadership

2. Good business plan

3. Strict accounting

4. Community support

Government should provide:

1. More training

2. Regular inspections

Cooperatives need:

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MISSION

To empower all people to improve their quality of life and live in a more just society by fostering the development of worker cooperatives, self-reliant communities, environmental protection, universal ethics and spiritual values.

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VISION

To be an independent model institution, recognized in the national and international community for its research, training, conferences and publications. We strive to strengthen worker cooperatives, so that people, by working together, become a strong force to create true economic democracy and regional self-reliance.

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“When the last river and the last forest have been destroyed…

man will discoverthat he cannot eat money.”

3. Ecology3. Ecology

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Most progressive and inspiring constitution in the world

Yet some principles are not yet reality:

• Article 305: The State shall promote sustainable agriculture as the strategic basis for overall rural development...

• Article 127: …It is a fundamental duty of the State, with the active participation of society, to ensure that the populace develops in a pollution-free environment…

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The Future of Petroleum?

The Stone Age lasted for hundreds of thousands of years. It did not end because the world ran out of stones…

…it ended because humans discovered metals! So why wait until the last petroleum has been extracted before looking for better, non-polluting technology?

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What can you do?• Do something!• Plant trees• Recycle• Educate

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4. Ethics4. Ethics• American Psychiatric Association: the most

common factor among criminals is the tendency to lie.

• This defect is also common in some lawyers, corporate directors, accountants, advertisers, politicians…

• Throughout history, ruling classes have created moral rules and laws to maintain power.

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Cardinal Human Values

• honesty, courage, • mercy, humility, • self-restraint,

compassion. • Protect the weak, • avoid harming others, • overcome selfishness.

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5. Ideal Leadership5. Ideal Leadership

The world needs leaders with moral force, spiritual vision and courage to fight injustice and exploitation. Anyone can become an ideal leader by setting a personal example of honesty, self-discipline, sacrificing spirit and dedication to the welfare of humanity.

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Ideal Leaders in VenezuelaP. R. Sarkar, founder of Prout, visited

Venezuela in 1979. He said: “Venezuela needs good spiritual political leaders. If Venezuela can produce spiritual political leaders, it will be not only the leader of Latin America, but also the leader of the planet.”

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Gen. Raul BaduelA Source of Inspiration

• His duty is to protect the country, its people and its democracy.

• Inspired by the dream, “Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares.” (Micah 4:3)

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An Intensive Training Course: “Creating Ideal Inspirational Leaders

in the Venezuelan Military”

• Effective Decision Making• Warrior Psychology• Overcoming Stress and Fear• Understanding Your Opponent• How Intuition Can Save Your Life• Achieving Your Personal Goals• Service: The Key to Winning Hearts and

Minds• Alternative Futures for Venezuela• Fire Walk!

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6. Spiritual 6. Spiritual ValuesValues

President Hugo Chavez said, “Thank you very much, brother, and let's continue with spirituality, spirit, good faith, morality, and the mystical force that moves the world.”

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Universalism: Respect for all forms of mysticism. Inter-religious gathering in Rio de Janeiro.

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“At the risk of sounding

ridiculous, I would say that

the true revolutionary is guided by great

feelings of love.”

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“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will be at peace.” – Jimi Hendrix

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The Power of LoveDr. Bernie Seigel

“If I told my cancer patients to raise their blood levels of immune globulines or killer-T cells, no one would know how. But if I can teach them to love them-selves and others fully, the same changes happen automatically. The truth is: love heals.”

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MeditationIn the struggle for world peace and justice, we should not neglect our own internal peace. Meditation is an ancient practice with many benefits:  overcoming insomnia, depression and mental complexes; increasing memory, concentration, willpower, self-control, self-esteem and tolerance;

developing mental peace, wisdom, compassion and unconditional love.

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MeditationClose your eyes and open your mind

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1. Close your eyes2. Sit straight3. Breathe deeply4. Repeat your mantra5. Practice every day

How to Meditate?

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Baba Nam Baba Nam KevalamKevalam

universal mantra in Sanskrit that

means: “Everything is an expression of one

loving infinite Consciousness.”

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Circle of Concern

Circle of Influence

ThinkGlobally

ActLocally

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“There is something which is stronger than all the armies of the world, and that is an idea whose time has come."

--- Víctor Hugo, French writer

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Arundhati Roy(Recipient of Booker Prize for The God of Small Things)

“Another world is not only possible, she’s on her way. Maybe many of us won’t be here to greet her, but on a quiet day, if I listen carefully, I can hear her breathing.”

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For more information:

www.ve.prout.orgTel. 58-212-633-0131 (weekdays), 58-212-782-2103 (nights and weekends), cell 58-412-601-6572E-mail: ivip@prout.org