The document discusses humanity entering a new era and the pattern of living systems that humanity has followed through previous eras. It argues that each era focused on one aspect of consciousness - convergence, relationship, or divergence. Now, an integrated consciousness is needed that acknowledges life and nature. This integrated consciousness would allow humanity to thrive rather than just sustain ourselves. The most important task is to have conversations that reimagine lives, organizations, and societies in line with principles of living systems to build conditions where life can truly thrive.

1. Humanity 4.0
© Copyright Michelle Holliday

2. Humanity is crossing into a new era

3. Humanity is crossing into a new era
Why can’t we agree
what to call the new era?

4. Humanity is crossing into a new era
Why can’t we agree
what to call the new era?
Do we really understand the
nature of the journey?

5. Humanity is crossing into a new era
Why can’t we agree
what to call the new era?
Are things getting
better or worse
along the way?
Do we really understand the
nature of the journey?

6. To answer these questions,
we first need to recognize that
humanity is evolving
according to the pattern
of all living systems.

7.  Across the eras of humanity
 Throughout our individual lives
 In our economies and organizations
The pattern of living systems
is everywhere
Fractals display self-similar structure at different scales, the way the pattern of this leaf mirrors the pattern of the tree
itself. Examples include leafy trees, cauliflower, broccoli, and systems of blood vessels. This phenomenon may help
explain why the pattern of living systems is so prevalent at all scales of human activity.

8. Like a roadmap, this pattern
offers important clues about the
journey into the emerging era.

9. It works like this:
All living
systems have
4 defining
characteristics

10. cells in your body bees in a hive
trees in a forest
people in an
organization
1. There are Parts

11. The more divergent
(or diverse) the parts,
the more resilient, adaptive
and creative the
living system will be.

12. 2. There are
Relationships
The consistent yet dynamic web
of internal and external interactions between parts

13. The more open and free-flowing
the relationships,
the more resilient, adaptive and
creative the living system will be.

14. your body the beehive
the forest the organization
3. There is a Whole
an emergent level of life with characteristics & capabilities of
its own that can’t be understood by looking only at the parts

15. The more convergent the whole
(for example: the more you remain
recognizably you even as your
cells are continuously replaced)
the more resilient, adaptive and
creative the living system will be.

16. 4. There is a
“Self-Integrating
Property”
This is how biologists describe the way that…by itself the living system
integrates all those divergent parts into a convergent whole in dynamic
relationship internally and externally in an ongoing,
moment-by-moment process of self re-creation.
In other words, it’s what makes the living system alive.

17. That’s life, right?
It’s whatever it is that animates us and makes us alive.

18. We can imagine this pattern as
a prism
Context*comesin
and as it
passes
through
the living
system
it is
transformed
* People, matter, energy, information…

19. © Copyright Michelle Holliday
1
Individual parts make distinct,
divergent contributions.
With living systems, we can
imagine it as a 3-sided prism…

20. 2
© Copyright Michelle Holliday
These parts connect to each other
and to context in a dynamic web of
relationship.

21. 3
© Copyright Michelle Holliday
Parts connect to each other to create a
convergent whole that cannot be
understood simply by looking at the
behavior of the parts.

22. The whole system is coordinated by a self-
integrating property that can be understood
as the spark of life.4
© Copyright Michelle Holliday

23. As the system evolves in reaction to
changes in its context, it becomes
increasingly integrated with its environment.
© Copyright Michelle Holliday

24. © Copyright Michelle Holliday
Through feedback, it becomes ever more
sensitive to changes in context, driving
more evolution, in turn driving infinite and
unpredictable creativity.

25. In all, living systems are
creative, regenerative and
adaptive by their nature.
They seek always to
transcend themselves by
connecting with other life to
create novel forms.
© Copyright Michelle Holliday

26. This
means:
You have to polish all
so each “ingredient”
three sides of the prism,
is present at
high levels …

27. …if you want to create the fertile conditions for life
to shine through and do its self-integrative thing.

28. That’s the
secret formula
for how life
works*
* Even in our organizations and our economies.

29. Now here’s where it
gets interesting…

30. Hunter-Gatherer Era Agrarian Era Industrial Era ????
When you take a closer look at
the eras of humanity…

31. Hunter-Gatherer Era Agrarian Era Industrial Era ????
…you notice that each era has had a distinct
guiding story about life.
The universe is
an unbroken
whole. There is
no separateness.
The universe is
a web of
interconnected
relationship.
The universe is a
machine made of
individual parts.

32. Hunter-Gatherer Era Agrarian Era Industrial Era ????
Each story represents a different (and equally valid) way of
understanding reality and engaging with the world.
The universe is
an unbroken
whole. There is
no separateness.
The universe is
a web of
interconnected
relationship.
The universe is a
machine made of
individual parts.

33. Hunter-Gatherer Era Agrarian Era Industrial Era ????
But what’s his story?

34. Action
Plan
The universe is
made of
individual parts.

35. systems
thinking
The universe is
a web of
interconnected
relationship.
the
network

36. Gaia
The universe is
an unbroken
whole.

37. systems
thinking
Action
Plan The universe is
a web of
interconnected
relationship.
The universe is
made of
individual parts.
The universe is an
integral living
system made up of
parts, relationships
and wholes.
Gaia
The universe is
an unbroken
whole.
the
network

38. Hunter-Gatherer Era Agrarian Era Industrial Era ????
The universe is
an unbroken
whole. There is
no separateness.
The universe is
a web of
interconnected
relationship.
The universe is a
mechanism made of
individual parts.
The universe is an
integral living
system made of
parts, relationships
and wholes.
It’s as if we focused on one capability at a time in order to
become more resilient, adaptive and creative as a species.

39. © Copyright Michelle HollidayNote: To allow all eras to fit onto one page, the rate of time progression is not depicted consistently along the timeline.
Time & Technical Progress
Focus of
Human
Consciousness
195,000 BC
Homo sapiens
appears,
survival
through
collective
instinct
40,000 BC
First storage
settlements,
evidence of
emotion
and ritual 1.000 BC
Rise of Ancient
Greece, first
evidence of self-
awareness
500-300 BC
Socrates,
Aristotle,
Plato
1700 AD
Newtonian
physics
2000 AD
Internet
increases
complexity
Era of Convergence
195,000 years ago
to 10,000 years ago
Era of Relationship
40,000 years ago to
500 years ago
Era of
Divergence
3,000 years ago
to present
10,000 BC
1st
written
language,
agriculture
introduced
1900 AD
First findings
in quantum
physics
1789 AD
US
Constitution
Era of Integration
250 years ago to
present
You Are
Here
And so it seems that humanity (in general) has
progressed along the pattern of all living systems.

40. converge relate diverge integrate
As we’ve moved into each new era, it’s as if we’ve
turned down the volume on the consciousness of
the previous era and denied its relevance.
Now, we’re discovering that if we turn up all three, we find
the harmony of integration. We’re realizing that they’re all
necessary and valuable, particularly in high complexity.
This matches the pattern all living systems follow to become
more resilient, adaptive and creative:

41. 1Consciousness is learned, not inherited genetically.
Feral children do not develop self-awareness, language or concepts of
relationship, though they share our basic genetic code.
The nature of consciousness

42. 1Consciousness is learned, not inherited genetically.
Feral children do not develop self-awareness, language or concepts of
relationship, though they share our basic genetic code.
The nature of consciousness
2In our lives, we’re constantly spiraling around the
living systems prism to polish, learn and integrate
all three sides.
We may pause to focus on one type of consciousness for a moment, an
extended time or even a lifetime.
Our journey around the spiral is influenced by the focus of our surrounding
culture. The current Western culture is focused on divergent awareness, to
the near exclusion of the other types of consciousness or intelligence.

43. 1Consciousness is learned, not inherited genetically.
Feral children do not develop self-awareness, language or concepts of
relationship, though they share our basic genetic code.
The nature of consciousness
2In our lives, we’re constantly spiraling around the
living systems prism to polish, learn and integrate
all three sides.
We may pause to focus on one type of consciousness for a moment, an
extended time or even a lifetime.
Our journey around the spiral is influenced by the focus of our surrounding
culture. The current Western culture is focused on divergent awareness, to
the near exclusion of the other types of consciousness or intelligence.
Imagine:
how different things would be if our culture actively
supported and integrated all types of consciousness.

44.  All hunter-gatherer cultures (past and present)
exhibit shamanistic practices to tap collective
intelligence.
 Contrary to popular belief, hunter-gatherer cultures
are the happiest on Earth – one researcher calls
them “the original affluent society.”
 Unity consciousness, non-duality
 A living, conscious world
 Present moment awareness, “The Power of Now”
 Tapping into the will & wisdom of the whole
– Instincts
– Inspiration
– Communion with nature
– Meditative states
– Dreams (Jung’s universal archetypes)
 Abundance mentality, gift economies
 Quantum physics, the non-local unifying realm
Convergent consciousness

45.  In the Agrarian era, we worked on the ability to be in relationship with
nature…and with each other and the world around us.
 Agriculture emerged, but also language, mathematics, architecture,
religion, civilization …all artifacts of our ability to be in relationship.
 Systems thinking, complexity science
 Social networking, informal networks
 Emotional Intelligence, EQ
 Relationship economies
 Never-ending circle of life, cycles
 Web of interdependent existence
 Community, belonging, rituals
 Play, curiosity, flow
 Process, “the journey is the destination”
Relationship consciousness
systems
thinking
the
network

46.  The modern era (originating with the ancient
Greeks), with its focus on separateness
 Clockwork Universe (Newton)
 Mind/body dualism
 Individual achievement, individual rights
 Science (Newtonian physics in particular)
 Scientific management, mechanization
 One right answer
 Rationality
 Reducing things to their component parts
 Continuous improvement, progress, problem-
solving, efficiency
 Market economies
 Scarcity mentality
Isaac Newton
Ludwig von Mises,
Father of
Libertarianism
Divergent consciousness

47.  Values multiple perspectives, all types of
intelligence
 Able to hold the paradox of individuality within
the unity of all life
 Wisdom
 Gaia Theory, nature-based spirituality
 Multi-disciplinary studies
 Evolutionary enlightenment
 The Perennial Philosophy
 Synchronicity, the power of intention
 Theory U, Presencing
 The US Constitution, the Founding Fathers
 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Buckminster Fuller,
Albert Einstein, Karl Jung, Barbara Marx
Hubbard, Ken Wilber, Margaret Wheatley,
Joanna Macy, Brian Swimme, Peter Russell,
Elisabet Sahtouris Ken Wilber
Buckminster Fuller
Integrative consciousness

48. Developmental psychologists have noticed
the same pattern across our individual lives.
What if we were raised in an integrative society?
Might we reach the wisdom stages in youth rather than waiting for old age (if we’re lucky)?

49. Could they be the first
integrative generation?
Refuse to compromise on total individuality.
Value multiple perspectives.
Value connectivity and their
network of relationships.
Place high priority on
constant learning and play.
Want to make a
contribution to
something
meaningful (social,
environmental).
Recognize their connection to the
whole, having grown up in a
global, interdependent context.
Stereotypical traits of Gen-Yers
Generation Y…or Generation I?

50. Why is this important now?

51. Why is this important now?
Humanity is at a fork in the road.

52. This is the path
we’re on.

53. It’s the path of
divergent thinking
alone.

54. “Our world society is
presently on a non-
sustainable course.”
page 498
It’s not a good path to be on.

55. 1 Many predict crisis & crash (economic, social, environmental).
If this happens, we risk falling back to earlier stages.
(Think of the Dark Ages that followed the fall of ancient Rome.)

56. 1 Many predict crisis & crash (economic, social, environmental).
If this happens, we risk falling back to earlier stages.
(Think of the Dark Ages that followed the fall of ancient Rome.)
2 Divergent thinking keeps us stuck looking for ways to
tweak “the machine” and to make the “business case
for sustainability.”

57. 1 Many predict crisis & crash (economic, social, environmental).
If this happens, we risk falling back to earlier stages.
(Think of the Dark Ages that followed the fall of ancient Rome.)
This is like slowing down a bus
that’s going the wrong way fast.
It’s a good first step,
but eventually you want to turn the bus around.
2 Divergent thinking keeps us stuck looking for ways to
tweak “the machine” and to make the “business case
for sustainability.”

58. 1 Many predict crisis & crash (economic, social, environmental).
If this happens, we risk falling back to earlier stages.
(Think of the Dark Ages that followed the fall of ancient Rome.)
2 Divergent thinking keeps us stuck looking for ways to
tweak “the machine” and to make the “business case
for sustainability.”
3 What’s truly needed is wholesale revision of how we
think of and craft our organizations and our societies.

59. The most important task of
our era is to acknowledge life.

60. The most important task of
our era is to acknowledge life.
Our current guiding story tell us that:
 Everything in the universe operates like a machine
(especially our organizations and economies).
 We are separate from each other and from nature.
 We exist to compete and consume.

61. The most important task of
our era is to acknowledge life.
Our current guiding story tell us that:
 Everything in the universe operates like a machine
(especially our organizations and economies).
 We are separate from each other and from nature.
 We exist to compete and consume.
With what we know about how life really works,
is it any wonder that the society we’ve built based on
that story is unable to sustain life over time?

62. Life is the critical missing piece in
the dominant mechanistic paradigm.

63. Life is the critical missing piece in
the dominant mechanistic paradigm.
We know that integration must increase
with rising complexity –
and it is life that integrates and animates.

64. Life is the critical missing piece in
the dominant mechanistic paradigm.
We know that integration must increase
with rising complexity –
and it is life that integrates and animates.
Acknowledging life invites wonder and
reverence – for all life, including our own.

65. Life is the critical missing piece in
the dominant mechanistic paradigm.
We know that integration must increase
with rising complexity –
and it is life that integrates and animates.
Acknowledging life invites wonder and
reverence – for all life, including our own.
Only by acknowledging life - in all its underlying integrality -
will we develop sufficient will and compassion to achieve
not just sustainability but thrivability.

66. After all, the point is not to “sustain” or to “be integral.”
It’s to create the conditions for life to thrive.

67. So how do we
build a bridge to an
Age of Thrivability?

68. Through
conversation

69. We evolve our thinking – and our world –
not by reading books or presentations,
but through conversation.
Through
conversation

70. This is the conversation we need to have:

71. This is the conversation we need to have:
How can we re-imagine our lives not as
consumers, not as “human capital,” but as
vibrant contributors to the whole of life?

72. How can we reinvent our organizations so that
they work with the full patterns of living systems
to build not just sustainability but thrivability?
This is the conversation we need to have:
How can we re-imagine our lives not as
consumers, not as “human capital,” but as
vibrant contributors to the whole of life?

73. This is the conversation we need to have:
How can we re-imagine our lives not as
consumers, not as “human capital,” but as
vibrant contributors to the whole of life?
How can we restructure the artifacts and
architecture of our lives so that they support
wiser, life-enhancing ways of living?
How can we reinvent our organizations so that
they work with the full patterns of living systems
to build not just sustainability but thrivability?

74. This is the conversation we need to have:
How can we re-imagine our lives not as
consumers, not as “human capital,” but as
vibrant contributors to the whole of life?
What will it take to make life
the true bottom line?
How can we restructure the artifacts and
architecture of our lives so that they support
wiser, life-enhancing ways of living?
How can we reinvent our organizations so that
they work with the full patterns of living systems
to build not just sustainability but thrivability?

75. Remember
stories,
where you
got to
choose the
ending?

76. This is
that kind
of story.

77. This is
that kind
of story.
But we’ll all
make the
choice
together.

78. 4.0
or
status
quo?
So which ending
will we choose:

79. Join the Conversation:
www.AgeofThrivability.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AgeOfThrivability
Twitter: @thrivability
Email: michelle@ageofthrivability.com