Tucked away somewhere towards the middle of Co-opportunity is a consummate quote by Vaclav Havel, playwright and former leader of the Czech Republic: ‘Today, many things indicate that we are going through a transitional period, when it seems that something is on the way out and something else is painfully being born. It is as if something were crumbling, decaying and exhausting itself, while something else, still indistinct, were arising from the rubble.’ This quote, John Grant tells us, was used as the closing remark of a We20 Summit – a prosocial network where citizens set out the vision for a sustainable future.
In Co-opportunity, Sublime columnist Grant provides in upbeat, informative and inspiring measure the nuts and bolts of that vision. He explains how cooperation is emerging as the organising principle of our time; how a village-scale democracy is operating at a global level; how open-source technology and the internet, as well as individuals contributing at a local community level are hastening the birth of this new thing.
Even how cooperation can replace information bottlenecks. Don’t stay dismayed by concern over climate change, phased by the economic downturn or worried about dwindling energy supplies. Read this book. Overflowing with creative ideas and expositions of what is happening in culture and society right now, Grant’s excitement is infectious. Step forward if you’d like to participate in the Great Leap Forward. Because it’s only just beginning.
Co-opportunity: Join up for a sustainable, resilient, prosperous world by John Grant (John Wiley & Sons) £16.99
