A question we have to ask ourselves within communities and initiatives that have human development as an objective, particularly its inner-life components, is whether our initiatives with high ideals, with references to climate change or social transformations and such, are adequate. As a member of these consciousness-oriented communities, I pose this question with a desire to pick up the pace of strategic activism. My observation is that the sense of urgency to take action on the meta-crisis matters, expressed by many and often, has the result of numerous media posts and zoom calls, but not much measurable impact on wide-scale policy change that reach the people that suffer the most. Some of it is happening in pockets, but visibly impactful work is either limited or it goes under the radar.

The communities that have developed an expertise in psycho-spiritual matters have been critiqued in the integral theory-and-practice-focused platforms for the lacuna in matters of social justice. Perhaps this is just an incubation period, and when the timing is ripe, more organized forms of enlightened politics will take place. Indeed, these are baby steps towards cultural shifts that lead to political waves, but if anyone is wondering why social justice enthusiasts are so over-enthused, it’s because we do want inner peace, of course, but it’s pretty darn hard to stay chill when the world is on fire and hypocrisy is rampant. If it is the case that the consciousness movements are just getting their stride, experiencing their own collective evolution, then here are a few notes of where attention can be directed.

First, let’s talk about the connection of compassion and justice as our leading principles, and how it all relates to the state of the world in a climate crisis that disproportionately affects persons that are already disproportionately affected by social injustices. It is not by chance that an oft-cited UN report describes social justice as “the fair and compassionate distribution of the fruits of economic growth.” Fairness, compassion, empathy are psychological persuasions that are at the heart of what we conceive of as justice. It is clear in self-developmental circles that cultivating compassion is key in the process of individual and collective growth, but this knowledge also needs to be directional and systematized. Without being integrated into existing systems or systems currently being built, these ideas risk becoming fruitless exercises. History provides us numerous examples where benevolent justice-seeking perspectives have been overcome by more powerful and organized psychological forces. Glaring examples include the failed peace process between Israel and Palestine, the resurgence of fascism around the world, and corporate hegemony leading to social disparities and environmental destruction. To counter that, we can be active compassion campaigners, taking a united stand on this value as underlying the premise of justice.

Second, organizing around and discussing notions of inner development aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is important, and I applaud the MindShift project to make this connection, as well as educational initiatives like Ubiquity University that offers courses on said SDGs. From there, let’s take a few steps further – these insights need to be accessible, with concerted effort for their insertion into policies, institutions, and media. In that process, let’s be mindful of potential blind spots and ensure that our objectives are not another elitist project. Inner development practice is a privilege in itself, most often a luxury for people that are not caught up in the systems. Many people cannot opt out of poverty, conflict, and environmental degradation, and when they do, by way of migration, they are often prevented. Sustainable development is a response to real people that have experienced inequalities, injustices, and devastation, which also makes them the experts.

Third, we need action-oriented projects, preferably reaching outside of our practitioner in-groups. There are practical examples to take heed of – for instance the initiatives supported by the Emergence Foundation that have on-the-ground effects addressing some of the fundamental issues of the present day. Whether it’s projects responding to systemic racism, expanding rights of nature policies, transformational education for refugees, music therapy for persons overcoming mental distress, responding to the entangled dilemmas of social activists or mindfulness for parliamentarians – we need much more of that. These types of projects, which still require greater resources, give observable results. Creating a multiplier-effect with dynamic projects that link up with one another, ones that are accessible and affect people directly, will catalyze a more powerful emergence.

These are a few starting examples of the kind of initiatives that can be further expanded and then integrated with existing structures and policy areas so that they can reach a wider scale. Certainly, developmental initiatives can create movements and shifts in consciousness towards policy impacts on justice matters. But such initiatives require thinking even bigger, connecting further, strategizing and taking action beyond comfort zones. Otherwise, my worry is that the meaningful responses to the “meaning crisis” may lose impact if they are not embedded in policies, projects, and laws that guide human behaviour. The responses require greater collective efforts and resources to put ideas into actions, to integrate the theories and practices with on-the-ground solutions to create a sustainable and just world. This is where I hope we can collectively put our attention.