THE 8 LAWS OF CHANGE

I heard Stephan speak about this book at a conference in Italy recently, and immediately asked him to have a review copy sent since his message, based on a study of around 100 initiatives, could not be more important for our time. His study and life experience (he was present at MLK's famous I have a dream speech) led him to the encouraging conclusion that 'successful, non-violent, life affirming social transformations share certain characteristics, and they are learnable.' Research over the past hundred years concluded that 'nonviolent resistance campaigns were nearly twice as likely to achieve full or partial success as their violent counterparts.' Moreover, only 25% of these campaigns were judged a total failure, while the corresponding figure for violent campaigns was 75%. The authors of the study felt that non-violent campaigns facilitate the active participation of many more people, and, fascinatingly, were closely associated with the Quakers. Schwartz goes further by highlighting the importance of our quotidian choices in favour of the life-affirming and compassionate option, and provides a pledge for readers to take in this respect.

A key concept is what he calls beingness, which I referred to in my review of Jack Brush's book above. This is tantamount to character or spiritual substance and is witnessed in intentioned awareness. It can be expressed both positively and negatively, in Gandhi as well as Hitler; in the former case it represents an embodiment of fundamental values. The eight laws (p. 18) applied to individuals in a campaigning group are, in summary, as follows:

• They must share, individually and collectively, a common intention

• They may have goals, but not cherished outcomes

• They must accept that these goals may not be achieved in their lifetime

• They must accept that they may not get any credit or acknowledgement

• Each person in the group must enjoy fundamental equality

• They must forswear violence in word, act or thought

• They must make their private selves consistent with the public postures

• They must always act from the beingness of life-affirming integrity

Stephan discovered that successful movements have all applied these principles in some degree, and gives many examples in the rest of the book. One such comes from the records of the Nobel Peace Prize, where nearly 15% of recipients came from societies where women are traditionally thought to be powerless. It can be as simple as a vision and a mobilising capacity, for example the Irish Community of Peace People or the tree planting activity of Wangari Maathai. All these people share compassion and authenticity, and one of these anonymous recipients in 1947 was a late member of the Network, Douglas Dean - I did not know about this until reading this book, and Dean never referred to his role in his CV.

Among the examples given are Gandhi and his salt march, Greenpeace and whales and the vision of Benjamin Franklin in setting up charitable activities in his will, that have endured over 200 years. For Stephan, Franklin has exerted a structural force in his life, which is inspiring to read about. Additional qualities required are carriage, integrity and inner resource to face down authority with truth.

The later part of the book takes a slightly different turn by discussing the background importance of nonlocal consciousness and experience of such a state implying deep interdependence and interconnectedness. Stephan proposes a new model of consciousness as causal, with individuals as part of the network of mutually influencing life that also seems to be involved in the creative process. Widespread adoption of this view is, in his opinion, essential for our planetary survival. This leads on to a discussion of the psychophysiology of politics that seems to be a stronger driver than rationality. Basic values are also critical as one advances along a continuum from tradition to conformity to security to self-direction and finally to universalism. These contrasts are exhibited a more detailed analysis of 'red' and 'blue' families (predominantly conservative and liberal) where repressive and authoritarian attitudes have a serious fallout in terms of health and quality of life.

On the other hand, there is extensive research evidence to demonstrate the power of intentioned awareness, for instance in meditation and its effects on the brain. Stephan proposes his own technique that includes choosing four words of intentioned purpose corresponding to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual realms. As we all know, this requires regular commitment; I liked the quote from St Teresa of Avila who recommends 'close your eyes and follow your breath to the still place that leads to the invisible path that leads you home.' He hopes that we will be able to move away from a preoccupation with profit to one on well-being, and it is here that the individual pledge can begin to make a difference. It seems that the tipping point is 10% and each one of us who makes our daily decisions based on compassionate and life-affirming choices can contribute towards that 10% shift being achieved - this book is an inspiring and encouraging pointer towards a brighter future.