One decade ago, a dozen of us recognized and declared together a state ofnational and planetary emergency. Humanity's crisis of the collective will hadreached breakpoint, if we did not take society's incapacity to cooperate asseriously as we took the 'threat' of sputnick, quality of life as we knew itwould inexorably slip away into massive confusion and overwhelm.

In the world's newest third world nation, California, the entire world hadjammed itself together, either to be strangled by our differences, or liberatedby them. We knew that some group of somebodies would have to do something, ifnot us,who? If not now, when? We realized we could infect the world withfree-enterprise peristroka, a tide of cooperation would then sweep the planet,and a new, resilient and connected nervous system for all humanity would beborn. But, how to begin?

We had to become as organs in a body, inventing together, the inter-stitialtissue that managed, coordinated, and organized our larger body. We had tocreate an inter-stitial fluid of shared values and process aggreements thatallowed us, and those we served to so far outpace the constraints of the past,that most previous measures of productivity and profitability had to bere-designed. A new era of peace and prosperity seemed to appear almostovernight. But, how?

Some of the finest consultants and trainers of managed change came togetherin a neutral setting where civic stewardship and professional creativity werethe highest values. It all began with that first dozen. We, each in our ownway, had realized that even with all our skill, experience, and wisdom, inisolation we were helpless to move the world as it needed to be moved. Only ifwe somehow combined our personal resources into something greater than the sumthereof, would we have the clout to do what had to be done. What then, wasstep one ?

It was suggested that we try something so simple, so common sense, that atfirst it seemed ridiculous. Why not use our principles and systems onourselves? Why not pool our resources, build a model that includes all of ourexperience in one unified image? Could we not create a replicable system thatwould allow groups of committed and diverse human beings to create a shareddestiny? Could we not solve the crisis of the collective will, and so allowus, our clients, and people the world over to thrive?

And that's how it all began . . .