The history of mankind is a history of movements that have changed status quo. Large-scale change frequently begins with an action about a small issue that concerns many people. Mahatma Gandhi’s overthrow of British rule in India began as a small protest against a British tax on salt. The civil rights movement in the USA started with the action of a single person who refused to comply with segregation rules.
The transition from a world based on a war economy and armed coercion to a world of peace and well-being for all began after the Second World War, when the world entered into a period of radical reforms: Feminism, gay rights movement, peace movement, Civil Rights Movement, anti-nuclear movement and environmental movement, 1999 Seattle WTO protest, 2007 WikiLeaks, 2009 Moldova, 2009 Austria student protest, 2009 Israel-Gaza, 2009 Iran green revolution, 2010 Venezuela, 2010 Germany Stuttgart 21, 2011 Arab Spring, 2011 England, 2011 Occupy movement, 2011 Spain Indignados, 2011 Greece Aganaktismenoi movements, 2011 Italy, 2011 Wisconsin labor protests, 2012 Israel Hamas, 2013 Brazil Vinegar, 2013 Turkey, 2015 Black Lives Matter, 2017 Me Too movement, 2018 Ele Não and 2018 Yellow vest movement.
These social activities resulted in the formation of millions of community and nonprofit organizations collectively undertaking the largest movement in the history of mankind. The common goal of this movement is a comprehensive world overhaul. The movers and shakers are people from all walks of life who are remaking the world in the name of preservation of humanity, social justice and ecological health.
Hundreds of millions of these individuals add up to an irresistible force which is rapidly changing global conditions. In Brazil, over the past 20 years, the number of citizen-sector organizations rose from 36,000 to nearly a million. In the United States this number has grown by more than 300% since 1982. Online movements such as Avaaz are growing by 1 million subscribers per month.
Today, there are 45 colleges and universities recognized as Changemaker Campuses creating leaders of social change. The world has 22 arms controling treaties and five nuclear-weapons free zones. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons received 122 votes from 195 representatives in the United Nations, and will become an international law creating a framework for a nuclear-weapons-free world once ratified by 24 additional states. The transition to a world of permanent peace and well-being for all is well under way. Progression towards the realization of our ultimate goal is unstoppable.
However, “When events slip beyond the horizon of media coverage, they disappear from public discourse.” –Paul Hawker. Therefore, one purpose of Angelmedia’s Peacebuilders Association is to continuously bring to people’s attention the subject of our ultimate goal of a world of permanent peace and well-being for all. We do this through the actions of sponsored changemakers and social innovators.
But a peaceful, more equitable and kind world does not just happen. It requires the collective action of all of us. If you cannot contribute by volunteering, please contribute financially.
