Globalization is creating in our industrialized societies a kind of "under-class of demoralized and empoverished people" (former U.S. Secretary of Labour Robert Reich). Yet political manoeuvering space appears limited in the present intellectual and political climate as "politicians are under control of the financial markets" (Hans Tietmeyer, president of the Bundesbank). The diagnostic is clear : markets have substituted themselves to citizens. This is the dangerous consequence of the successful action of the neo-liberal ideology. It was driven to extremes by what needs to be called fundamentalists of a new kind : "freedom of money fundamentalists".

A wall of money has replaced the wall of Berlin.

The presently dominant paradigm of unbridled competition, blind economic growth and the insane scramble for quick profit and consumerism cannot go on forever. Globalization leads us in a situation of world apartheid, not only between North and South but also inside the countries of the North. The marginalization of people, the threats to our environment and the uniformization of cultures under the weight of the "megamachine" is a source of conflict and malaise. The tragedy of child abuse by pedophile gangs may be just one horrifying manifestation of the on-going cultural crisis in Europe. Blind belief in neo-liberalism as a dogma leads our decision-makers and many a citizen into the impasse of narrow-minded but obsessional economism. As a matter of fact, market mechanism and multinationals "govern the world".

In the face of this crisis, it might be useful to throw light on how people in various continents think and act differently from what is proclaimed by the economistic mentality

What are the positive utopias which seem to inspire local communities both South and North ? What utopias seem to become important in my own life ? By "utopia" is meant here not unrealistic dreams, but possibilities still to be experimented with. One could identify a lot of different utopias and alternatives leading to cultural change. Here I will mention three which I believe are important. In this selection process, I acknowledge with gratitude to have been inspired by such people as Mahatma Gandhi, Julius Nyerere, Ivan Illich, Raimon Panikkar, Eric Fromm, Gustavo Esteva, Ashish Nandi, Albert Tévoèdjré and Joseph Ki-Zerbo and by various communities in Asia, Africa, Europe and in the Americas.

Autonomy (Self-reliance or subsidiarity)

This idea entails that each person or group does itself, locally, on the basis of its own resources and skills, whatever it is able to do. I.o.w. : Only delegate to the outside/superior level what you cannot achieve or fulfil on the spot. This principle has huge repercussions at the level of politics. It relates to the debate on decentralization of local initiatives v. centralized bureaucracy. The discussions and referenda accross the European Union on the Treaty of Maastricht highlighted rightly the "democratic deficit" in the decision-making processes within the European institutions. The Treaty itself strenghtens the concept and the practice of "subsidiarity" in an attempt to thereby circumscribe clearly the competence of the European Commission and to safeguard the competence of member-states and local regions whenever appropriate. The European Commission is only to intervene in matters for which local decision is considered less appropriate.

The idea of self-reliance also has implications economically as is illustrated by claims and attempts to achieve selective de-linking from GATT (as opposed to neo-liberal global "inter-dependance") in areas such as agriculture (growing locally needed food) or arts (not submitting blindly to commercialized "American" cultures).

In specialized fields such as education (by the local community v. by the outside "expert"), and health (individual responsibility and local health care v. outside hospitals and the medicalization-commoditization of health), the principle of self-reliance has led to outstanding litterature and some degree of practical implementation.

Human scale, prudence and decency are in order to counter-balance the excesses of the megamachine and its dictates of global scale, high speed and maximal efficiency.

Evolution towards subsidiarity may usher the notion of "inter-independence" (Raimon Panikkar) as opposed to interdependence of the weak and the strong.

Subsidiarity is not tolerance of, but confidence in the other. It is based on a propensity to collaborate.

Simplicity of lifestyles

20% of mankind consume 80% of the world's resources. The carrying capacity of our planet is put under strain. For example, if China would adopt western consumption patterns, 5 planets like ours would be needed ! The West must limit its squandering mania if the South is to achieve better living standards.

To carry on like now would mean global catastrophy. UNDP's 1996 Human Development Report discloses that the number of people under the poverty line has increased by 17% in the period 1975-1985 during which the GIP at world level was raised by 40%. James G. Speth, head of UNDP raises alarm : the disparities between North and South, and inside industrialized countries, are not only unethical. They will become unhuman.

These gloomy figures and facts introduce two questions : Are current consumption levels ethically acceptable ? Do they actually provide satisfaction ? Answering these questions could lead to a deeper reflection about "how much is enough".

In various parts of the world - and today significantly among a growing percentage of European and U.S. citizens - pleas are made to consume less, more consciously, with joy and gratitude as opposed to tooing the line of consumerism and advertisement. For consumerism the injunction is : increasing one's desires infinitely so as to then run endlessly after their satisfaction. Others oppose to this that "there is enough for anyone's need but not for anyone's greed", as Gandhi himself once said quite prophetically.

According to Ivan Illitch, there is a link between frugality and conviviality. It is the abundance of material goods which isolates people and turns them into individuals which think foolishly they can "do without the others".

Traditions in the South (detachment; celebration of life, compassion) and the North (franciscan simplicity and love, today's green movements) suggest ideas in this respect. Communities in the North experience with ethical investment, eco-teams, sharing (car pools; common habitat, etc.). They are learning that frugality is not a question of painful masochism but of creativity, of decency, elegance, an art of living : "he fears not he who is content with little" (Lao Tseu). This art of living has much to do with our approach to time, to a proper rythm and our capacity to resist acceleration.

Spirituality (as a quest for meaning)

Western modernity excells in answering the "how ?" question (how to master/achieve). Other cultures focus on the "why ?" question. Environmental and social tragedies related to the meaningless pursuit of growth and "individual happiness" (US Constitution) require a serious probing into the meaning of our actions and of our lives. One of the key social function of culture is to provide meaning. Cultural rooting leads to ethical and spiritual questions. Failure to provide depth, meaning and identity leads to fundamentalist backlashes such as violent groups in Algeria, Bosnia or India and various shades of bigotery everywhere (racist, religious ethnic and ... rationalistic fundamentalism).

Communities in South and North explore old or new relationships to self, others, nature and Transcendence. Some enjoy renewed inspiration drawn from a less dis-enchanted and more sacred approach to life and death. "The 21st century will be mystical or it will not be" said leading French intellectual André Malraux. This should not lead to more power for religious institutions but more spirituality, including secular spirituality.

Europe has been the cradle of modernity through a sequence going from Renaissance to 18th Century Enlightenment to industrialization. Yet there is no reason why Europeans would encapsulate themselves in the three last centuries of their history. Before Adam Smith, before Isaac Newton, before Hobbes, Locke and Marx, there were such people as Socrates, Jesus, Francis of Assisi, Hildegard Von Bingen, Meister Eckhard, Pascal and the anonymous author of "The Cloud of Unknowing". Furthermore, up till now, people in Europe keep experiencing with other values than the sad combination of mere materialism, individualism and rationalism. The crisis is deep and serious. But as long as humans are able to experiment alternatives, to hope and to love, to dream and to give birth to poetry and celebration, ... change for the better is still possible. Also in Europe. This is my hope and my prayer.

Thierry Verhelst