Tag: VOLUNTARISM

  • How did it happen?

    How did it happen?

    People have asked. The world of Waking Up is well and good. But how did humanity actually get there?

    The shift that changed everything.

    People still ask:

    How did the world actually change?

    How did we move from a system of money, ownership, debt, competition, war and scarcity…

    to a world of cooperation, sharing, abundance, and peace?

    The answer isn’t simple.

    But it’s not mysterious either.

    It happened the only way it could:

    peacefully. Voluntarily. Gradually—then suddenly.

    It is important to emphasize that the transition to the new world happened completely voluntary on all levels.

    🌱 The Seeds Were Always There

    Even in the darkest days of exploitation and inequality, people cared.

    Some gave their time. Some gave their voices. A few gave their fortunes.

    Philanthropy wasn’t new.

    For centuries, wealthy individuals had donated to causes—sometimes out of genuine compassion, sometimes for legacy, reputation, or tax benefits. But starting in the early 21st century, a quiet revolution of heart and mind began to stir.

    It didn’t look like a revolution at first.

    There were no tanks in the streets.

    Only a shift in consciousness.

    More and more people began to wake up.

    To see the insanity of endlessly pursuing profit while the planet burned.

    To feel the dissonance of having more than enough while billions struggled to survive.

    To ask: Is this really the best we can do?

    🧠 A Global Awakening

    What followed was more than politics or economics—it was spiritual.

    People everywhere began questioning the foundational assumptions of the system.

    Not with anger. Not with violence. But with clarity.

    Billionaires, too, began to change.

    Not all at once. But the ripple became a wave.

    Figures like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and George Soros—already known for their philanthropy—began to do something different:

    They stopped trying to fix the system.

    They started planting seeds for a new one.

    They funded open-source education. Renewable cities. Regenerative agriculture.

    They began conversations, supported experiments, and—perhaps most importantly—stepped aside when others brought better ideas.

    They didn’t build the new world.

    But they helped fund its birth.

    Even those who weren’t ready to divest during their lifetime began to shift perspective.

    People like Elon Musk, known for pushing the boundaries of technology and ambition, also pledged to give away the majority of their wealth—after their passing.

    At first, it seemed like a safety valve, a way to give without letting go.

    But even that was a step. A public recognition that the accumulation of vast wealth could—and should—serve something larger than the self.

    Many of these posthumous pledges became part of the COL seed funds, as their estates were redirected—not to private heirs or trusts—but to humanity’s shared inheritance.

    Paradoxically enough the new moneyless world was created with money. 

    🌍 Enter the Cities of Light

    The real turning point came when those ideas were brought together.

    Not just scattered projects and good intentions—but an integrated vision.

    The first Cities of Light were born as living prototypes—places where people could experience a life beyond money.

    They weren’t cults or communes.

    They were open-source civilizations.

    Testbeds for what could be.

    And yes, they were funded—at first—by people who had once benefited from the old world.

    People like Amo Michaels(Benjamin Michaels’ daughter)—once a billionaire, now a legend.

    She didn’t just donate.

    She divested. Buy She not only released her assets into the commons. She also actively helped plan and build the first cities. 

    She helped design the first COL as a gift to humanity, not a monument to herself.

    She wasn’t alone.

    💫 The Power of Voluntary Transition

    That’s the key to it all.

    There was no war. No forced redistribution. No bloody revolution.

    It was a voluntary transition.

    One led by the willing, not the coerced.

    Because as the COLs proved what was possible—self-sustaining systems, meaningful work, joyful community—people stopped clinging to the old way.

    Even those who had power in the old world realized they were trapped by it too.

    They weren’t losing control.

    They were finally letting go.

    And what came instead…

    was something no one had expected:

    freedom.

    📖 So… How Did It Happen?

    Like this:

    • People woke up.

    • Some of them had influence.

    • They used it differently.

    • Others followed.

    • A new path became visible.

    • And when people saw it, they chose it.

    That’s how it happened.

    Not overnight. But inevitably.

    Not with conquest. But with compassion.

    Not with force. But with faith.

    Not because someone made it happen.

    But because enough people said:

    “Let’s do this differently.”

    And they did.

    Would you like to read the story of a man who wakes up in this future and goes through trials and tribulations? If so, you can order the book HERE.

  • We Already Have It In Us: How Voluntarism is Building the New World.

    We Already Have It In Us: How Voluntarism is Building the New World.

    Get this: On a remote beach in the Galápagos Islands, a group of people gathers under the sun, bending down to pick up pieces of plastic and other trash. They are not paid. There is no boss. No clock ticking. Just hands moving, hearts aligned, a shared sense of purpose. This scene has repeated itself for over 30 years, thanks to a volunteer program inviting ordinary people to protect one of the most extraordinary places on Earth.

    This is not a dream of a better future. This is happening — right now.

    And it’s not just in Galápagos.

    Across the globe, millions of us are already doing the work of the New Earth, without waiting for permission or paychecks. It’s not radical. It’s not revolutionary. It’s not niche. It’s mainstream.

    NES – the Natural Exchange System

    In my book Waking Up: A Journey Towards a New Dawn for Humanity, the Natural Exchange System (NES) is the system that has replaced money and trading. It mimics nature in the sense that there is no reciprocal exchange. Every part does its thing and is fulfilled in doing it. Plants produce food and oxygen. Bees collect nectar from flowers and so on. Humans do what feels most natural and interesting for them without any monetary transactions. It’s based on a natural flow of contribution — where people offer their time, skills, and care because they want to, not because they have to. It’s a system of inspired action, grounded in trust and meaning.

    🌱 The Spirit of NES is Already Here

    But we don’t need to wait for the future to experience  the idea of a Natural Exchange System (NES) as described in the book. We simply need to see it — and recognize it for what it is.

    Here are just a few powerful examples:

    • 🌲 The Student Conservation Association (USA) has seen over 50,000 volunteers contribute more than 2 million hours each year to trail building, habitat restoration, and conservation research.
    • 🌳 Bergwaldprojekt (Europe) mobilizes volunteers to maintain forests and ecosystems across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria — reconnecting people with the Earth.
    • 🐨 Conservation Volunteers Australia engages over 10,000 local and 2,000 international volunteers annually in hands-on environmental work — from replanting forests to rescuing native species.
    • 🌍 The Green Belt Movement (Kenya), founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, has empowered women to plant over 51 million trees, rebuilding ecosystems and communities together.
    • 🇦🇲 Armenia Tree Project has planted over 8 million trees since 1994 — thanks largely to unpaid, inspired citizens.
    • 💪 Voluntarism: A Massive, Measurable Force

    If you think voluntarism is just “extra,” think again. The economic value of unpaid work is staggering:

    🟢 In the United States alone, volunteers donated approximately 6.9 billion hours in 2024.
    🟢 Each hour is valued at $34.79, according to Independent Sector.
    🟢 That’s a total contribution worth over $167 billion annually — more than the GDP of many countries.

    And that’s just one country.

    Globally, the value of volunteer work is so vast it rivals national economies. According to international studies, if we tallied up all the unpaid hours humans give to each other and the planet every year, it would exceed the GDPs of most nations on Earth.

    Let that sink in.

    We’re not just talking about potential anymore — we’re talking about proof.

    ❤️ We Want to Contribute

    Why do people do this?

    Not for profit.
    Not for status.
    Not for survival.

    We do it because it feels right. Because it connects us. Because it matters.

    This is what the future looks like.

    A world where contribution comes not from guilt or obligation, but from joy and connection. A world where we aren’t driven by scarcity — but by meaning.

    🌟 The Call of the New World

    The volunteers of Galápagos didn’t wait for NES to be formalized. They simply acted. So did the forest protectors of Europe. So did the open-source coders, the disaster relief teams, the community gardeners, the school lunch helpers, the animal rescuers.

    NES is already here.

    It lives in the spaces where money doesn’t reach — but humanity does.

    The world of Waking Up isn’t some distant fantasy. It’s the world we’re already building, hour by hour, heart by heart. If you want to dive into this future and experience it through the eyes of Benjamin Michaels, you can order the book here.

    So let’s name it.
    Let’s claim it.
    And let’s grow it — together.