Our Sixteen Core Principles

  1. We seek to bring about positive social, cultural, ecological, and economic change through respectful dialogue and strategic action.
  2. We respect and affirm the core element of goodness and humanity within each human being, however hidden or untapped it may at times seem.
  3. We believe that healthy, thriving, fulfilled human beings and a healthy, thriving, fulfilling society are inextricably intertwined.
  4. We assert that caring for and cultivating our own well-being inevitably impacts all of those whose lives we touch, and is therefore an indispensable element of social responsibility that we prioritize and support.
  5. We believe that taking action that serves other human beings and the broader community of life is a necessary condition for realizing authentic well-being.
  6. We agree in all of our meetings and events not to use language or imagery of hatred, division or blanket condemnation, but rather to use language, sound and imagery that seeks to heal, inspire and transform.
  7. We agree to avoid shouting or using high sound levels whenever possible.
  8. We focus on strategic effectiveness, and do not confuse being civil and respectful with being liked, docile, or compliant.
  9. We focus primarily on what we want to see emerge rather than what we do not want, and give our greatest attention to that which is specific and actionable.
  10. We take strong stands on urgent issues such as ecological restoration, response to climate change, and fulfillment of basic human rights and needs.
  11. We consider systems of thought to be guiding means, not absolute truth. We do not cling to any doctrine, theory or ideology, but stand ready to learn and grow in each moment.
  12. We recognize the very significant ways that racial, ethnic, cultural, economic, sexual, geographic, and other differences shape human experience, and also the many aspects of human experience that are shared. We forge and discover true unity not through unanimity, uniformity or conformity, but through inclusion, respect, and appreciation of diversity, including the diversity of life forms with whom we share the planet.
  13. We know that life is fraught with pain, suffering and hardship that can only be transformed when it is acknowledged and recognized.
  14. We know life is filled with countless forms of beauty, wonder, and joy, and that what we appreciate appreciates.
  15. We believe that hatred, fear, greed, ignorance and suffering are never uprooted by hatred, fear, or dogma, but only by love, courage, integrity, open-mindedness, and joy.
  16. We believe in the eloquence of open space, open time, and regenerative silence, and we encourage them in our lives and our culture.