Qua Vadis, Domine?
Where To, O Lord?
We are at a crossroad amidst two profoundly destabilizing global historical processes. On the one hand, we are witnessing the massive erosion of democracy in the U.S. and the rise of extreme nationalistic populism in some European countries — both reversing hard-earned humanitarian gains. On the other hand, the global movement for greater justice and governance reform is picking up and becoming recognized as a fundamental contributor to solving the problems our planet faces. Without understanding these two parallel processes, we may try to ignore the turbulence and bury ourselves in the day to day. But no choice is also a choice. And in the global village, every choice matters.
So which way?
The Erosion of Democracy in the U.S.
In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed an alarming dismantling of democratic structures built over centuries in the United States. Despite its flaws, this country, which became my second homeland, has in many ways been a global laboratory on how people can build a more democratic, just and equitable society. I have loved its unparalleled spirit of inquiry and youthful aspirations, as I also suspected that the undealt-with and repressed national traumas of a historical genocide and slavery would sooner or later begin to crack the surface of business-as-usual. And it happened.
The psyche — individual and collective — is only as strong as it is integrated. For too long, the U.S. has maintained an attitude of cultural denial of its history of racial and social injustice. When progressive movements pushed for accountability, the backlash grew violent. Now we find ourselves in an escalation into policies favoring crony capitalism, reckless deregulation, and environmental destruction. The result? Widening inequality, worsening climate crises, and growing public disillusionment.
A Global Movement for Justice and Reform
While the U.S. struggles internally, a global movement is gaining traction. Over the past two years, approximately 1,600 NGOs have engaged in a multi-stage consultative process, facilitated by the Coalition for the UN We Need (C4UN). The outcome was a body of concrete recommendations regarding the urgently needed restructuring of global governance to overcome the planetary crisis of corruption, paralysis, wars, environmental and climate catastrophe. The end product, The People’s Pact for the Future, presented to world governments to consider at the Summit of the Future in September 2024, became The Pact for the Future, adopted by the United Nations as an official document charting the roadmap for collective transformation in 5 areas:
(1) Sustainable Development and Financing for Development
(2) International Peace and Security
(3) Science, Technology and Innovation and Digital Cooperation
(4) Children, Young People and Future Generations
(5) Transforming Global Governance
Why This Matters
This movement signals that history is shifting — people worldwide demand meaningful change and are actively shaping solutions. Instead of succumbing to despair over political corruption and environmental destruction, we have the opportunity to engage with these global efforts.
The People’s Pact advocates for essential reforms, including:
- A rebalancing of decision-making at local, national, and global levels under the principle of subsidiarity.
- A shift from material accumulation to ensuring sufficiency for all.
- Prioritizing long-term environmental stewardship over short-term profit.
- Moving away from zero-sum competition toward shared planetary responsibility.
Breaking the Silence
Why haven’t you heard about this in mainstream media? Because governments and corporations benefit from keeping people uninformed, feeding them despair and misinformation to maintain control. But we don’t have to accept this.
Get informed. Read The People’s Pact for the Future here https://c4unwn.org/the-peoples-pact-for-the-future/ . Learn about its recommendations — such as equipping the UN with conflict-prevention capabilities at a time when thousands are being killed in eastern Congo, and human rights violations are escalating worldwide.
A Call to Action
The transformation we seek requires collective action. Every local group can have national impact, and can also join global impact coalitions, to collaborate with fellow humans across the globe toward our shared needs for human security.
This global chaos is training us to develop processes of unity and justice. Why?
Because foundational to the two-fold purpose of human existence — to grow and develop, and to rehabilitate the fortunes of humanity so that all life can flourish — are the universal spiritual principles of unity and justice. The aspiration toward unitive justice means striving to create a system of balance and inclusion, which acknowledges the living web of interconnectedness of all life and offers meaningful support to all involved in instances of injustice, simultaneously restoring and maintaining community harmony.
Governments come and go, but governance must be rooted in unity and justice to be truly effective. By working toward more just, inclusive systems, we not only build a better future — we also evolve as individuals and societies.
The American bald eagle once symbolized a young, powerful nation. Today, that spirit of resilience and change belongs to all of humanity. The question is: which process will we choose to align with?
