- Flemming [3/10/97]

I can't keep something this good to myself either. Please respect the COPYRIGHT for this material since it did appear in a magazine. Contact the magazine and/or author before you use it in any manner, especially in anything that you sell commercially.

- Wayne [4/20/97]

"This is a social movement waiting to happen. So says Dr. Paul Ray, a market researcher who recently discovered a new US subculture which was completely undetected a generation ago. This group, labeled "Cultural Creatives" has reached a critical mass of 23.6% of adults, or 44 million people. It is the only one of the three primary US subcultures which is growing, and it embodies the values of the human potential movement begun in the 1960s. Ray believes this group could be the key to a new spiritual Renaissance which could transform society. The group is called "Cultural Creatives" because they are generating the most new ideas in society, operating on the leading edge of cultural transformation. Contrary to popular belief, there are a few more of them on the West Coast but they are found in all regions of the country. The male to female ratio is 40-60, their median age is 42, and they are more educated then the other subcultures. They are less concerned with success or making money, although most are middle or upper-middle class, and some have quite high incomes. They hold values of:

1) Spirituality and self-actualization, a sense of the sacred that incorporates personal growth, psychology, holistic health, and spiritual service to others.

2) Sustainability beyond environmentalism, rebuilding community, planetary, ecological, the sacredness of nature, voluntary simplicity.

3) Globalism, love of foreign travel, foreigners, and the exotic.

4) Relationships, feminist ideology, women's issues, family, and nonviolence.

5) Social conscience and optimism, altruism, idealism.

As with all three subcultures, "Cultural Creatives" also define themselves by what they are not. They reject the hedonism, materialism, and cynicism of modern society as well as the scarcity orientation of the working class, the anti-sustainability of conservatives, and the intolerance of religious extremists. Do these values sound familiar? It is likely that many readers of "Personal Transformation" are part of this promising new group. But how did this third US subculture evolve? As recently as the 1960s, only two cultural forms were visible: the "Heartlanders" and the "Modernists."

"Heartlanders" have a nostalgic image of returning to small town, religious, white America which corresponds to the period of 1890 to 1930. Although this image is based more on myth than reality, "Heartlanders" emphasize recapturing the "good old American traditions." The "Heartlanders" were 50 to 60% of America two generations ago and are now only 29%. They tend to be older than the other two subcultures and their income and education tend to be lower. As their numbers decline, they are not being replaced; they have gone from mainstream to minority status in 50 years. The current resurgence of conservatism in America may be a "last hurrah" for this group, in which they appeal to disenchanted "Modernists" by providing an alternative to materialistic values.

The "Modernist" are now the mainstream of society, with 47% of the population or 88 million people, although this subculture is also in a slow decline "Modernism" emerged from the urban and merchant classes who created the modern economy. "Modernist" society is idealized in the growth and expansion of the 1920s and 1950s While "Modernist" span the range of demographics, its middle and uppermiddle class members can be difficult to distinguish from "Cultural Creatives" without understanding their differences in values. "Modernists" embody "winner" values: a success orientation, upward mobility, material acquisition, and status display. Their numbers are in decline in part because of their culture's inattention to non-material values which give life intrinsic meaning. In addition, "Modernist" solutions to the world's problems --while once promising -- have created as many problems as they have solved.

"Modernists" are becoming disenchanted, which is evidenced by a level of cynicism higher then the other subcultures, This cynicism is also evident in the media, which embodies and caters to the culturally dominant "Modernist" view. According to the media, the world is "in collapse"--and indeed the "Modernist" world is. In contrast, the hopeful trends and innovations being established by "Cultural Creatives" provide a note of optimism but the fact that we rarely see or hear about these in the media leaves us with a societal self-image of deterioration.

Because of these factors, the long run momentum and hope for the future is with the "Cultural Creatives" if they can gain the cohesion to create and act upon a tangible vision of an alternate society. Paradoxically, most "Cultural Creatives" believe they are alone ---that few people share their values, This causes them to be hesitant to disclose or champion their values in public arenas, such as business or politics. Yet, the "Cultural Creatives" have a population the size of France!! As Ray's report says, "Take heart! Unbeknownst to most of us, we've been traveling in the midst of an enormous company of allies --a larger population of creative people who are the carriers of more positive ideas, values, and trends than any previous Renaissance period has ever seen. And they can probably be mobilized to act altruistically on behalf of our collective future." Ray, whose study was sponsored by the Institute of Noetic Sciences and the Fetter Institute, believes that we are at a turning point the history of humanity. Despite the fact that the "Cultural Creatives" have reached a critical mass of nearly a quarter of the population, our future is still not foreordained. Rather, it is a time of a "Great Divide" which we could evolve into a "New Renaissance" of rebirth and transcendence or a "Fall of Rome" followed by a "Dark Ages."

In a recent interview with Personal Transformation, Ray said that he believes the highest leverage point in creating this Renaissance is the mobilization of "Cultural Creatives," especially in the workplace. "My main message for 'Cultural Creatives" is that they can turn the tide by doing two things. First, they need to get together to invent new images of what the world could be. Then they need systematically to move altruistically into institutions they're not as comfortable in--the ones they opted out of such as business, politics, the financial community, technology, and the mass media. Historically, cultural transformation has required some suffering on the part of those who led the way. If the 'Cultural Creatives' could go back to the institutions they have left and have the courage to infuse them with these new values, the momentum could sweep society in a profound and lasting way.

Forums and opportunities for public demonstration of our spiritual values abound. "Personal Transformation" recently featured an article on one such conference on The Birthing of the Society of the Universal Human. Similar conferences and workshops of like-minded people are everywhere, from small local gatherings to international events. However, none have provided a catalyzing force which has drawn more than a tiny percentage of the 44 million "Cultural Creatives"

One recent event which drew a somewhat larger crowd was the Foundation for Ethics and Meaning Conference held in Washington, D.C, on April 14. Nearly 2,000 people from a wide variety of belief systems and backgrounds gathered to begin a formalized discussion to incorporate new "Politics of Meaning" into US culture. Attendees were attracted to the underlying principle of the Foundation: that it is fundamentally wrong for any individual or group to dominate another, but that, when we look at mainstream "Modernist" society, exploitation of people and resources for financial gain is the norm. The Foundation proposes that we need a new vision of our society in which the fundamental principle is the recognition of the inherent value of all people and the unity between us. Although the Foundation's focus is on political action, they too believe the workplace is a key leverage point in building a community of meaning which transcends materialism and embraces spiritual, sustainable values.

Many other proponents of this new vision are also urging people to be more vocal and active, to "stand up and be counted." In many of her public speeches last year, Marianne Williamson (author of "Illuminata" and "Return to Love") encouraged people to start "coming out," to live their spiritual beliefs at a new level of robustness, within public forums. Publisher John Renesch made a similar "call to Spartacus" when he urged people in the business community to demonstrate the courage that Spartacus exhibited when he helped slaves gain their freedom in ancient times.

A "Spiritual Renaissance" could herald a new era for humankind, with the US leading the world in a new spirituality which integrates the beneficial elements of our history while transcending its materialism and other drawbacks. The new sciences, as well as the wisdom of the ages, tell us that what we hold in our minds is likely to be created in our reality. Crossing the "Great Divide" and moving toward a "New Renaissance" can only happen when we create a collective vision which is so inspiring that people are moved to become part of it. The world needs guiding lights, people who have experienced their own personal transformations and are able to bring this light of hope into the world. The question is: Are they -- are we -- willing to take the risk?