Most regular folks didn't really seem to get the question, and I could never quite put my finger on why until one astute friend said, "Neither. Government should be something done FOR you."

Look no further than this attitude — government as Walmart — to explain why democracy is withering. Danielle Smith put it well when she said that to have political vision we must first decide the proper role and limits of government. If its moral mandate is much narrower than most people have come to think, our challenge is to inspire people to want and expect less of it. No small task.

Governments should try to encourage the principle that we should take responsibility for governing ourselves, educating and encouraging people in the right ways to do this. There is a profound paradox to this I realize, but perhaps it's possible. There is still a significant minority of people who understand this, and if this minority can get itself elected to govern, it can do some good. This should not be seen as sinister or conspiratorial. All political philosophies, from left to right, are minority views, yet some govern and the rest don't.

I enjoyed the weekend conference. Thanks for going to all the effort. If we do not sow we will not reap.

I reject any assertion that the possibilities are limited!

Shaping a more positive and inspirational future for Alberta is a great ideal.
Larry S

• Will the 21st Century be essentially like the 20th or profoundly different – at least as different as the 20th Century was from the 19th?

We need to come to terms with the fact that our present aspirations, plans, efforts and forms of governance and organization all assume that we face an essentially familiar future. Without realizing it, we are betting our grand-children’s future on the fact that the classic Industrial view of reality, the earth and human persons will be good for another hundred years. In spite of all the talk of change, innovation and transformation that is now required from public platforms, if you scratch under the paint you will find that virtually every leader of every institution is committed to a future that is essentially like the world they now know and take for granted.

• On what underlying assumptions about the earth, history and the human does our late modern Industrial society and economy rest? Will they still be valid throughout the 21st Century? If not, what forces are driving us to new perceptions of reality, our relationship to it and the implications for governance, wealth creation, learning and the creation of healthy persons, families and communities? What new understandings are challenging today’s orthodoxy?

To the extent we are ignorant of the well-springs of our own society and economy and out of touch with the forces that are eroding their legitimacy, we are as lambs before wolves. Yet few today can speak knowingly to these questions. Our CEOs, mayors, college and university presidents, bishops and deputy ministers should be thankful that they do not have to write an insightful and grounded 10 page essay on these questions in order to keep their jobs.

• What unseen opportunities are hidden in today’s societal noise and signals of change?

The franchise that could be ours is this – to become the world’s first jurisdiction that openly embraces the challenge of consciously evolving into a post-Industrial society and economy; one that truly fits the novel emerging conditions of the 21st Century. It is ironic that this commitment would also be our best long-range economic development strategy. It would create a positive global reputation and knowledge work for Albertans for several generations.

• What vision could be ours in our second century?

Alberta – we are acknowledged as the world’s leading pioneers of 21st Century economies, societies and ways of living.

We are admired around the world for our courageous and explicit commitment to (a) exploring and understanding the profoundly changing conditions of the 21st Century; (b) making it easy for us to access the knowledge, persons, resources and tools that we require to adapt to change; and (c) developing the new ways of living that truly fit with and capitalize on the changing conditions – ways that allow us to sustain success regardless of the conditions we face; ways that ultimately lead to the creation of a civilization that works for all.

We are the partners of choice for companies and organizations that share our commitment to creating a world that is truly wise, courageous, secure, prosperous, innovative, inclusive, integrated, sustainable and humane.

We are, in short, the most future-savvy and influential small jurisdiction in the world. The best of the world’s best willingly invest and come to live here in order to participate in the work of pioneering a great 21st Century culture – a culture so exciting that our children and grandchildren have reasons to stay!

• Which future is in our heads, hearts and hands?

The choice is ours. We are making it daily. The tragedy is that we are not yet making it consciously or wisely. Our hope lies in these facts: (1) Deep down we know that we know better than to live as we are. (2) The most powerful force in human history is evolving human consciousness. History changes when we change our minds. The time to do so is now.

Let’s talk about it.