transform a culture, acknowledging the past in the present so to move the world forward in responsible ways and thereby avoid the situation in which we find ourselves today.
It is in this way that Human Dignity Projects approaches the world, seeing design and the possibility for intentional design everywhere, whether you look at forms of governance, the way businesses are structured and products are developed, the way we lay out our cities and
traffic patterns, the way we construct our commercial buildings and places of worship, the way we care for our people by providing education and housing and health care, and the way in which we protect and nurture our environments. Each reflects our fundamental character and how we wish to create our world, our worlds, in reflection of who we are and wish to become; and thus, each becomes a testament to our very being, grounded in our senses and sensibilities, in our physical and
mental development.
This is revealed at our beginning. The first thing we see, if we see anything at all, is shape and color, something which art has brought forth so vividly and which neuroscience has confirmed so definitively. And so it is that design sits at the core of each of us, being embedded from the start in our psyche, our thinking, and our development of practice. It is fundamentally part of our DNA, which is why design is also our shared language, one that need not be spoken to be responded to but one which introduces us to our culture writ large.
More specifically, design and the material used – whether you look at color or pattern or technique, or more generally at the themes revealed in art or craft, textiles or architecture, business enterprises or community programs or government – embeds within itself cultural histories, opportunities, and promise. Thought of in this way, design is essentially shared storytelling. And as shared storytelling, design reveals itself to be the language most indicative of our collective cultural DNA, one which invites us to become more adept at being fully human.39
It is by recognizing and embracing such an understanding that we find the strength not only to embrace but realize the promise that we have within every one of us, which is the capacity to design the world within which we would like to live. We do not need to leave that decision up to others, we rightfully can do so ourselves.
And so, the question will ultimately arise: could this be a political movement, a political party, both? Well, why not answer that question by starting a Campaign for Human Dignity which might then reconstitute itself as a political party, comprised as such would be not just one party to which all must conform, not one ideology to which all must adhere, but many smaller groups or parties built in representation of the various eco-cultural communities and regions discussed and identified?
How might such a campaign start? It could start through environments and mediums that promote conversations, whether online or in person, engaging forums and tools to provide the foundation for pushing out surveys to collect data and working papers to present ideas: an e-platform, online forums, chat rooms, e-publishing initiatives, podcasts, zines, etc.
An e-platform could provide a much more vibrant, much more expansive reach than traditional books, journals, or newspapers. It could be a forum wherein professors, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, artists, writers, designers, and individuals who are working in qualitative areas that support eco-cultural communities might find community. It could be a platform upon which scientists, geographers, archeologists, linguists, environmentalists, and other individuals who are working in quantitative areas that support eco-cultural communities could present, share, and test ideas. It could be an educational platform building off lessons learned, and communities formed, through which people might find and connect with like-minded peers
working in private sector businesses or public sector organizations and institutions.
Such a site would also allow for the creation
146