SECTION 2: EQUALIBIRUM

CHAPTER 5 - SYSTEMS DO NOT DIE

Change the system’s vision to rebalance it. 

Campaigners often rush towards their goals, not realizing it is a long journey. Citizens vote for new leaders, expecting big changes, but often see little improvement in their lives as new officials grapple with the same old system. We too often look in the wrong place to find our way to system change.

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We recommend setting a Guiding Star as a vision or aim for the system we are trying to change. A Guiding Star means that a healthy system is in place, with the why, who, what, and how in place  that helps maintain itself. An example of a Guiding Star for a society is a government that citizens trust and in enacting this trust they vote at general elections - showing their support for structures like the rule of law. The system would be at risk if many citizens rebelled against these structures. Strategies to achieve a Guiding Star should address a scarcity mindset and promote empathy and collective values.

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We recommend setting a Near Star as a 5-10 year major outcome that shows us we are on track to achieve our Guiding Star or vision. This is a major step towards achieving your vision. A Near Star means that conditions for a healthy system are in place. An example of a Near Star is an easy voting process. The system would become unstable if this process was not in place.

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Campaigners are used to setting a vision and then Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound (SMART) goals. This approach builds from this foundation, adapting it for a systems mindset. 

First, it is important to understand that systems do not die. Every system already has a Guiding Star showing it is in good health, and a Near Star showing what needs to happen for it to remain healthy. So, start by understanding how the system(s) operate today and then determine how you would like to see them evolve - rather than setting visions and SMART goals assuming a static starting point and a blank page. 

The tool in this Chapter shows how to identify the existing Guiding Star and Near Star for the system, and how to identify new stars to replace them.

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For much of the 20th century Bolivia and Ecuador adopted economic policies based on advice from Washington, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). By the mid-2000s, the extraction and sale of their natural resources by multinational companies had left many Bolivians and Ecuadorians in poverty.

Progressive movements in each country brought together coalitions representing Indigenous movements and left-leaning white working-class people. These movements recognized the stability in community that Indigenous peoples had established long before country borders were drawn. This could be a new Guiding Star to ensure their societies and environments could thrive. This focus on the collective rather than the individual was rooted in the Quechua vision of “sumac kawsay,” meaning “the fullness of life, living in community and harmony with other people and nature.” The Quechua practiced their stewardship of nature, by only taking what they needed from their environment, focussing on helping nature to stay in balance.

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Evo Morales, an Indigenous leader in Bolivia, and Rafael Correa, a middle-class intellectual in Ecuador, won elections based on the idea that they would restrict the extraction of natural resources and reinvest a large portion of the profits to fight poverty and inequality. 

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In 2008, Ecuador established the Guiding Star of “buen vivir” (a Spanish phrase, based on sumac kawsay) as a cornerstone of its constitution. In 2011, Bolivia passed the Law of Mother Nature, the world’s first national legislation to bestow rights to the natural world. The reforms changed the idea of development, prioritizing “ecological balance over relentless growth.”* Were systems fully and effectively reformed based on these new why guiding stars? No. But it is still relevant to consider as an example of one key step towards enacting system change

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Sources (formal sourcing): *Rapid Transition Alliance: https://rapidtransition.org/stories/the-rights-of-nature-in-bolivia-and-ecuador/  Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/blog/buen-vivir-philosophy-south-america-eduardo-gudynas

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Under British colonial rule, in 1930 India was gripped by a growing demand for independence. Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement, decided to challenge the British monopoly on salt production, which forced Indians to buy salt exclusively from the government.

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Gandhi’s Near Star was not just an objective to defy the salt law, but to use this act as a catalyst to unite the Indian population in a mass movement against British imperialism. His Guiding Star was to gain India's independence through nonviolent civil disobedience, rather than merely achieving minor policy changes. He took learnings from other Indians who had practiced ‘Satyagraha’ - to resist by non-violent non-cooperation with oppression. “For Gandhi, satyagraha, the force of truth, was the force not to cooperate with unjust laws that called for a ‘no’ from our deepest conscience”.

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Gandhi organized the Salt March, a 240-mile trek to the Arabian Sea, where he symbolically broke the salt laws by making salt from seawater. This act of defiance sparked widespread civil disobedience across India, leading to the arrest of over 100,000 people. 

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The campaign was able to bring the British to the negotiating table, resulting in the 1931 Gandhi-Irwin Pact, but this seemed to deliver limited concessions. 

Many within the Indian National Congress felt disillusioned, believing that Gandhi had settled for too little—only minor exceptions to the salt law and the release of some political prisoners.

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Although the immediate gains from the Salt March appeared modest, Gandhi saw the bigger picture and stayed true to his long-term aim. He understood that the symbolic victory of forcing the British to negotiate with an Indian leader on equal terms was a significant moral and strategic win. This shifted public opinion and built the capacity of the Indian independence movement for future struggles. The campaign also demonstrated the power of nonviolent resistance, inspiring mass mobilizations that would eventually lead to India's independence. Gandhi's ability to focus on his Guiding Star, rather than getting sidetracked by the immediate, lesser objectives, ultimately helped dismantle British imperial rule in India.

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Read more: 

Shiva, V. (2021). Satyagraha: The Highest Practise of Democracy and Freedom. Social Change, 51(1), 80-91. 

Sharma, A. (2015) Gandhi’s Non-Violent “Raid” During the Salt March.