| Oklahomans for Global Solutions |
| Envisioning a future in which people work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, establish a culture of peace, and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve alone. |
| "I salute the flag of the State of Oklahoma. Its symbols of peace unite all people." |
| This website is maintained by Bill Bryant, dba Small World Business Services ... Page created January 12, 2005. |
| The Woolly Rhino Hunters You know about the Woolly Rhinoceros, don’t you? They were fearsome creatures. They lived thousands of years ago, and they occupied a vast stretch of land from Europe to eastern Asia. They were big. They were fast. And they had a bad temper. … [MORE] You Might Be a World Federalist If... 10. You think it is perfectly plausible that Klingons and Vulcans would be able to live peaceably as part of a planetary federation, so why not the nations of Earth? 9. You admire the people of Switzerland, and not just because they make good watches. 8. You celebrated the 200th anniversary of the publication of Immanuel Kant's essay, "Toward Perpetual Peace." … [MORE] The Unconquerable World Jonathan Schell has written a hopeful book, “The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People.” …Schell describes how our world operates, in a political sense, on two basic types of power. One kind of power is coercive … Another kind of power is “cooperative power...” It is a power that manifests itself when people work together to achieve a common goal. … [MORE] Department of Peace By Dennis Kucinich The United States was founded on hope, optimism, and a commitment to freedom. We can once again become a beacon of hope for the world…. It is time to jettison our illusions and fears and to transform age-old challenges with new thinking. This is the idea behind my proposal to establish a Department of Peace. This is the idea to make nonviolence an organizing principle at home and abroad and dedicate ourselves to peaceful coexistence, consensus building, disarmament, and respect for international treaties. Violence and war are not inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are inevitable…. [MORE] On World Democracy By Jim Stark At the height of the Cold War, in 1977, I founded “Operation Dismantle” in Canada. The organization spent years and a busload of money trying unsuccessfully to launch a global referendum on balanced and verifiable nuclear disarmament. On reflection, that goal was far too limited…, plus there was a showstopper, in that the only practical way of having any global referendum was for the governments of nations to conduct the world vote…. Now, a quarter century later, there is a new route around that showstopper, and there is no doubt what the question on the ballot must really be. That “new route” is the Internet, and the objective must be world democracy. ... [MORE] |
| Articles |
The Woolly Rhino Hunters
Thoughts for the Year 2005
Thoughts for the Year 2005
| More Resources on our Community Page ... Message Board ... Events Calendar ... Link to State & Local Groups |
Community Page
You know about the Woolly Rhinoceros, don’t you? They were fearsome
creatures. They lived thousands of years ago, and they occupied a vast
stretch of land from Europe to eastern Asia. They were big. They were
fast. And they had a bad temper.
We’re sorry, now, that the Woolly Rhinos didn’t survive beyond the last
Ice Age. It would have been nice to have a specimen in our local zoo.
But, back in the days when our ancestors were moving out of Africa,
everyone feared the Woolly Rhinos. They were a major concern. This
was back in the days when people didn’t have to worry about Osama Bin
Laden, Donald Rumsfeld, or WMD’s. Instead, the talk of the day was,
“What Are We Going To Do About the Woolly Rhinos?”
You can imagine some of the discussions that must have taken place
around the lodge fire. If the Woolly Rhino were around today, we would
be having the same conversation. I mean, what would you do if you saw
a Woolly coming up the street? You couldn’t outrun it. You couldn’t
wrestle it to the ground. Your best bet would be to climb up a strong
tree. Or, maybe you could run inside a tall building. The Woolly Rhino
would break down the door, but it probably couldn’t go up the elevator.
So, you would have a temporary haven until the Woolly Rhino got tired of
waiting. (Most Woolly Rhinos liked to go home around 6 o’clock every
evening to watch “Spongebob” on cable).
Undoubtedly, there were mixed reactions to the Woollies. Upon
encountering their first Woolly Rhino, a major faction of our ancestors
probably wanted to turn around and go right back to Africa.
Another group felt like the new territory beckoned, and there was an
economic imperative to expand the scope of human habitat – and, so
they argued that the Woolly Rhino should be accommodated. This latter
group was well-organized, and they presented charts and reports
comparing the costs & benefits of moving into Woolly Rhino territory.
It was plain to see, this group said, that the primary victims of the Woolly
Rhinos attacks would be the old, the sick, and the lame – people whose
economic contributions were marginal. So, they advocated a policy of fast-
paced economic development. Their motto was, “Don’t Look Back – the
Woolly Rhinos might be gaining on us!” (This group of early-day
entrepreneurs later formed a “527” political organization that helped to
elect Neo-Conservative politicians to Congress).
Meanwhile, over in the back corner of the lodge, there was a small group
of people being observed by anthropologist Margaret Mead. This group
was not satisfied with the debate among their peers. They thought there
must be a better way to deal with the Woolly Rhinoceros threat.
After an interval, one grizzled old member of the corner group said to her
neighbor: “I wonder what them Woolly Rhinos taste like?”
“I think I could make a great recipe for Woolly Rhino burgers,” said her
bench-mate.
“If I had enough help,” another one said, “I think I could bring a Woolly
home for dinner!”
And, in that moment, a new paradigm was born. It was a surprise
because no one even knew the paradigm was pregnant – not even
Margaret Mead. She wrote in her notebook: “This is a small group of
thoughtful, committed people. They are willing to confront the threat
directly. They have a solution that relies on the strength of cooperation.
All members of the community would be protected. This could change the
world!”
When all the other people in the lodge started hearing about the plan
being hatched by their back corner cousins, the reaction was instant:
“What??!! You want to organize a Woolly Rhinoceros hunt? Are you
crazy??!!”
And, things proceeded as they usually do in these situations. A Woolly
Rhino Hunters Club was formed, but it was small. Only a few volunteers
came forward to join. On their first couple of attempts to bag a Woolly,
the hunters failed. There was more rancorous debate. The hunters were
called, “fuzzy-headed dreamers.”
Many experts & academicians came forward to explain why the plans of
the hunters would never work. The shaman proclaimed that Woolly Rhino
Hunts were Against the Natural Order of Things.
Then, eventually, the hunters enjoyed success, and the community
enjoyed a delicious meal of Woolly Rhino burgers. And, before too long,
everyone agreed that their clan was simply destined to hunt Woolly
Rhinos. It was hard to remember a time when Woolly Rhino burgers
weren’t a part of every meal.
Now, you might be wondering what this story has to do with our modern
life. Well, we figure that the Woolly Rhino is a metaphor for the many
threats and challenges that face our world in the 21st century – the
threats of war, disease, terrorism, economic insecurity, and so on.
We like to imagine that we’re a lot like those ancient ancestors of ours
who weren’t afraid to look the Woolly Rhino problem straight in the eye.
And, like them, we feel like we can be successful in the same way they
were -- by relying on the strength of teamwork and cooperation. That’s
the formula that has worked for our species for thousands of years.
Long before there were nations or empires, our human forebears learned
that no problem is too big when we all pull together.
That’s a good lesson for us to remember as we move into the new
territory of 2005.
Bill Bryant
Chief Instigator
Oklahomans for Global Solutions
creatures. They lived thousands of years ago, and they occupied a vast
stretch of land from Europe to eastern Asia. They were big. They were
fast. And they had a bad temper.
We’re sorry, now, that the Woolly Rhinos didn’t survive beyond the last
Ice Age. It would have been nice to have a specimen in our local zoo.
But, back in the days when our ancestors were moving out of Africa,
everyone feared the Woolly Rhinos. They were a major concern. This
was back in the days when people didn’t have to worry about Osama Bin
Laden, Donald Rumsfeld, or WMD’s. Instead, the talk of the day was,
“What Are We Going To Do About the Woolly Rhinos?”
You can imagine some of the discussions that must have taken place
around the lodge fire. If the Woolly Rhino were around today, we would
be having the same conversation. I mean, what would you do if you saw
a Woolly coming up the street? You couldn’t outrun it. You couldn’t
wrestle it to the ground. Your best bet would be to climb up a strong
tree. Or, maybe you could run inside a tall building. The Woolly Rhino
would break down the door, but it probably couldn’t go up the elevator.
So, you would have a temporary haven until the Woolly Rhino got tired of
waiting. (Most Woolly Rhinos liked to go home around 6 o’clock every
evening to watch “Spongebob” on cable).
Undoubtedly, there were mixed reactions to the Woollies. Upon
encountering their first Woolly Rhino, a major faction of our ancestors
probably wanted to turn around and go right back to Africa.
Another group felt like the new territory beckoned, and there was an
economic imperative to expand the scope of human habitat – and, so
they argued that the Woolly Rhino should be accommodated. This latter
group was well-organized, and they presented charts and reports
comparing the costs & benefits of moving into Woolly Rhino territory.
It was plain to see, this group said, that the primary victims of the Woolly
Rhinos attacks would be the old, the sick, and the lame – people whose
economic contributions were marginal. So, they advocated a policy of fast-
paced economic development. Their motto was, “Don’t Look Back – the
Woolly Rhinos might be gaining on us!” (This group of early-day
entrepreneurs later formed a “527” political organization that helped to
elect Neo-Conservative politicians to Congress).
Meanwhile, over in the back corner of the lodge, there was a small group
of people being observed by anthropologist Margaret Mead. This group
was not satisfied with the debate among their peers. They thought there
must be a better way to deal with the Woolly Rhinoceros threat.
After an interval, one grizzled old member of the corner group said to her
neighbor: “I wonder what them Woolly Rhinos taste like?”
“I think I could make a great recipe for Woolly Rhino burgers,” said her
bench-mate.
“If I had enough help,” another one said, “I think I could bring a Woolly
home for dinner!”
And, in that moment, a new paradigm was born. It was a surprise
because no one even knew the paradigm was pregnant – not even
Margaret Mead. She wrote in her notebook: “This is a small group of
thoughtful, committed people. They are willing to confront the threat
directly. They have a solution that relies on the strength of cooperation.
All members of the community would be protected. This could change the
world!”
When all the other people in the lodge started hearing about the plan
being hatched by their back corner cousins, the reaction was instant:
“What??!! You want to organize a Woolly Rhinoceros hunt? Are you
crazy??!!”
And, things proceeded as they usually do in these situations. A Woolly
Rhino Hunters Club was formed, but it was small. Only a few volunteers
came forward to join. On their first couple of attempts to bag a Woolly,
the hunters failed. There was more rancorous debate. The hunters were
called, “fuzzy-headed dreamers.”
Many experts & academicians came forward to explain why the plans of
the hunters would never work. The shaman proclaimed that Woolly Rhino
Hunts were Against the Natural Order of Things.
Then, eventually, the hunters enjoyed success, and the community
enjoyed a delicious meal of Woolly Rhino burgers. And, before too long,
everyone agreed that their clan was simply destined to hunt Woolly
Rhinos. It was hard to remember a time when Woolly Rhino burgers
weren’t a part of every meal.
Now, you might be wondering what this story has to do with our modern
life. Well, we figure that the Woolly Rhino is a metaphor for the many
threats and challenges that face our world in the 21st century – the
threats of war, disease, terrorism, economic insecurity, and so on.
We like to imagine that we’re a lot like those ancient ancestors of ours
who weren’t afraid to look the Woolly Rhino problem straight in the eye.
And, like them, we feel like we can be successful in the same way they
were -- by relying on the strength of teamwork and cooperation. That’s
the formula that has worked for our species for thousands of years.
Long before there were nations or empires, our human forebears learned
that no problem is too big when we all pull together.
That’s a good lesson for us to remember as we move into the new
territory of 2005.
Bill Bryant
Chief Instigator
Oklahomans for Global Solutions