The Nobel Prize Laureates – Elinor Ostrom, Muhammed Yunus, Wangari Maathai, Barack Obama

Elinor Ostrom born in 1933 shared the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2009.     She is the first woman to have won the prize in economics.   Elinor Ostrom is  considered to be an expert in the field of common pool resources.  What are common pool resources?  These include such living, breathing resources as  forests, fisheries, oil fields.    Her work looked at how humans and societies to maintain longterm sustainable resources.    The Royal Academy of Sciences cited Elinor’s work “for her analysis of economic governance,” saying her work had demonstrated how common property could be successfully managed by groups using them rather than by governments or private companies.   ”  This in fact went against the mainstream economic thinking of that time.  

Thanks to Elinor Ostrom for bringing a feminine (not feminist but feminine) perspective to economics -bringing the “eco” back to economics.     She was thinking about the whole – how common resources can be stewarded by common people living in society.   Being the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2009 marks the change in human consciousness and evolution that  is now enveloping us.  The collapse of the current economic system was absolutely needed in order for the phoenix to rise out of the ashes.   The old economic system imploded and collapsed in on itself because it was built on a purely linear model of exploitation of resources and people, greed and shaky values that could not possibly stand up in the face of the evolution of consciousness of individuals and hence the collective world-wide .   The old economic system  also could not stand up in the face of the spiritual laws that govern our cosmos – that we are all one, that we  love our neighbour as we love ourselves, that every individual is to be respected and that the gifts given to them by their Creator be made manifest to create the new Heaven on Earth.  The old economic system and old economic order had monetary wealth (remembering there are many forms of wealth including emotional and spiritual) pooled in the hands of a few.  

The new economic world order is being grounded in the divine feminine – respecting Mother Earth, living with her natural cycles  –  not raping and pillaging her.  As consciousness evolves so too will all mainstream systems on Earth.   This  is not a new world economic order based on the thinking or strategies of a few.  It is a new world economic order based on spiritual principles that we are all one, that we we were all created for a reason that has purpose and meaning and that the Universe is abundant and that we can fairly share resources without exploiting them.  This is being dreamed and envisioned by many ordinary people who recognize in their souls the injustice, inequities, imbalance of material wealth and are developing innovative solutions to transform this world to one that is just, equal and balanced and where every person is respected and has a home to call home on the planet. 

I was blessed to hear Muhammed Yunus in the mid-90’s speak about the development and his “on-the-ground work,” “where the rubber hits the road model of microcredit called “The Grameen Bank ” at the World Bank Conference on Spirituality and Sustainability.    I knew that my life had changed when I heard Muhammed Yunus speak.   I knew that efforts like his would change the face of the planet,  help the majority of  people living on the planet claim their power and their money,  and be responsible for wealth redistribution and management.    It is absolutely necessary to rebalance an economic system that has been  totally weighted for the benefit of a few, and by exploitation of the northern countries  and Western world of the East and the South.   People in the East and the South are in the process of claimng their  power.      The economic power base is shifting to the East.    This had to happen.   When all is said and done, what I hope and envision  is a balanced world – materially, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually –  north, south, east and west – with prosperity for all.   

Muhammed Yunus’  co-created what is really a divine feminine model of socio-economics.  Interestingly enough it was women that microfinancing supported. This was a catalyst to help women claim the power inside of them.    Some statistics I have read said that women do 90% of the work in the world and receive 10% of the wages.   That too needs to be rebalanced.   As a woman, in business  I feel fortunate that I am able to now take the inspiration and  knowledge that I received over a decade ago from Muhammed Yunus and build it into a business model that also illustrates the best of ecospiritual consciousness of this time.   More on that  in later blogs.

Wangari Maathai was also a deserving winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for her painstaking work for the environment and people in the face of adversity in Kenya.    Muhammed Yunus and Wangari Maathai have both endorsed Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize see http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1929402,00.html

I agree with them that the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama may be a catayst for his intention to establish a peaceful sustainable world. for all.    I hope that it is.     At the same time, the current reality is that the US and we as a global community are far from this place.   Action and results –  including the US devolving their military stance in two wars, dismantling the military war engine and restructuring an economy driven by the military, weapons and arms as well as truly establishing peace and reconciliation and unity at home  (apology to the Native Americans from the government for the Highway of Tears, residential schools and past trangressions) as well as real socio-economic  progress in native communities+ others would be part of the restoration of  real peace and justice .  (See chapter “Weaving Cultures of Peace” in the award-winning best selling book, “Healing the Heart of the World: Harnessing the Power of Intention to Change Your Life and Your Planet).  Other than doing what we can in our home nations – restoration of peace in the Middle East as sacred and lands for all people around the globe is essential.     All steps at home and internationally would be real, tangible accomplishments. At the moment, the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama seems a little preliminary.    Note that when someone is clearly deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize,  it does not generate the kind of debate and discussion that the awarding of this particular Prize has. (additional link – posted on Oct. 16 -“Some on Nobel Peace Prize Panel Reluctant on Obama –http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE59E3M720091015   So it seems that members of  the Selection Panel were divided )

More important than others winning or not winning the Nobel Prizes , or whether they deserve it or not is what is your piece of work in support of transforming our current relationship to Mother Earth so that we are aligned with her cycles.  What is your piece of peace in support of family, community and global peace. As these Nobel Peace Prize Laureates have done, I hope you have the courage to bring forth your gifts and put your piece of peace into the mix.  All of us deserve to live in a world of peace, where each being is respected, loved and can give their creative gifts to build a positive, loving, compassionate world for all.  See the book, The Inspired Organization:  Spirituality and Energy at Work  and  www.spiritualityatwork.wordpress.com for the information and tools to develop your full human and divine potential and to use the creative gifts you have been given.