Preamble
Since the dawn of civilization, with the increasing influence of technologies, the Globe has been shrinking. Paradoxically in parallel, the socio-economic disparity between the advanced and the other regions has been widening, ecological balance between and nature has been severely worsening; seriousness of such an imbalance cannot be overemphasized1. In order to reverse such “self-choking” trends The Boston Pledge, a non profit organization made up of outstanding professionals, humbly serves long range issues to catalyze sustainable development of global equity. It is an incubator of voluntary public service. Ambitious as our vision might appear, it is our strong conviction that transcending the constraints of self-interest and focusing on empowering people at the grass roots in eco friendly ways is the need of our times.
We believe developed economies along with the developing regions worldwide, must view the regions/communities, which are behind in the development curve, with a new perspective -as platforms of innovation. These economies could perhaps more easily disconnect from the inertia of the consumption habits of the developed societies, and evolve new business models, which are conservation-centric, sustainable, and enable equitable opportunities. In order to enable such a change, we need new type of leadership with forward looking vision to inspire new thinking, with courage to make bold moves rooted in deep understanding of science, engineering and technology. In the process, it is our hope that new patterns of interactions between human and nature will evolve towards an enlightened civilization. Nothing short of a Renaissance in our imaginative capacity along multiple dimensions, - aesthetics, economic, infrastructure, social, scientific technological, could save us from the “dynamics of the viscous meltdown”.
The world today is indeed at a critical crossroads. In the last five hundred years technological advances, better education and cultural discipline have spurred unprecedented socio-economic growth in a handful of nations. In most other countries, however, progress had been extremely slow, only limited to a few people at the top of the pyramid, leading to a widening economic disparity in quality of human livelihood. The disturbing events of the 21st century provide ample reasons why that people from developed nations must find innovative ways to reach out in improving the living standards of those from underprivileged communities. The benefits of capitalism must be shared universally, both for humanitarian reasons for the continuing survival of mankind, and more importantly to advance the spirit of capitalism to the next stage of development.
With its diverse cosmopolitan population striving to gain meaning in their lives, America is uniquely positioned in this quest to mobilize its resources towards the benefit of its immigrants’ ancestral homelands. In doing so, the institutions of America stand to benefit as well, from the growth and spread of balanced prosperity in emerging economies. In the process it is our hope that the United States will continue to secure significant respect and admiration of the international community in facilitating humane and noble endeavors. Paradoxically in parallel, the socio-economic disparity between the advanced and the other regions has been widening.
