The fabulous creativity of our species is matched only by its uncanny potential for stupidity. We produce music, works of art, and words that touch the heart and warm the soul. We have a magnificent capacity for love and altruism. Our ingenuity, drive, and creativity are breathtaking. At the same time, we make and use tools and techniques that destroy individuals, societies, and the environment. Our advances in technology have not been matched by advances in ethical understanding and our collective behavior threatens the very survival of our species.

Billions of people are so hungry or stressed that they can't think much beyond how to get through the day. Untold millions--maybe billions--yearn for an end to armed conflict, cessation of ecological deterioration, and a more equal footing upon which to secure the basic needs essential to a life of reasonable well being. Millions who are in a position to do something are too busy to attend to what's happening globally. Most are numb from being constantly bombarded by advertising for interminable trivial purposes. And some wish for the wherewithal to find some way to straighten out the mess that the planet's in.

Only through an educated, informed, and alert citizenry can humanity learn from the painful lessons of history and episodic collapses of previous societies and move forward from there. Such a citizenry already exists.