What Transformation Involves

The transformation which most of us seek in the outer world involves a major shift in our attitudes, the way we deal with each other, the way we deal with money, with our environment, and of course our relationships.

There is much that each of us would need to personally let go of, which we would need to change in our individual lives and this is the real problem. Because we have mostly lived in a state of emotional fear and insecurity - regardless of whether we are politicians or social workers - we have developed ways to protect ourselves against getting hurt, and the resulting fortresses we have built around ourselves have effectively isolated us from each other.

Over the centuries this emotional fear and greed has resulted in a world where each individual lives in a closed space and protects his little territory, grabbing whatever is possible without regard to the others or to the environment. Quite simply, those of us who "have", don’t want to share our time, money and energy differently. When we find ourselves in a close relationship, we don’t want to share each other.

The Need for Space

The first step towards collective transformation is to create a space for ourselves, to see the way we really behave with each other, to see the truth of our lives and relationships. It is only by noticing where we have gone astray, that we can begin to find the way back to each other again.

In turn this involves clearing a space in which genuine learning can take place. This learning would among other things involve looking together at the non productive, and destructive attitudes bred in us through our conditioning so as to let go of the past.

To dissolve our conditioning is not an easy task, because all that we have learnt lies so deep in us, it has become so much a part of us, that there are times when it seems impossible to overcome. We would have to look at many aspects of our everyday behaviour, our tendency to escape unpleasant situations, our fear of pain, our need to control others, the lust for power. It would mean examining our relationships with a microscope, dusting all the corners we have left untouched due to apathy or fear.

A Deeper Examination

A deeper examination of our lives, most often throws up a range of powerful feelings like fear, hatred, guilt or shame. We feel helpless when confronted by them. Intense exploration can result in powerful emotions being released and this in turn can lead to pointless and destructive arguments and struggles. Or again, as it often happens, it can lead to an atmosphere of pseudo harmony in which balance is maintained through strict rules of behaviour, and the agreement not to discuss things which are uncomfortable or painful. The danger with this is that the unpleasant feelings we try to avoid are anyway lurking under the surface and this keeps us in a state of constant fear and anxiety.

For this reason, the space in which we want to look at our deeper feelings together, needs to be maintained and protected and this is best done, by individuals who have worked their way through such feelings, or at least managed to do so, to a large extent.

Letter to the World III

The last in a series of three letters addressed to human beings all over the worldLetter to the world I
Letter to the world II

1. May 2006 (Labour Day)

We are calling for a revolution!

Dear Brothers, dear Sisters,

We are calling for a revolution. For the renewal of the r-evolution. For the continuation of the revolution. First and foremost for an inner revolution of course, for a revolution of love, but then also for a revolution in the external world, for a peaceful revolution of resistance to everything that is an obstacle to love.

Aren't we entitled to rid ourselves of governments, that do not work for the basic human interests and rights? Does not every democratic constitution contain the primary right to dispose of a government which deviates from these goals? Do they not contain the right to withdraw the government's legitimacy and to instate a new government, which will finally act for the benefit of all human beings?

And isn't it in the interest of the population, i.e. the totality of human beings, that military structures of any kind disappear from the face of this planet, and that funds which are currently used for the military be instead used for our blooming? Shouldn't these funds be used to finally tackle the most crude problems we face, such as starvation, the lack of clean drinking water, the education of all children, and basic health care for all humans? And isn't it in the interest of the population, that a new, fair monetary system would help renew our communal life? Shouldn't we get rid of any governments or private organisations which do not focus all their powers towards these aims?

We are calling for a revolution. For a peaceful revolution. For the joint resistance to everything, that is not helpful and useful to us as human community. We are calling for a passive boycott!

In doing so, we do not contradict our society and its order, but on the contrary, doesn't today's structure of society actually contradict everything that is just and fair?

Could an effective, common, ideally global boycott take the form of a refusal to pay any taxes? A refusal to pay, as long as taxes are wasted for senseless things such as military or wars or for servicing debt (i.e. serving capital)? At least, we could transfer the percentage that is used for these senseless things, for example 50%, into an account for the third world and give only the receipts to the tax authorities.

Is not every community, every commune, every state, the whole world, are we not all suffocating in debt, which strife and the servicing of capital are costing us? Aren't we bankrupt, although we have everything, land and life, our capacity for happiness, our capacity for work, and all the many things, which we produce?

Imagine, if one day the community would rise up, simply cast off its debts, simply write off its debts! Imagine, if it simply said: "We are free! We have our life, our land, our earth! We have our work and our capacity for happiness. We have all the many, many things, which we produce. We have everything we need. We are blooming. We are rich.”

Imagine! Who could do something about that? Who could fight against it? Who would fight against it? Simply get out the calculator, caluculate!

How simple everything becomes, when one looks with the eyes of a child.[1]

We are calling for a revolution of love. For a peaceful revolution, for a common resistance, for a passive boycott.

Aren't we entitled, even obliged, to free ourselves from governments which do not care about the wellbeing of the people? To free ourselves from public or private forces, which curtail human rights, which suppress and oppress them? And aren't governments, which corruptly take care of their own, governments, which do not work for justice relating to the financial system, for justice about the riches of the earth, for justice in the distribution of land and goods, aren't they governments which do not act in the best interest of the people?[2]

We are calling for a global, peaceful resistance!

Why should we pay taxes to finance wars which are started by the rich and powerful to further their own interests?

There is a fatal, fatalistic wrong belief, which we all fell for. Namely, that we cannot do anything. But that is not true. Individuals are more powerful than all other powers, as soon as they unite, join each other in common action. That is the power of love, the power of the new story, which we are all waiting for.


What we need is an inner revolution, an awakening of love, of compassion, of the spirit of community in every one. Again and again, that comes first. Only self-knowledge will bring this awakening. But this awakening ultimately leads to common action, which will change the world, it leads to a complete, external revolution, a rearranging of our whole live.

We have almost no glimpse of the wonder, of the wonder of love, which is possible for us humans, and which we could and will effect on our planet. We are waiting for it to bloom.

Samuel Widmer NicoletLetter to the world I
Letter to the world II

[1] From the new and socialy critical novel Celias Garden by Paul Nicolet alias Samuel Widmer, which will be published in the autumn of 2006.

[2] More to the monetary system you can find in the diary of Samuel und Danièle Widmer Nicolet, Today a Daughter Was Born to Us, basic editions, 2005

Letter to the World II

Dear fellow human beings,

A second letter to the world wants to follow the first, to spell out the concerns of the silent and suffering majority of the human community. The great thing about finding oneself in the position of the disadvantaged and powerless is that at least one does not have to hold back in making demands. Of course, while doing this it is already understood and accepted that most likely these will never be met.

The demands of the large NGO’s (non-governmental organisations) are not enough. Eg. Fighting for a tax on speculative investment capital (Attac), for the immediate and complete cancellation of debt for third world countries (Jubilé 2000); a reassessment of the “terms of trade” (Third World Network); against malnutrition and hunger (Action Contre la Faime (ACF)); against the exploitation of workers (Jobs with Justice); for the rights of those imprisoned (Amnesty International), for the rights of children or women or whatever. To us all, these causes appear absolutely necessary and honourable, but definitely too partial.

We want everything, completely. We want justice and equality for all. And we want it now.

Letter to the World - I

This is the first of three letters by Samuel Widmer addressed to fellow human beings all over the world


Dear brother, dear sister,

Dear fellow human beings all over the world,

Do we not have a task, a task in common, which is enormous and unbelievable, for which we have all come to this planet? And doesn’t this mission consist in materialising the fundamental oneness of all being on earth, on our planet? The oneness out of which we all come and into which we will unavoidably go again. And does this not imply that we have to help allow this unity to shine through the area of separation, so that it can reveal itself in this particular realm of the universe which is energetically perhaps the most dense?

Where Revolution Begins

There is this belief in most people that revolution has to do with violence, that it is full of action, that it begins with large scale changes on the material front which then spill over into one’s private life and begin to change people’s attitudes everywhere. Agents of revolution are further seen as either energetic, dapper looking businessmen or gun slinging/slogan shouting rebels brandishing words and statements to fire people’s imaginations and desire for victory.

I believe that there is an aspect to revolution which hardly anybody really sees, because it is silent, it is almost invisible and doesn’t care to dress itself up in fancy words and notions. I believe that the true revolution starts with something inside oneself that says, I want to listen, I need to listen.