Hi. I’m Manda, and I help run the Cafe Disruptif network. We’re the ones working to get some baddass, positively deviant, creatively disruptive examples of brilliance to show the people we have conversations with, about doing stuff better.

And the thing is – there’s loads of bad news right now.

And it can seem entirely rational to find a large stone, crawl under it and wait for everything to go away.

But there’s another truth – that there is the most extraodinary immune response from so many people, developing new models of being, of organising our communities, our lifestyles, our businesses and our institutions that put people, planet and wellbeing front and centre.

Which, if we think about it for more than about 3 nanoseconds, is just a damn good idea.

 

So we (Cafe Disruptif) are trying to bring together some examples. Just to remind us of the kaleidoscope of imagination and purpose and creative disruption that is happening all round us … reminding us that eco-nomics is just management of the “oikos” (space, home, hearth, assets…) – it was never about profit.

It’s about managing what we are lucky enough to have. For the best. Even Adam Smith (the economics bloke we all think was the King of Neoclassicalism – turns out that’s not entirely fair …) said:

“No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.“

Indeed.

And there’s a crashing absence of doubt that we are walking (barrelling?!) headfirst into climate and ecological carnage. Largely, it can be argued, as a result of the bogglingly unhinged level of extractive economics we have been indulging in. For some benefit of some; and massive benefit of the few.

And as Tim Jackson reminds us: pro-sperity has b*gger all to do with profit, either. It means “in accordance with our hopes”. And most of us, really, if we’re honest, have hopes centred around wellbeing, and autonomy, and being valued and connected.

A different thing altogether.

So – whatever you’re doing, in the name of a better economics – share it here. It’s free. Because it’s a good thing to share. And everything you’re doing can have a brilliant impact on the ground – but it can also help all the rest of us get inspired, to … so do share.

Thanks. 🙂 We love your creative disruption. Bring it on. We super-hugely need it.

Manda