FROM THE "ME" GENERATION TO THE "WE" GENERATION DOES LOOKING BEYOND OURSELVES MAKE LIFE MORE REWARDING?

ARCHIVED 2002–2016: Originally distributed via the eWire press wire service. Preserved as historical record.

FROM THE "ME" GENERATION TO THE "WE" GENERATION

DOES LOOKING BEYOND OURSELVES MAKE LIFE MORE REWARDING?

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FROM THE "ME" GENERATION TO THE "WE" GENERATION

DOES LOOKING BEYOND OURSELVES MAKE LIFE MORE REWARDING?

Also: Ode looks at "Plan B," the global bubble economy and the fallacy of "business as usual"

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, Jan. 12 -/E-Wire/-- Tired of the endless self-absorption of the "me" generation? So is ODE, the independent, international news magazine that launched in the United States this past October.

The January cover story "We Are Here" (p. 34) calls for the next spiritual step, a leap to "we." Writer Jaap Westerbos, whose new book, "World Wide We," which deals with the evolution from a self-centered society to one in which we realize we are all connected, takes a look at why the time is right for this transformation. His thesis is that we need to collaborate to survive, and he puts together a complete list of books that help us to think in this new direction, from Amitai Etzioni's "The New Golden Rule" to Jane Goodall's "Reason for Hope."

For anyone fed up with the greed, rage and international disharmony of our era, Mr. Westerbos says there is an alternative. Psychologists call this the "transpersonal age." Philosophers are predicting a move to more world-centric thinking. Putting "we" before "me" will not only change ourselves, it will transform the world, the ODE piece says. "The new 'we' is convinced that one plus one is three." Working together as a community to create an alternative to the global bubble economy is the premise of eco-economist Lester Brown in "Plan B" (p. 26). "Plan B" goes beyond business as usual, calling for an urgent reordering of priorities and a restructuring of the global economy to address mounting dangers. He outlines a four-step program for world cooperation on problems of population, water, soil and climate stabilization.

"This first issue of the new year taps into the heart of ODE's mission," notes Jurriaan Kamp, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ODE. "We strive to publish stories about people and concepts that are changing the world. The idea of going to a 'we-centered' world from an 'I-centered'

world changes our paradigm and encourages better global interaction on every level â social, political, economic and environmental."

The January issue of ODE also contains the following stories, among others:

Man Is Not An Isolated Creature On A Lonely Planet (p. 24) by Luke Disney The concept of the "we-centered" universe is a short step away from the premise of the Zero Point Field â that everything is connected on a sub-atomic level. ODE talks to Lynne McTaggart, whose bestseller "The Field" has ignited interest in the boundary between science and mysticism.

Allah's Liberated Women (p. 19) by Tijn Touber The emancipation of Muslim women is gaining momentum. Iranian lawyer Shiin Ebadi's receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize is the most high-profile example of Muslim women stepping out from behind the veil, at least figuratively. While advances remain uneven throughout the Islamic world, in Iran, women are playing football and serving on the police force. In Saudi Arabia, more than 300 people â including 51 women â took to the streets to protest Islamic extremism. And, women can now be seen driving cars because the 10-year ban against women driving has been lifted. In Afghanistan, women are pushing for the rights they have been promised.

2/15: The Day The World Said "No" to War (p. 46) Photo Essay On February 15, 2003, people all over the world expressed their opposition to war â the first peace demonstration on a global scale. Taken from news coverage of that day, this photo essay documents the expression of peace from cities throughout the world.

Turn Off the Television and Turn On Your Life (p. 62) by Marco Visscher Is television the antidote to boredom, or the cause of it? Author Marco Visscher explores the friendless world of the television sitcom, where the cast is having the fun and the viewer waits for the next joke. It's time, the author states, to take a more proactive approach to life and replace the time spent with fictional friends on television with real ones in a richer, more rewarding life.

Free Africa (p. 14) by Marco Visscher No continent on earth faces greater challenges or has had greater heartbreak than Africa. In this riveting piece, African leaders and intellectuals talk frankly about the right way to transform Africaâand they say it can't be accomplished by simply throwing money at African countries in the form of aid. What does Africa really need? A farming revolution, according to Ghanian writer G. Pascal Zachary, author of "The Diversity of Advantage."

Hunger Is A Man-Made Massacre (p. 23) by Willem Offenberg ODE features an interview with UN special "rapporteur" Jan Ziegler, who says socio-economic rights ought to take precedence over contractual obligations in developing countries, meaning that debt should be forgiven to those countries that most need it. Brazil, for example, is one of the world's largest producers of grain, yet 41 million Brazilians suffer from serious malnutrition because of the $230 billion in debt Brazil carries. A controversial figure, Mr. Ziegler brands the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank as the bad guys in this scenario and advocates radical change.

ODE Magazine is an independent, international news magazine committed to publishing stories about people, ideas and trends that are changing the world. ODE began publishing in Europe in 1995, and was launched in the United States in 2003. Jurriaan Kamp is Founder and Editor-in-Chief.

ODE has featured the writings of an eclectic collection of international thought leaders, including Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech republic; British businesswoman/activist Anita Roddick; Prince Charles of Wales; U2's Bono; and, filmmakers Robert Redford and Michael Moore. Further information can be found on the ODE website, www.odemagazine.com. For more information, to obtain a copy of the January issue, or to speak with Jurriaan Kamp, please contact Davia Temin, Ray Healey or Jane Trombley at Temin and Company, [REDACTED-PHONE].

http://www.odemagazine.com.

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