At the Network of Spiritual Progressives, we believe that generosity and genuine caring for other people is a more effective and ethical approach to human security than military aggression or other, “softer” means of using U.S. power to serve our own interests. A strategy of generosity requires that we reconnect with the human capacity to recognize the other as an embodiment of the sacred, or, in secular language, as fundamentally valuable for who they are rather than what they can do for us. The bonds of genuine care among human beings can and must be fostered by our public policies.
The Global Marshall Plan is a public policy proposal for bringing about a safe, sustainable, compassionate world by working together as a community of nations to
completely eliminate poverty once and for all
solve the environmental crisis that threatens the existence of life on the planet
We propose that the United States lead the G8 nations in dedicating 1-2% of our gross domestic product every year for the next ten years to these goals. Funds would be administered through a nongovernmental body convened explicitly for this purpose, and all funded programs will be
environmentally and ethically sustainable
respectful of native cultures and empowering of local people
designed to embody and foster love, caring, kindness, generosity, nonviolence, ethical and environmental sensitivity, and the ability to respond to the universe with awe and wonder
The Global Marshall Plan we support will be transparently built around an ethical vision of a world in which generosity and caring for others is valued because it is right, not only because it is smart and effective in protecting the United States. In other words, this will not be another clever attempt to dominate the world through aid or feed Western corporate interest by penetrating new markets.
