This article really points to the core of the problems underlying our current environmental and economic crises: a lack of understanding that we are inextricably part of an eco-social system, and that finding harmony within the system is not the responsibility of political and economic leaders -- "Living Democracy" begins in your own community.

If you're interested in more examples of Living Democracy in action and how Systems Thinking can reveal leverage points, check out www.ecotippingpoints.org (there are short videos on both Communtiy Forest Management and Non-Pesticide Management as mentioned above).