The NEXT Manifesto
Everyone has enormous untapped potential
Everyone deserves the opportunity to discover their unique gifts and use them to make a difference in their life and the lives of others
Everyone deserves the opportunity to discover their true meaning and purpose
Everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive and achieve their full potential
To achieve this, we need a new way for people to take advantage of the extraordinary benefits of modern life and avoid the pitfalls: the extraordinary speed, complexity and range of choice, and the social pressures that challenge us like never before, especially in the wake of the Covid pandemic
Current advances are falling short
The advances of the last 50 years – the technologies, conveniences, social services, human rights, economic growth – are not enough. The evidence is clear: large and growing numbers of people from all walks of life who benefit from these advances are struggling, breaking down, withdrawing, divorcing, medicating, and harming themselves in epidemic proportions.
The human brain holds the key
According to the now-accepted science of neuroplasticity, our brains are innately changeable throughout our lifetime – not “unchangeable biological machines” as held by science and medicine since the neuron was discovered more than a century ago.
The evidence is in
At NEXT, we have proven, albeit on a small scale, that the ability to self-direct this innate changeability is learnable – like reading, writing, and the use of a personal computer and the Internet.
We call this neuro-literacy – the ability to understand the way your brain works and how to make it work better, using your mind. This innate untapped capability can be used to change the way we productively relate to and interact with ourselves, other people, technology, and the world around us.
Democratizing neuro-literacy
We therefore believe that neuro-literacy must be treated as a basic human right and democratized like freedom of speech, literacy, clean water, and public safety – but without the need for financial support or oversight by governments. Governments are overburdened and cannot be expected to embrace, let alone fund, the changes that are required. This democratization must be by people and organizations everywhere, for people and organizations everywhere.
It is time to cause a paradigm shift
This must happen quickly, in years not decades, in order to arrest and reverse the epidemic. It has been done before – communication, personal computing, and the Internet followed similar paths. It is time to empower a global community of concerned motivated people and organizations who see the possibility of neuro-literacy for all.
