January 19, 2025- Consider the musk ox. The animal, found across the Arctic region, will gather in closed herds, with the larger and more robust members forming a circle around the youngest and more infirm members of the group. The needs of all are considered, as the guardians stand shoulder to shoulder against predators, and the neediest are safer from harm.

I have often wondered at the possibility of a human community that would operate under a similar aegis. It has ever seemed possible, given our collective intelligence and drive towards survival. Today, at a devotional brunch, one of the participants spoke of Doughnut Theory, as means for conservative and liberal thinkers to reach common ground.

In 2012, the English economist Kate Raworth published a paper, on behalf of the famine relief organization, Oxfam, calling for an economic model that balances basic human needs with the boundaries of this planet. She called it Doughnut Economics. https://doughnuteconomics.org/about-doughnut-economics. After working in a micro-enterprise project in Zanzibar, in the mid-1990s, Ms. Raworth became critical of the notion of unfettered economic growth. She began to advance a model that promotes meeting the basic needs of every human being, such as nutrition and education, while protecting the ecosystem and thus not limiting opportunities for future generations.

The “wheel” of the doughnut has an inner layer,the social foundation; then there is a mid-section,a regenerative and distributive economy and an outer layer, the ecological ceiling. Outside the “wheel” are the challenges facing humanity: Air pollution, ozone layer depletion, climate change, ocean acidification, chemical pollution, nitrogen and phosphorous loading, freshwater withdrawals, land conversion and biodiversity loss. Inside the “wheel” are the spokes: Gender equality, housing, networks, energy, water, food, health, education, income/work, peace/justice, political voice, and social equity. The risks are two: There can be a shortfall in meeting one or more of these essential needs and there can be an overshooting of facing one or more of the challenges.

It was pointed out, at another gathering, this afternoon, that Baha’u’llah has charged all humanity, from rulers and the learned to the most humble and destitute, to face the challenges of living on this planet as a global community, while retaining responsibility for individual growth and the identities of local communities and nations. In that regard, as well as just a general sense of thoughtfulness, Doughnut Economics is worthy of serious study and efforts at implementation.