The Miracle Inn will be a place to gather - online and in real life - to design, deliver, and spread new cultural approaches to environmentalism.

Core to the approach are efforts to tackle hyper-individualism - one of the central problems of our time - and efforts to nurture interdependence.

Why individualism?

Individualism is an ideology, it has been forced upon us. In just under five decades, it has transformed who we are. The effect has been some parts good (very good), some parts utterly toxic. Increasingly it is the latter. Individualism is now in overdrive (it is hyper-individualism), society is fragmenting, and it is taking the planet down with it. None of this is inevitable, hyper-individualism needs can be reined in.

Why interdependence?

“Interdependence represents the delicate dance of mutual reliance and support within relationships. Unlike the notion of rugged independence, interdependence acknowledges the inherent interconnectedness of individuals and celebrates the strength found in collaboration” (Cara Gardenswartz). The emphasis is on striking a balance between supporting one another while still maintaining one’s own individual identity. To embrace this way of thinking is to embrace the idea of the interdependent self.

Critically, interdependence is distinct as a goal from ‘collectivism’ which, in times of hyper-individualism, can manifest as parochial and sometimes politicised tribes who exist in competition with one another. Interdependence does not ask us give ourselves up entirely to society, or to a cause like ‘the climate’, it asks us to only somewhat give ourselves up. This is a defining feature, and is done in recognition of the fact that individualism is not all bad. What interdependence keeps in mind is that we can (and should) be concerned with both the self and the bigger-than-self simultaneously.

How do we do this?

How can we tackle hyper-individualism and nuture interdependence?

The ‘how’ will not emerge from one person, it will emerge (and is emerging) from a collective, from a growing movement, the emergent ‘Movement for Interdependence’. The Miracle Inn is conceived as a place for this movement to gather, to share, and to learn; a place to commune, to collaborate, and to grow. As a membership, we will - step by step - figure out the ‘how’ and test our approaches and strategies through projects and campaigns.

Is this for me?

‘Tackling hyper-individualism’ isn’t something educators, NGOs, and activists tend to state as an activity on their websites, or in their funding applications, but it is often what is happening beneath the surface of the work they are doing. If you are concerned about hyper-individualism you are likely already doing something about it. It might be work that is occupying every waking hour of your day, but equally it might be something small, barely even perceptible. Whatever it is, it is part of The Movement for Interdependence that seems to be emerging.

Further reading

WELCOME to The Miracle Inn
Who is behind The Miracle Inn

BLOG: What is interdependence and why do we need a movement for it?
BLOG: Am I already part of The Movement for Interdependence?
BLOG: Individualism: a reading list