An open worldwide community of person to person solidarity

 

Despite the myriad of existing social networks, our humanity is beleaguered by growing fragmentation, caused essentially by the exacerbated individualism of our times. As a result, the distressing, and often terribly lonely, texture of our day-to-day reality breeds despair, frustration, marginalization and even violence, generating thus more and more alienation. And the current socioeconomic context unfortunately regularly provides justification to this depressing state of affairs.

 

Such observations may seem excessive, possibly even simplistic. However, loss of community is a painful recurring concern across the entire social and political spectrum.

 

It is therefore high time to humbly propose a new medium to help in stitching us back together or a truly ‘social’ network.

 

The WSNs are an online open worldwide web community engaged in direct or person-to-person solidarity, complementing at a personal level the solidarity endeavors at the institutional level (NGOs, UN, charities, etc.).

 

In essence, the mission of the WSNs is to encourage a change of social paradigm by catalyzing, thanks to the power of the social networks, a paradigm of personalized cooperation and complementarity instead of one of competition and self-centeredness.

 

Four Networks corresponding to what we see as the 4 fundamental principles of solidarity -sharing, understanding, learning and mutual valuing – enact our efforts.

 

-  The Sharing Network, which promotes, through personalized support, our economic and social welfare as well as defends our fundamental human rights.

 

-  The Understanding Network, which aims at solving our differences through person-to-person discussion in view of solutions and hence seeks to restore mutual understanding and respect.

 

-  The Learning Network, which shares knowledge and ways of knowing, a fundamental vector of fraternity/sorority and of progress.

 

- The Mutual Valuing Network, which showcases the initiatives, talents and creativity of all members, hence empowering us all.

 

A Charter commits members to form lasting “friendships” or partnerships with other members, whether these partners are in need, at conflicting ends of an issue, in search of knowledge or seeking recognition. Even in the case of a conflict of points of view, members engage themselves to partner in order to ensure respectful disagreement and find a solution.

 

And the Charter also binds members in need, in search of knowledge or seeking recognition to give in return, whatever they can. What matters is the deed.

 

Yet the Charter enshrines neither a spiritual quest nor an ideological engagement but simply a commitment to enact basic and universal humanitarian principles, echoing the project of peace and of partnership among us humans of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

 

We are simply promoting the principles of its very first article, from the grassroots upwards.

 

The online social networks are the medium offered to us for these principles to live, to thrive and to spread ... virally.