The Shift Movie: The Next Stage in Human Evolution?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08.15.07
It seems there’s no shortage of environmental movies coming out these days, either chronicling the dire situation we find ourselves in, or mapping out things we can do about it. We’ve seen Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth winning an Oscar, we’ve read Olivia’s rave review of Leonardo Dicaprio’s new 11th Hour documentary, and of course Who Killed the Electric Car? continues to kick up debate, controversy and conspiracy theories wherever it is viewed. Is there room, then, for one more? The makers of The Shift certainly think so, and they are asking for your help to get it made.
Essentially, like Paul Hawken’s recent book Blessed Unrest, The Shift proposes the notion that we are living through the birth of the largest political movement in human history, which seems a pretty easy argument to accept from where we are standing. Whether you accept the film's secondary argument, that this movement is part of a necessary evolution of humankind, will depend on your personal philosophical biases. Either way, the makers of the movie make a passionate, compelling, and ultiamtely hopeful case for engaging in change:
“A massive worldwide phenomenon is in progress, offering seeds of great hope for the future. Millions of individuals, organizations and corporations around the world are waking up and embracing a new outlook with an emphasis on their responsibility to contribute positively to our collective future. We are in the middle of the biggest social transformation in human history, The SHIFT. At this critical point, it is imperative we make the masses aware of this global movement quickly. This evolutionary phenomenon is broader and deeper than the most visible SHIFT, the environmental movement. It involves our very understanding of who we are as human beings, and our responsibility to the world and to life itself.”
The trailer for the movie already features an impressive list of activists, political leaders and thinkers, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Al Gore. Unfortunately, there is one hitch, the film is not yet finished. Anyone wanting to donate to the project can do so via this link.::The Shift Movie:: via site visit::
Thank you so much for making this movie more public. This is the kind of thing that we all need/want to see and hear. Once you know the facts about our environmental, poltical, societal, and HUMAN situation, all too often it is easy to feel discouraged. Who has not thought: 'Even with all the good I can do, will it all ever be enough?"
I'm so glad to hear the optimism that shoots out of this clip in a firework of passion and positivity. I'm so grateful - I hope this movie's beauty spreads as far as possible.
Um yeah...that had nothing to do with human evolution. Perhaps you could rephrase the title to say 'social evolution' so as not to mislead people next time.
Yeah... unless people are using this to be sexually selective, it's got nothing to do with evolution. it's just a political movement (an unusually ill-defined one at that).
Anyone know who made this film?
I too would like to know more about the film makers (there is no info about them on their movie site). I see a lot about "donate now" to these people, but who are they? The 6 minutes they've put together are great and inspiring and all that, but I would like to know more about them. I guess current U.S. society has me assuming the worst from anyone asking for money through the internet...