The New Society of Friends

“Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living things, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on the earth. I said then and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” Eugene Victor DebsThe New Society of Friends is an international research institute dedicated to developing a greater understanding of human issues. The institute supports the development of cultural, academic and entrepreneurial projects that give more insight into the hopes, fears and pleasures of people around the globe.The institute operates around certain key principles:1. Society is a cohesive unit: the actions of one individual cannot be separated from that of another.2. If we understand each other as individual people it makes it much harder for us to prejudice each other or commit atrocities against one another.3. We are now global citizens. Since our actions can have global impact, we must have global understanding of each other as human beings.4. Global empathy and understanding are not beyond our reach, we just have decide to prize them over polarization and partisanship.5. The future lies in a global society built from the rights and liberties of the individual.6. Every human being must have a global voice.7. Shared individual values must shape our global consciousness.8. We must work for one another rather than just ourselves: mutuality is the only guarantee of true beneficence.