All the world's ills and woes are a puzzle. Humanity has all the pieces necessary to solve this greatest of puzzles but must first put itself in the mindset of innovators to start achieving real success. Invention, like good old fashion thinking, laid the ground work, but innovation built this global village and is now taking it beyond the realm of imagination.

Enter logic. As with any puzzle, the big picture should try to be attained by defining the edges, or goals. What is it that humanity desires to obtain most? Food, clothing, shelter, and a better quality of life for all living things have always been the basic needs people seek to attain. Add to that basic list such desirables as world peace, education, a healthy environment, medical care, and a way of making a living. With the parameters set, the other pieces begin to fall together a bit.

Start to look for the obstacles that would keep humanity from attaining the more perfect world that will be featured when this puzzle is solved. Unity is broken up always by discord and differences within different societies' worldviews. When everyone is striving to attain their goals and doesn't care if achieving their goals conflicts with another person's quest or inflicts on them additional hardships, the world will remain in its current state. So the idea goes like this: Get everyone to work together to solve the problems they have in common, and along the way they can learn to overcome their differences and co-exist in further harmony surrounded by the fruits of their joint labor. As stated, that is the idea, but an idea not implemented is of no use to anyone...unless it inspires them to ideas greater than the original, which is the true intention for this essay.

Next obstacle is how to get everyone working together. Someone might suggest an organization be born to handle the unification, but a much simpler choice is probably the easiest as well. The larger the organizations, the more power given to those at its helm, so it is suggested that the authority be broken into smaller units, and ones already trusted by the people. Local governments, church groups, support groups, school organizations, guilds, and non-profit organizations already organized become prime candidates. As stated earlier, it is those things that everyone has in common that will unify us to the point differences are cancelled out.

Now the puzzle has a few pieces starting to come together on the second level in from the boarder. People have in their minds committed themselves to finding a way and helping out. How can they be of help? What significances do their daily actions have on the world as a whole? An environmentalist slogan tells all to "Think globally, then act Locally", which is exactly what must be done.

A few what-if's now. What if just half of the population recycled? An overabundance of recycled material would mound up and would be sold cheap to get rid of it, thus keeping the "cycle" in recycle going. It would become more economically feasible to use recycled materials, so industries would begin incorporating them on a larger scale.

What if 1/3 of the population were to cut back on their rate of consumption by 50%? This would kick into high gear what the recyclers were doing, because not only would their be more stuff being recycled but also less waste in need of being recycled! How is that for team work? Those two factors would aid the ailing environment, giving it a chance to heal itself somewhat.

What if the 1/3 mentioned above took just 15% of the money they saved by consuming less and donated it to helping bring impoverished areas up to par with their neighbors? That would leave 85% of their savings to do with as they see fit, and if they are particularly generous they could donate to one local fund 10% (for community betterment projects) and still have 75% to put into a savings account.

Recap briefly. The environment is mending. Industries are learning to incorporate green ways into their bottom line outlook. Health problems related to pollution are declining, as money families have in savings to pay for health care rises. Wealthier nations send aid (privately, not through the government) abroad so the so-called Third World shrinks. With these acts of goodwill transending cultures humanity begins to feel like what they are again, a family. As the wealth begins to spread out to formerly poor areas, people seeking room to breath so to speak reverse the trend tending toward urbanization. Mother nature is better able to handle her problem of human infestation in smaller numbers than when people crowd up in large groups near her rivers and oceans. As populations spread out once again, tensions (between cultures that have formerly been forced into close contact in the world's cities as ethnic groups neighbor each other) ease. Be mindful that all of this is resulting from individuals acting locally to better the world.

What if artists, writers, poets, actors, and vocalists all tried to contribute by doing more relief projects? What about all the art that they put out of a positive nature, would it not fuel the fire in everyone's heart to continue the good fight when everywhere they look they see beautiful visons, hear wonderful sounds, and read elegant words? Would not humanitarian thoughts naturally follow?

What if all of this good will and activism among the voting masses was viewed as en vogue by the elected officals (of the great number of democracies encircling the globe)? Would they not cater to the prospect of re-election votes and tailor their public policies to appease their would-be followers? Campaigns would take on a more positive and light-hearted nature rather than the mudslinging smear campaigns of today. Don't forget someone writes the speeches for these politcal figures, and their more positive outlook would affect the words they put to paper.

Humanity has all the pieces to the puzzle, and with everyone's unique outlook on their environment, they also have the necessary tools to complete the task before them--before US. I have refrained up until now from using words like "I", "me", "you", and "we", but let ME tell YOU now that building this more perfect world is not a task I can accomplish by myself. It is a multi person chore, and as soon as YOU decide to join ME, WE will get to building a more perfect society for US and our children. I see the completed puzzle, and let me tell you, it is astounding. Start to look at things in a more innovate way, and maybe you will come to see it as well.