Who is Michael?
Michael Haupt is a South African applied philosopher who has lived in 16 cities on 6 continents. He spent the first 25 years of his working life in a corporate career, implementing high-end info-tech systems for household-name telecoms and financial operators around the world.
After a life-changing event in 2004, he spent 15 years in the systemic change space: consulting to think-tanks and research organizations interested in changing the system causing the polycrisis. He has met with and collaborated on just about every systemic change project on the planet. However, he walked away from the space in 2020, burnt out and frustrated because none of these initiatives have accomplished what they so passionately desire.
He is now committed to bringing to life a fully functioning prototype of a thriving, resilient, life-enhancing, transcendent way of living for 20,000 residents of a stunning valley in Western Cape, South Africa. This is the practical, on-the-ground application of all the lessons learned about systemic change. Our journey is to transcend rather than transform existing life-destroying systems and transition to life-enhancing systems.
As a solo dad to a daughter who will turn 21 in 2035, the best 21st birthday gift he can think of is this thriving, evolutionary society - for her and for her children and future generations.
Michael writes extensively and has addressed numerous international conferences and more intimate gatherings of individuals interested in a conscious, coherent response to the polycrisis. His most recent essay (somewhat lengthy but includes a 3-minute summary video) is The Plan.
Education
Michael is a polydidact with no formal education. Polydidact is a portmanteau of these two words:
Polymath: a person who has a wide range of knowledge across a number of different fields. The term comes from the Greek words "poly," meaning "many," and "mathēs," meaning "to learn." Most polymaths share certain qualities, such as:
A broad and deep curiosity about the world;
A strong ability to learn new things;
The ability to see connections between different fields of knowledge;
The ability to apply their knowledge to solve problems in new and innovative ways.
Autodidact: a person who has learned a subject without the benefit of a teacher or formal education; a self-taught person. The word comes from the Greek words "auto," meaning "self," and "didaktos," meaning "taught." Autodidacts are known for their ability to:
Learn at their own pace and in their own way;
Be free of limitations imposed by the curriculum of traditional schools;
Explore their interests in depth and to develop their own unique skills and knowledge, applicable to current circumstances.
Legacy
Michael is developing two open source tools and one on-the-ground community, which he hopes will be timeless records of his time on this planet (at least as long as the Internet survives). This is the legacy he is hoping his daughter will one day have the patience to wade through and make sense of and enjoy:
The Valley of Grace, 90mins from Cape Town, South Africa
Your involvement in any of Michael's programs supports the development of these tools and artefacts of Evolutionary Transition. In time, these artifacts will be viewed the same as once-sophisticated stone tools: tools which help us tame the circumstances we find ourselves in, but which are quickly transcended by bigger and better.
