Some see GEO as achievable and desirable while others view it as a utopian fantasy. The same phenomenon is viewed differently according to an individual’s basic cognitive framework. Individuals with Unifying Vision tend to automatically see the interrelatedness of things, and have the ability to spontaneously find the common ground, upon which more productive, balanced, and harmonious solutions can be built. Those with Polarizing Vision have a harder time finding the common ground. Instead they emphasize one view to the exclusion of other worthwhile perspectives, and develop solutions which do not address the multiple dimensions of an issue.
Our current dominant business approach, in which the firms within an industry segment are pitted against each other, is born of Polarizing Vision. Firms do not pursue the common ground and the result is an economy that is less productive, balanced and harmonious. GEO is an example of a solution born of Unifying Vision. In pursuit of the common ground, firms within industry segments and common geographies will collaborate as the parts of a greater whole, and produce a result much greater than their mere stand alone efforts. The resulting vast additional wealth can be used to address our serious socio-ecological difficulties, fund technological development, increase corporate earnings beyond present levels, and create countless new jobs in heretofore neglected areas of pursuit. All this will be accomplished without deficit spending or increased taxes.
It is estimated that 25% of the US population and 30-35% of Western Europeans already employ Unifying Vision. This is a strong and growing contingent likely to support adoption of GEO. The ranks of those with Unifying Vision are likely to swell dramatically as solutions born of Polarizing Vision increasingly fail to solve our multi-faceted problems, urging the masses to adopt more effective problem-solving strategies. On this basis, adoption of GEO can be seen as an achievable solution to our current difficulties.