Boer Maak 'n Plan—About the Author
Michael Haupt explains how the book came to be
My journey has been a tapestry of contrasts, weaving between the fast-paced world of global telecommunications and a deep quest for understanding human systems and consciousness. Over a 22-year career, I played instrumental roles in launching pioneering mobile networks and spearheading multi-million dollar telecom projects across six continents. This corporate ascent granted me a front-row seat to the world's kaleidoscopic wonders, yet it also sparked a profound existential question: Is the relentless pursuit of shareholder value, even as ecosystems buckle and social fabrics fray, truly the zenith of human potential?
It was during a two-year walkabout sabbatical in the lush landscapes of Thailand and Malaysia from 2004-2006 that the tides of my life shifted. While immersed in the study of consciousness, I was granted a soul-altering vision that illuminated both the soaring potential and the stark challenges that lay on humanity's horizon. In that moment, my focus realigned with crystalline clarity. I was no longer content to be a mere cog in the corporate machine. So I embraced the call to become a catalyst for systemic transformation. My all-encompassing mission shifted to helping birth a world that works for all.
In the past decade, I have dedicated myself to co-creating with visionary minds globally. Our mission? To forge the prototypes of a regenerative future. Currently, I am involved in a River Basin Resilience initiative in the Western Cape's Riviersonderend Valley. Here, I’m helping to orchestrate an unprecedented collaboration between rural communities, national and multinational corporations, non-profits, and local municipalities. Our collective aim is to rehabilitate the valley's degraded ecosystems and restore ecological and social resilience. It is my unwavering conviction that this model of bioregional regeneration can and must be replicated across every watershed in Southern Africa and eventually the continent.
At the very core of my existence burns an unquenchable drive—my role as a single father. As my daughter approaches her 21st birthday in 2035, I am fully dedicated to creating a world of plenty, splendour, and resilience for her and all future generations.
The ideas in this book are not just abstract thoughts. They are practical strategies for change, based on firm truths. As a South African, I feel a strong responsibility to help guide Africa's genuine rebirth in a way that impacts the whole world.
Education
I have taken an unconventional academic journey, avoiding narrow specialisation. Instead, I have passionately pursued knowledge across many different fields as a self-directed learner for the past 40 years, eagerly absorbing and combining insights from a wide range of subjects.
In the early 2000s, A. Ralph Epperson's book "The Unseen Hand" greatly influenced my thinking. Although framed as a conspiracy theory, I sensed it contained important truths that could fundamentally change how we understand power and the forces shaping our world. This insight inspired me to spend decades working to refine the ideas into a useful framework for positive change.
I realised that for institutions and leaders to properly address today's complex challenges, we first need to deeply understand the historical forces that have shaped our current situation. Only by facing this full context head-on can we meaningfully contribute to the future of our homeland.
Two formal training programs have significantly shaped my approach to the work I do:
Strategic Foresight Training through The Futures School at KEDGE Business School: In this program, I learned how to proactively plan and create the future using the Natural Foresight® framework. This practical and replicable process enables practitioners to act strategically today for a successful tomorrow, making the traditionally theoretical discipline of Strategic Foresight actionable.
Leading Nonviolent Movements for Social Progress through Harvard Kennedy School: This executive program explores the elements of effective leadership in nonviolent social and political movements, which have had a significant impact on the world throughout history. The program emphasises collaboration, strengthening the strategic capacity of leadership teams, tactical flexibility and innovation, and negotiation. It has equipped me with the tools to lead effective nonviolent struggles and drive incredible change.
These formal training experiences have provided me with a robust foundation in both strategic foresight and effective leadership of transformative social movements. By combining these skills with my extensive corporate experience and autodidactic knowledge, I am uniquely positioned to guide organisations and communities towards a regenerative future.
The rest of my unconventional education has allowed me to combine insights from many different fields, including consciousness studies, globalisation studies, Indigenous wisdom, emerging technologies, political philosophies, and alternative governance models. This multidisciplinary perspective helps me understand my unique role in envisioning the new societal models that are on the horizon.
Although my path is unorthodox, it reflects an important principle—that to truly change a broken system, we must be brave enough to see beyond the limited worldviews that keep it in place. My self-guided learning journey embodies this idea of moving beyond old paradigms. My greatest hope is to help catalyse the emergence of a new paradigm that allows all life to thrive, with my home country of South Africa leading the way in this transformative change.
A Balanced Worldview on Civilisational and Climate Cycles
While the pages of this book challenge prevailing narratives, my intention is not to downplay the urgency of the interlocking crises our planet and our species face. Climate change, collapsing biodiversity, ecological unravelling, and environmental degradation are real, and their scale is staggering. Where I diverge, however, is in the cooption of these existential threats as justification for the imposition of top-down, centralised control by those in power.
Earth's climate patterns are complex and operate on vast timescales. While human activities have harmed the environment, I reject the cynical weaponisation of ecological breakdown as a Trojan horse for the erosion of human sovereignty and self-determination. Focusing only on carbon emissions as a panacea for our planetary crises is a dangerous distraction from deeper systemic issues.
South Africa is on the edge, with inequality, decaying infrastructure, political divisions, and cultural conflicts weakening social cohesion. But this unravelling is the inevitable result of an unsustainable civilisation based on extraction and division.
The global economy, built on debt, seems poised to collapse dramatically. Rather than fear this, I see it as a turning point in history. The crumbling of an exploitative, scarcity-driven, profit-obsessed paradigm is needed to allow something better to emerge.
I don't advocate resisting or protesting these shifts but instead recognise the chaos as a sign of rebirth. The demise of centralised power and extractive worldviews heralds a new era of regenerative, decentralised, life-honoring systems.
From a place of calm, I hope to play a role in guiding the transition to what comes after the upheaval. As the old world falls apart, I stay committed to fostering creative, compassionate solutions for our collective transformation, trusting in South Africa's resilience and life's evolutionary wisdom.
Boer Maak 'n Plan—Table of Contents
Foreword Introduction Part 1 - The Past: Patterns of Civilisational Cycles Part 1 Introduction Chapter 1 - Barbarians at the Gate: Defending South Africa's Resilience in an Age of Globalisation Chapter 2 - The Impact of Concentrated Financial Influence on Global Systems