World Peace – 2016 Update

October 25th, 2016

I haven’t posted since my 2015 update, so here’s where my thoughts are as of today.

I still see the potential arrival of world peace by 2020, which is still the best of the 3 options we are heading towards (the other two being enslavement or extinction).

Now, it may seem unlikely to a lot of people for peace to arrive within the next couple of years. But for us to end politically and corporately organized armed conflict – which is what I define world peace to be – it will take a global revolution.

This revolution, which I call The Great Awakening, is where people of the world are able to unite and cooperate just enough to redistribute power from the old establishment. This will soon be possible (if not already) thanks mostly to new technology – technology that has never existed before like cell phones and social media. So in many ways the revolution has already begun.

Using current technology and the with tools humankind is on the frontier of making, we will be able to establish a new form of governance… a sort of tech-based democracy. This is what I used to call a Global Voting System, which was app that runs on cell phones, but now to me it will be more than that.

I now see this global democracy as being a combination of intelligent software and organization structures which run underneath the social media type app. The software will be open-source, with wiki style editing and crowdsourced moderation. The organizations will be similar to our current governments with leaders and civil servants, because someone still has to be there to do the work and make the decisions.

But there needs to be some major differences from today’s government, in that it has to be entirely transparent. We will see where budgets are coming in and how they are being spent, broken down from the federal all the way down to the local level, so we can cut out inefficiencies and stamp out corruption.

As well, our leaders (which will still probably be elected), will be under a tremendous amount of scrutiny. We are starting to see this now with Hilary Clinton’s leaked emails. Except it won’t be leaks we have in the future, but an actual requirement for new found democratic system to actively monitor all of our leaders.

Imagine taking the spying and surveillance power of the NSA and others like them, and using it to show all of the people everything their leaders do in all but the most private moments of their lives. They would be held accountable to the people, and those not serving interests of the people will quickly be replaced.

Within the framework of this newly emerging democracy (one we’ve already begun creating) we will also see the reality of what most of the wars that exist today for what they are: for-profit entities. Many powerful global corporations and governments have, for many generations, colluded to destabilize entire regions in order to have clients for their arms sales. It’s sad but true. Wars and weapons mean huge money, so much that they can afford to do whatever it takes to drum up more business.

But through our redistribution of power and new found democracy, just like with our elected leaders, we will be able to hold the war industry accountable for the massive damage they are doing to the world’s population (not unlikely holding big tobacco accountable).

Once we take out the financial incentives that drive us to war, we will see how much of it just dries right up. Sure, people will still fight and kill each other, but not on the industrialized scale we see today, and that to me is what world peace will be.

So that’s where my thoughts are today, which really isn’t anything but a small evolution from a few years ago.

To recap, what remains to be done:

  1. Build the Global voting system (or whatever it will be called). It will probably have to start on a smaller scale to show that it works.  Maybe in Iceland or another really progressive country.
  2. Spread a message of hope about the reality of world peace to billions of people, maybe with some kind of clever meme or awareness viral video.

But I’m busy doing other stuff so someone else will have to make world peace happen, at least for the time being.

World Peace is Coming – 2015 Update

April 8th, 2015

World Peace can be defined as the end of institutionally organized armed conflict. This will happen when the governments and corporations currently responsible for unleashing war upon our world are forced to stop.

The idea that world peace is not only possible, that peace is in fact sitting right on our doorstep, may seen like a fanciful dream. But it is only a dream because we haven’t made it happen yet. Not because it is impossible and not because it is beyond the limits of human potential.

Sure, it will take a movement of millions upon millions of people like you and me from all around the world, coming together as a combined force. But together we can and will make it happen.

We can rival the trillion dollar empire that is the military industrial complex. We can overcome the thousands and thousands of years of baggage and damage caused by warfare. We have the power to manifest peace on earth as soon as we choose to.

It starts with our own governments, by letting them know that the use of military force is never an option except as a last resort. No longer will we let other innocent humans be treated as enemies, no matter their nationality, religion, culture or color.

Instead, our leaders need to be urged to exercise proven methodologies, like humanitarian aid and cooperation. By building up impoverished nations and strengthening war-torn communities from within, we attack desperation and extremism at its source. And this is ultimately the surest way to disrupt the cycle of violence.

On top of that, we need to strip out the billions in annual profits reaped by the businesses of war. 100% tax on all proceeds from weapons manufacturing. Fines and levies against these industries which perpetuate bloodshed. Class action suits against those who arm the armies, holding them accountable for the suffering they enable.

 

Yes, it is an uphill battle. So why even try?

For starters, this is an issue that effects you personally. You, your loved ones, your friends and everyone you know stand to reap the benefits of living in a world without warfare… a world of security and prosperity.

On top of that, with medical science moving forward as fast as it is, we are on the brink of being able to extend our lives indefinitely, letting us live as long as we choose. We will be able to witness our species expand to explore the universe.

All that and more can be ours as long as we don’t let the war-mongers screw it up for us. And if that isn’t reason enough for you to make peace a reality, then what is?

World Peace Still Entirely Possible

August 4th, 2014

World peace isn’t just possible, it is highly probable. And we could see it come to fruition within the next decade.

Even after many years since I came to the conclusion that world peace can actually happen right now, I still haven’t been dissuaded one bit.

Here’s why:

1 – Technology is getting better and cheaper faster than ever before. This will help eliminate global poverty, which will greatly decrease the drives to war.
2 – With this technology comes the Internet, and this is letting a global world connect on a local level, something never before possible. As we unite as a species, we see there are no enemies left for our armies to fight.
3 – This unification will also reveal the mostly unspoken truth behind wars, which is that a handle of companies are making billions of dollars a year on this bloodshed. Once we work together on a multi-national level, we can hold the defense industry accountable to us – the world’s people.

The goal is to take the financial incentives out of war, and it starts with the arms industry itself. We can implement 100% taxes on the profits of weapons manufacturing. We can issue fines and demand repayments for death and suffering cause by defense contractors’ products. We can sue and win huge settlements in class action suits against the key corporations involved in equipping the world’s militaries.

The idea of taxing, fining, or even suing the biggest industry on earth may seem absurd, but that’s only because we haven’t tried it yet. And why the hell shouldn’t some businesses be held accountable. We don’t need their weapons of war in our world anymore!

Once hundreds of millions of people around the world see it as possible, we will have the leverage to make it happen. The trick will be to reach these hundreds of millions of people in time.

The Internet: Ending War and Poverty One Mind at a Time

March 19th, 2014

Wars and wealth inequality are both social constructs.  They exist and persist because we are used to them. We accept them as normal, and can even believe them to be everlasting – an extension of the animal nature of humanity’s greed and violence.

But every single human on earth would be better off if they didn’t have to worry about war or have to contribute to the billions spent every year on armed conflict. And almost every single person on this planet would be experience a higher quality of life if humankind’s wealth were distributed more equitably.

So it’s not a matter of peace and prosperity being an impossibility – because once we have those things we will only wonder why we waited so long to make them happen. Instead, it’s a matter of getting from our old world and our old-world mindset into the new future that awaits.

We will see that wars are being manufactured by for-profit entities and we can stop them as soon as we choose to. We will see that wealth disparity persists because we haven’t yet done anything about it. We will see that we’ve had the power to fix our world all along, and that all it took is for enough of us to coordinate and mobilize on a global scale.

And there is no better tool for this than the Internet. Our glorious Internet, as long as it remains free from censorship and government overreach, will keep connecting and informing us. Within the coming few years, enough of us see and believe that change is not only possible, it is inevitable. And as we speak out in unison with the power of billions of people, our dreams of peace and ending poverty will be real.

Do for War Profiteering What Occupy did for Income Inequality

March 8th, 2014

War is one of the world’s biggest money-makers. It accounts for over 1.5 trillion dollars in business every year with billions to be reaped by those sitting atop. These multi-millionaires and billionaires are not content to sit idly by and hope more conflict breaks out. No, like any good business-person, they are out there manufacturing their markets!

And they will do this in perpetuity until something comes along to stop them.  Fortunately for us, that something… is us! You and me and billions of people just like you and me.

Together, we are enacting a global ban on war – by the people for the people. It’s time for a change, and we are the ones who get to make it happen. Bold measures must be taken, like holding class action lawsuits against those who enable wars on earth.  Be they in public or private service, leaders who drive us to war will be held accountable for the blood that gets spilled. No more forgetting their false pretences.

On top of this, we can continually strip away the grease from proverbial the war-machine. Imagine if, on a global scale, we could invoke a 100% tax on all proceeds made from making and selling weapons and arms.  How quickly the drums of war would fall silent.

These billions we’ve been pissing away on war every year on defence budgets can find a much better home improving the world in which we live. Let’s end global poverty, eradicate global hunger, and build a renewable-powered, interconnected world. The future is now, so it’s about time we get our collective act together.

The Occupy movement, along with the similarly-themed uprisings around the world, brought into the mainstream consciousness the idea of wealth disparity, and how a tiny fraction of the population control a vastly disproportionate amount of wealth and power. While these movements have lost some steam, the idea of income inequality can be better discussed in the mainstream forums.

What we need to see now is a social movement which impacts the entire world – bringing an anti-war concept into the mainstream consciousness, spreading and growing for months and years, ultimately culminating in hundred of millions of people all speaking out in unison to say that we are all ready for war to be over.

Wow! That sound’s awesome. Better get busy and make sure it comes to fruition.

 

 

 

 

 

Revolution Everywhere

January 27th, 2014

Mass upheavals have been toppling corrupt rulers all over the world, proving that we the people still have the ultimate power. Unfortunately, whenever the glorious revolution does occur, all too often one evil tyrant will fall only to make way for the next.

What we’ve been missing is a key piece to the puzzle: how do we roll out a functioning democracy over top of an old, broken establishment. Lucky for us, this key to unlocking lasting democracy around the world is in the process of being made right now.

This tool, still embryonic, will be an open-source, upgradable system of people, mechanisms, technology and software that will constantly glean consensus from entire populations to develop better policies and rules of governance. so that we can hold our elected officials to the utmost accountability.

How exactly will this work? That is yet to come, but it will work with the instantaneousness of twitter, the self-governance of forums like reddit, the connectivity of Facebook, while being imbued with selflessness like Wikipedia. Politicians will know what their electorates want, and the people will be involved, knowing their voices are being heard, and watching their leaders respond accordingly.

This democracy-in-a-box will be something that can be implemented anywhere, for any size population – so that when the people rise up against injustice, instead of repeating the old cycle of inevitable hypocrisy, they have this system which can be put into effect and live forever free of tyranny.

It will take a group effort to make this happen, as it will really be a monumental accomplishment to create something of this magnitude. But it’s entirely possible and in many ways has already begun.

More Hope Than Ever

January 17th, 2014

When I first started crafting this blog and producing videos, it was because of a deep rooted obligation I felt. The system was broken and there were ways to fix it. If only more people saw what I saw, then the world would actually get better.

Now, things have changed.

I don’t know if it’s that people have awakened, or that they have always been there, feeling disconnected and isolated like I was.  But now I see there are millions upon millions of people just like you and me everywhere around us – people who see the grotesque flaws of an establishment that can actively perpetuate such injustice and inequality for the sole purpose of keeping control in the hands of a tiny group of insatiable people – and know that we can clearly do better than this!

If only the world’s electoral systems weren’t such utter shit. As democracy stands today – voting alone would never be enough to generate the change we need. Fortunately, that’s not our only political channel any more, thanks to the Internet.

The key is transparency. Putting it all up on the web in an easy to understand format. Budgets – let us track every single tax dollar coming in and going out. Cameras – put them on cops and soldiers while they work so we can judge what they do in our name. Politicians – put their private lives in the public, and hold them accountable to the masses, not the money.

Just imagine what would happen if the powers of the NSA were put under control of the public, and all that spying ability was used to keep our billionaires and top leaders in check. Finally, the system would work for us!

We already have the tools for this happen, it is just a matter of applying them correctly. It’s really not that much to ask, and it is the direction we are heading. By continually leveraging our numbers and voices through an unfettered internet against the established powers of old wealth and big business, we will shape the world and our future to where it ought to be.

So that’s why I am so optimistic. More than ever before. We are on the cusp of what could be the most remarkable transformation our species has ever undertaken – a mass redistribution of wealth and power culminating in a world of peace – and we draw closer with every new day.

Demand Transparency

August 1st, 2013

So many of the faults which plague systems of governance around the world could be solved if only we had the means to hold those in power accountable for their actions. And there is no better tool to do this than transparency.

Malevolence, corruption, cruelty… this things can only persist in the shadows. Out in the open, under the scrutiny of a watchful global eye, the weight of the world’s people will inevitably stamp out these injustices.

Imagine if cops and soldiers, while they were working, had to wear an always-on camera that streams the video to a publicly controlled database. The feed could be delayed, but will eventually be made – unaltered – to the public.

An ever watching lens could be doubly beneficial to police, helping to hold wrong-doers accountable while weeding  weed out abuses of power. The military could also be helped as streaming cameras ought to deter crimes against humanity, capture their acts of bravery, and show the public what the true face of war is.

Or suppose we demanded that governments account for every single dollar taxed and spent. Lay it all out for us online, make it easy to navigate and simple to understand – not because politicians and civil servants want to, but because we demand it. Mismanagement of funds and institutionalized corruption will be excised as it becomes glaringly evident as to who is taking far more than what they’ve earned.

The same goes for the US Healthcare system. Why not completely expose what’s been going on? It would be a great way to fix the problem. Institutionalized corruption. Collusion between health care elite, insurance companies and the government,  all maximizing personal profits at the expense of the public.

We have the technological means to make these things happen. The only reason it hasn’t arrived yet is because there isn’t enough will among the people.

Politicians? The Mainstream Media? Few of them are going to spearhead a ‘show everyone in the world what we are doing behind closed doors’ platform, so it’s up to the rest of us.

Spread the word, make our demand for transparency a part of everyday discussion.

It Is Time to Start Suing the Defense Industry

May 19th, 2013

On behalf of the soldiers who continue to lose their lives, their livelihoods or their sense of well being, discarded after use by a for-profit enterprise built on bloodshed.

On behalf of the children who continue to lose their lives, their families, their sense of wonder at the world, because some group somewhere else gave themselves the authority to remotely execute other humans without due trial, oversight or accountability.

On behalf of the richest and most powerful global population to date, torn apart by an industry whose very existence depends upon our staying divided as a people, when the money being wasted on warfare could finally lift the entire human race out of the grips of desperate poverty.

It is time to enact The World’s People V The World’s Top 100 Defense Earners, for all the pain and suffering they continue to enable. They can still make arms all they want, but the trillions they’ve been reaping in profits will be forfeited.

LifeBox : a 3D printed basic provider of life

May 12th, 2013

If you are looking for a great reason to feel optimistic – another truly legitimate rationale for believing our world is undergoing remarkable and rapid transformations for the better – then consider the LifeBox.

The LifeBox is a deployable mini-building that provides the basic necessities of modern life: water, food, electricity, internet and a 3D printer. This single self-contained building, the size of a garden shed, can sustain and improve the lives of everyone nearby.

LifeBox uses both wind and solar energy to drive the entire unit along with public power outlets. Inside an atmospheric extractor and purifier creates several gallons of drinking water a day. As well, tanks housed within automated greenhouses grow Spirulina, a protein-rich, highly nutritious whole food. Of course, the entire unit doubles as a wifi-hotspot, connecting to the Internet as well as all nearby LifeBoxes.

The best part of the LifeBox concept is how the entire life-saving building can be constructed using nothing but local materials and a 3D printer, anywhere in the world. All it takes are the plans (which get updated from free sites on the web), access to a 3D printer, and the gumption to build your own.

Just imagine the impacts on global poverty and instability when, on every street corner in the worst slums or in even the most remote, despondent villages, these seemingly magic boxes – day in and day out – churn out the tools needed by those on the bottom rung to rise out of their dire circumstances.

This is exactly what our world craves! So much of the world’s conflict stems from societies living in desperate conditions, where people are at risk of starving to death every day. This desperation fuels the feelings that lead to violence, and it breeds the soldiers to carry it out.

When we could create a world where every single human has access to the most basic means of life – which will exist when everyone can get the things provided by a LifeBox, then we are set to see a world where wars get exposed as the unnecessary and unwanted travesty that they are. Peace can finally take hold of our world.

All the pieces are falling into place. Affordable, consumer-level 3D-printers are already on the market and producing incredible objects. Solar and wind generators are getting cheaper by the day. The Internet is forever expanding.  And the need for a LifeBox on every corner is as urgent as ever.

The end goal is in sight. How long it takes to get the basic necessities of life to each person on earth really depends on us. 5 years? 10 years? If we pushed hard it could happen. But no matter what, the day when every single human can get access to what’s in a LifeBox is clearly within our future.