Posts Tagged ‘awakening’

World Peace – 2016 Update

Tuesday, 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

Wednesday, 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?

Time to Stand Up

Thursday, September 13th, 2012

CEOs from a handful of the world’s largest corporations have been meeting in secret, penning blueprints intended to tighten their stranglehold over our planet and further conform our species into complacent consumers.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) – once ratified in under three DAYS TIME!!! – will give global businesses the means to supersede domestic law, imposing pro-corporate legislation on all complicit countries.

If you already know about the World Trade Organization and how they often bully smaller nations into accepting detrimental financial regulations desired by stronger nations, then you’ll recognize the TPP as a further extension of that same mechanism.

This corporate pact – the latest in an unending quest to privatize the world – ultimately seeks to strip regular people of power. Less ways to hold businesses accountable. Fewer means to challenge the authority of big money. All this, plus a fundamental erosion of democratic processes by global forces overpowering sovereign will.

So if you care about your freedom, if you want choice to be more than just an illusion, if you think that people should take priority over profits, then you need to take action. Do something, anything. Even if it’s just signing a petition.

The sooner enough of us stand up to our burgeoning oppressors, the sooner we can reclaim our destiny from the hands of the selfish few.

Democracy is Working… in China!

Saturday, July 28th, 2012

Democracy is more than just voting for one figurehead or another every couple of years. It’s more than simply slapping some bumper sticker on your car or sticking some sign in your lawn. There’s more to democracy than what happens on election day and at the ballot box.

Real democracy is about taking issue with what’s most important to you. It’s about starting or joining a movement. It’s about getting people involved, out in the streets and on the interwebs, in big enough numbers to force change on to the political system itself.

The Arab Spring. The Occupy Movement. Even the Tea Party. All of these are fine examples of democracy in action where hundreds of thousands – even millions – of engaged individuals worked diligently towards a shared goal. And the best part is that they’ve all made a lasting impact on the world’s political system.

Now this very essence of democracy – this coordinated will to power by the masses – has sprouted up on the streets of China. Outraged at the prospect of a giant sewer running through their backyards, angry citizens clashed with police and rioted in the streets, offering a rare glimpse into China’s ripening revolution.

But here’s the kicker – the protests worked! Officials have scrapped their plans for a waste pipeline. Wow! If only the Quebec government was that quick to fold under pressure, student’s would have free tuition by now.

Here’s hoping for more protests in the days and years to come. Not just in China, but everywhere on earth as our world’s people comes together and rises up against the forces of injustice and inequality that have persisted for far too long.

World’s Wealthiest Stealing From the Rest of Us

Saturday, July 21st, 2012

Imagine winning a 20 million dollar lottery. Pretty sweet, right? Enough cash to live in the lap of luxury for generations.

Now times that by a thousand. This is what the world’s billionaires contend with – a net worth thousands of times bigger than what most humans would consider a fortune.

And now that you have this tremendous sum in your head, multiply it by another thousand. That makes 20,000,000,000,000 – 20 Trillion dollars! – which is the amount of money the world’s super-rich have been hoarding in secret, shielded from any taxes.

Unbelievable, isn’t it? Despite being the richest humans on the planet, they still want more for themselves. Billions of dollars just isn’t enough. It’s like they have the same fear we all share, and all the money in the world won’t get rid of it.

Still, as nice as it would be to temper the growing gap between the super-rich and the rest of us, it seems there aren’t enough elites, like Buffet and Gates, willing to fetter their own expanding wallets for the sake of the planet.

This puts the onus on the rest of us – those of us who aren’t the 1% of the 1% – to stand up and say NO! This economic model simply will not suffice! We want a more just world for everybody, and if you aren’t going to make it happen we will do it ourselves!

Democracy for Hong Kong

Sunday, July 1st, 2012

When free markets and democracy get skewed by the power and influence of large business, we get the bastardized version of capitalism called corporatism. And when corporatism is allowed to run amok, the top 1% of 1% of the people consistently get richer and more powerful while everyone else systematically grows poorer.

Case and point, Hong Kong. Touted as one of the world’s freest markets, it is producing a record number of new millionaires. The formation of these newly rich comes at a heavy toll: the bulk of the Hong Kong people facing a 30 year high for income inequality.

Given that the corporate stranglehold over their government is set to tighten, they have little hope to reform their state using existing political channels. Any politician that rises to power will already be part of the corrupt game, and any real revolutionary figure would be weeded out well before taking a seat in office.

This leaves few options. One thing the people of Hong Kong could do is unite. By taking the streets, coordinating and mobilizing online, they could forge an entirely new democratic mechanism and channel the warranted angst from the vast majority of the people into tangible political clout. Only then will their voice be heard, and only then will they get the reform they desire.

What the Hong Kong people are going through serves as a microcosm for what the bulk of humanity is experiencing. Right now, powerful forces are subtley yet steadily stripping power away from the entire human race in order to widen their already mind-numbingly fat coffers.

For years now, every single one of us has been under threat of an impending corporatist plutocracy. Only with unity and solidarity will we have any hope to overthrow our billionaire overlords and their minions.

Fortunately, this is already happening. The world’s people are waking up. Slowly but surely, our global eyes are opening, allowing us to see ourselves for the first time. And one thing we will quickly learn is just how powerful we can be when we work together. After that, it’s just a matter of steering our species towards a more just civilization for all.

This Far, No Further!

Sunday, June 10th, 2012

Montreal’s Ethan Cox posted a passionate polemic pleading for Canadians to join in the people’s movement, to stand up against a broken government, and to help reclaim our declining democracy.

“Wherever you are, whatever you do, join us in the street,” writes Cox, “If we lose this struggle, if we allow ourselves to be bowed and beaten yet again, I promise you it will not end here. This is our moment, our line in the sand, our primal scream ‘This far, no further!‘”

But the engaged writer doesn’t stop there.

“This movement has awakened our communities,” he says, “We are together, we are strong, and we’re done being pushed around. We’re done being called crackpots and communists for questioning our governments’ slavish obedience to big business. We’re done being arrested, beaten and threatened for excercising our democratic rights. We’re done with greed, with austerity and with unbridled and unhinged capitalism.”

Awesome, inspiring stuff! These words aren’t just for Quebeckers or Canadians alone. The message is for oppressed humans everywhere on earth. Don’t settle for corrupt government. Don’t accept the gross injustices of the system. Rise up alongside your fellow global citizens, and together we will co-create a brighter future for all.

More on Montreal’s Magnificence

Friday, June 1st, 2012

(The new face of power.)

If you caught yesterday’s post listing a few reasons as to why the world ought to watch Montreal and Quebec, you may have noticed that I missed what is perhaps the most fascinating aspect of all: the median age of those who started this movement is about 21 years old.

While the crisis in Quebec is not the first youth movement in history, it’s the first time I’ve seen one this close to home. I don’t remember my generation making anywhere near an impact when we were that age. It’s not that we weren’t equally motivated. It’s that technologies that exist today for the masses weren’t around 10 years ago.

Now, the younger generations – those who’ve been immersed in the Net and social media for most of their lives – are showing the rest of us how to truly harness the real power we’ve been unleashing.

With an even more immersed and interconnected generations on the horizon, along with the proliferation of these new tools to even the oldest generations, uprisings like those in Montreal and on Wall Street are sure to be dwarfed by the revolutions yet to come.

The Whole World is Watching Montreal

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

109 days. That’s how long they’ve been protesting in Montreal. Over 3 incredible months. What started out as a demonstration against an impending 80% tuition hike has now blossomed into a full-out fight for civil rights.

Now, whether you’re Canadian or an unCanuck (a term I’ve never heard used until just now), there are many great reasons you should be paying attention to what is happening in Quebec. Here’s three:

Reason 1: It’s massive. Over 400,000 people – 1/4 of Montreal’s total population – have been out in simultaneous protest.

Reason 2: It’s about more than tuition fees. The movement has always targeted the systemic corruption in government, highlighting the way powerful corporations and big business get taxpayer-funded benefits while taxpayers themselves get the shaft.

But now that Premiere Charest clumsily stifled the right to protest, the movement morphed into protecting individual liberties, saving our precious democracy, and, most importantly, sending a clear message that we will not stand idly by while civil rights get violated.

Reason 3: The Montreal uprising is just a sign of things to come. Humans everywhere on earth are undergoing a great awakening. The internet is fostering a social revolution, shifting unprecedented powers into the hands of the masses. Governments, corporations and other major institutions will prove no match for millions of coordinated humans working together in real time.

A new day is coming, where actual democracy gives everyone a voice. With this newfound solidarity we will build a more just global civilization. People will take priority over profits, cooperation will supersede competition, and a brighter, more secure future will be upon us.

Quebec People Respond to Government Encroachment

Thursday, May 24th, 2012

(The police demand prior knowledge of rally routes. This is what they get!)

Quebec Premiere Jean Charest is in hot water. A few days ago he passed some short-sighted, heavy-handed emergency laws. These laws, when applied to their full extent, could easily cripple free speech. This misstep has only aggravated Quebec’s youth rebellion. Now, instead of just having to deal with pissed-off students, Charest now has to contend with most of the province being mad at him.

Seeing their precious freedom being infringed upon, Quebeckers sprung into action by the hundreds of thousands. They do not like what Charest has done, and they seem intent on banging pots in the streets until their voice gets heard.

The problem with the contested legislation – Bill 78 – is that it puts the right to protest directly under the control of the police. Anyone demonstrating without prior approval from a police department will face stiff fines or worse, like some entitled security thug punishing offenders with impunity. Yes, I’m talking about you, Canadian Pepper Spray Cop!.

Another problem with Bill 78 is that special provisions target coordinators of so-called ‘unlawful’ protests, who can also be punished whether they partake in the actual demonstration or not. So now anyone who spreads reasons to be disgruntled with government and dares to call for action could end up fined or arrested.

As much as it sucks to see heads of Canadian office trying to force ridiculous laws, witnessing the people’s response more than makes up for it. Clearly, they are as mad as hell and they aren’t going to take it anymore.

Right on! Hopefully Charest buckles sooner than later, and every single Canadian politician gets a reminder as to the power of the people.