E+SM Mission/Goals?

Good answer.

But I feel that it would be best that the organizers of the spores and local groups start asking people what they want to do. Sometimes people don't really feel entitled to interject their ideas into a groups plan.

I posted this over in the blog version of this post, but I'd just like to repost it here since these two discussions will probably go in different directions.

"first, let's build the movement through an engaged, participatory, and educational outreach; then, at some point, let's see what we can do together to develop a new culture and also a new form of activism that perhaps can be more effective than older forms."

Okay, this is a good outline to start with. But it's still kind of vague.

What activities (social or political) does this network engage in? Having gatherings in the woods and renewing psychedelic ceremonies can definitely be a force for transformation. Engaging in gifting and free-culture can be something that both binds people socially and opens possibilities in peoples minds. Really-Really-Free Markets, Food Not Bombs, Dumpsterdiving.... these are all possible activities that fulfill this role.

I have an issue with the "educational outreach" thing, and I'll tell you why. In 2006 I became a core organizer for my local 9/11 Truth chapter. Our mission was to educate the uninformed masses about 9/11 and the Problem-Reaction-Solution paradigm, etc. We handed out thousands of free DVD's, I personally organized several film screenings on campus which sometimes drew up to 100 people each. We really got the word out! And throughout it all there was this assumption that "Yeah, once everybody is educated about the facts, then people will wake up and resist all this tyranny!"

But here's the problem. Even people who "woke up" didn't really engage in any kind of effective activism or resistance. And our own activism never matured beyond spreading information (read; proselytizing) , and never attempted to reach out to other radical/revolutionary groups. The whole thing became very insular and narcissistic.

There were several reasons for this. Mainly, when people joined our group, we gave them the dvd's and the info, had them "educate" themselves about 9/11, etc. But then the only activity that we had for them to do was to go out and "spread the word, wake people up". Proselytizing and recruitment became the ends and means of the movement in a way that began to feel very cult-like. The 9/11 Truth Movement, as far as I can tell, is doing exactly the same thing that it was doing when I left it in 2008.

The other big reason why I feel this happened is that it's only natural for an education-based movement to see things this way; "WE are the informed ones, everybody ELSE is uninformed, and WE are the ones with the information that will liberate the people's minds. All these OTHER activists have it wrong because they don't understand how things are really working. etc".

I think that evolver is taking an approach that is WAY too similar to this. "Let US educate YOU about how to evolve. Let us put on workshops and presentations where we talk AT you, and give you this information that you need. Of course we want you to participate, but really not too much." It may not be as explicit as when Truthers call people "sheeple", but if you pay attention to the language that evolvers are using, it's there.

In my own experience in trying to build a movement, (and I'm not just talking about 9/11 here, but also Food Not Bombs), what is really important for it all to become effective and sustainable is that there needs to be some kind of ACTIVITY, something fun and simple that brings people together on a regular basis. People need to feel that there is a place for them in this activity, that they themselves are able to contribute to in a meaningful way. If a person doesn't feel needed or valued, or that what their DOING with the group is not important, fulfilling, or effective ... well then why should they come back?

Right now I don't think evolver has this, but potentially could. The spores don't really require anything of people other than to show up and listen to other people talk. I think people do want to participate, but that it sometimes isn't actually conducive to that because the organizers have this plan/theme that they want to stick to. I think that instead of trying to educate others, the organizers should try LISTENING to others since maybe, just maybe, they themselves could have something to teach.

If you're strategy is to "educate people" into a teeming mass that can be "activated" later on... you're going to fail. Trust me. If your strategy is to engage people in activities, whether they are social or political, that manifest what the evolution is going to look like, then you will have a much better chance of success.