Developing the Evolver Network Platform
posted by Daniel Pinchbeck | April 27, 2010
- Login or register to post comments
- Print this page
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Propeller
Reddit
Magnoliacom
Newsvine
Furl
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
IcerocketHi folks,
I would love to aggregate the collective intelligence on this network to think about how we can develop evolver.net into something amazing.
Below are some of my initial thoughts/ideas... kind of just sketches. Ultimately I would like to develop a proposal for the platform in great depth, and then execute it! At the moment this is totally chaotic, but still I got enthusiastic and thought I would see what kind of responses it elicits.
Curious to hear your thoughts... this is an early effort in a series on this topic.
Evolver Network
Building tools for civil society: Creating an alternative infrastructure for decision-making, meaningful exchanges of value, and activism
Create sustainable abundance for the Evolver community by maximizing the value of human relationships
Evolver as Media Platform:
1. Use tools of mass media to repattern assumptions, change consciousness, and create new context for a new healthier culture to emerge.
2. Develop young thought and cultural leaders to become their own brands synergized with Evolver
3. Community News Platform: Development of Current TV model that creates a brand around user-generated content coming from our Evolver communities around the world
Evolver as Educational Platform:
1. Re-skilling: Rapid change requires reskilling: Craft-based approach to relocalization
2. Habit: Retraining people out of negative programming and destructive habitual behavior
3. Cross-cultural communication: How to go to different cultures and communicate new ideas effectively
Some Evolver goals:
1. Support Collaborative, Collective Decision-making
direct democracy - how to support communities and individuals in making the best choices possible for them and for the health of the planet
positive transparency – transparency as an individual choice.
Transparency and personal integrity.
Anyone can opt out (and provide their reasons, which can also be rated by the community)
Trust Ratings as tool for building communities:
Create variable trust ratings in different areas via tagging
(example: someone might be great in implementing clean energy tech but untrustworthy in dating or short-tempered with kids - on subjects related to energy they would get a higher trust rating from people who know them personally.)
(what this could do to areas that lack transparency such as art dealing, relationships, etc.)
augment individual reasoning capacity by providing evolutionary and collective context (As a very powerful example: What happened with Elliot Spitzer or Bill Clinton: based on cultural imposition of monogamy/fidelity, where the statistical evidence from the Kinsey Report on other sources reveals that this is a flawed basis for determining character).
language contains ideological cultural biases, need to look at problems from other cultural and linguistic contexts. Create advisory system where indigenous people provide alternative cultural and language contexts for exploring solutions to problems caused by modern techno-society
sociocracy model - (nominate experts whose opinions carry more weight in particular areas – basic idea of representative democracy but hasn’t scaled so well)
ongoing public debates on crucial issues: (For example, “What is ‘sustainability’?”)
get regular updates – crowd-source collective intelligence, consult outside “experts,” bring them into dialogue, create rating system that incorporates trust ratings giving more or less weight to different opinions
trackable results/presentations of evidence
complex issues require depth of reasoning and evidence based approach, need to understand past successful and unsuccessful models from evolutionary perspective
very difficult issue: in many cases, people need to see the value in sacrificing their own immediate personal interests for the larger interests of the collective and the planet. Making this leaps requires a shift in consciousness and an evolutionary perspective. (People need to think, "If everyone behaved as I am behaving, then the world will never be a comprehensive success for everyone, therefore I need to change my behavior.")
Evolver can also support changes in behavior and habit through media and community.
2. Promote far more efficient use of time, energy, and resources
Develop tools that help Evolvers increase efficiency, waste less energy, spend less money, and refine as well as qualitatively improve their life
(example: need to catch a ride somewhere, check in with Evolver.net, who is going, what do other people say about them, trust ratings in transactions, do your interests match, jump in car and go. Replaces taxis for people in network. Now imagine this in every area of life: want to have dinner party, find chef, location, guests, produce through network, comes together almost effortlessly because each person plays the role that is best for them.) (childcare, care for sick and elderly - Japanese model, community currencies)
anti-waste: recycling, free cycling, sharing, rapid orchestrations of group activity for shared goals (split up tasks among many so enormous efforts become reasonable and doable for many people)
(example: old pet food wasted at pet stores, could go to animal shelters, big task for one person but if one person bags the food, another drives through and picks it up, etc, becomes doable, in a flow)
(examples: from Berkeley parents network, need a ski suit for the weekend for a ten year old don't want to buy one - put it out on network and suit gets left on your porch and picked up afterwards, never even meet the people. Obviously couch surfing is a great model: demonetize transactions and turn commercial relationships back into relationships of trust)
Encouraging local production of food, crafts, goods, etc: Community Supported Agriculture, skills exchange and teach-ins.
3. Enhance personal wellness
collaborative filtering of health claims and data:
How do you rate the value of alternative health and superfood products? The best way would be through a community that explored these products and services and documented and rated the value that it had for them. At the moment, this is a huge missing piece. This could also be developed into a revenue model: products that were found valuable could be marketed through the network via affiliate marketing program.
tools for building and sustaining transparent relationships, personal and business; love, intimacy, sexuality - new language, encouragement of all perspectives, removal of guilt and shame from area.
holistic interconnectedness promoted as model and sets of tools provided to help attain this
habits: addressing culturally ingrained patterns of behavior and changing them. It takes a village to raise not just a child but to evolve an adult as well.
Learning new skills:
Basic model goes from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence to conscious competence to unconscious competence
Recycling, composting, alternative health, individual practices need to reach unconscious competence. How does Evolver support each step along that path?
Comments
addressing culturally
— Apr 27, 2010
"addressing culturally ingrained patterns of behavior and changing them. It takes a village to raise not just a child but to evolve an adult as well."
exactly. well played good sir.
I personally think this could be tackled first...
— Apr 27, 2010
What do you all think?
3. Community News Platform: Development of Current TV model that creates a brand around user-generated content coming from our Evolver communities around the world
3. Cross-cultural communication: How to go to different cultures and communicate new ideas effectively ( I can help with translations to Spanish but I'll need help )
(example: need to catch a ride somewhere, check in with Evolver.net, who is going, what do other people say about them, trust ratings in transactions, do your interests match, jump in car and go.
anti-waste: recycling, free cycling, sharing, rapid orchestrations of group activity for shared goals (split up tasks among many so enormous efforts become reasonable and doable for many people)
I like this, it sounds
— Apr 27, 2010
I like this, it sounds great. Have you guys given any thought to what will change here in terms of layout/design/organizing in relation to the new goals? Are you open to suggestions? I have some ideas. Who is the best person to discuss them with?
suggestions
— Apr 27, 2010
I wanted to add
— Apr 27, 2010
I wanted to add something... I really liked the idea of a Evolver art constitution... kind of like THE LAW in avatar (was it in avatar lol can't remember)... you get the idea... something simple and elegant were it lays out or goals... like bringing psychedelics back (we have science backing us up on that one) I've read they can even be used to cure hard drug addictions... also regulations on natural resource utilization... we can also put limitations for big blood sucking corps... etc, etc...
new Constitution
— Apr 28, 2010
This reignited an idea I've had about a new "Co-Constitution" or "Declaration of Interdependence," written collectively via this network, setting up certain principles.
Perhaps making it a managed open-source project would allow it to jibe with Gebser's vision of a more "fluid" juridical order (as opposed to the stagnant, solidified concepts of law and principle that we live with today). Evolver.net seems like as good a place as any to start this project.
"fluid" juridical order...
— Apr 28, 2010
"fluid" juridical order... sounds really interesting... maybe you should post a blog about that so ppl here are not fast to dismiss anything that sounds like law or the likes...
I think the sociocracy model
— Apr 27, 2010
I think the sociocracy model is the way to go.
Key Concepts
Consent
The principle of consent governs the decision-making process. (Consent means no argued and paramount objection.) This means that a policy decision can only be made if nobody has a reasoned and paramount objection to it.
Elections
Persons are elected exclusively by consent, after open discussion.
Circles
The organization consists of circles of semi-autonomous groups of individuals. Each circle has its own aim and performs the three functions of leading, doing, and measuring/feedback. A circle makes its own policy decisions and maintains its own memory system through integral evolution.
Double link
The connection between two circles consists of a double link. This means that at least two persons from one circle participate in the decision-making in the next higher circle: the circle’s leader and one or more elected representatives.
This changes everything.
Money-a symbol for the efficient distribution of human energy.
be an info gathering point for the spores
— Apr 27, 2010
evolver.net's an online wonder, but we've evolved face-to-face forever. So I think we need the much of our thinking to happen face-to-face with others we live with - not online, especially since we're headed for a more local world as we meet real limits. Have evolver.net be the gathering point for an on the-ground revolution. Give spores a direction and la common task and let them run with it. Aggregate the results.
Today I've been thinking "open source relocalization groups" where we co-evolve how to meet face to face in a forum that allows our inner work and our outer intentions to get out. Today it looks like this: http://www.radicalrelocalization.com/open-source-groups.php
Andrew MacDonald
hahahaha the video was
— Apr 27, 2010
hahahaha the video was awesome I was cracking up... perfect example... we should have a link bank for all the videos are linked by users
affirmative, and
— Apr 27, 2010
affirmative, and exuberantly. Thanks for putting this down, it's really beautiful and I'm just going to float on that for a ways before any add'n or amendment...and alright already I will begin the proscribed remittances :) heck I just bought a gym membership for 25/mo, this is approx the mental equivalent.
Can anyone up there (management) lay out the roadmap for infrastructruring things thusly? I know a lot of it is not too far off in the drupal 'dev' space, but what sort of milestones are in view for deployment? I mean, not much has changed since V1, and in a recent post somewhere you were bemoaning the lack of a forum and soliciting volunteer help. I'm happy to contribute to the fund to get things done, or bring some talents to the table; there's just a real void of status report and agenda type info that's been brought up. I'd LOve to see a semi-regular blog from someone(s) on the team detailing what's going on week-to-week, and forecasted. As it is, it's a bit tough to imagine what's really going on for a half dozen devotees during the cited 50-60 hour work weeks up there in headquarters. Let me quickly add though, I'm not trying to enforce some accountability, I just think it would shed some welcome light around.
I just put up a circuitous address in blog to a pertinent consideration, re: extensibility and interrelationship of platforms such as what you're moving towards here, and the challenge of collecting and parsing content centrally. Lots of 'movements' like this are somewhere between wet dream and baptism in the webworlds now, so what are the distinguishing characteristics that will signal and retain the virtual (mega)quorum of participants? And how to mutualize rather than compete?
Maximize diversity
— Apr 28, 2010
On the sociocracy model =>
this model works badly because "experts" tend to be a certain type of people, and to really understand people, events, a culture, a country, decisions and so forth, one needs different kinds of perspective.
In certain branches of contemporary business management, they work a lot with groups who have representatives from all sub-groups in the company - maybe this can be an idea, I dont know.
Basically:
much research/experience show that the most important for successful management of any kind is to maximize the diversity among the people who make decisions.
Lets avoid an authoritarian model.
http://florries.wordpress.com/
I accept that the answer to the question “who am I?” is eterna
Well the way I saw it was to
— Apr 28, 2010
Well the way I saw it was to have a "fractal expert" by definition that is perfectly sharable. They would be able to relate to everyone, "consumed perspective". So instead of a person being the authority on the matter I prefer that the knowledge itself be the authority. Shouldn't certain issues carry more weight then others? Now that doesn't mean that bypasses consensus. To me the question “What is ‘sustainability’?” is the most important matter we need to deal with.
So for me its not really the sociocracy model but the information that will be able to be incorporated.
"get regular updates – crowd-source collective intelligence, consult outside “experts,” bring them into dialogue, create rating system that incorporates trust ratings giving more or less weight to different opinions
trackable results/presentations of evidence
complex issues require depth of reasoning and evidence based approach, need to understand past successful and unsuccessful models from evolutionary perspective" Imagine if fractality was brought into that system? Today evolver tomorrow the senate. It should be illegal to spread non-fractal systems.
Thoughts?
Money-a symbol for the efficient distribution of human energy.
sharing
— Apr 28, 2010
Well I am not really sure that I understand what you mean - it sounds good if everyone and all kind of knowledge can be seen with an open mind as possible "expert opinions".
It is great if experts share their knowledge - but when making decisions one need the perspectives of people who are not experts.
Even if a person has almost no experience in a matter they can carry the predisposition to exactly understand a certain aspect that a certain wave (=generation) of people who have been thinking about it for a long time have failed to see.
By the way, I forgot before - it is 7.40 in the morning here and I just got up =) -
I really should add that besides from this with "sociocracy" I find this Daniel's post great - thanks, good initiative!
I sincerely love all the discussions here - you are all outspokenly fantastic people =)
Well I guess if your not
— Apr 28, 2010
Well I guess if your not familiar with fractals it may seem foreign. If you want more information I have some blogs about it.
Ya I think if what this system outlines came into being, it would bring lots of open mindedness.
Yes this is a very good blog! I was starting to lose hope! I see now that it is in the right hands.
Money-a symbol for the efficient distribution of human energy.
interesting!
— Apr 28, 2010
I do know fractals, but I will check out your blogs for more info - looked through them, seems very interesting! Maybe we imagine the same thing =)
I think this is a very good
— Apr 28, 2010
I think this is a very good and well-rounded outline covering pretty much all aspects we need to cover right now, based on what we can realistically do. I love it! (Except that I don't really see why the situation with Bill Clinton or talking about other people's relationships AT ALL is very important.)
I especially love how you described "Learning new skills:Basic model goes from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence to conscious competence to unconscious competence." Literally just a few minutes ago I was thinking to myself about how insane it is that in basically less than a century or so we've completely forgotten how to take care of ourselves without being dependent on a giant, centrally controlled system of social infrastructure that everyone know is corrupt and that is basically killing us and the planet.
Right now I am in the phase of "conscious incompetence." I think one of the first logical things to start doing is growing our own food, since food and water are the two main things we need to survive. I think right now less than two percent of the US population grows their own food, and it's probably similar in other industrialized countries. That's kind-of scary when you think about it.
One plant I want to start growing is moringa, because it's so nutritionally complete that you can practically survive on it and it has many medicinal uses. There's even evidence that the moringa plant contains alien DNA, but I won't go there right now. He he. The point is that the moringa plant is a great plant to grow, and you can even grow it in a pot, so even if you live in apartment you can just find a space for it outside. I think it would be great if everyone grew at least one plant this spring, even if it's just herbs in a windowsill or something. Anyway, those are just my thoughts.
The online ideas are
— Apr 28, 2010
The online ideas are excellent and we can further enhance that experience by utilising the human resources available for the prosaic world, thereby obtaining money and influence.
For eg: a 'franchise' type system of Evolver style cafe bars (vegetarian, organic etc...) using Evolver coffee beans, making 'reality sandwich's etc...if you get my drift. Say 15% of the monies made from the cafes/bars are pulled into a communal resource and used to promote/update etc...evolver / reality sandwich. These can be hubs for spores and other community events / markets / evolver fashion (?) perhaps
From this base we can launch evolver publishing books / music / doco's / films etc...In this way we can organise 'face' time with everyone of likemind, perhaps generate some publicity that exposes us to the mainstream and creates influence. Kinda like a greenpeace for the soul..bad analogy, but i hope you get the drift...
Change a persons heart via the stomach
Personally, I don't like the
— Apr 28, 2010
Personally, I don't like the idea of making it one big money-making enterprise. I hope it doesn't go in that direction. That would be sad.
But you never know which way something is going to go. That's why I think every individual ultimately has to follow his or her own inner directive. It's OK to be involved in an organization but don't stop being independent and thinking for yourself. Question everyone, even me.
Governance first
— Apr 28, 2010
My suggestion is to separate strategy from governance.
Before digging deep into the "where" and the "what" of evolver (strategy), it makes sense to innovate on the roles, responsibilities, and rules of engagement by which the community would get there (governance)
Your post touches both areas, and that's great. I think narrowing down on the sociocracy (and other models) conversation and getting a community agreement around that would lay down a powerful foundation to strategize and execute.
Other models worth considering are
Tony Putnams In Service Organization (animus valley institute)
http://tonyputman.com/index.html
Holacracy
http://holacracy.org/
BetterMeans
http://bettermeans.com
(disclaimer, that's what I spent the last year building)
I've been very impressed by
— May 10, 2010
I've been very impressed by your work on bettermeans thus far, and think it's a huge improvement on the "simple consensus" system (which doesn't scale very well).
Facebook Connect
— Apr 28, 2010
I certainly recommend tight facebook integration. Connect with some crossposting features, at least.
Great Ideas
— Apr 28, 2010
Thanks, Daniel, things are heading in the right direction (woot!). :-)
I think the most important thing to consider if the web is going to be a viable tool for anything is interface. How efficient can we make it to communicate? That's the question. Ryan is right about Facebook integration, even adopting some of the useful Facebook features here on Evolver for us to more personally connect with one another. (Ideas: more fluid media posting options for each user, the ability to easily cross-post to other users, blogs, articles, or discussions within a post (hyperlinks), maybe even an open-source invitation to come up with useful apps for the evolver site (like the FB games) that would be tools for facilitating our projects).
I recommend a quick peak at thezeitgeistmovement.com site because they are useing some interesting avenues for connecting people on open projects. For starters, we should really consider the TeamSpeak or Ventrilo portal so that Evolvers can log in and do group chats about topics that come up, rather than being solely limited to the somewhat impersonal back-and-forth of blog comments.
The other thing I'll throw out there as a suggestion for improving/exploring online interfacing is the notion of identity. I wonder if there's a way that the ESM can spearhead a new kind of online indentity software or pluggin that creates a reliable representation of the user in the online community? A 'profile' with much more flexibility than just a login. Something that could possibly be taken to multiple sites even to fully interface with Facebook and other venues. Perhaps an identity/profile that is not only editable by the user for preferences and background info, but also by the community. A kind of rating system. When a book is published or a movie released, everyone likes to hear what others are saying about it. The Press quotes and reviews. Perhaps the individuals in a given community (like Evolver) should have a similar accountability in the community. I like your thoughts about the group rating system and how the community can sort of 'nominate experts' simply by giving friendly 'votes of confidence' in various fields. This way a person doesn't exactly nominate themselves or "run for office" of the resident expert, but it is rather an honor given by peers.
Just some thoughts. I look forward to future developments! I'd also be interested in contributing in some way.
Thanks all
Splendid!
— Apr 28, 2010
These ideas are all wonderfully formulated, and initiating them will be a tremendous step towards the change that we are trying to initiate here
One additional idea that has been on my mind as of late, has been that of a world-flag movement.
it seems to me that until we stop classifying ourselves by separate nations, as if we have no similarities with those across our invisible boarders, we will never be able to embrace our fellow brothers and sister with the same kind of love that we would have for our fellow countrymen.
Today I published some ideas that I had written about the whole thing a few years ago, and they can be accessed from my page for more details, but I really think that a movement to erect a world flag would be a monumental step towards world peace, and that including that among these plans would be extremely beneficial.
If anyone has any feedback or related ideas/suggestion, I would love to hear them.
otherwise, this is an excellent list, and it greatly excites me to see these ideas being mobilized!
peace
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” -Albert Einstein
Experimental Reply
— Apr 29, 2010
An experiment with unabashedly typing out my first impressions as I read your new-to-me blog entry tonight.
Media platform
1. ok.
In item 2, you said "young thought" right next to "become their own brands synergized with Evolver." That language totally wrenches my stomach lining. You must ? words like "brand" from any vocabulary of unflinching sacred trusting together. It has been shown again and again that money for spiritual service ends in disaster.
3. You said "brand" again after "Current TV". You also said "our" in reference to Evolver communities around the world. "Our" is dangerously ambiguous here. (Even though I totally appreciate that you're just riffing off the top of your consciousness in like, real-time).
Educational platform
1. Massively needed stat.
2. Accomplishing this with our collaborative genius would be the stuff of legendary songs.
3. This is happening already in a quid-pro-quo realtime negotiation of perspectives via technology.
Evolver goals
1. Evolver might have the jump on Google here, but only by a matter of months I'd wager. I like all of your ideas in this category.
2. This is going deep into where we're headed as I see it, and many will find it totally scary but I think it's spot on anyway. The dilemma is proposing an external machine metric over highly refined analog perception. You'd better have a fully enlightened programming staff to invent these metrics of... hmm. It better match at 99.4% or else.
3. Again, you said "revenue model." Damnit! If we're going to liberate ourselves from the mind-patterns of our monies, we'd better learn to get along without mentioning them first, no matter how powerful they promises to make us tomorrow. This kind of talk makes me exceedingly uncomfortable. I like all of your ideas here, however. The Learning new skills model is exactly correct. But you only mention "Recycling, composting, alternative health." These are good but not nearly enough. The real conundrum between folks will happen at the outer-deepest boundaries of rational thinking. And we will never approach these truths without the flavor of unflinchingly reckless trust-space that attracts me to Evolver in the first place.
There are lots of great ideas here, couched in some language that squicks me out. Please remember that these are my raw impressions upon first glance.
I'm done reading the first blog on tonight's list now. It has a lot of groks, I see. I may wait until tomorrow to post this, but I promise to edit only for spelling and opening and closing politeness.
Yes. Now that I'm done reading I have a chance to feel. I feel that it is verry courageous of you to post this on a Scorpio full moon. Yesss.
You remind me of a sstory I shared with a friend here long ago! A sstory about three sssisters with twisted mouths from the ssspinning and the spinning! How perfect you are!
Namaste,
River
Gawd, I love the comments streams. Massive applause! Hi Andrew MacDonald. P.S. FractalBob is spot on.
"I certainly recommend tight facebook integration. Connect with some crossposting features, at least." said Ryan.
All y'all, keep rockin.' I'm just posting in this tonight a realtime-neveryoumind-me-anyway sorta way.
P.S.S.: Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yoC0jpE_AE
PS3, I'm Gonzo bollywonkers! I admit it.
— Apr 29, 2010
At least, about clean running groundwater via the underdog: forest restoration, essentially. This natural platform is sadly gaining in popularity much too slowly. I walked down to the corner Village Pantry tonight for a cheap beer. They scanned my State Driver's License's backside Hex code. That always squicks me out too. You can now find out online, if you know how-to, that I suddenly bought a cheap beer after writing all this. That's patently Unconstitutional, by golly!
Hello River, I understand
— Apr 29, 2010
Hello River,
I understand the concerns you would have with language such as "brand", but there is an entirely different way of looking at this. Are you familiar with any of Grant Morrison's work? He talks about sigil magic a lot and points out that sigils are a way of imposing something out into the universe. Then he talks about how sigils get more and more powerful as they get more and more in the public eye. He then argues that corporations are turning the world into them selves via logo's and brands, and that we need to do the same to counter act them from doing the same.
Grant was trying to figure out a way to spread this knowledge, a way to make a meta-sigil, so he wrote "The Invisibles". Not only did that comic book change everything in his life into something that he wanted it to be it has sent a ripple affect out into the Universe.
The Matrix, which I think opened a lot of peoples minds into thinking about other possible realities was a combination of The Invisibles and some ideas from Stanislav Grof. Grant Morrison's agent was actually trying to get him to sue the writers of the Matrix for copying him. He then stopped and said "wait why would I do that? I wrote this to put these ideas more out into the Universe."
Then last year the biggest run of comic books in years "Final Crisis", millions of people read this, Grant Morrison wrote it. In the end what it is all about is humans realizing their own potential and that inside they all have the power to be gods.
Grant even goes to suggest that when brands and logo's first came about it was by magicians because they realized the power in them.
I think all kinds of different alternative groups are catching on to this as well. The Zeitgiest Movement, Transition Towns, Disinformation, Evolver and a number of other groups have created logo's, sigils if you will, because it is the best proven way of spreading the idea of something into the Collective Conscious.
So what came first, corporations that wanted to financially hijack the world, or symbolized archetypes that spread out into the Universe? I think that's easy to answer. The first Charter was in the 1400's. I think we all know there are thousands of symbols that predate that.
So why would we leave such a powerful magic to people with the intentions of hijacking the financial structure of the world?
Just something to think about,
Chris
Wow very good things to
— Apr 29, 2010
Wow very good things to think about. At first I was kinda up in the air about the "brands" idea. I didn't make the connection between brand and sigil though. Good job.
Money-a symbol for the efficient distribution of human energy.
Hi Chris, Ah, Grant
— Apr 29, 2010
Hi Chris,
Ah, Grant Morrison. Yes, I remember theDisinformation Lecture, but I haven't read his work. I very much appreciate your taking time to ground my perspective in alternate territory. The sigil idea makes very good sense to me.
I realize, even as I posted last night, that I was also mirroring elements of my own relationship with money. Evolver often works that way, like a sigil itself, or a meshed network of sigils. The very act of posting has had me focusing on the question all day. The bank called me earlier to see if I had received my new debit card and checks. (This is the first time I've had an account in many months (and btw, as I promised earlier, one of my first acts will be supporting the ESM)). I even walked to the corner station a moment ago and could you guess what was playing on the radio?
Wherever I come from though, it's simply quite hard for me to understand why we have this need of money in the first place. Well, beyond the obvious and immediate reasons, of course. R.A.W. spoke eloquently about "bio-tickets" replacing the tribal bonds we're wired for. I see the tribal bonds returning all around us now, and quickly, but we still operate in this milieu where money is like the god. I readily admit that I could use a positive attitude adjustment toward money. It's associations are intricately complex for me. And it would make a great theme for a self-journey.
I certainly don't want to lend the impression that I disapprove of it's current utility in the here and now. Thanks for your reply. It's good. And thanks Daniel for sharing your thoughts in realtime. They're good.
Money is one of, if not the
— Apr 29, 2010
Money is one of, if not the most powerful tool of spreading energy we have in the world today. Do you know why that is? Because like corporations using brands/sigils, everyone believe in it being real. Unfortunately not everyone see's through Mr. Fuller's eyes, or Ghandi's eyes, etc.......... Maybe at times we do, but there are still 6 billion other people out there. The only reason money sucks is because currently the people that have the most of it are misguided and do things with it that also kind of suck.
But there are people that are doing good things with their money. Look at Radio head for instance. They released an album for "pay what you want", one of the biggest rock bands in the world. You know what that did? It showed millions of people around the world a way to get yourself out of the system and still put out music, they had that opportunity because they were big enough, rich enough.
Or lets take the Buckminster Fuller institute into consideration, and there 100,000 dollar grant they give out each year to the person with the best idea on how to redesign part of the world. Or other grants from a number of other groups going towards things like community gardens, alternative currencies, books and movies with a social conscious.
Or we can go to that same Disinfo conference with Grant Morrison and look at the speaker before him Douglas Rushkoff. Remember him talking about how the counter culture disowns people for taking money from "them". And how that's ridiculous, the second "they" start paying us for our ideas we've won, now "they" are peddling our idea.
Look at prime time shows on ABC. Lost has had Valis, Ulysses, and A Separate Reality make cameo appearances on their show. V has story lines that are indirectly protesting the flu shots. Flash Forward is indirectly dealing with the Large Hadron Collider, by having their main event being caused by a physics experiment.
Millions of people watch those shows, read Grant Morrison's Comics, Douglas Rushkoff's books, and every other movie or show's that "enlighten" because someone poured out a boatload of cash to get them into the public eye.
Money isn't "evil", just a lot of the energy using it seems evil to us.
-Chris
So im not the only one who
— Apr 30, 2010
So im not the only one who notices these things with the new tv shows? Don't forget fringe;) I use to think money was evil but then I started to look at it as simply a symbol for the efficient distribution of human energy.That opens a whole new area! That means what you spend your money on is where your energy goes. In a fractal economy everything would be perfectly distributed through zero storage, it may seem paradoxical. What are we spending our energy on? Cupcakes? Satellite dishes? There are excellent biofeedback tech out there and if your really hardcore you could do it minus the tech. You could do it with a simple stop watch and body temp reader. Everything is made of waves, any thought pattern is made of waves. There is a thought pattern to see into a different dimension. I forget the details it goes something like this, Theta waves in the center of your brain along with delta/beta on the sides for 30 minutes and you will start to see beings! WTF? If we don't have feedback to see what is going on in our own brains...
Money-a symbol for the efficient distribution of human energy.
Hi Bob!
— Apr 30, 2010
No. I no longer have TV. You are not the only one who notices however. There is an army of secret people who now track the spiritual realtime fun of movies and their novel archetypes online.
I was in Chicago 2 weekends ago, btw, for the NKBA K-BIS show at the some-such convention center on the lake where food and water was so expensive I couldn't stand it! I thought of you there, and wondered what you might have been doing that night, but I didn't have the internet to say so. waah!
Think of money more in terms of attention and I think we're getting somewhere. Attention deserves nature, or vice versa. And that's prolly all I gots to say about that.
P.S. Saw some huge fields of windmills North of Lafayette as far as the eye could see. The Rest station attendant said they all popped up in the past year or so.
No TV huh? Thats a sin ya
— Apr 30, 2010
No TV huh? Thats a sin ya know? You might miss the Gilmore girls;)
How was that show you saw? I didn't know about the windmills but it seems like Illinois is always the first to try new things. Before the LHC was one I think the biggest machine was somewhere in ILL, I forget the name of the city. You didn't pass through rockford?
Money-a symbol for the efficient distribution of human energy.
Guess I'm a sinner also, I
— Apr 30, 2010
Guess I'm a sinner also, I don't have a TV either. I do make a point to watch LOST somewhere though, I can't lie. And then I hate my memory sometimes, when I remember vast amounts of pop culture and sports trivia from not that much exposure to it.
-Chris
I only watch a few shows and
— Apr 30, 2010
I only watch a few shows and mostly education based ones.
Money-a symbol for the efficient distribution of human energy.
?
— Apr 29, 2010
I believe a consciousness wiki could be great for one and all. May hap a compendium of all media types that are life changing, thought provoking, supportive of Evolver's goal.
Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards.
-Aldous Huxley
great idea!
— Apr 29, 2010
I find that a great idea, I have thought along the same lines:
When J J A posted http://www.evolver.net/news/2010/04/24/do_we_need_new_eleusis
about that we need a new centre of knowledge like the Elusius in ancient times, I answered that Evolver could be that centre, or one of them at least - online as well as in the Spores. Like you point out it is important that it stays diverse and open.
http://florries.wordpress.com/
I accept that the answer to the question “who am I?” is eternal
Film venues
— Apr 29, 2010
I think the most powerful way to change peoples minds is through their emotions. Film is an excellent medium in this regard. We've all been powerfully touched by film at one time or another. It can carry intense emotional content and deliver an intellectual message at the same time.
Evolver could host art film venues, with content created by members. I personally have an intense desire to do this kind of work. As a music student I've studied art history, and I feel the stirrings of a novel school of art in my bones. It just feels ripe. Something like "Transcendental Realism"
My goal is to produce one short film this summer. I'll post when its finished to show to what I mean.
oh right!
— Apr 29, 2010
I think it goes without saying, but I'll mention it anyways, if anyone else wishes to work along these lines, and if you have a specific project in mind, I'm certainly willing to lend a hand. This might not be the appropriate place to plug myself, but I can do computer graphics and I have various music pieces I'd be willing to give out for use
i second
— Jun 21, 2010
A Wiki for Evolver consciousness.
Esthetically, I think the site drags a little, but compared to what's out there it kicks ass. I hate to have to make comparisons but... ESM doesn't have a central board as the main conduit to the community like Zeitgeist. TZM I think this feels more intimate but at the same time if you just look at what goes on. You'll notice many bellicose non-practicing agents of peace all acting out in a way they'll claim is part of the problem without ever acknowledging this about themselves. Microcosm's reflected in the macrocosm...
TZM & ESM both have 'groups' where members can socialize and share in their own collaborative outlook. ESM 'groups' is far superior but still seems it could be better. TZM broke up its community and shifted a lot of this feature to its chapter sites. Which was a mistake. IMO
ESM does seem like it could have more features and control over personal space. Video embed capability would be nice. I like how the user can create a group to promote a particular concept. These areas should accommodate both artistic and commercial extensions of human expression and volition.
TZM created a series of sub-forums compartmentalizing topic discussions, then needing to moderate heavily which has proven to be counter-productive. So I don't advocate a central board to engage topic discussion, but shift the burden to the groups and blogs. What is needed most will emerge given the right environment and if ESM really wants to make an impact. It needs to not only compete with the likes of myspace and facebook but must do so on a deeper psychic level. There are many out there looking for solutions. ESM needs to harness that collective will and provide an atmosphere of right thinking and promote heuristic principles to come to solutions which will empower the individual. Then prove, that the individual can indeed be the change that they want to see int he world.
"Personal empowerment requires a sustained, skeptical yet open-minded search for knowledge, and a careful avoidance of superstition, dogmatism, taboos, and other such cognitive pitfalls. Those who seek enlightenment fear no truth, for they know that ultimately the truth will help set them free."
"Seek not abroad, turn back into thyself, for in the inner man dwells the truth..."
