Bopping along through history, with different players but a through line, we go from the emergence of primitive human who took hundreds of thousands of years to even start to use tools, to the more modern eras where we have moved though thinking we could own human beings to recognizing that ALL people, whatever their religion, sexual orientation, or skin color, have an equal place at the humanity table.
[Read more…] about We Need a Conversation About How to Reorganize the World
Looking back from 2050 as a thought experiment causes me to wonder how we are going to offset the dynamics of climate change. What I did (in retrospect) was to continue to educate, using videos such as this one: https://vidmails.com/v/T5ND8df3HH. My adult life for 40 years has been to work for global enlightenment. I founded LoveShift: Radical new thinking for a changing world. www.loveshift.com.
So, as I imaging my life at 2050, I will be glad I contributed to the awakening and resilience of humanity. There are hundreds of videos which I have already made, at www.loveshift.com, www.onesharedmyth.com, www.itsmyclimate.com and now, most recently, at www.oneearthoneclimate.com. I expect that we will need massive new initiave (s) if we want to survive. The video included above (20 minutes) highlights the acute, vital need for new thinking.
We need to re-envision EVERYTHING! Society, earth, the individual, leadership, food, water, poverty, hunger, human trafficking, deforestation and the list goes on.
And we shall also need to understand that NO ONE is going to arrive somehow, mystically, to save us from ourselves. The Universe is a planet nursery and is vetting us to see if we are worthy of continuation. From the perspective of war, climate, population, and all the other issues facing us, it might be more accurate to describe the Universe as a planet graveyard. We are in the fight of our lives.
MASSIVE education, resourse allocation, university education and international synergy shall be needed right how if we wish to survive.
If I am able to look back from the year 2050, it will be because, and only because, we homo sapiens have gotten very smart, very lucky and very interested in changing ourselves for the benefit of all life.
Period.
I’ve been ruminating on this question for 40 years, waiting to see the path forward. My lifelong question has been about ethics and what is the right way to live. Dissatisfied with what humans (mostly men) have had to say about ethics, I decided to look to the expert – nature. Jane Jacobs taught me that values come in systems. Her research posited two systems, one for safety and the other for expression. I knew there was another, waiting to be born, so I spent the next 20 years researching. I explored science, systems thinking, indigenous ways of seeing and understanding the world, poets and artists, anyone who spent time seeing and thinking about the natural world. Nature has spent over 65 million years experimenting with life, so I am sure SHE knows how to make it work.
What I learned has been distilled into what I call the Resilient Values set.™ These are four intents and sixteen values /principles/patterns that all life uses to live ethically, on this planet. I have worked with these values for years now, and the spiritual understanding they have brought me has only deepened by understanding and appreciation for nature, humans, and all other living beings. That said, this time, this time when the Earth herself, is working so hard to heal, seems to require new actions, and new ways of being.
The excuse we use to not get involved, the Earth will outlast us, the Earth will continue on after we are gone, is true, but it allows us to abdicate our responsibility and withhold our gifts. SHE will abide, but the real question, is will we? If we want to be here, then we much change, we must do things differently (the values), and we must do different things.
The only place to act is locally, and the only time is now. I live in Spokane, Washington, and I’m working to work with the City of Spokane to become resilient. We are in a purple city surrounded by a sea of red. Therefore, I have chosen to work on soil! We live over one of the largest aquifers in North America. We use more water than most other cities of our size. Like most cities world-wide, we are designed to get rid of excess water. We use about 53 million gallons a year. We are gifted with about 17 billion gallons a year of rainfall. What’s wrong with this picture?
Keeping the water we get, is a rational approach, given the changes in the weather and the real possibility that our normal rainfall may change. What IS changing is snowfall, and much of our water in our rivers comes from that. That, we know, is changing so, our summer water will not be coming from melted snowpack. We need to manage our water from rain very seriously, because of that.
While the aquifer is very important, the biggest storage for rainfall is soil. Living soil (scientists now think that 2/3 of all life on the planet is in the soil) holds water, and releases it, slowly, over time. This allows rivers and creeks to run, even in drought. So, the first order of business is soil and compost is the first, easy step in making dirt come alive. If you wish to speed up the process, or just get better at it, then you can amend the soil by adding specific bacteria and biochar.
Biochar is charcoal created by burning organic waste in a specific way so that it doesn’t burn up, but chars. That char is an incredible carbon sink, and it is porous, so it holds both water and nutrients. This ancient technique actually grows soil and helps soil increase by feet a year. It is possible for individuals to make biochar and biochar can also be made commercially. There is a wonderful company in Oregon already doing this. Going beyond soil remediation, the next step is holding water long enough so that it sinks into the ground.
Landscape design mimics nature. She has already contoured the land to channel and hold water, we make it flat. We can follow what nature did, or if we have already removed that memory we can redesign, in alignment with the natural slope, the land in such a way that water has a place to be. I water sits long enough, it goes down, into the soil and into underground streams and aquifers. This allows streams to run, even in drought.
Did you know that trees make rain? Actually, forests make rain. The transevaporation that trees do by bringing water up and letting it go through their leaves creates that wonderful, atmospheric fog we treasure, and that fog becomes clouds in the sky holding water, which then moves inland and rains. The atmospheric rivers they talk about on the evening news are created this way. That means that deforestation becomes desertification, and that is well documented. The really good news is that, using the Miyawaki Method, it is possible to plant a forest in a day, tend it for three years and then in 25 you have an ‘old growth’ forest. Bang!
These mini forests can be planted in places as small as 6 parking places, so you can put one in your backyard. This is a place where indigenous people can lead, as they have the knowledge of the original plants that make this work. They grow much faster than normally planted trees and by using biochar treated compost, you can speed it up even faster. As we replant forest, we bring back native species of animals and insects that have long disappeared (how do they know to come back?) and revitalize everything around them, while helping to bring back rain. A real win, win, won!
Can I save the world? I can save my part and if enough of us did the same thing…
Aaron Z Rose (updated 02/28)
February 21, 2024
The Dragon’s Flight
Elevating The Frequency Of Love
The dawn breaks, the clock chimes, and the calendar confirms another circle around the sun. As we emerge in the year 2050, this planet and our species resounds with love and gratitude. The fear and anger that has grasped us for generations, has been met with compassion and forgiveness. Appreciation for this fragile yet resilient ecosystem is at an all time high. The earth is embraced as the nurturing life sustainer. Collaboration and creativity abound. People have chosen to lead by example and share their heartfelt gifts. Transition was not easy, but it was fueled by joy, hope, synchronicities, and determination. This is the story of one dragonfly out of many who conspired to affect loving change. In the year 2024 the moment was ripe for planting the seeds that would sprout conscious living. As I sat reading the history in the landscape, and listening to the music of the wind in the trees, I was inspired to build and share sacred space with others. My goal to bring people together in harmony sending waves of love echoing across the Everyverse had begun. A beautiful five acre property was at my stewardship. There were mature trees, a year round creek, rock monoliths, and stunning views. In addition, a recently vacant yurt was in need of a new purpose. This was to be the nexus point. Bring people together in this circle in nature. Over the course of history music has always brought people together. From rhythm and melody to the songs we sing, sound is a cornerstone of human experience. There are many examples of the frequencies’ of music invigorating memory, and soothing emotion. This is what the world needed, reconnection with our emotions and remembering that we too, in this technological age, are indigenous to this planet. I transformed the yurt into a recording studio, sound healing and storytelling production center. Wonderful people came to let their creative voices be heard. There were so many, as if THE DRAGON’S FLIGHT 1 the music was water to quench a great thirst. The cast was broad and loud. Time spent together in this space was energetic and thoughtful, capturing the very essence of this love conscious evolution. Soon there were videos, podcasts, and storytelling. Media was documented and uploaded, resonating throughout the world. As the circle grew, the conversation expanded, including; Laughter, Sorrow, Authenticity , DNA, Holographic Nature of Reality, Simple as Advanced, Abundance and Sharing, Interconnectedness and Importance of all Nature, Compassion, The Etymology of Language and Sound, Science as Magic, Seasonal Rhythms, History, BioRegionalism, Honesty as Truth, Self Governance, Patterns of Existence and Life, Sustainable Living and Building, Cycles and Flow, and LOVE. This was not an exhaustive list. Difficult subjects were also brought to light. Politics, war, disease, and abuse, contributed to the conversation of the great healing. Joining the circle were people with positions of influence, and expertise in many fields. We linked our understandings together, and shared our insights. Through the cultivation of music, we synced in harmony the greater vibrations of humanity to life worth loving. Music was our connection to people. Lyrics and rhythm combine deep in a person where thoughts and emotions reside. The human code is our DNA. Our memory and feelings have an impact in activating dormant programs in our DNA. Music is a key. It can be subliminal and conscious at the same time providing a vehicle for transformational new ideas of reality to take hold. I recorded my debut album imbued with patterns of cooperation, love, and sustainability. On August 27th, 2024 I unleashed “Seeds of Unity” at a record release party. Seeds of Unity consciousness planted in our DNA with music and nurtured through community flew upon the electronic winds to take root in people on real earth all around the globe. Musicians from all over the world created, performed, and celebrated February 27th as the Day Of Peace Everywhere (DOPE). It was Dope because it was awesome, and it was Dope because we knew all along. Everyone was free to choose to participate, and many did. This was so much fun that it became a global annual holiday, and governments were pressured by public opinion to cease fighting for a day every year. Almost immediately people Real Eyes’d the force of love created. If this could be done once a year, then why not more often? And then why not all the time? Peace had been tasted, experienced, and savored! THE DRAGON’S FLIGHT 2 The first couple years were mostly a party guided by the music. Subsequent years gained substance. Being peaceful transitioned from not fighting, to creative and wonderful ways of enjoying time. Passion for art, storytelling, cooking and nature blossomed. Competitions of generosity and public endowment ensued amongst the wealthy. Politicians jockeyed for positions of most peaceful and cooperative. In the moments of peace there were many who found contemplation. Many realized that without war, imperialism ceased and capitalism struggled. This was going to take cooperation. We had already conquered the world, and had at last, the time to still our minds and free our hearts. As the seeds of love matured in the hearts of dragons everywhere, clarity shone on peace as a choice for everyone. We started a support network organization called, Peace Everywhere Around Civilization Everyday (PEACE) to help people make that choice each day. There were new ways to be peaceful. It was peaceful to forgive oneself and heal generational family trauma. Peaceful to collaborate, and be helpfully of service to others. Peaceful to listen. We listened to ourselves. Our place in this world. We listened back through our DNA and the seeds of love planted. Back to our home on this earth and our shared DNA with all life. Being peaceful with ourselves meant being peaceful with all nature. We coexist as one, and realized our purpose and potential as gardeners on this garden planet of life and love. Music is the expression of everything vibrating together in harmony, and the rhythm is for everyone. It is up to us, the choices we make. The love we feel, and the peacefulness we share are chosen in every moment. By recognizing opportunities and taking action, we make this world. This is the story of how one Dragonfly, in the year of the Dragon, helped all the other Dragons take Flight. “Nurture the planet with grace, by loving the sacred space. A place to share with you, a place to dream anew!” – AZ Rose THE DRAGON’S FLIGHT 3
The only way we’re going to save the world is if we all participate.
Finally: as written in the stars and foretold for millennia, the human species is thriving in a cooperative society; not in an unachievable utopia but in a protopia through pronoia and spiritual proactivity.
How did it get there? How in the world did it survive the brink of destruction in the 2020s, indicated by the ticking Doomsday Clock and massive civil upheaval, due to spiritually-devoid megalomaniac tyrants destroying life and aiming weapons of total annihilation in a Biblical Armageddon?
Somehow, the gods returned. Heroes rose, alternative systems were developed, collectives ended generational karmic curses, and societies transformed from a predomination of fear & hate to trust & love. Humanity prayed and the divine delivered. World leaders emerged who powerfully embodied both the divine masculine & feminine; who synthesized, curated and effectively conveyed true information in the age of thought-chaos; and who masterfully navigated the world in business, politics and spirituality.
Humanity’s artistic expression has given us hopeful optimism and insightful clues into how we might avoid man-made & natural disaster, and how we may create systems and technology to distribute power & resources and save us from our lower nature. Perhaps Klaatu’s Speech in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951) gives us one such clue: somehow wisely creating a system such as their AI to quell any aggression to hold a global container for harmonious freedom⁰. Charles Hoskinson of IOHK has remarked many times about how creating decentralized systems can “save us from ourselves” in the realms of economy and governance, by both preventing exploitation and incentivizing cooperation.
All technology is double-edged, having potential for either positive or negative impact, and always requiring wise oversight & implementation. From the splitting of the atom came the best yet-developed energy source but also the most terrible weapon. With that frame of reference and others, humanity is now challenged to implement emerging technologies at break-neck speed and in the largest scale yet. Hoskinson articulated the technologies of the 21st century: artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, quantum computing, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, 3D printing, and virtual reality – so much all at once, all with potential for good or evil. ¹
So humanity desperately needs proper leadership from individuals who are heart-centered & spiritually enlightened, and are somehow incredibly able to understand & synthesize a vision for implementing these technologies. Maybe not just individuals, but those supported by decentralized entities comprised of & representing whole communities, in harmony. As Thich Nhat Hanh indicated, that the next Buddha may be a sangha, “it is possible the next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing understanding and lovingkindness, a community practicing mindful living. And the practice can be carried out as a group, as a city, as a nation.” ²
Leaders, however, may be necessary in this transition to the so-called Age of Aquarius, or Age of Helpfulness coined by my friend Stanley Pokras of OtherNetworks.org. Much of humanity is operating through deeply embedded myths and traditions perceiving a necessity for a savior, for a lone individual to represent all and royally decree the path forward. Ancient prophecies even foretell of such an individual or small group to be what transitions us from top-down hierarchy to decentralized autonomy.
Agreeing with Henry Miller saying “I am not against leaders per se. On the contrary, I know how necessary they are. They will be necessary so long as men are insufficient unto themselves,“ I think this may be the case.³ I wrote a reflection on a live discussion about Nietzche’s prophesied Übermensch, who is as described above, and my vision for how such a man would exist today in our dire time of need. ⁴
Back to Thich Nhat Hanh’s notion of a sangha, I wrote about how the rise of online sanghas like organizations which meet regularly on live video platforms, such as The Scientific & Medical Network and Humanity Rising via Zoom, and younger self-organizing groups in cryptocurrency circles are becoming this very thing! ⁵ In the physical world, pop-up cities such as Burning Man and Zuzalu are where semi-nomads gather to proliferate soulful living and co-create better realities. ⁶
As for how I, Bruce Dean Robinson (Starlove), helped to usher in this beautiful Golden Age of humanity: through being the very leader I have hinted at in this essay. I have birthed a sort of cathedral, called Starscape, inspiring a model for decentralized communities through Starscape Sangha⁷, inspiring a model for Aquarian-style businesses⁸, and proving my business leadership at scale in multiple domains⁹. By the end of 2024, I will help mobilize at least Americans to massive action to improve their lives, their families, their communities and their natural environments, through technology and thought-leadership.
Embodying my vision for a spiritual, heart-led information curator in this age of misinformation, as of April 2024 I will be in full swing in social media content creation – of podcasts, interviews and various video, through my own independent initiatives and through the New Paradigm Navigators subgroup of The Scientific & Medical Network. Rap music albums are also in production – my soulful way to musically express and connect with some of those in the far reaches of society: American inner-city youth and the like. But wait, there’s more – I had a Moses moment in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado on a spontaneous Spirit-led trip in February 2022, to eventually publish a treatise on humanity & civilization, and propose a charter to replace the UN Charter and outline a multi-decade gamification plan: a voluntary game in which nations would be naturally & significantly incentivized to participate. The greatest game Humanity has ever played.
These seeds were planted by inexplicable divine intervention, from perhaps before my incarnation and throughout my life, and have been blooming since the Aquarius stellium in February 2021. I was just some guy with big dreams and insatiable curiosity but crushed under the weight of substance & video game addition to cope with depression, anxiety, imposter syndrome, aimlessness and lack of guidance. It is only through complete surrender to the numinous and submission as a cosmic vessel through the Universe’s Tao that I am on this destiny. And it is with the crucial support of individuals, organizations and charities – like Suzanne Taylor and her essay contest – that I am able to co-create this better world for all of us. The money from this essay competition would be a divine gift in this massive transition to invest in myself and these projects, which will return a vast wealth of material treasure – but toward the eventual end of wealth inequality.
As my most intense dreams indicated and meditative insights revealed: my awakened purpose is to inspire, connect and coordinate humanity to unite & harmonize on & with Earth before going interstellar; to resurrect the spirit and society of Atlantis through the intersection of high consciousness and high technology. Again, I cannot do this alone. I need friends. I need support.
The only way we’re going to save the world is if we all participate.
— Bruce Dean Robinson ∞ Lavitz Starlove
⁰ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASsNtti1XZs
¹ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uragYmFhNIk
² https://inquiringmind.com/article/1002_41_thich-nhat_hanh/
⁴ https://lavitz.substack.com/p/xspace-reflections-what-is-the-ubermensch
⁵ https://lavitz.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-online-sanghas
⁶ https://brookebowman.substack.com/p/zuzalu
⁷ https://starscape.substack.com/p/starscape-sangha-the-guild
⁸ https://starscape.substack.com/p/starscapes-company-commitments
Being the first day of 2050, I was going to wish you a Happy New Year. But I’ve decided that I’d rather tell you why you’re all so happy. Which sounds ridiculous, but it’s not.
You think you know, but really, you don’t.
See, you’ve probably heard about Christmas – don’t laugh, I’m being serious here – an annual event they held back in 2023, and I want to explain why we don’t do it anymore.
Back then I was a young man, single, worked in a factory, and had no real plans for the future. Women didn’t seem interested, so I pretended not to care, and for company, I adopted a bunch of stray mutts from the local pound.
Late one night, I thought one of the dogs had farted under my bed, but it was God.
Nobody ever wonders what he smells like but now you know. His son – who is also God – washes prostitute’s feet, which sounds fun and kinky, but that’s another story.
Anyway, He was under my bed, woke me from a dream, and decided to chat.
He said, “People are dumb, you know it?”
I said, “Yeah, I got the tee shirt, right over there in the drawer.”
He said, “I know. I went through your stuff before crawling under here.”
I said, “Are you a pervert, too?”
He said, “Nah. Just bored.”
I wondered if there was a point.
He said, “Of course there’s a point.”
Not being rude, I didn’t answer. He’s in my head anyway, so talking seemed pointless.
Much better, God thought, and again I didn’t answer.
Instead, I thought: What are you doing under my bed?
And He thought back at me: I wanna show you how stupid you are.
“You wanna prove I’m dumb by hiding under my bed?” I said.
“Who says I’m hiding? Is it just because you can’t see me?”
“Nobody can see you,” I said. “Nobody ever has.”
“Uh-huh. But you’re talking to me anyway.”
“Because I’m stupid?”
“Umm, let’s just move on, hey?”
So I settled back, closed my eyes, and listened to the voice in my head.
He said, “You people never stop to think if I ever wanna do something different. All you ever do is ask me for stuff. Constantly. Thoughts and prayers. Help me help me. Want want want. You all think I must be so happy. That I love my job and never need a holiday. Well, you’re wrong. I need a break. So, here’s an offer you can’t refuse. You ready? We’ll swap places, and you can be me for as long as you want.”
I didn’t even need to think about it.
I said yes.
And instantly, He disappeared. And I became God.
And that’s when I bought this country: Australia.
I paid one hundred billion trillion dollars for it and kicked everybody out. It was mine, and mine alone. And if that sounds like a lot of money, consider this – as soon as I paid the bill, I instantly created another one hundred billion trillion dollars and put it back in my account. I have a billion other accounts, and all of them are full.
No limits, right? I can make money and I’m made of money. It’s worthless.
So, I have this entire country and everything in it – it’s all mine, from coast to coast, and I can do whatever I want.
I built up a wall of ten million television screens in a corner of the backyard and tuned them all to a different station, simultaneously showing every city and suburb of the world. Now I was everywhere at once, but that proved to be boring.
I was able to write a play, compose an opera, author a manuscript, play every musical instrument ever conceived, paint, sculpt, design, build, and indulge in any of the arts that I so desired. But that wasn’t interesting, either.
I briefly considered medicine, and curing all known diseases, then pondered the concept of creating an environment without war or famine, then establishing a sustainable landscape that would perpetuate the growth of the natural world and its resources into eternity. That project was stopped when I couldn’t be bothered.
I had enough food – and could always create more – to feed everyone who wasn’t allowed in my country. I could make them all rich, too. I could make everyone happy and comfortable and content, but did they deserve it? I imagine they were all looking to me for help, with envy and jealousy and incomprehension, but if they didn’t wanna help themselves, it’s hardly my problem.
I changed the weather patterns for a while and found one I liked. Rain was more interesting without gravity, so I made it fall up into the sky and then had a nap.
Eventually, I got tired of pizza and exploring below the sub-quantum so I cut my hair. It looked terrible so I immediately grew it back and had another go. I did that for a few days and made it into a movie that nobody will ever see.
I took some drugs, changed my gender, drank a pub dry, then decided I needed a holiday.
After much thought, I drove out into the middle of the desert. There was plenty to do in the city, but that was now of no interest.
I drove past shopping centres and pubs and schools and libraries and houses. All mine. But I kept driving.
I drove past museums and art galleries and sporting fields and cinemas. Past factories and airports and mansions and ghettoes and theme parks.
I drove past beaches and mountains and rivers. I saw cattle and sheep and crops and farms and didn’t slow down once.
I drove through towns, small and large, that didn’t interest me at all.
When I arrived in the desert, I stood and gazed at the endless horizon, stretching in every direction, then went for a walk. I walked a thousand miles and saw butterflies and birds describe random circles on the clouds. I saw wild horses galloping and kangaroos crouched beside creeks and snakes leaving slithering tracks in the sand. I kept walking, as none of it held my attention: I was deep in thought.
I then stood still for seven days and seven nights and came upon an epiphany: I can have everything and anything I want, and if it doesn’t yet exist, I can create it from thin air. Hell, I don’t even need air. Nothing is impossible. And I’m pure, flawless, and perfect. I created humans in my image, and the experiment has failed. They’re nothing like me. They hate and fight and kill each other in my name. They let children starve and they rape women. They kill my animals for fun. They’re greedy, selfish, and uncaring. I created them a home and they’re destroying it. For money. Anything and everything’s about money.
And I finally said it aloud, “Time to set them free.”
With the decision made, I lifted my wings and landed in the North Pole. From within the walls of the nearby workshop, I heard the distinct sound of hammering, and knew the elves were busy. The reindeer were gathered outside the stable, polished and waxing the sleigh. The front door opened, and a rotund man stepped outside. Large and jolly, decked in the familiar red and white costume, he chortled when our eyes met, and said, “I’ve been expecting you.”
“Really, Santa?” I said.
“Uh-huh,” he said. “They don’t really believe in me anymore, and I figured your time would come.”
I offered a wry smile and slowly nodded my head.
“Then you’ll help me?” I said.
“Of course,” he said. “That’s what friends are for.”
He gestured at the door, and said, “Come on inside and we’ll talk. Mrs Claus has a pot of hot chocolate on the stove and she’s always happy to have company.”
“Do many people drop by to say hello?” I said.
“You’re the first,” he sighed. “We get letters once a year, and then nothing.”
I put my arm around his shoulders and said, “Cheer up, my man. I got a plan, and I think you’re gunna like it.”
We walked through the door, and began to plan for the end.
And twenty-four hours later, we were ready to go. Though it was only mid-August, I clapped my hands to occasion a time warp and it was suddenly Christmas eve.
“Cool,” Santa said. “Can you show me how to do that when we’re done?”
“Too easy,” I replied. “And I can teach you how to make it go backwards, too.”
He grinned, said “Shall we?” And we climbed aboard the sleigh.
In front of us stood a dozen reindeer, Rudolph still leading the pack in popularity. Behind us was an enormous sack, a bag carrying just over eight billion presents, one for every person on the planet.
The sleigh left the ground, we delivered the presents, and in just over three minutes, we skidded to a stop, back in front of the Claus’ house.
“Phew,” Santa said, wiping sweat from his brow. “I really don’t know how those people work so much. Forty or fifty hours a week. That would do my head in.”
“They’re used to it,” I said, climbing down to the icy ground. “But it won’t last much longer, thanks to you.”
“My pleasure,” he said. “And it takes a lot of pressure off, now that I don’t have a job.”
“Me either,” I grinned. And we both laughed – it was over.
We shook hands, went our separate ways, and promised to keep in touch.
And here’s how Santa Claus and I became unemployed.
To begin with, Santa tore up his ‘Naughty or Nice’ list, saying he was done with judging people. He was done with punishing or rewarding children based solely on their behaviour. He was done with hurting children’s feelings because they didn’t obey the rules. And he’d had enough of the adults using him as a scapegoat. You didn’t get the present you asked for? Blame Santa. Because he’s the one who judges you.
And as for me, I could only empathise. People judged each other as sinners or saints, apparently because that’s what I told them to do. They wanted rewards such as eternal life, forgiveness, and a permanent residence in heaven, so announced themselves as morally superior and cast aspersions on those they considered inferior, whilst simultaneously embracing bigotry, racism, segregationism, xenophobia, homophobia, and a general disdain cast upon anyone who didn’t agree with their judgements. Because, yet again, I told them to.
Well, and excuse my language, but that’s not what I fucking wanted.
You were given the opportunity to live. To exit the darkness and finally be alive. An ephemeral blink in the infinite cosmos, a billion-to-one chance at existence. And you blew it. By hating and loathing and killing in a never-ending war of greed and judgement.
So I made a present for every human on the planet – a box of magic fairytale dust. And I then sprinkled my essence into the mix. So when you opened the box, my magic powder flew into your nose, and changed your perception of me. I altered the chemistry of your mind. Not brainwashing as such, but something very similar. I was no longer taken seriously, as the arbitrator and overlord and supreme ruler of the universe. Rather, I was the main character in a fairytale. I still existed as a character of fiction, but no one actually believed that I existed. Thusly, I rendered religion obsolete.
And as people have proven, time and again, whilst religion continues to exist, the idea of global unity and world peace is simple impossible.
Religion was invented to divide and conquer, to make society subservient, and to afford power and control to the men who least deserve it: The self-appointed judge and jury of your worthiness.
And now that I have removed it, people are happy.
Welcome to 2050.
I ruined yet another family dinner, it had to be for something. I couldnt’ stop talking about the warmest ocean temperatures. Or that majority of Americans are paycheck to paycheck despite economists saying everything is fine. I needed them to know that even though we were sitting at an expensive restaurant eating roasted duck and warm bread that things weren’t okay.
Then my dad said the words that the younger generation dreads, “Things won’t change.”
Everything in my body has to believe this isn’t true, that things can and must change. They say history repeats itself, but I hope this time never happens again.It was important collectively that it doesn’t happen again.
It felt important to keep pushing, ruining family dinners, losing followers online. Everything felt like it was falling apart and no one around me seemed to care except a select few. Who was willing to feel this pain and uncertainty with me? Who was willing to feel the grief and hopelessness?
More and more I saw that keeping people in survival mode ensures they will keep drowning and not notice anyone else and stay in our soliptistic bubbles of safety. I wanted people to feel held by each other and Earth itself.
I just started focusing on food and where I put my money. Buying used and shopping at the farmer’s market. And then I started to get interested in farming..specificially regenerative agriculture.
Ideally, US farmers could do regenerative farming practices because they didn’t rely on government subsidiaries for planting only GMO. While I had taken permaculture courses and educated myself on carbon capture methods, and non-extractive investing. To see the benefits of carbon capture and shifting thinking about growing food worldwide. It was something we could do together, just needed to know how. Rather than mono-crops creating diversity large-scale farming. I got involved with Kiss the Ground organization who partners with farmers and worked towards finding land that could serve as an educational center. First finding something in California then expanding. The center would also be on land large enough to create a carbon capture weather shift while giving it back to local indigenous tribes in ownership model for rematriating.
Next, I focused on the financials. People get rich by making money on things that hurt the our planet. I wanted to help others and myself grow wealth through support rather than pain.
So I used the small inheritance I received to invest in the Black Farmer’s Fund that nurtures community wealth by investing in Black agricultural systems on the East coast. I also partnered with Next Egg, Main Street other groups focused on helping people put their money into sources that could support their investments while also bringing wealth into communities.
It took time but the momentum built, without relying on politicians or financial advisors, and community and Earth care became woven into the structures themselves. I first noticed the relief with progressive student loan payments, which helped….then California was the first state to pass health care for immigrants, then all residents. People no longer went into debt for a check up or healthcare. It made such a difference that both parties could agree it was an amazing option. It spread like wildfire in blue states, then something amazing happened. Universal basic income became a staple of a few states’ economic support, the extra $1000 a month allowed residents to either donate to others or local non-profits or keep for themselves.
The combination of getting to help others created cycles of support where people felt the impact of being connected to each other and everything continued to cultivate collaboration from there. The inter-related webs became an interweaving of souls both human and non-human animals and the realization that Earth wasn’t separate.
But it had to start with each other, the believing things could change…and ultimately putting our money where our mouth goes.
