EarthNationLive
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Earth Nation Live
executive
summary and call
to arms
The Problem
It’s a
round planet:
one atmosphere, one ocean,
one family of people and creatures and trees.
But human consciousness -- as reflected in
our environmental, economic, political,
and social functioning -- hasn’t
caught up to that critical
understanding.
The
direct result?
Peak oil, peak water,
oceans fished out, the Great
Pacific Garbage Patch, death by starvation,
human trafficking at a historical high, resource
wars, the rule of corporate and other special
interests, burgeoning population,
greenhouse gases, and ethnic,
gender, and religious
divides.
But
just 125 years
ago, before Thomas Edison,
it was dark at night, and if you
wanted to watch a speech or hear a
song, you had to be on the scene
right when it happened.
Powerful solutions
can be, and are,
tickled out
of the
ether.
Solution
A
global
umbrella
organization
for people of
conscience
which
provides a
comprehensive and
action-oriented program of
powerful tools for sharing information,
communication, education,
motivation, and
engagement
and which relegates
personal and collective
helplessness and
inaction to
history.
Why?
Because in
an era when billionaires have
standing and a platform, transnational
corporations have standing and a platform, and
militarized governments have standing and a platform,
the family of man, the family of creatures, the family
of trees -- with everything to lose and everything
to gain in the critical hours ahead -- don't have
the kinds of voice, tools, and leverage
possessed by these others.
Achieving critical mass
is essential.
Because
people who care
about climate change tend to
care about a living wage in Indonesia,
human rights in China, genocide in Darfur, and wars in the
Middle East. And people want to make intelligent, informed choices
about the consumption and other life decisions that impact our
world’s environmental, economic, and social justice issues.
But we all have jobs, families, dogs to walk, and frisbee
to play in the sunshine. We only have so many
hours, realistically, to devote to changing
the world through activism and to
researching complex
issues.
Because
an effective
coalition can do three
very important things: publicize
issues, organize information, and provide
action tools. Amnesty is a great example: if you
care about political prisoners and human rights issues, you
know to go to them. And no matter whether you come in through their
website, email, snail mail, or a physical gathering, they make two
things immediately available to you: a wide, deep web of
information, and precise instructions for how to act on
that information, which instructions are tailored to
the amount of time you have to invest. It’s time
for a worldwide multidisciplinary mechanism
that works in a similar way to inform,
educate, and engage people across
the spectrum of today’s
complex and pressing
issues.
What started me
thinking about all this
almost a decade ago was two graphic
representations side by side: the first of a human
brain as it developed, and the second of the Earth as the
internet came online. They look basically the same -- individual
nodes of perception, freestanding at first, then linking to each other
to create a network in which intelligence increases exponentially as
synaptic connections proliferate. The 'net makes possible a form of
functional human consciousness which could never have existed
before. Nikola Tesla anticipated it long ago, however, when
he said, “When wireless is fully applied, the earth will
be converted into a huge brain, capable of
response in every one of its parts.”
It’s time to bring this vision
to fruition.
thinking about all this
almost a decade ago was two graphic
representations side by side: the first of a human
brain as it developed, and the second of the Earth as the
internet came online. They look basically the same -- individual
nodes of perception, freestanding at first, then linking to each other
to create a network in which intelligence increases exponentially as
synaptic connections proliferate. The 'net makes possible a form of
functional human consciousness which could never have existed
before. Nikola Tesla anticipated it long ago, however, when
he said, “When wireless is fully applied, the earth will
be converted into a huge brain, capable of
response in every one of its parts.”
It’s time to bring this vision
to fruition.
Because
the hour is late.
Because early detection,
rapid response, and mass mobilization
can work to stop injustice, calamity,
and war as well as they can
work to stop a
pandemic.
Because when
disaster strikes, aid can be
logistically and/or politically difficult
to deliver, and while logistics and politics are
being negotiated, people huddle: wet, cold,
hungry, without clean water to
drink, shaking, terrified.
disaster strikes, aid can be
logistically and/or politically difficult
to deliver, and while logistics and politics are
being negotiated, people huddle: wet, cold,
hungry, without clean water to
drink, shaking, terrified.
And then they
die, horribly, in sewage.
Not numbers, human beings.
Aunties, just like ours.
Children, exactly
like ours.
die, horribly, in sewage.
Not numbers, human beings.
Aunties, just like ours.
Children, exactly
like ours.
In the early days
after the tsunami struck
Thailand in 2004, the greatest early
relief there was provided not by the UN or
the Red Cross but by a man who owned some
trucks in the hills of Thailand -- not tractor-trailers,
just lorries for hauling melons and wood and junk.
He directed his friends and family members and
employees to load food and water and clothing
into them and simply drive them toward the
coastal areas. This one man saved
thousands of lives.
after the tsunami struck
Thailand in 2004, the greatest early
relief there was provided not by the UN or
the Red Cross but by a man who owned some
trucks in the hills of Thailand -- not tractor-trailers,
just lorries for hauling melons and wood and junk.
He directed his friends and family members and
employees to load food and water and clothing
into them and simply drive them toward the
coastal areas. This one man saved
thousands of lives.
I know people
who have been working
for two decades with the Karen
and Kachin people who inhabit the forests
of northern Thailand and Burma. The border is porous
there because the land is wooded and largely unroaded.
Hours after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, if the network I'm proposing
were in existence, a handful of strategic emails and phone calls would
have immediately had massive amounts of food, water, and medical aid
moving from Bangkok to northern Thailand, to be borne across the
border and down into the Irrawaddy Delta, in individual packages,
on millions of wily, indigenous Karen and Kachin feet --
no ships, no planes, no government interference.
With the direct result that there would be
fewer photos like this one existing
(and accumulating) in
the world today.
who have been working
for two decades with the Karen
and Kachin people who inhabit the forests
of northern Thailand and Burma. The border is porous
there because the land is wooded and largely unroaded.
Hours after Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar, if the network I'm proposing
were in existence, a handful of strategic emails and phone calls would
have immediately had massive amounts of food, water, and medical aid
moving from Bangkok to northern Thailand, to be borne across the
border and down into the Irrawaddy Delta, in individual packages,
on millions of wily, indigenous Karen and Kachin feet --
no ships, no planes, no government interference.
With the direct result that there would be
fewer photos like this one existing
(and accumulating) in
the world today.
Business Model
World-wide
web-grounded community
organized from neighborhood
to town to region to nation to planet.
Wide deep knowledge base on all issues,
with attribution, and with oversight by respected
"department heads". Issue priority and policy guidance
by a council of elders. Unending stream of action tools of
every kind -- email / reverse 911 / boycott / feed / clothe / shelter /
administer / join / march / protest / witness / teach / fund /
mentor / support / commune / participate etc. ad. inf.
on every level from the neighborhood to
the nation to the Earth. Feedback and
reference system a la Ebay or
the once-promising
omidyar.net.
With all
of us gathered around
one of humanity's universal hearths:
music! Once a month or so, in perpetuity,
an Earth Nation concert in Wembley Stadium or
at Red Rocks, packed with superstars and local stars,
telecast and webcast around the globe and into every
community's best local music hall, where it can be
seen on a big screen, heard on a great sound
system, and danced to in the company of
one's fellow activists, both because we
need to make a joyful sound together
and because it's a great
tool for...
...raising money,
also in perpetuity, through
the 800 number on the screen, through
tithing via the website, through local theater
ticket sales, through global awareness of the Earth
Nation brans and its products, certifications, and
endorsements. To create, fund, and maintain
both the organization (macro and micro) and
a Permanent Fund to fuel its actions,
outreach, and emergency
relief muscles.
World-wide
web-grounded community
organized from neighborhood
to town to region to nation to planet.
Wide deep knowledge base on all issues,
with attribution, and with oversight by respected
"department heads". Issue priority and policy guidance
by a council of elders. Unending stream of action tools of
every kind -- email / reverse 911 / boycott / feed / clothe / shelter /
administer / join / march / protest / witness / teach / fund /
mentor / support / commune / participate etc. ad. inf.
on every level from the neighborhood to
the nation to the Earth. Feedback and
reference system a la Ebay or
the once-promising
omidyar.net.
With all
of us gathered around
one of humanity's universal hearths:
music! Once a month or so, in perpetuity,
an Earth Nation concert in Wembley Stadium or
at Red Rocks, packed with superstars and local stars,
telecast and webcast around the globe and into every
community's best local music hall, where it can be
seen on a big screen, heard on a great sound
system, and danced to in the company of
one's fellow activists, both because we
need to make a joyful sound together
and because it's a great
tool for...
...raising money,
also in perpetuity, through
the 800 number on the screen, through
tithing via the website, through local theater
ticket sales, through global awareness of the Earth
Nation brans and its products, certifications, and
endorsements. To create, fund, and maintain
both the organization (macro and micro) and
a Permanent Fund to fuel its actions,
outreach, and emergency
relief muscles.
(note:
this executive
summary omits some
monetizing trade secrets -- the
sort of things which, in addition to what's
here, would enable projects like this, this,
and this to turn into something that
changes the world, rather
than just simmering
along.)
In short:
Google.org?
Lots of money, great
intentions, effective
organization,
meaningful
results.
Earth Nation Live
underpinned by a WiserEarth,
a Google.org, Intellectual Ventures?
Lots of money to the 10th power, great
intentions to the 10th, effective
organization to the 10th,
meaningful results
to the 10th.
Technology
"On
January 20, 2001,
President Joseph Estrada
of the Philippines became the
first head of state in history to lose
power to a smart mob. The 'People Power II'
demonstrations of 2001 broke out when
the impeachment trial of President
Estrada was suddenly ended by
senators linked to
Estrada.
"Opposition
leaders broacast text
messages -- “Go 2EDSA. Wear
blck" -- and within seventy-five minutes of
the abrupt halt of the impeachment proceedings,
20,000 people converged on Epifanio de los Santas
Avenue. Over four days, more than a million people
showed up, mostly dressed in black. Estrada fell.
The rapid assembly of the anti-Estrada crowd
was a hallmark of early smart mob technology,
and the millions of text messages exchanged
by the demonstrators in 2001 was, by
all accounts, a key to the
crowd's esprit
de corps."
(Howard Rheingold)
Proof of Concept
It's this, bigger, with a monster soundtrack:
In other words,
use digital tools to organize
a community, focus its actions,
and gather its tithing
toward a series
of goals.
use digital tools to organize
a community, focus its actions,
and gather its tithing
toward a series
of goals.
And
it can succeed
like that campaign did,
only all 'round the
world.
it can succeed
like that campaign did,
only all 'round the
world.
Marketing and Sales
CDs.
DVDs.
Tithing.
T-shirts.
AdSense.
Concerts.
Downloads.
Certifications.
Memberships.
So much more.
Competition
Alas, none.
Team
Me.
You.
This idea.
A little seed money.
A lot of technological
and organizational horsepower.
The council of elders whose integrity
is questioned by no one anywhere.
Our planet’s coolest musicians.
And the strong backs,
willing hearts, and
agile minds of
humanity.
CDs.
DVDs.
Tithing.
T-shirts.
AdSense.
Concerts.
Downloads.
Certifications.
Memberships.
So much more.
Competition
Alas, none.
Team
Me.
You.
This idea.
A little seed money.
A lot of technological
and organizational horsepower.
The council of elders whose integrity
is questioned by no one anywhere.
Our planet’s coolest musicians.
And the strong backs,
willing hearts, and
agile minds of
humanity.
Projections
Good,
and lots of it:
Billions of dollars for good.
Billions of people linked to do good.
Faster, better, real-time response to tragedy.
Humans, creatures, planet united as never before.
Dramatic improvements in economic
justice, peace, social well-being,
environmental health,
and (may I?)
karma.
Good,
and lots of it:
Billions of dollars for good.
Billions of people linked to do good.
Faster, better, real-time response to tragedy.
Humans, creatures, planet united as never before.
Dramatic improvements in economic
justice, peace, social well-being,
environmental health,
and (may I?)
karma.
Oh: and
an ongoing
worldwide sockhop.
(As Emma Goldman said,
"If I can't dance at
the revolution, I
don't want to
be a part
of it.")
Timeline
The short answer?
Now.
The long answer?
It’s difficult to
make an accurate projection
here because the only people qualified
to say how long it will take to build and test
the large, bombproof piece of software necessary
to launch and run this enterprise could fit in a shuttle van.
And of course the amount of seed funding directly
determines the size, expertise, rapidity of
assembling, and efficacy of that
software team.
That colossal caveat aside:
Nominations, solicitation, and
formation of council of elders:
120 days.
Nominations / solicitation of the “department
heads” of the knowledge base:
120 days.
Nominations, negotiations, and
securing of first musical lineup:
120 days.
Scouting, negotiations for first
concert site and production:
120 days.
Assembly of initial launch-ready
knowledge base and action agenda:
180 days.
First worldwide event
and broadcast:
< 1 year.
and broadcast:
< 1 year.
Call to Action
"The sun,
each second,
transforms four
million tons of itself
into light, giving itself over
to become energy that we, with
every meal, partake of. For four million
years, humans have been feasting on the sun's
energy stored in the form of wheat or reindeer, as
each day the sun dies as sun and is reborn as the
vitality of the Earth. Every child of ours needs
to learn the simple truth: she is the energy
of the sun. And we adults should
organize things so her face
shines with the same
radiant joy."
"Human
generosity
is possible only
because at the center
of the solar system a magnificent
stellar generosity pours forth free energy
day and night without stop and without complaint
and without the slightest hesitation. This is the way of
the universe. This is the way of life. And this is the way
in which each of us joins this cosmological lineage
when we accept the sun's gift of energy and
transforms it into creative action that
will enable the community
to flourish."
generosity
is possible only
because at the center
of the solar system a magnificent
stellar generosity pours forth free energy
day and night without stop and without complaint
and without the slightest hesitation. This is the way of
the universe. This is the way of life. And this is the way
in which each of us joins this cosmological lineage
when we accept the sun's gift of energy and
transforms it into creative action that
will enable the community
to flourish."
Just
as the sun
lights the world, we in
our time can light the spirit,
the determination, and the movement
of humanity toward a sane and
sustainable future for
ourselves and all
the Earth.
as the sun
lights the world, we in
our time can light the spirit,
the determination, and the movement
of humanity toward a sane and
sustainable future for
ourselves and all
the Earth.
Let's do it.
Email: brian (((at))) earthnationlive. (((org)))
or brian (((at))) brianbrownewalker. (((com)))
Thanks.
Boulder, CO 80301
brian ((
