Dorkrunner. One of the self-given nicknames I’ve called myself for 11 years now. During the past two years, the nickname has been even more logical since I began greeting people with “Peace and long life” or “Live long and prosper” while I go out running. I have no qualms about others finding my quirky, odd, or eccentric. I’ll happily be considered the greatest fool if my words can even bring just one person joy or hope. “Real knowledge is to realize the extent of one’s own ignorance.”
This topic is actually quite serious. I’ve had this handwritten out since June 10th of last year. Inspiration struck while I was on vacation staying at an AirBNB in Chicago with MsFinancialLiteracy and our children. I waited for the right time to turn it into a blog post and hit that publish button. Now is that right time. We’re all waking up every day to a shared reality and a greater awareness of what makes us human. A greater awareness that we’re all in the same boat. While my writing is no April Fool’s joke, I do ponder to what level April Fool’s day will be observed in 2020.
I have an idea about significantly improving the state of this world. It’s an idea about lifting up humanity and drawing out the amazing potential and power of humans.
As a species, we’ve accomplished a lot. However, we have also left so much on the table so to speak. We waste so much. We argue. We hoard resources in the form of money, time, and stuff. We engage in war which is by far the most costly thing humanity has ever invented.
You May Say I’m A Dreamer
Imagine a world without war, without hyper-consumerism, and with far less arguing. I know that world is possible for humanity and it’s just within our grasp. This is the moment in history when it’s ours for the taking. I want that world so badly.
How do we get there? I feel that it begins with a deep recognition of the deep interconnectedness of all life. And in particular sentient life. Now, I’m a realist and I know that not everyone is ready at this moment in time for this kind of recognition. However, I perceive that the percentage of human population at this moment is higher than at any previous time in history and is soon to hit critical mass. I’ll use an overloaded and overused term for the individuals who are currently aware of the interconnectedness and feel it to the core of their being — woke.
Perhaps this isn’t the best word choice. I choose this word tactically though. There are many similarities between my meaning and the current cultural meaning (at least in the US). However, they are not identical. A requirement for my meaning of “wokeness” is that the individual feels daily in their mind and heart that they have 7.8 billion family members.
The second crucial key to getting to this better world is education. Actions in the present to attempt to correct for the past are, by their very nature, inefficient. Actions in the present taken to affect the future are far more powerful, far less costly, and much more efficient. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. A solid education for all is like a long wrench which can generate the huge amount of torque needed to disassemble the way things are currently tightly wound. Solid, consistent investment in education creates systemic change.
What’s Financial Independence Got to Do With It?
I’d be remiss to not mention a third key driver — financial independence. Magical things can happen at the individual level when an individual “frees self from self”. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs states that the more basic needs must be met in order to pursue higher needs such as self-actualization. Similarly, not having to worry about money now and in the future through having enough resources and fewer wants creates space for greater pursuits. We’re at a moment in history when ever greater percentages of human population can achieve financial independence provided they carefully avoid the consumerist traps laid out for them everywhere. Technology has propelled our world forward with greater prosperity and longer lifespans. We’re lagging in social gains of the same magnitude. From the technological improvements, it logically follows that a higher percentage of population achieves financial independence in earlier phases of life.
I’ve been retired from software engineering for two and a half years now. This has allowed me to focus on my family and on being a Social Change Agent / World Peace Advocate. These past 30 months have been so blessed and I’ve met so many amazing people. Words cannot describe the level of gratitude which I feel.
Process Oriented Change
I’ve focused much on the individual level, because that is where true change begins. A quote from an unknown individual summarizes the thought succinctly. Nor do I know how long ago this quote originated. “When I was a young person, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn’t change the nation, I began to focus on my town and, as an older person, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old person, I realize that the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.”
Confucius (Kongzi) had a very similar message with his words from more than 2500 years ago and even he credits people from 500 years before him:
“To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.”
Introduction to The Leadership Network
Something spontaneous happens when the percentage of individuals reaches critical mass. They begin to band together to find ways to make this world a better place. For lack of a better name, I’ll call this The Leadership Network. This process is likely already happening at more than one location across the globe. The Internet makes facilitating this process much simpler. The Internet is an amazing tool which can be used as a force for good via social networking and sharing of ideas. Alternatively, it has the potential to be used for antisocial networking and antisocial media.
Together, the Leadership Network can discuss various ideas in terms of projects. How labor intensive is a given project? Which projects can improve the world in more ways than one? What are the financial costs required of undertaking a project? Once the merits and needs of various projects have been discussed, selected projects can be put into action to begin the process of implementation. Since the Leadership Network is comprised of a high number of individuals who have “freed self from self”, time and labor is less of a significant factor than financial costs. Those within the Leadership Network who have achieved a significant excess of funds beyond their own needs may choose to share in helping bring certain projects to life (much like the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation). Great care should be taken in deploying funds considering the many projects to choose from. No time should be spent fundraising from sources outside of the Leadership Network. That would be an inefficient use of time and result in unnecessary messiness by creating external expectations. Autonomy and financial “leanness” are necessary traits of the Leadership Network.
Other virtues are inherent to the foundation of a sustainable and growing Leadership Network. No individual within the network should be treated as more important than any other. Everyone’s voice must be heard so that varying opinions can emerge. In cases where opinions contrast significantly, the Leadership Network will find its own way to move forward since everyone is moving towards a common goal. The Leadership Network must be resilient and have built-in redundancies. Aside from everyone residing on planet Earth, single points of failure are to be avoided. Unity and transcendence — members transcend national boundaries and any other forms of division. Together the members represent humanity as a whole and come from the most wide range of professions. Collectivism with individual expression is another essential virtue. Each member of the Leadership Network is like a worker bee working toward a common goal. However, there is no queen bee. Each person is both a contributor and a leader simultaneously. Each person is both a thinker and a doer — capable of generating good ideas and putting those ideas into action. Obviously, individual variance exists and some lean more towards thought or action to varying degrees, but each person can be called upon for either or both. Lastly, transparency is a must. No conspiracy theories about some secret organization are allowed here.
Why Isn’t Anybody Else Out There?
It’s also possible that the Leadership Network has yet to come into existence. If that’s the case, then the seed has just been planted through the publishing of this post. It’s only a matter of time before it takes root. Perhaps the critical mass conditions haven’t been reached yet. In which case, the not-too-distant future breathes life into this creation. Humans are destined for higher levels of social order and complexity. A planetary super-consciousness will emerge. Our destiny is to survive The Great Filter of the Fermi Paradox. The Fermi Paradox is the apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence for extraterrestrial civilizations and various high estimates for their probability. The Great Filter is an explanation for the Fermi Paradox that states a very high percentage of sentient beings manage to destroy themselves before they become space faring of any significant level such as being able to travel between stars in a mere fraction of their lifetimes. We’re right there on the cusp of forming our collective, planetary super-consciousness. I feel it in my bones. Welcome to the New Age.
FAQ
Q: I’m in, how can I contribute right now, today?
A: This idea is already the result of contributions from multiple people. Ideas can also be iteratively improved. Do you have an idea about how to make it even better? Leave your thoughts and comments here in this post or, if you prefer, email Trip at financiallypossible@gmail.com.
Q: Trip, why does your writing lack coherency?
A: This post is intended to be a high level summary of the idea/concept. Based upon readers comments and questions, I’ll be choosing specific portions to dive deeper on by writing future posts. In those posts, a single portion of the overall concept will be explained in detail.
Q: Won’t there always be armed conflicts between humans? Never will my children or grandchildren live in the world you’re describing.
A: Any fight that’s worth fighting begins in the mind. What our minds envision first can later become reality. Always and never are words of immediate defeat. These words give up the battle before it’s even begun.
Q: Doesn’t the United Nations already do something like what you’re describing?
A: I don’t know. Look around at the world around us. Cannot it stand to have some improvement? It seems a reasonable risk to take even if there is some level of redundancy. The UN has involvements with governments. The Leadership Network I’m describing is completely external to all governments.
Q: Trip, haven’t religions been attempting to unify humanity for millennia?
A: Absolutely, but have they resulted in greater unity or greater division? By digesting all of the world’s religions and non-religions, including atheism, a clearer picture of the whole beauty of humanity comes into focus. This kind of wide field of vision is needed in order to even see a path to transcending religion. It’s about moving beyond any Us vs Them quandaries which pop up for a multitude of reasons and not just religion.
I hope that you have a beautiful April Fool’s Day where you’re staying happy, healthy, and safe. I wish you and your family prosperous, long lives!