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| N E W C I V I L I Z A T I O N |
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Issue 6, 25 November 1995 \ /
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It has been a while, but here is another collection of your visions for a
better world.
Earlier issues can be found at:
http://www.newciv.org/worldtrans/newcivnet.html
- Flemming
-------------------oOo-------------------
** Lawry de Bivort <debivort@umd5.umd.edu>, Maryland **
Descriptive quickies for a desirable society....
Global interconnection of individuals and organizations
(via electronics)
Elimination of national boundaries as obstacles to interaction among
people and organizations
Top priority of society is to assure the well-being, potential and
capabilities of kids, gloablly
Adults honor kids, as partners in the crafting of the future
To be taught in schools: leadership, systems analysis,
semantics/linguistics, global access/interconnectivity, entrepreneurship,
invention and creativity
General understanding of our species and world as an evolving, malleable
platform for possibilities
Tiny retreat oases round the world where thinkers and doers can meet and
sharpen each others activities
Small living communities where people choose to live: central facilities
and hand-made homes sprinkled through the woods, or on a hillside.
Hi-tech communications and planning tools
Long-distance learning with virtual-reality type quality of transmission.
Better venues for the energies of people now engaged in valueless activity
Colonies in space: free-floating colonies to handle over-population of
the planet and, even more important, to provide resource-rich
environments for experimentation and clustered diversity, all reporting
back their results to successive waves of space colonists.
A hydrogen/oxygen based energy economy. (With CO2 attentuation).
Automatic plug-in compatibility of all computer-based technology.
That's all for now. Alas, I confess that my last item may be impossible
to achieve.
-------------------oOo-------------------
** Eduardo Fuente <eofuente@rs970.mor.itesm.mx>, Mexico **
I believe that more than speculating about specific technological
advances, there is a fundamental aspect that has to be adressed. I don't
mean to be rude, to those who propose wondeful things like flying
computers and so on; they will be part of life, but I believe there is
an underlying question that will be the "launchpad" for all of this: a
basic change in the way humans perceive each other and themselves.
Someone mentioned the importance of feeling wanted and respected for
whatever it is one does. I would take it even further to ascertain that
there is an essential need to know that we are all in essence part of
a whole, an important part because of the gift implicit in the
construction of our brain and the miracle of evolution that allowed us
to have opposable thumbs and all the other physical characteristics that
make humans unique.
In terms of biological evolution, it is very likely that the human
species is a dead end... we have nowhere to go, specially since there is
no "force" to move us along a path of natural selection. However, every day
it is becoming more apparent that we have an undeveloped potential in our
brain and a "soul" that we don't know much about. It is in this that humans
can evolve, and the only way to do this is wait patiently for the
structures that the human race has created to fall under their own weight
and a new answer is required.
I am very happy to have found this forum for discussion, as an organized
group of people can start testing models and constructing viable
communities that could be the seeds of the new civilization when
everything else falls apart.
-------------------oOo-------------------
** Wayne Hartman <beyond@redshift.com>, Monterey, California **
>From my Beyond Imagination home page written within the past two years:
I dream of a world united in love, peace, and harmony; where people are
equal and receive what they need physically, emotionally, intellectually,
and spiritually; where people are employed in a manner that engages their
natural abilities and talents fully for the good of both the individual and
society; where people are happy and free; where people are helpful to one
another and consider each other as brethren; where industry operates in
harmony with nature, righting damages caused due to excesses in the past;
where governments are efficient and honest, and truly represent the needs
and rights of the people.
Such is the world that I choose to live in. Will you do your part? Will
you expend your energies in such a manner as necessary to co-create such a
world? Only through the cooperation of many will such a world come into
being, Let us join together and MAKE IT SO!
http://redshift.com/~beyond/beyond.html
-------------------oOo-------------------
** George S. Rizk <GSR@pe.jea.ci.jax.fl.us>, Florida **
Sex is a very important component of our life in the west. This
is due 1: Natural instinct and needs. 2: Constant societal
pressure.
The sexual fulfillment has become a major task for adulthood
because of cultural and religous restrictions. For example, a
couple are subjected to many influences during their day such as
at the end of the day one is in the mood for sex and the other
may be not. At this point if the one who want some can get it
some place else without any hard feelings and dramatic
consequences, the world would be a better place.
How would people deal with this aspect of their life without
basic changes to tradition, religion, culture, ..etc
I envision a world where sex is simply a need for our body, just
like food. If some one like to eat, this person should be able
to get food without any sense of shame, betrial, dirtiness,
sinfullness, and all other restrictive notions.
This can be provided for by the society just like libraries,
hospital..etc
If that happens, most sexual TV commercials could become mute?
-------------------oOo-------------------
** Rick Knight <rknight@wpo.borland.com>, Scotts Valley, California **
The new civilization will have discovered a form of energy beyond light:
thought. With that discovery, the fear of death, the emphasis on
materialism and the preoccupation with terrestriality will fade. What have
we been fighting for up to now if not what we have decided to be "survival"
of our species. Once we learn that we are more than our bodies, that we
are an etherial ocean of energy that localizes in these bodies, we can then
really begin the work of advancing our culture.
As we approach this new civilization, the emphasis will become merely that
a person IS not what they do. Contribution will become more natural
because people will see purpose in what they do for others connects to
themselves. "Jobs" will be whatever work needs to be done to better the
community. The market economy will share the stage with and eventually be
eclipsed by an economy based not on "what's in it for me" but "how does it
benefit the community or the planet?"
We will ultimately discover (as our energies are concentrated on peaceful
and more lofty endeavors) how to leave and return to our bodies. We will
regard a physical manifestation of a human or animal body the same as we
regard a suit of clothes or costume today. For our experiencial
edification, we will become a wave, a thuderstorm, a hummingbird, a
sequoia, All at will! The earth will be acknowledged for the sentient
creature it is and we will have acknowledged ourselves and each creature as
a contributing organism that assists the planet in thriving. Right now,
humanity is a renegade virus but the DNA restructuring is occurring and our
cancerous endeavors will ultimately give way to the beginning of the world
the way prophets and philosphers have always idealised it to be.
One warning: our humanity is like a stumbling alcoholic on the verge of
skid row. We may have to hit rock bottom before we're willing to pick
ourselves up and step our way back to health and contribution. Many people
may die and a sobering shock wave of genocide for our species may have to
confront us head on before we turn from our preoccupation with materialism
and terrestrial superiority. Just as an unchecked cancer ultimately
defeats its host and in so doing, kills itself, we have yet to come to the
brink of our survival as a species and turn towards our consciousness-phase
evolution.
Peace and thanks for the opportunity to be expressed!
-------------------oOo-------------------
** Flemming Funch <ffunch@newciv.org>, Los Angeles, California **
I envision a planet that will again be covered to a large extent by
unspoiled nature.
As humans we will come to terms with our role as part of nature, rather
than as the masters of nature. We will stop trying to cover the whole
surface of the planet with suburbia.
City planning will change over into designing pockets of human civilization
within nature, rather than setting aside pockets of nature within human
cities.
The needs that human civilization has for nature's processes will be taken
care in more concentrated forms. Agriculture will predominantly take place
in multi-layered hydroponic farms, rather than spread over large areas of
land.
Many of the large barren areas of the planet that have been devastated by
human civilization will be re-generated into more natural states. Deserts
will be irrigated and re-planted, rainforrests will be re-created in tropic
areas.
Underdeveloped parts of human civilization will be brought up to par with
the rest of the world, mainly through the establishment of energy and
communications infrastructures. Thus the increasing overpopulation in these
areas and their need for ravaging nature for their basic survival will be
halted.
Humans on a large scale will re-discover the joys of nature. To drink from
sparkling mountain streams, to smell the moss in old growth forrests, to
swim among flourishing corals, to watch eagles make their nests. We will
watch nature with respect, marvel in the miracle of it all, and the
privilege we have in being part of it.
-------------------oOo-------------------
How would YOU like a new civilization to be? Send me a note at
ffunch@newciv.org. The more clearly we can visualize and articulate what we
want, the more real it is becoming.
- Flemming
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/ \------------------ Flemming A. Funch ------------------/ \
/ * \ World Transformation/New Civilization/Whole Systems / * \
/ * * \ ffunch@newciv.org / * * \
o-------o------- http://www.newciv.org/worldtrans/ -------o-------o
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