Global Assembly Progress Report 6 comments

15 Jul 2006 @ 16:05, by Roger Eaton Dear Friends, The plan is to build a Unity-and-Diversity Global Assembly from the bottom up, using the internet and a process of voting on messages to involve the hundreds of millions of people who realize that humanity must adopt a global perspective if we and the earth are to thrive. Instead of electing candidates to a global assembly, a hugely expensive undertaking, we will elect messages to represent us in both our unity and our diversity. Our intent is nothing less than the creation of a global force that will remake the world for the better using the power of nonviolence. What gives us a real chance is that winning messages on a global scale will be read by all the world and therefore be doubly important, first for themselves, but then too because everyone will know that everyone knows that everyone has read these messages. The voice of humanity will create a world consciousness, re-framing all issues from the global perspective. You cannot buy this kind of PR, which is why we can win without having big money on our side. It is a huge task, to be sure, but doable. The main thing is to persuade people that we really can succeed. That is why, once we start up, it will be important that we grow and keep growing until we actually have created that friendly world that has its act together and does the smart thing that we all so ardently desire. So where do we stand? The good news is that we have $500 in our Global Assembly treasury to play with. The bad news is that we are still not ready to go, but I think I am safe in saying that by our next meeting in mid-August we will be ready to go. For those who are interested, you can look up the successful Jewish-Muslim dialog that was carried out with the previous version of InterMix at groupdialog.org. An important direction for the Global Assembly is the organizing of a semi-autonomous Nonviolent Action Arm. The idea is that the online Global Assembly will give general directions to the Nonviolent Action Arm, which will then decide for itself how to go about it. We need volunteers. I would like to say in our first email a month or 6 weeks from now that we have a treasury of $500 and we have a nonviolent peace force of 10 to carry out the requests of the Global Assembly. I've already volunteered, so we need 9 more. The Global Assembly wants you! The full name of the Assembly is the Unity-and-Diversity Global Assembly. We are going to model the online dialog so it really is a unity and diversity process that brings in other groups, groups that are currently going their own wonderful but uncoordinated way. Next Saturday I am going to attend Rev. Lawson's monthly nonviolence workshop. Rev Lawson knows about the the Group Dialog process and thinks it is an important development. I'll do my best to convince him and the workshop to join us as a second group, and possibly we can get the Common Peace organization from Agape to be a third group. The idea is that we alternate unity and diversity rounds in the Global Assembly dialog. Already we have 700 plus email addresses from UDC. Rev Lawson's workshop must have 300 or more. Common Peace probably has as many. If any of you have ideas of other groups with email lists that we can bring in, please let me or Leland know. Also it would be great to get Leland and myself on KPFK either with Eisha Mason on Morning Review or with Sonali Kohatkar on Uprising! to recruit both nonviolent volunteers and additional groups. The first round of the Global Assembly dialog will begin with all the recruited groups writing together on their vision for America and the world in a transformed future. This will be easy, fun and will bring forward some great essays. The second round, we will ask the groups separately, in their diversity, each to tell us how they see their part in making the vision of the first round come true and to suggest candidate first actions for the Global Assembly Nonviolent Action Arm. The third round we will ask for unifying consensus on how we should proceed together and what the Nonviolent Volunteers should do first. Meanwhile we may well have brought other networks into the process. Leland has great contacts globally, and so do you!!! Let's give it a go and bring all our power to bear. Clearly the world is in a critical phase and we cannot afford to dawdle, but must give it our best shot now. The fourth round will be a Diversity round again, and we will alternate between Unity and Diversity rounds. This alternation is a winning formula. I do believe it actually solves the great unity and diversity problem of getting us all on the same page while giving us room to develop our separate directions as well. This is a wonderful opportunity, so let's make it work! Thank you.

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