From a spiritual perspective....

[OneGrassRoot]

if you were to focus your energy and efforts into recreating ONE aspect of society...rebuilding a new system rather than trying to work with the existing system...what would that be?

We often speak of creating this new world, as the old is falling away.

What would you focus on creating and what form would it possibly take?

:hi:

[I Have A Dream]

1. I was going to go with our patriarchal system...

but I've got to go with religion.

(Good question!)

:hi:

[Kookaburra]

2. They almost interchangeable IHAD

But I think I'd get rid of the patriarchal system first -- which IMO would essentially take religions fangs away. OTOH, there are some brainwashed women out there (usually brainwashed by some fundie religion or another), so maybe we should start with religion first.

hmmm-- interesting question.

[MorningGlow]

3. So many choices--!

:rofl:

I'd have to go with revering capitalism. Just chuck that baby right outta there. Sure we need goods and services, but worshiping the almighty dollar has caused a ton of problems on our planet. A person's self worth should be based on something other than their monetary worth.

[rucognizant]

21. BUT.........

"small independant capitalism worked well in the post WWII economic boom.
In the small town in NJ where I grew up almost everyone had a small business, & the freedom to run it without too much restraint. It shared the stage with unions and blue collar wages that were good.
The difference was MORAL VALUES.................People had a business to support their families & life style NOT to amass fortunes!
( of course there were always the psycopathics but they were a snmall minority NOT running things)

[Pharaoh]

27. yes...

well said morningglow
O8)

[OneGrassRoot]

4. Do you guys see ways of implementing the changes you'd like to see...

even if it seems it would require a miracle or is too "pie in the sky"?

Do you have any ideas or daydreams as to how these systemic changes you'd like to see could start to take place, even in a small way to work toward the ultimate goal?

I won't ask any more follow-up questions, promise! :)

:grouphug:

[MorningGlow]

8. I may be too relaxed, but...

I feel like we'll get there naturally. Like we don't need to be frantically trying to push the river, because it won't work anyway--the river will get there when it gets there, when it's time, and not a moment sooner.

But like I said, maybe that just means I'm lazy. :P

[OneGrassRoot]

10. No, I don't think you're lazy at all, MG ...

Just as I'm not the workhorse others perceive. ;)

Regarding what you said, that could very well be true. Yet to me it's a "chicken/egg" scenario -- it may get there on its own without us doing anything, and indeed may get there faster without our interference. Then again, do we have some responsibility in creating this new world -- actively, especially if we're less than thrilled with the existing reality?

I don't know. I think if we're led to create (as I am), there's a reason; if one is not led to do, there's a reason and it's equally fine.

So long as none of us cause harm, it's all good. :) It comes back to the "do'er" versus "be'er" stuff.

Some have commented recently that they sense I'm "frantic" of late.

That's not the case, though I can certainly understand why it could be perceived that way, especially if one doesn't come at things the same way I do (and, quite frankly, very few people do :eyes:).

I'm not frantic but I definitely want to DO something about different issues. Because doing something is fulfilling to me. I'm a do'er; I can't conceive of NOT doing something. Though I completely respect that others aren't like me and one isn't "better" than the other. ;)

That's just me. And I'm always interested in what others are doing and feeling and daydreaming about.

Thanks for chiming in, MG!

:hug:

[BanzaiBonnie]

5. Apparently we're on the same wavelength

this morning. My blog today is relevant.

[OneGrassRoot]

6. I just read...

"...Others have proposed, a new picture of human evolution is forming. Either we work together or we’ll die out together. My bet is that we’ll come through shining. Humans can be brilliant and will take the jump in realizing that we are all one and extinguish the behavior that separates us."

I didn't post link in case you didn't want that for some reason? If it's okay, I'll edit to include or you can post it.

I'm also obsessed with the word "evolution" thing this morning. ;)

Love your blog posts, Bonnie! Each and every one.

:hug: :hug: :hug:

[bigmonkey]

7. Money

I'd restructure it so that it doesn't promote pitting the individual against everyone else any more. No more rewarding the hoarding instinct.

[I Have A Dream]

9. Yes, especially in the US...

we're encouraged to be competitive rather than team-oriented, and even when we're team-oriented, as in sports, there's still competition with other teams. It's still an "us" vs. "them" thing. :(

[bigmonkey]

11. Both me and you, not either me or you.

That's what I'm thinking.

(It may be slightly ungrammatical, but if it was "correct" it wouldn't work.)

[I Have A Dream]

17. Absolutely.

:)

:hug:

[I Have A Dream]

24. A couple of days ago, I got a letter in the mail from ChildFund, International...

(formerly Christian Children's Fund) asking me if I wanted to send a holiday gift to my sponsored child. In the letter, it gave recommendations as to what was appropriate and how the child might use the money if sent. It had a note at the end saying that if the child was from Cambodia or Vietnam, because of the communal nature of that society, the money from all holiday gifts sent would be pulled together and shared by all of the children rather than being given to the child for his/her own use. Vietnam is a communist state, but Cambodia isn't, so I think that this must just be the way their societies have developed over time.

I thought that was interesting.

[GliderGuider]

12. Call me quixotic, but

The one thing I'd like to see change is for more people to wake up to the fact that it's all connected. Awakening, enlightenment, wisdom, whatever you want to call it, is the seed from which all other change must flow. Without it I suspect we (as a civilization if not as a species) are well and truly fucked.

[BanzaiBonnie]

19. And so many messages, from so many directions

seem to be telling us we are all one.

But how to get the signal through all the noise?

[GliderGuider]

20. How to get the signal through the noise?

One person at a time. Viral enlightenment :-)

[OneGrassRoot]

23. Viral enlightenment...

:thumbsup:

:hug:

:grouphug:

[get the red out]

13. So many that it depends...

I have my pie in the sky reformation issues, like human rights/women's right and religious fundamentalism. But I don't see anything beyond my prayers and wishes that I can do about those.

A big issue that troubles me, which I believe more could be done about is food disparity. Nutritious foods are priced MUCH higher than junk food, and often actual supermarkets where they can be purchased are no where near the most impoverished people, who don't have as much access to transportation as well. To me this is a part of class warefare because the "lower" classes can be prevented from having as long of life as the more affluent, less energy to persue equality, and much less of a voice when battling health issues. We see that, contrary to what would be common sense a century ago, it is now the poor who suffer more dramatically from the obesiety epidemic and the health problems that go along with that.

Individuals like me can’t do much, but I support my local natural foods co-op (which works to address such issues where it can in our community) and do a lot of shopping at our Farmer’s Market (which takes leftover fresh food items to the local homeless shelter after the day’s sales are done). I believe that if there is ever a grassroots effort and real media attention supermarket chains could at least be guilted into opening some stores in less affluent sections of large cities. It might take government tax breaks or something to spur this along, which would require more progressives in government. But this is actually a cause that could conceivably happen someday.

Unlike my desire to jerk organized religion up by the short-hairs and PULL!!!!!:evilgrin:

[Sanity Claws]

14. I would focus on recreating local communities and creating local economies

We need people to know each other and work together to supply the needs of the community. This will help us get away from the sociopathic thinking of large corporations. Yes, I truly mean sociopathic. MBA's have been trained to believe that "there is one and only one social responsibility of businesses -- to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits." (Milton Friedman) Corporations do not consider the community in which it is located, the needs of its employees, its impact on the earth, or its impact on future generations.
In order to get away from this sociopathic thinking, people need to see their connections to each other and that they can help themselves and each other to forge an economy independent of the large corporations that don't give a damn about them. Local entities will be more responsive to their communities, IMHO.

[rucognizant]

22. Yes.....

That's what happened to my small town..............MILTON FRIEDMAN, & the Ivies changing the way they taught business methods. The neo-cons tight,well funded grip.
Just last night on MSNBC net. I saw some GOP on the news threatening us with, snearing out the word "Kensian", like it was a very dirty word, = socialism or communism
Actually Keynes was an excellent economist, who's principles were displaced along about the 60's? give or take. By the 80-'s the "new business practices began to edge out the more user friendly economics, with "young" 40 something CEO's displacing the older more ethical CEOs.
Yes my Grandfather was a "self made man" back when that was possible to do, & I inherited some of his innate business accumen. I sat & watched as my small business began to list...& after 1981 ( reagan inaugural) It began to sink slowly, never to recover! The R W deregulated but also built in subtle hurdles, for all but those with a Lot of operating capital.................. the socio-econmic changes were stunning!

[Shallah Kali]

15. it all comes down to fear

authoritarianism and it's relatives like patriarchy, love of money and criminal capitalism, and the rest. fear that I, and my kind (family, cultural/ethnic/religious/etc group), won't have necessities, that others will get treated better, have an easier time of it. it all comes to the small and large black holes of fear in the psyche that can never be filled with enough power, privilege, money, food, sex, love, friendship, etc.

what I would change is for everyone to learn emotional literacy - to know that all emotions have their place and use even the negative ones so while some are more enjoyable than others experiencing the negative ones are not a sign of weakness, defectiveness, sin or failure. It is just part of being human. I would also have everyone taught a variety of techniques to help with distress tolerance so instead of coping in ways that are harmful to oneself, ones family or ones society at large we have the resources at hand to deal with the emotions that arise in difficult situations. imagine if kids were taught these things in school so kids growing up knowing how to deal with things instead of avoiding, suppressing, or projecting their stuff on others or belittling and blaming themselves. imagine if parents to be learned this as well as natural child birth or baby massage.

[OneGrassRoot]

18. ...

I can respond to your post here more simply this morning. ;)

I couldn't agree more, Shallah. I think that's what I've been working toward my whole life: Choosing Love over fear, and thinking of ways to Open Hearts.

To me, we're empowered when we embrace these simple means of Being in the world.






:hug:

[Ricochet21]

26. Wonderful answer nt

[OneGrassRoot]

16. Thanks, Everyone...

I'll come back over the weekend to read and absorb.

I appreciate you!

:loveya:

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

:hi:

[Ricochet21]

25. Start teaching REAL astrology to students in the first grade

through 12 or beyond :hi: