Compassionate City

Click here for video, TED talk.

"Scripture teaches nothing but charity.  We must not leave an interpretation of scripture until we have found a compassionate interpretation. And this struggle to find compassion in some of these rather rebarbative text, is a good dress rehearsal for doing the same in ordinary life."

"You cannot and must not confine compassion to your own group"

"Any Ideology that is failing to promote a sense of global understanding and global appreciation of each other is failing the test of time"

Compassionate Action Network

Interconnectivity - “We’re at the light bulb stage of the internet”

http://youtu.be/R7cuatm_bqw  20 minute video about inter-connectivity and internet’s role in commerce

There is the obvious counter argument that it’s at the cost of a loss of privacy, and the dangers involved in that. 

There are some statements I don’t agree with, like some statements about our generation being the last “dumb” generation. 

“By 2014 mobile connectivity will have taken over desktop connectivity.” - I'm seeing this trend, though thinking 2015.

What if we can take agriculture from a dependency on poisonous fertilizers to providing exactly what the plants need at the right time to increase yield through sensors.  Is technology the means by which we can return to sustainable cultures?

"What if there is a better model of government than what we've seen in centuries past.  Moving beyond the capacity to “call your congressman”, what if our individual political responsibilities expanded beyond elections to expect informed decisions and more frequent feedback from anyone who volunteers their time, by way of internet.   A bill passes based on a million votes, not the votes of the few in congress.  People would empower themselves to get informed, we have the capacity and the information can be made available.

"There’s the discussion of human connections, that is, real physical presence.  I've spent 10 years mastering productivity and personal fulfillment in my career without direct human interaction.  I believe that it can be achieved 75% with the technology we currently have.  6 years ago it could be achieved about 40%.  And the solution has been to embrace tools that reduce the barriers of standing in front of someone physically, email, skype, video.  Productivity is enhanced over physical presence, in some circumstances, where my entire hard drive is at my fingertips.  Those connections I've drawn together from emails, IMs, observation of a system, knowledge, ect is all right there.  Would 3D skype on a mobile device take that 75% to 80%? 

What do you guys think about the comments around 12:30 in the movie about virtual currencies, Facebook, the bank?
It’s important to teach them the values and necessity of human interaction.  We have not mastered electronic communication.  Tweets, instant messages, even emails still allow each of us to live in our own bubble of perception, and does result in mis-communication.

“We’re at the light bulb stage of the internet”

I feel responsible to understand the actual and potential technological changes so that as a parent (and a self-directed individual) I can teach my kids spiritual, physical, and values of the mind so that they may be applied to this technology and electronic interaction effectively. 

A GREAT couch conversation no less!!  You’re all invited. J

Love and Marriage

If we place trust in our companion to always render happiness, as we wish to do for them, then each time we are hurt, which will happen, is an offense of trust, and suffering is deep.  But if we trust our companion to be a catalyst for awakening, enlightenment, and liberation, suffering caused by the relationship instead empowers us to look deeper in search of the truth, and the bond between us is strengthened. This is love.