World pays Ecuador not to extract oil from rainforest

An alliance of European local authorities, national governments, US film stars, Japanese shops, soft drink companies and Russian foundations have stepped in to prevent oil companies exploiting 900m barrels of crude oil from one of the world's most biologically rich tracts of land. 

This is BLOODY BRILLIANT! Read this article from The Guardian - a new step forwards.

Social Network for Protesters

Just wanted to put in this link: Replacement-Facebook for protesters...Social networking.

Click the photo or click here to read this article.

The Ascent of Money

This is a documentary called The Ascent of Money, about how money came to be king.

(It is the first in a series - for some reason I couldn't get the playlist to load this time.)

How did our lives come to be ruled by money. Until very, very recently, most people didn't worry too much about it, and of course, once, it didn't exist.

Given that we now live in a monetary world, and for so long as we do, I believe we should use it wisely, hopefully towards the end of eliminating it so that we can all live for the right reasons. Because money is a poor motivation for doing anything, in my opinion. And yet, the fact is that we have to virtually mortgage our souls in order to make ends meet: so I think it is high time we bought our souls back and did things for better reasons.

The greatest motivations must be for the well-being of all (and not just humans) and for the giving from oneself, to making that personal connection. Working together is a far greater reward than controlling the masses and bending them to your will.

I am pro-charity but I get very annoyed by the hard sell that some street donation collectors try to use (I'm sure they're on commissions, nowadays). I think it a shame that it has come to this, charity muggers resorting to base tactics presumably because they can't get what they need.

And I am not anti-wealth or the wealthy, but do not presume to rule over me and everyone else, to control thoughts and manipulate beliefs and impoverish the people, to degrade the environment, take and never give. Value the heart as well as the brain, and the earth and heaven, do not tell me who heaven belongs to (as if you knew) and realise: we're all in the same boat, our spaceship Earth.

Slave labor

In a humourous but nonetheless serious vein, Stephen Fry on QI talking about the prison situation in the U.S.

Touched by Gorillas

I saw this on Facebook and want to post this here as a reason why we need to care for all life on earth.

It would be utterly amazing to have such an experience! I get excited by having a little skink on my hand, so this would have blown me away - and I think that it had that effect.

Animal encounters are all precious, in my view. I want a world where this kind of thing can occur in a hundred years time. I want to hear the argument that can oppose that!

Century of the Self

This is the first video from a series called Century of the Self.

It shows how Freudian theory was used to manipulate the population into a consumer lifestyle, one of obedience, how the same techniques were employed by the Nazis (though not with the name of Freud in mind, one assumes) - well, it is very interesting. 

Native American Elders speak of prophecy

We're not talking the Nostradamus type of prophecy. This is something far more real and interesting, valid and understandable.



This playlist contains 6 videos and it is worth watching right the way through.

Something Happening

Here's a link to an article from the New York Times online.

It is about the changes in society going on around the world and happening at more fundamental level, a response to government and corporate corruption.

Something's Happening Here

When you see spontaneous social protests erupting from Tunisia to Tel Aviv to Wall Street, it’s clear that something is happening globally that needs defining. There are two unified theories out there that intrigue me. One says this is the start of “The Great Disruption.” The other says that this is all part of “The Big Shift.”

Click here to read the entire article.

Wall Street Protest

I have been seeing bits about this on the internet. I haven't watched TV much but we have it on at work and I've seen no mention of it.

Over here in Australia I guess it is not as significant as a football scandal or other major news items.

I'm unable to embed the video I wanted to here, so HERE IS THE LINK:

"As the "Occupy" movement expands from the "Occupy Wall Street" protest in New York City throughout the United States, we look at its historical significance. ..."



I can only think that this is a good thing. I also remember seeing very little in the media about the happenings in Europe. I think I have to update my sources.


Don't think that I'm necessarily a revolutionary, but I am tired of the old crap from governments and business mainly but also large religious bodies, all trying to make us their unknowing slaves. Yet if I mention that to anyone, they find it far fetched. Even I find it far fetched, but still, the signs are there.

Phil Thornton - Temple Valley (Tibetan meditation)   

I find this a wonderful, deep and inspiring piece of music. So I just thought that I'd share this.

New Developments for Billions Strong

I still do not know exactly what I am trying to do here, beyond simply getting agreement that we need to be more conscious of what we are doing.

That is the question that sticks with me: What are we doing??!!



Every day, species of animals and plants are dying out. People in countries around the world are left homeless, starving, diseased, impoverished, or even just down-right depressed; because WE do nothing about it!

Of course, that is not, strictly speaking, true. There are people working on our dilemma. But we do ALL need to be involved.



Having said that, there are two new developments:

A Facebook Page

and

A Squidoo lens.

Raising Consciousness

The phrase Raising Consciousness can have two meanings: one being increasing awareness of a situation or circumstance, the other being raising one's own conscious awareness in general. I believe that the two are not separate but go hand in hand.

The best method I know of to raise one's personal consciousness is through meditation. In fact, I would say that it is the only way. Meditation doesn't have to be sitting cross-legged on a cushion, of course. Whenever you apply a relaxed awareness to what you are doing, you are meditating.

Meditating on one's own conscious awareness is a fairly high-level activity. It is simply this: focus on your mind, gently, seeking the origin of your own awareness. Doing this, you are returning the energy that emanates from that place back to its source and you thus increase its power. This is not easy to maintain and all sorts of thoughts will distract you but as a small daily practice it will build over time. Just a few minutes a day is of great benefit.

A good time to do this is when you have a song or tune stuck in your head. You know, especially when it starts to get irritating. Focus your attention on the place in your brain where the music seems to come from. You will know that you have found it when the music stops. And you will know when your attention slips when it starts up again.

Practice of this kind will increase your consciousness of your own consciousness and you will begin to realise your independent source, the origin of yourself. And the flow on effect is a greater concern beyond that self as you realise that everybody else, all people and animals and I believe plants too, share that basic level of consciousness. It is one thing that we all have in common; and however more developed our consciousness may be than a frog's or tree's, it is the very thing that we can call our humanity, our being, our essence.

For our lifestyles

I am not yet really sure what I am doing with this blog because I do not exactly know how it can help. At the moment, the @billionsstrong twitter account is following and re-tweeting others whose concerns are environment, spirituality, assisting people and other species in suffering. They are also being picked up by The Billions Strong Edition online paper (a paper.li site).

What more I have to contribute at this moment is difficult to say.

But my Central Message here is this: it matters less what we do externally if what happens to us internally does not support it. It needs to be natural for us to do the right thing (whatever that may be) and then it will be easy. We need to keep in mind the state of the world, so I don't say "You must do this" but rather "Just remember". If we remember that there is war, famine, disease, environmental degradation, then at least we won't oppose positive moves to an improved future and we can all do our little bits to make that cumulative difference.

Just remember:
people are suffering for our lifestyles;
animals and plants are going extinct for our lifestyles;
the Earth is being devoured for our lifestyles;
WE are suffering for our lifestyles.

WE because our lifestyles are detrimental to our inner well-being. They keep us from being true and finding ourselves and each other through overwork, even overplay; because our lifestyles are ones of excess.

But STOP and listen to the wind, watch the trees, the rain, the sun and sky, breathe deeply and touch the world slowly, and we will become aware of ourselves and our world again.

And without this start, we will find it almost impossible, I believe, to move forwards.

Helping the Earth

Click HERE to see this video on YouTube.

The Billions Strong Edition

That is the blog newspaper for this site, using paper.li.

The widget can be seen to the right on the sidebar, whilst you can link to the paper directly

The Billions Strong Edition

It is made up from @billionsstrong twitter followed, as well as picking up keywords from Twitter and Facebook.

The aim here

I should point out that, in this blog, I am not trying to convert anyone to an ideology. Quite the opposite, since I believe that ideologies are ultimately limiting. Rather, I am trying to put into mind the notion that the nonsense going on in the world doesn't have to happen.
Nonsense? Like hunger and suffering, environmental degradation, indeed ideologies themselves. Fundamentalism, religious and atheist/scientistic, materialist, political - any trying to make others believe as oneself does. It does not involve changing your fundamental beliefs, just taking out the you must be like me component. Our beliefs are largely hand-me-downs and little else, so why expect others to accept yours. (Though they can change and evolve, yes.)
My point is that by working together we can do little and accomplish a lot. But I'm not even trying to force that point of view, I just want us all to hold that thought in mind. Eventually, my feeling is, that thought will develop in our minds something that can allow positive change. We create the ideal conditions in ourselves so that change for the better can naturally manifest from within.

Billions Strong on Twitter

This blog now has its own Twitter feed: billionsstrong! You can see the feed on the sidebar to the right of the main page.

 

To begin with you will see the old tweets; but tweets will be more focused on the task of world improvement. Only things that can be considered to contribute to that are still included.

You may think

You may think from the previous post that I have communist leanings. Well, compared to the Bushes I guess I do. But I am not a communist any more than I am a capitalist and I do not see why these are seen as the only two possibilities.
A political system can exist in which people organise to assist each other, that their (our) efforts are effective and direct and really are assisting the others intended rather than feathering the nests of those 'organising' relief efforts (I am thinking of aid to certain disreputable countries).
Indeed, why does any political system need to exist at all? Organisation and coordination are required, not politics, which only prevents the right thing from being done or at least slows it down, whilst promoting the causes of those in politics. Perhaps we can organise ourselves to make government redundant - doing all the work that they are supposed to take care of but don't...

Just verifying - please ignore :)

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Actually, while I'm here, I just want to say thanks to people who have made positive comments offsite about this blog. So, THANK YOU!

Resource Based Economy

The Venus Project.
I heard about this a while back and it sounds good to me though I am not giving it an unqualified tick just yet.
It centres around a Resource Based Economy, as opposed to the Money Based Economy that we have now.
The thing I find about money (and I'm not saying I'm against having it) is that it doesn't really represent the resource cost of an item. Therefore, an item bought in China and an identical item bought where I live in Australia are not evenly price matched. The Chinese item is cheaper even though exactly the same resources went into producing it. The added cost of shipping from China to Australia ought to make the Chinese item more expensive, but it doesn't because of lower wages and costs of materials. The resource cost from an imported item is greater than a locally produced item, yet the monetary cost isn't; so we are encouraged to use more resources rather than less.
Also, money gets rather unevenly spread, tending to clump in the accounts of the very few. I have nothing against wealth - in fact I'm all for it! I just think that a little sharing might not go astray. (Good on those at the top that do, by the way.)

The Venus Project is an interesting take on this though I feel it can get a little messianic, and certainly worth your looking at. All the ideas are there and the will is good.I think that the principle is essential to the continuing growth of humanity and the care of the Earth. It includes notions of construction and living to make an enjoyable and sustainable environment.

Starting Post

I have started this blog because lately I can't help thinking that if we all, the human race, worked together, then we could accomplish amazing things.
If we were united in the pursuit of a better world then that world would have no option but to exist. A united people could solve virtually all the problems that we currently have. So much talent and ability and learning exists on this wonderful Earth that if it was applied we could create peace, prosperity, beauty and happiness. I do not mean that nothing would ever go wrong again, of course, but it would be much less than is currently the case.
One of the key obstacles here is that most of us do not realise just what we can do. It would, I believe, take only a very little from each of us, far less than we are capable of, to make our heaven on earth.
I am hoping that there will be readers who can contribute their thoughts and ideas. We are Billions Strong and if we put our minds to it, nothing can stop us.
Environmental degradation, human suffering, poverty, all life out of balance can be turned around so that future generations will need a dictionary to find the meaning of these archaic and obsolete words.
I shall be writing on this and posting articles that can bring us together.
I am no way naive enough to believe that everyone on Earth would agree to this - there are those with a vested interest in division; and those whose minds are so caught up in beliefs that run counter to this, fundamentalists (religious or otherwise). I rather hope and believe, however, that the majority of people do not fall into these categories and that, given the chance and reason to hope, would consider better options for our planet and ourselves.
So I am writing and hoping that people will contribute to the conversation with their own thoughts, feelings, insights and suggestions.