LucidTree.com - Awareness resource

The internet can be a place for entertainment, communication and commerce, but the most important role of the web, I think, is education. Never in history has so much valuable information been available to the masses but it's not always obvious where to find it.

For a long time I intended to build a website that aggregated some of this valuable information and presented it in a clear format. This has finally materialized in the shape of a free online movie library called LucidTree.com. It is currently only a seedling but the aim is to grow it into a hub of relevant information for those of us seeking a better understanding of ourselves, this planet and beyond.

Check out LucidTree.com and share it with friends and family. Contribute by sending suggestions/feedback using the contact form on the website.


Real revolution starts with learning...

Must watch: Four Horsemen

"23 leading thinkers – frustrated at the failure of their respective disciplines – break their silence to explain how the world really works." ~ www.fourhorsemenfilm.com



Watch the full movie here:

Little girl teaches economics to 600 people

Someone hasn't been doing their homework and it's not this little girl. Although she talks specifically about the Canadian banking system, this is a pretty accurate description of how every banking system in the world is set-up. So here's our homework for today, to listen and learn.



To further research, check out The Money Masters or the Money as Debt three part documentary series. (It appears that these were produced with fairly modest budgets, but the information contained in them is, in my view, crucial and very enlightening to the inner workings of the banking system.) You should be able to find these in a video sharing site near you.

Us when?

Once a week, for the past few weeks, I've been hosting a documentary evening with friends and anyone interested in non-fictional "edutainment"... or a nap (you know who you are :). For a few hours we watch the movie, share food, have a catch up and sometimes a healthy debate about the issue at hand.

Decided by majority vote, this week's documentary was Us Now, which you can watch below. This one hour long, fast passed, picture from 2009, analyses online social networking and how this unprecedented amount of non-hierarchical collaboration threatens the millennia old pyramid shaped power structures still so prevalent today.

The movie goes on to explore the still untapped potential of this relatively new capability, such as to allow citizens to be more involved in their government's policy and decision making, by creating a system of direct democracy.

The audience of 8 agreed that the documentary put across an interesting argument but there was some scepticism as to the practicalities and the safeness of such direct democracy system. Some said they don't trust the general public with decision making, while others seemed to agree that a transparent and decentralised power structure is less corruptible and preferable to the current system. What do you think.

After a short discussion we ended the evening with a bit of classic George Carlin stand up comedy... or rather a wake up call disguised as comedy.


For more information, extra clips and reviews please go to usnowfilm.com

Watch Us Now in other languages here.

Buy the DVD here.

Scientists under attack

Scientists Under Attack is an investigation into the scientists researching the health impacts of Genetically Modified Food. This film is recommended for all those who love nature, and for everyone who eats. View the trailer here and buy the film here.

"When scientist Arpad Pusztai reported that genetically modified (GM) foods caused serious health problems in rats, he was a hero at his prestigious UK institute — for two days. But after two phone calls (apparently) from the Prime Minister’s office, he was fired, gagged, and mercilessly attacked.

When UC Berkely professor Ignacio Chapela discovered GM corn contamination in Mexico, he too faced a firestorm of distortion and denial that left him struggling to salvage his career. Find out how the biotech industry “engineers” the truth and what they are trying to hide from you."

Zeitgeist Movement: doubts and reservations

In January 2011, the movie Zeitgeist III: Moving Forward was released online, for free and for anyone willing to invest two hours and forty minutes of viewing time. The movie is divided in two distinct parts. The first half analyses the current economic and social condition of humanity as a whole, while the second part presents and proposes a possible solution, known as The Venus Project.

Whether people like the movie or not, one thing is sure, it makes them question themselves and things they take for granted, as well as sparking debate on what is possible. Regardless of whether The Venus Project is the future or not, seeking alternatives to an obviously unsustainable and corrupt system nearing a collapse is, in my view, not only a healthy exercise but an ever more urgent one, if we care about the future.

From what I understood (please correct me if I'm wrong), The Venus Project core, is the idea of a Resource Based Economy. Since we live in a finite planet, all of the world's resources become heritage of everyone on the planet and are then allocated on a per need basis. There are no politicians, as there are no decisions to be made, instead all decisions are arrived at through scientific methods. There's no money in this system as people have always free access to what they need.

After watching the movie, most people seem to agree that the first part is an accurate analysis of our current conditioning and relative problems. However, when it comes to the proposed solution, the consensus is not as prevalent and so the aim of this post is to present the reservations I have regarding The Venus Project also known as The Zeitgeist Movement. These are probably common questions that the Zeitgeist Movement supporters hear on a regular basis, so hopefully someone will be able to jump in and clarify them with ease.

In a resource based economy:

1. What happens to people who don't agree with it and therefore don't want to be a part of it? We all know we can't please everyone all of the time, so how does it deal with dissent? Or for example, what happens to people who don't want to live in a city, who want to be self-sufficient, growing their own food, generating their own power, etc?
2. I keep hearing that nobody makes decisions in a resource based economy, that decisions are arrived at. But someone would have to define the education curriculum for example, no? And who would allocate jobs for example? A central computer would? Based on people's qualifications and skill sets? How about skills that can't be accurately measured, say due to their subjectivity? Right now I'm thinking of creativity as an example but I'm sure there are many more.
3. Who defines and how is it defined, how much is enough? For example, lets say I want or need a second computer? Would I be allowed one? What if someone wants a much bigger house and a swimming pool than everybody else, using therefore more energy and water? Who's going to tell him/her that and they can't have it?



Cybernated Government

4. Whoever has access to the central resource management computer, has incredible power, be them programmers, engineers, etc. How is corruption prevented in this centralized system?
5. What happens when there are bugs, errors, breakdowns of the system and what would it be its global impact? Same question goes for an entire society living of the grid, what happens if/when the grid fails? How is resilience achieved in a grid system?
6. Something that concerns me deeply is Genetically Modified food and I know many who avoid it at all cost. Even if the technology was safe, I would rather not eat GM food for ethical reasons. What if scientists found that this was the only logical way to grow food, despite there being other options? What choice does the individual have? I mean, how do ethics meet logic in a world where scientific progress rules all?
7. (This is an organic list so expect updates. Update 1 starts here.)
8. Great, so everyone can choose to be or not to be in the RBE. So this would allow parallel systems to coexist or compete with the RBE? Does the RBE then account for the resources used outside of itself? Would it still be sustainable this way?
9. The decision making process is still unclear to me. I like all of the examples I read but they don't answer my question specifically. Even if just for the transition period or the duration of construction of the first city, won't someone have to call the shots? I can't see how the project will get off the ground without some sort of leadership and decision making. This is a question that I have seen Jacque 'dodging' before, which seems out of character for him.
10. It sounds like a lifetime holiday, nobody being coerced to do anything they don't want to do, everyone working and spending their time as they wish, great! In this case, what are the chances that what people want to work on will match the RBE's needs? And what happens when there's a gap in the human skills resource? Yes, because humans are also a resource in the RBE, right?
11. A few friends told me that if they could live this way they'd love to have large families and just enjoy the time with them. They seem to believe that this is what everyone would naturally do. What's preventing a sharp rise of population? And what happens when/if the population grows beyond the carrying capacity of the Earth?
12. I understand that a lot of these questions are coming from a mindset of the current system and that in the future people will not want the things we think we want now. However if the RBE is to ever materialise it must account for the transition period where all that people are equipped with is their experience so far. This is why I ask how is calculated the amount of resources each citizen is allowed to use and how is that enforced? I gave the example of a second laptop or a bigger house but it could be anything, at some point someone will want something ridiculous. How do you deal with that?
13. I'm happy with the open source and transparency approach to the Resource Management System as well as all technology. It seems that alone would have an incredible positive impact in today's world, but how many of you still use windows? (There's no need to answer this, the Ubuntu folks paid me to plug Linux ; ) My point is, there are a lot of personal choices available to us today and I wonder how many in the movement are aware of these.
14. I was relieved to read that people in the movement are aware of the dangers of Genetically Modified food. Even if the technology ever becomes 'safe' and stable, does anyone care to discuss the ethical implications of taking a gene, lets say, from an animal and inserting it in a plant and then releasing this into nature allowing it to cross pollinate with the local species and eventually extinct what took millions of years to evolve? Fact: 97% of all varieties of food crops in the US have already gone extinct since the industrial revolution. Over 95% of corn grown in the US is already GM, and new GM crops are approved frequently. Isn't the mechanistic approach to nature not just a side effect of the current society but the core of science in general? 
15.  I see the current human problems as a symptom of human consciousness, or rather the lack of it. However, it's from within the current Zeitgeist that we must try to abstract ourselves from, if we're not to transfer our current inhumanities to the new one. And although I can see the possibility of this happening in small steps, isn't the Venus Project hundreds of years ahead of its time?
16. (This is an organic list so expect updates.)

The way I understand it, any system is only as morally ethical as the people running that system. Sure, some systems may promote more moral corruption than others, however is a science driven society by definition free from corruption? Isn't science only as accurate and as ethical as the human mind (or ego) of the time allows? My opinion (which in a RBE would have no value) is that decentralization of power, regardless of the system, is the only way to prevent corruption on a massive scale. The Internet is the best example of this today.

Yes, the Zeitgeist Movement is incredibly ambitious but making people wonder about what kind of world they'd like to live on, instead of merely point out the problems, can't be a bad thing. Critics are everywhere (including myself) but I don't hear them coming with better solutions. Even if it never comes to be, the Venus Project is promoting a discussion and a mental exercise long overdue, to dream of a humanity in harmony with the planet and itself. What's the harm in that?

A Venus Project city

How nutrition affects behavior

In this short presentation (48mins), doctor Russell Blaylock explains how nutrition affects behaviour. How a deficient diet relates to higher crime as studies show a correlation between violent criminals and nutritional deficiencies. How sugar intake leads to a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease. How aspartame and mono-sodium-glutamate (MSG) contribute to hypoglycaemia and cause other health problems. How vitamin deficiencies and unsuspecting food allergies effect how the brain functions. How vaccines provoke immune reactions that go on for years causing brain dysfunction and creating certain mental related diseases. The talk concludes with a list of environmental toxins to avoid, as well as a shocking fact regarding pesticides.

Documentário "A vida fora de controlo"

"A engenharia genética, de certa forma, é um erro com cerca de 400 anos. Um erro que começou com a revolução Cartesiana e com a idea de que vida é uma máquina.

Decartes disse, basicamente, que os animais são máquinas. Os Cartesianos faziam vivissecções de gates e cães, e quando ouviam os berros, diziam "Ah! Isto é como as engrenagens de uma máquina a mexer. É de onde vem o barulho!" Era uma visão totalmente mecanicista.

Se analizarmos os últimos 400 anos, verificamos que tem havido, por parte da comunidade ciêntifica, não de toda, uma continuidade deste mito mecanicista muito perigoso. Portanto, agora veêm o mundo todo como simples máquinas e os genes como software. É por isso que acreditam na engenharia genética. Esles estão a "engenhar" vida como se estivessem a "engenhar" máquinas. É eficiência reducionista, justamente o mesmo princípio a que tentam reduzir a vida. Este é o erro fundamental da engenharia genética." (0:53:55)

Zeitgeist III: Moving Forward

The original Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007) is said to be the most watched online documentary ever. With over an estimated 200 million views, it joins the dots between religion, the 9/11 "attacks" and the economic system in a way unexpected to many and still unacceptable by some. This controversial documentary inspired The Zeitgeist Movement, a grass-roots social movement of activists. 

In 2008 Peter Joseph released the sequel, Zeitgeist: Addendum, which focuses in more depth on the intrinsic flaws of the monetary system and introduces The Venus Project, the birth child of Jaques Fresco, an engineer and self-educated inventor in many fields. At the end, The Zeitgeist Movement is formally introduced.

Today is an epic day for many as Peter Joseph steps up the tempo again. The third movie of the controversial Zeitgeist series has just released. Zeitgeist III: Moving Forward can be download or watched online for free. The full 2 hours and 41 minutes documentary film is available below. Are you ready?

Documentary "PsyWar: the real battlefield is your mind"

PsyWar is an incredibly provocative film that investigates how today's power structure of western society came to be and how the public is manipulated to believe it is the best option. This documentary will make you question what is happiness and why you do what you do. Is it because you love it or because you have to? A piece of advice, do not watch if you're happy with your own existence.


A few quotations from PsyWar:

"National security is one of the most powerful notions in modern times to swindle, I think, people to do things that are not in their best interest. And to support massive military complexes that are not in anybody interests but that are like cancers feeding on society." ~ Graeme MacQueen (28:30)

"Wars are an opportunity for the government to grow in power" ~ Howard Zinn (46:50)

"A shorter work week would undermine the work ethic and potentially ferment radicalism. If people had the time to stop and think, they might also take the time to rethink their position in life. The emphasis should be put on work... More work and better work, instead of upon leisure." ~ John Edgerton (1:10:20)

 And here's a short movie that I think complements the above fairly nicelly.

O estado da agricultura biológica em Portugal

O seguinte programa da Biosfera é dedicado á agricultura biológica, especificamente em Portugal. Descobre o porquê e a sua importância para além das vantagens para a saúde humana. Este é provávelmente, até ao momento, o relatório Português mais aprofundado acerca deste tema.

Documentário "O Mundo Segundo a Monsanto"

Capa do DVD

A Monsanto foi fundada nos Estados Unidos em 1901 como uma empresa de productos químicos. Começou na altura a produzir productos altamente carcinogénicos, como os PCBs que estão relacionados com proplemas reprodutivos e do sistema imunitário.

Durante a segunda gerra mundial a Monsanto participou significativamente no projecto Manhattan para desenvolver a bomba atómica. Depois da guerra a Monsanto foi pioneira no desenvolvimento de químicos para a agricultura, tal como o herbicida "Agente Orange" que foi usado no Vietnam e que desde o fim da guerra é responsável por cerca de meio milhão de crianças nascerem deformadas.

A história mórbida da Monsanto não acaba aqui mas é demasiado extensiva para reproduzir neste blog. O que é importante realçar é que é uma empresa que tem sido culpada vezes sem conta de publicidade enganosa, poluição ambiental extrema e de causar sufrimento a milhões pelo mundo fora, recusando sempre qualquer tipo de responsabilidade.

Hoje, a Monsanto quer tomar controlo da comida. Tornou-se na maior multinacional de biotechnologia e de sementes patenteadas do mundo e de momento produz cerca de 90% de todas as sementes genéticamente modificadas. Ainda é também a maior produtora de herbicída, chamado "Roundup". Um outro producto da Monsanto são as hormonas sintéticas que são injectadas nas vacas para produzirem mais leite.

O documentário "O Mundo Segundo a Monsanto" (abaixo) explora as profundezas da corrupção das pessoas que gerem esta empresa, que páram a nada para fazerem mais lucro.  Com uma história e atitude destas como podemos confiar-lhes a produção da nossa comida que eles tanto querem?

Documentário "Alimentos S.A."

O documentário Alimentos S.A. (Food Inc.), legendado em Português, é mais um numa série de filmes que levantam o véu para a realidade da produção de comida. Este explora o sistema capitalista de agricultura em que o único incentivo é fazer mais lucro a qualquer custo, inclusive o da saúde, ambiente, direitos dos animais e social. Enquanto que o marketing agrícula continua a vender a idea da quintinha familiar e pacata que acabou há decadas.

O filme sugere que votemos com o nosso garfo, comprando comida local e/ou biológica sempre que possível, tornando cada refeição num acto verdadeiramente revolucionário.

Documentário "O Futuro da Alimentação"

O Futuro da Alimentação ou "The Future of Food" (legendado em Português) explora um pouco a história da evolução da agricultura no ultimo século, expõem o sistema de agricultura industrial currente e os seus problemas ambientais (incluíndo o da saúde humana), sociais e económicos. Explica também como o processo da modificação genética funciona na criaçāo de organismos transgénicos e os riscos que os acompanham. Conclui com uma breve explicação da importância do movimento de agricultura biológica. Um verdadeiro "abre-olhos".



Estão disponíveis mais filmes acerca deste assunto na Videoteca extensiva da Plataforma Trangénicos Fora.

BBC tax payers sponsor biotech propaganda

A while back I wrote "The invisible noose", a short post based on a compilation of studies, articles and documentaries warning about the risks of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and the industry driving (i.e. profiting from) them.

Today, the BBC News reported on "The eco-friendly pigs genetically modified for food". Those that have cared enough to research GMOs will gasp at the disturbing title as they see the barefaced lie turned into free marketing for the biotech giants. This industry has hijacked the currently fashionable "eco-friendly" label to propagandise a dangerous technology to exploit a hyped up and misinformed global warming population. We must admit, it's not a stupid way to disguise its real agenda — to control the global food supply and to own all life itself through patents — but a very deceiving one.

Then the article goes on to explain how GMOs are "a solution to feeding a hungry planet" and will help on "cutting down pollution" while there's proof that GMOs cause more pollution, are a human health hazard while there are plenty of common sense arguments why GE food will NOT feed the world.

The BBC bias towards the biotech industry becomes even more transparent, as the reporter goes through the trouble of interviewing two pro-GMO scientists (one of which used to be anti-GMO) and only one concerned grocery store clerk woman whom does not get the chance to explain WHY she is concerned. This is the sort of propaganda that the UK TV license tax payer is not only funding but already literally swallowing.

If you care about your health and the environment and do want to understand the concerns of that wise woman regarding GMOs, watch the following documentaries: (below) The Future of Food and The World According to Monsanto.

Then cancel your TV license and dump the TV.

Documentário "O Alimento é Importante"

Menu de capítulos

O documentário "Food Matters" (O Alimento é Importante) está agora disponível (em seis partes) no YouTube com legendagem em Português. Vê agora e descobre o que está de errado com o presente sistema de saúde, porque é que uma população saudável não dá lucro e o poder que uma nutrição equilibrada tem na cura de todas as doenças. Uma vez que "nós somos aquilo que comemos" "a população precisa é de educação e não medicação". Bom apetite!

(Se as legendas não estiverem ligadas, "clicka" no botão do lado direito com a seta e depois seleciona "CC".)

Parte 1/6


Parte 2/6


Parte 3/6


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Parte 6/6

A diet for all reasons

In this relatively old presentation, Dr. Michael Klaper explains the shocking effects of animal fats in the human body and what constitutes a balanced diet, in what is probably the best summary of vegetarianism ever, compacted into one hour. Even if you think you already know all there's to know about diet, chances are you'll still get something out of it. At least I still do every time I watch it.

The invisible noose

GMO

A subject that concerns me deeply is the one of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) or Genetically Engineering (GE). The negative consequences of this technology are as deep and as vast as they are misunderstood or unknown to the majority of its consumers.

Aside from the many misconceptions and straight out lies created by the industry, regarding the safety and even the necessity of GMOs, there is an ever growing number of studies warning of its dangers not only for human health but the environment as a whole.

• 1999: Scientists highlight hazards of GM food 
• 2009: GM soy herbicide linked to birth defects
• 2009: Study proves 3 Monsanto corn varieties' noxiousness to the organism
• 2010: GM maize 'has polluted rivers across the United States' 
• 2010: Genetically Modified soy linked to sterility, infant mortality
• 2010: Big Ag lobbyists wrote UK government's report on GM foods

And if these aren't enough, the documentaries The Future of Food and The World According to Monsanto will give you a scoop into the technology, the industry and the people behind GMOs. Once you learn about it, you'll never look at your plate the same way and, hopefully, it'll become obvious what is driving the Organic movement and why it's so vital.

The Future of Food documentary film

Only the strongest guts will survive

Last night a dear friend told me she had watched a documentary, which really shocked her. "Oh my God, I had no idea! It's like a horror movie, except real! I have to share this with everyone." ­– she said.

This is not a uncommon reaction for people who manage to win the challenge of watching the Earthlings documentary to the end. Even the most courageous find it difficult to sit through the most extreme raw footage of the mistreatment (that's an understatement) of animals. But I don't think this is what shakes them the most.

What shakes the viewer of Earthlings to the core is the questioning of what we take as "normal", species discrimination or specie-ism. It's the undeniable proof of the madness of the human relationship with the rest of the animal kingdom. It is the revelation of the selfish savage exploitation of sentient beings by us, the self-aware animals, all intelligent, self proclaimed pinnacle of evolution on Earth.

And that's not all, at the end, the moral weight that rests on the viewer's shoulders cannot be ignored. Something must be done. And this is why this documentary is so powerful. It breaks through apathy. It opens the hearth to the responsibility of compassion by exposing the true impact of our actions... or inaction, after you watch this. Do you have the guts? Here's the taster.


Make the Connection. EARTHLINGS.com

What's going on?!

If you've been following the mass media news, planet Earth seems like a very hot and scary place. The “war on terror” is never ending, the biggest economic recession in history is being predicted with vast job losses, crime is on the rise, health and education aren't in good shape, there's a looming energy (oil) shortage and the environment is about to eject us from the planet any time now if we don't get our asses in gear. What a mess!

However, if you're fortunate enough (or maybe not) to get your information from the biggest encyclopaedia in the history of humankind, the internet, you probably have a very different picture of what's going on in the world today. Amongst the ever growing array of independent news sources, blogs, social networks, “conspiracy” websites and, most importantly, documentaries, there's a taste for everyone's tongue, most of which free of charge.

The Bad News

But after researching, what some call, “conspiracies” for a while your world view is probably as (or even more) depressing as the poor fellow who watches the BBC news every day or reads his country's top newspaper. After watching a few dozen documentaries, you've learned that:

• lots of influential people who actually affect your life are known to be part of secret societies, such as the Freemasons, Skull & Bones, or The Bilderberg Group, and you wonder why the rest of the world isn't invited to the party!


• investigative journalism is an illusion and that mass media are having a huge orgy with governments and global corporations, manipulating the public opinion to fit the agendas of their elite friends.


• corporations will do anything to increase their profits, often at the cost of their employees or the environment. And it's usually the biggest brands who have little or no ethical values.


• secret services have always worked under cover to topple the leaders of countries that did not support the views of the imperialistic countries they represent. And, when successful, they've replaced such leaders with their own puppets.


• democracy is a farce even in what we call “first” world countries.


• false flag operations are nothing new (this is when a country attacks itself and blames it on someone else as a pretext to start a war or pass a bunch of laws that would be otherwise rejected by a large majority).


• 9/11 couldn't have been carried out as it did without inside help, either governmental or covert, from within the US. And thus the long term “war on terror” is simply a fabricated excuse to erase human rights and civil liberties.


• unethical, inhumane and harmful activities, such as waging war and trading arms, are some of the most profitable industries.


• not only was the current economic system designed to be unstable and corrupt, but many economic collapses have been carefully orchestrated by the global bankers in an attempt to bring societies to their knees. This further centralises their power, facilitating a long term plan for a single world currency.


• you're unsure if global warming really exists due to carbon dioxide emissions or if it's related to the cycles of the sun spots, since hot and cold ages have always existed on Earth, even before humans showed up.


• health is just another business, so food is purposelessly loaded with all sorts of harmful chemicals in order to feed the highly profitable and influential pharmaceutical industry. This also explains why “incurable” diseases like AIDS and cancer do not yet have cost-effective treatments.


• Monsanto and genetically modified foods give you the creeps, and don't understand why GM-supporters ignore the dangers of seed patenting, health problems and the threat of contamination of our precious biodiversity. Do people realise that once released into nature it's practically impossible to recall GMOs?!


• jet contrails have, in the last couple of decades, mysteriously changed in chemistry and, instead of fading away in about 30 seconds like they used to, now often (but not always!) persist and form hazy yellowish clouds. But no one is looking up!


• HAARP is a very intriguing technology. Can it really manipulate the weather and create catastrophes that appear to be natural as is claimed?


• some weird and unexplainable stuff gets captured by NASA's cameras on a regular basis and we hear nothing about it. The Roswell accident and others were real and a few countries have retrieved and managed to back-engineer extra-terrestrial technology. This explains the huge technological boost of the past half century or so.


• energy isn't as scarce as we're led to believe. New forms of energy were discovered (or back-engineered) a long time ago, maybe as far back as Tesla's era. Zero point energy and over-unity autonomous devices are kept under wraps because energy independence would mean the death of the oil companies, the nuclear industry and the energy grid itself - not to mention the beginning of true human freedom.


• our freedoms are being eroded day by day and no one seems to notice.


• all of the above are part of an agenda by the elite to create a New World Order. This would mean a single world government with one currency where all world citizens have chips implanted under their skin to interact with every facet of society.


• Oh, and then there's 2012, which according to many is the end of the world... as we know it.


• And many many other “conspiracies”, which I am sure I have missed right now.

At this point it almost seems pointless to live. You don't believe everything you've heard, but the percentage you do believe is enough to make you realise the world is very different from the picture the mass media paints every single day.

Most people continue to wake up and live each day as they always have. This may be a coping mechanism, or they may believe in a higher plan, or simply not care – life's too short to focus on serious issues. Still others want to do something but feel powerless. These are such huge issues so what can one person do? A few courageous ones go on a preaching mission trying to save as many souls as possible before the end of the world, but often end up being ignored or, worse, ridiculed by their “friends”.

So, where is the good news?

The Good News

Usually good news gets little to no attention in the mass media. Ever wondered why that is? If you find an answer I'd love to hear it. It may be hard to believe, I know, but there is some good news:

• there's a growing movement of people who are aware of the problems and are willing to do something to fix them, especially among younger generations.


• this movement is forcing an increasing corporate concern about ethical values and a lot of ethical companies are being born. From ethical banks to organic food stores, it's becoming easier to match your values with your actions.


• open source software is gaining terrain in the largely monopolized software industry.


• free energy devices are being worked on by independent researchers and groups.


• eco-villages are sprouting up all over the world as people want to either get more in touch with the Earth, be more self-sufficient and develop a sustainable way of life. Some even have their own currencies.


• a balanced raw food diet can reverse what Western medicine considers as incurable diseases, such as diabetes. Shocking I know, who knew that you are what you eat!


• quantum physicists are discovering that everything is made of energy, including that illusion which we perceive as solid matter.


• studies on meditation reveal that the power of our thoughts affects reality. If this is the case, what could happen if we all started focusing on what we want instead of what we don't want or are afraid of?


• our genes are affected by our beliefs.


• permaculture can turn deserts into fertile food forests and provide abundant food while restoring soil, water and ecosystems balance.


• mushrooms could save the world!


• and, finally, now we know how it feels to have a stroke!

The list isn't as long as the bad news but it's not a bad start considering how long we've been aware of the problems. Great, so now that we've hopefully raised morale a bit, let's look at some of the solutions we have currently at our disposal.

Every Choice is a Vote

It is my belief that only a change of consciousness can bring about long term change. Similar mentalities will only create similar problems, time after time. As Gandhi said “be the change you want to see in the world”. It may sound like a cliché, I know, but one thing we know for sure we can change is ourselves, both mentally and physically. Why not start there? Let's take personal responsibility for the choices in our life; let's lead by example.

It's unproductive to worry about what may or may not happen in the future. Instead we can focus on the things we can change right now. Every choice we make in our everyday lives affects the world in one way or another. There are many things we can do.

If there's something, such as a system, that we do not like, let's support an alternative system that makes the current one obsolete. If such a system does not yet exist, create one. Since money rules the world, let's vote with our money. Before buying something try to find out what it took to produce it. Buy those products that you want to support. There's no point complaining about globalisation if you drink coke, wear Nikes or eat food that has travelled half way around the world. Or campaign for animal rights if you eat meat or wear leather. If you don't agree with the whole Western way of living become as self-sufficient as possible. If you're aware of the the unsustainability of conventional farming, the dangers of genetically modified organisms, pesticides, herbicides and fungicides then support organic food. Learn about permaculture.

And the changes don't just take place on the outside. It would be hypocritical to expect truth from our politicians, if we aren't truthful to ourselves and those around us. It's unproductive to be part of the anti-war movement if we still think aggressively, such as shouting at the guy who just cut us off in traffic.

Some of these personal changes may seen insignificant or difficult to achieve. But if we really want to be change agents, it's crucial that we to stop looking for other people to fix our problems and start taking responsibility for our own actions.

The world is changing whether we want it or not. It always has and always will. We can allow others to change it for us or we can choose to change it ourselves... consciously.