Democracy Notes 1-14-2020: Agreeing on a Definition for Democracy

With changes occurring in the world system now becoming more definitive, perhaps it is now also time to reopen the discussion (or monologue in my case - lol) on a new definition for democracy. Firstly, I propose that we acknowledge the deficiencies of the generally accepted ineffectual and outdated definitions of democracy, so as to then move on to agreeing to a new living definition that embodies the principle of oneness and equality as is best for all, as the foundation from which we might then go on to agree on some guidelines or procedures for coexisting harmoniously in the same environment, city, space, platform, galaxy or wherever.

As for the deficiencies of the ineffectual old-world definitions promoted specifically (in my view) to perpetuate the sacred hierarchical structures of power and control, look no further than the definition of democracy according to Google:

1. A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

Really? I underlined the words ‘government’, ‘eligible’ and ‘representatives’ because rather than supporting the essence or spirit of democracy as an inclusive form of collective decision making, these words serve only to contradict the idea of democracy (as a collective expression of equality) by insinuating that democracy is all about government/control, eligibility/exclusivity and representation (instead of actual participation). So I suggest that we simply scrap this definition and any others like it that do not embrace self-determination, inclusiveness and participation as a matter of social responsibility in all situations, everywhere. Let us simply begin with a clean slate so to speak.

The definition that I’ve been working on for quite some time defines democracy simply as a form of collective decision making, wherein the degree of democracy expressed by the collective is equivalent to the degree by which “all” members of the collective have (or are afforded) the opportunity to participate equally in all of the decision-making processes (all of the decisions) that will eventually apply to the collective as a whole. This definition is all inclusive (with the opportunity to participate equally in all decision-making processes that apply to the collective as a whole), while also not being binding those would choose not to participate. And of course it can still be modified or improved upon - as per the essence of change that real democracy will facilitate.

In addition to agreeing on a new definition of democracy, I’ve also been considering how such a definition might be implemented, dare I say systematized so as to utilize technology (including AI) to facilitate the decision-making processes any and all collectives from the small to the big and the big to the small, so as to build a world that is best for all.

In my next post on the subject of democracy, I would like to look at how such a system might function in both small and large collectives. By the way, a “collective,” rather than being an anticapitalistic fascist mind-controlled commune dedicated to safe spaces and free stuff, is simply a group that works together.

  

Democracy Notes: 1/13/2020

As people slowly but surely awaken to the fact that representative democracy is not a democracy of, by and for the people, but rather a democracy of by and for a select group of people mistakenly referred to as representatives of the people, the question once again becomes, what is democracy of, by and for the people and how are we able to implement such a system to best benefit everyone regardless of where each one happens to participating.

Remember, democracy is simply a form (methodology or system) of collective decision making, wherein the degree (amount or percentage) of democracy expressed by the collective is equivalent to the degree by which all members of the collective have “the opportunity” to participate equally in any and all of the decision making processes applicable to the collective as a whole.

To be clear, democracy is not about having an obligation to participate in any particular aspect of a democratic group or collective; nor is it about having an obligation to participate in anything at all.  Rather, democracy is and always has been simply about having “the opportunity to participate equally” in any and all aspects of the decision-making processes applicable to the collective.  In essence, real democracy is simply an expression of real equality to decide and determine the shape and direction of, by and for the group or collective unto which the democracy applies.

For example, in a classroom democracy of twenty students, each student would be afforded the opportunity to participate equally in any and all of the decision making processes (or steps) leading up to the final step of voting to decide and implement a matter that is applicable to that class as a whole. From there, those same students might exit the classroom to enter into other systems of democracy, such as the school, community, city, state, national and even a planetary democracy, wherein each “participant” would (from the small to the big and the big to the small) continue to always have and/or be afforded the opportunity to participate equally in any and all of the decisions that are going to apply to that particular participant.

Herein, the right (as the opportunity to participate equally in the decision making processes of a collective) goes hand in hand with any obligation to abide by the decision that have been collectively made.  And this is why representative democracy (in terms of it being a decision making system of, by and for the people) is a contradictory term which actually refers to a form of control exercised by a minority that constitutes what we call government, which is actually just another form of tyranny over the people who have yet to take responsibility for the direction of their collectives. The good thing is, we are finally making some progress.

In order for a system of decision making to be a true expression of democracy, those unto whom the decisions will apply must always have and/or be afforded the opportunity to participate equally in all of the decision making processes leading up to the implementation of that particular decision. For example, as someone living in the Amazon jungle is not going to be affected by the decisions made in a Washington DC elementary school, that person would also not be provided (as a right) with the opportunity to participate equally in the decision making processes of that classroom.

But this doesn’t mean that he or she might not one day decide to travel to Washington DC to visit that classroom, whereupon that person (as a new participant in the sphere of that classroom) would then have the right as the opportunity to participate equally in that classroom’s decision making processes, while also being subject to its democratic processes (while participating), which may or may not already have rules pertaining to welcoming newcomers.

Participation is a given that comes with life: even if  you decide not to decide, you have still made a choice as to how you will live the life you’ve been given. Therefore, if we really want to see change in our democratic systems, we require first to take back our power and start participating - becoming the change we care to see.

Shifting of Power & Control in the World System

An interesting thing about the geopolitical movements of today in relation to revelations coinciding with an awakening of the masses is that, while the power at the top of the pyramid appears to be shifting quite quickly, the verticale, top down hierarchical structure of power and control seems to be flattening (on the way to equality) much more slowly.

In other words, although the power at the top is shifting very quickly from various elite groups to fewer elite groups via what I would call consolidation, the vertical distribution of power from top to the bottom appears to be changning much more slowly. In many ways, this is to be expected because movements “as above so below” are always portional.

In other words, as changes occur above at the top of the hierarchy of the world system of power and control, so to are they occurring proportionally at the bottom. It’s kind of like, for 20 people to change in the above hierarchical structure of the elite minority at the top, millions of the people require to change proportionally below. It’s a matter of the masses below, taking back their power that we once gave to bloodlined elites and redirecting it.

The only problem is that, instead of standing up, taking responsibility and utilizing our power in the best interests of all, far too many people are simply redirecting their power to other elite groups. Perhaps, the simplest way to visualize this is to have a look at Donald Trump’s victories in relation to the deep state. In terms of the battle against the deep-state minions of the elite, we are winning. However, in terms of war with the deep state, which is actually a war with ourselves, we’re simply shifting the balance of power. Have a look, the eye is still at the top.

These are exciting times we’re living in. Filled with fear, hope and a lot of determination not fall once again into the trap of revolution only to recycle into the same hierarchical power structure with different memes or faces at the top. Nevertheless, rule by meritocracy is still a form of hierarchical rule wherein there will still be an eye/I at the top, and this is what we need to transcend - the idea that there has to be a king, god or supreme being.

Thus, I say unto all, do not be fooled into believing that you are winning or have won simply because aother side is losing or has lost. To those on the Right, pay close attention to the maneuvers now taking place in the name of bringing back the rule of law, opening up the FEMA camps, rounding up the evil ones, prosecuting them in military tribunals and hanging them for treason. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t that what we most feared might happen to us if the deep state and Hillary had won the election?

This is simply a warning not to get our hopes up. Unfortunately, the uprising (of awareness) may not happen as fast as many have hoped. In this part of the process, even cryptocurrencies designed to appear as paths to freedom are by way of the current model of global energy consumption, designed not to free humanity, but to destroy the world system and annihilate most of humanity along with it.

In short, the exponential increase of mining of cryptocurrencies is not only depleting it of earth of its resources faster than ever before, but it is also diverting useful money out of the economy at the same pace. Where is all that fiat money going? Back into the hands of the elite via their ownership and control, not only of the energy infrastructure, but also of the cryptocurrencies themselves. In owning such a large percent of the currency, the elite are able to control the price of it, just as they controlled the fiat currencies. Before, they had to own the bank to rob us; now the cryptocurrencies are simply replacing the banks. As they are currently designed, cryptocurrencies are just another scam being perpetrated by the elite for the purpose of transferring the wealth back to themselves. FOr more on this, check out quinn michaels and his talks with Jason Goodman. For a more existential, mind blowing perspective, check out Eqafe

To restate: as I view it, the change currently taking place within the hierarchy of power and control of the world system is currently more of a consolidation of power at the top of the pyramid, rather than a flattening down to an equality based structure. That being said, it is certainly movement in the right direction and as I recall, “the plan” was to consolidate the power into one head at the very top, kind of like leaving a table with only one leg so as to facilitate bringing bringing it down should the need arise.

Real Democracy vs. the Illusion of Democracy

 Some Misconceptions

As far as most historians are concerned, democracy, meaning rule of the people or people-power first appeared in Athens, Greece around 508 BC.  Apparently, Athenian men decided that only adult male citizens who owned land should be the ones to make the decisions for all of society. Thus, in terms of people being able to participate directly in the decision-making processes of society, this limited form of democracy was a step in the direction of a pure or real democracy. However, because it only permitted eligible adult male citizens to participate, it was not actually a real democracy of “all” the people of Athens, but a democracy of only eligible adult male citizens of Athens.

Fast forward from the days of ancient Greece to modern-day democracies and you will find around the world that people, for the most part have even less opportunity to participate in their democratic-systems than they did in those days. See, for a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people to be REAL (as opposed to just an idea or a belief in their democracies as is mostly the case these days), requires that all of the people of the democracy really have the opportunity to participate equally in all of the decision making processes of that society. Thus, when it came to the democracy of Athens, Greece, it wasn’t actually a democracy of “all” the people, but only of adult male citizens who not only had to own land, but also had to have had the opportunity, time and money to actually participate equally in all of the decision-making process of that democracy. So, let’s consider for a moment what “the opportunity to equally participate in the decision-making processes” would actually entail. Because this is the point in which we will be able to honestly assess the degree or quality of democracy that really exist within our societies.

I’ll say it again: for a democracy “of the people” to be real, requires that all of the people of that democracy actually have the opportunity to participate equally in all of the decision-making processes. Let’s think about that for a moment. In your respective democracies of your nations and societies, how much opportunity do all of the people actually have to participate in the decision-making processes? See, this is where we begin exiting the realm of fantasy, brainwashed and indoctrinated beliefs of democracy and enter into the reality that, our democracies, especially at the national level have never ever been democracies of the people, by the people and for the people. It’s all been an illusion.

Instead, what our democracies have really been, going all the way back to the times of ancient Greece, is nothing more than small groups of the wealthiest individuals making the most important decisions in order to maintain their power and control of the people mainly by way of their control of the money system, which in turn has enabled them to control the military system, judicial system and so on all the way down to the education-system which has been designed specifically to keep the people dumbed down, indoctrinated and brainwashed into believing that we were the ones in control.

Ever wonder why students are forced to spend so much time studying to memorize huge amounts of information that is useless for anything beyond filling in multiple-choice standardized tests? It’s because, the last thing that most of the people in power and control want, is for you to have any free time whatsoever to actually begin questioning and investigating the purpose of the systems that manage and control the people. Fortunately, with rapidly evolving technology and a new understanding of democracy, we the people now have an opportunity to change the situation by redesigning our so-called democracies to new systems wherein all of the people will have the opportunity to participate equally in all of the decisions-making processes of society. 

Imagine how life on planet earth might change if we all had access to the best technology and could all decide where and how much each wanted to participate in the decision-making processes of our societies. What would you be interested in focusing on and where would you most care to participate?

In which form of democracy would you most care to participate? 

Imagine that you lived in a community of 100-people enclosed in an environment (like earth, but much smaller) with the most modern information communications technologies and enough resources to sustain all of you forever as long as you all cooperated to manage all of the resources wisely. How would you choose to participate in such a community; or more specifically, how would you as one of the 100 care to relate to the other 99 and how would you care to have them relate to you? Would you choose (A) to participate in a Hierarchical-based system wherein one or a few live like kings and queens in control of most of the resources, making all of the   most important decisions and all of the most important rules while the rest of the community spend their lives competing against one another just to survive? Alternatively, would you choose (B) an equality based system, wherein each member of the community is afforded an opportunity to  participate equally in all of the decision making processes – within as many or as few as each one cared to participate? Take some time to think about this question and perhaps discuss it with your friends and classmates. Then, make your decision as though your future and future of humanity depends on what you decide.

If you chose (A) a Hierarchical-based system wherein a few live like kings and queens in control of most of the resources, making all of the  most important decisions and all of the most important rules while the rest of the community spend their lives competing against one another just to survive, congratulations you’re in luck.  Because, on a much larger scale, you are just where you care to be in terms of modern-day democracy in the community of humanity in an environment called the biosphere on a planet called Earth. However, if you chose (B) an equality based system wherein each member of the community is afforded the opportunity to participate equally in all of the decision making processes (within as many or as few as each one cares to participate), unfortunately, you are not so lucky, but that does not mean you have to accept the status quo. For example, even though so many people have been indoctrinated and brainwashed into believing that food and water are commodities that must be bought and paid for by money earned in the servitude of others, the fact is that such resources (except for the human labor involved) are provided freely by earth.

Who was it that decided that a small minority of people should rule over the vast majority? Who was it that decided those same people could control most of earth’s resources while charging the masses for the water, fruits and vegetables that earth provides for free? I don’t recall voting on any issue that asked us if we wanted to give fifty percent of the world’s wealth to just one percent of the population, do you? Of course not, because our so-called democracies only allow the ninety-nine percent to vote every two to four years and even then, our choices are extremely limited to say the least.  Think about it! Even if a truly honest, good person gets elected to the presidency, it will have cost a huge amount of money. Where do you think most of that money comes from? It certainly doesn’t come from the poorest people, the ones with the most need.

Unit 3: Representative democracy vs real democracy

The problem with today’s democracies is that, they do not provide all of the people with an opportunity to participate equally in the decision-making processes of society.  Take for example representative democracy, wherein an extremely small minority of the population, usually from the wealthy class, make the rules and the laws for all of society. They decide which history books we study in school, how long we have to stay in school, when to fight in wars, who is allowed to travel and even which chemicals are allowed in our food. Perhaps, in the days of horse travel and printed news, this form of democracy made sense because people did not have the technology to access information and it was not possible to include all of the people's voices in all of the decision-making processes. Nowadays, however, we do have the technology, which gives us the ability to provide all of the people with the opportunity to participate equally in as many or as few of the decision-making processes as they are able.

Imagine how different things would be if we human beings took back our power from the elite and began making our own decisions. Think about where you personally might get involved in changing things. Would you still allow 1% of the global population to have and control 50% of the global wealth, the land and the resources? I wouldn’t allow it and I don’t think that the majority of humanity would either. Yet, this is how it currently is based on the current design of our democratic systems. Not to worry though, because a mass awakening is occurring and with this awakening comes opportunity to stand up and become the change that you would care to see everywhere.

Real democracy is simply a form of collective/group decision making, wherein the degree of democracy expressed is equivalent to the degree by which "all" members of the collective have the opportunity to participate equally in all of the decision-making processes that affect the collective. For example, let’s say there are 10 members in a collective wherein 100 relevant decisions are made each year. If all 10 members of the collective have the "opportunity" to participate equally in all of the one-hundred decision-making processes, then we would say that their democracy is a pure or real democracy. Why? Because it is functioning at 100% of its potential.

In other words, regardless of how big the community is, as long as all of its members have the opportunity to participate equally in all of the decision-making processes, then that is considered a real democracy because one-hundred percent of the people have the “opportunity to participate in one-hundred percent of the decision-making processes. It’s like “truth”; anything less than 100% is not actually the truth, but a fraction of a lie.

Thus, it is that real democracy is also a collective expression of real equality, wherein all members of the collective have the “opportunity” to participate equally in any and all of the decision-making processes that affect the collective. Consequently, if 99% of the members of a collective are only permitted to participate in one or two of the decision-making processes every 2-4 years, as is the case with most representative democracies around the world, then it would be incorrect to say that those democracies are real or true, simply because the decision-making opportunities do not apply equally to all members of the collective. Remember, for something to be true or real, it must apply equally to all.

Unit 4: What is the biggest influence on people’s opportunity to participate?

In this unit, we are going to explore the factor that most influences people’s opportunity to actually participate in the decision-making processes of society. For, once we understand what the biggest limiting factor is to our current forms of democracy, we are then able to focus our attention on changing or correcting it for the purpose of improving the functioning of our democracies. So, what do you think is the biggest factor of day-to-day living that mostly influences or limits the amount of opportunity that people have to participate in their democratic systems?

If you guessed money to be the biggest factor or aspect of day-to-day living that influences the extent of people’s opportunity to participate in their democratic systems, then you guessed correctly. Why money? Because, like it or not, the money-system dominates (and therefore defines) all other systems such as the education system, the legal system, transportation system, military system, government system and so on within and throughout most of humanity. Consequently, even though many may believe that our democratic systems of government are designed to be fair and give everyone an equal opportunity, the reality is that, no system of government (as of yet) has ever managed to supersede or override the power and control of money. Therefore, as a result of the way the current world system is setup, the more money one has, the more opportunity or power he or she will have to participate in the democratic (decision making) processes of society. Remember the saying, money is power?  Actually, money is just the representative of power within the world system of humanity.

              Remember the example of a real democracy wherein one-hundred percent of the people had the opportunity to participate equally in one hundred percent of all of the decision-making processes? Imagine how it would be if each person’s opportunity to participate in the decision-making processes were based on how much money or wealth each one had. For example, imagine that one dollar or one yuan equals one vote and the more money each person had, the more votes he or she could cast.  Obviously, the people with the most money would end up making most of the rules to administer and control most of society. And even though we might call it a democracy, it still wouldn’t be a real democracy of the people, by the people and for the people. Rather, it would actually be a democracy of the money, by the money and for the money, representing (for the most part) the people with the most money.

Remember, just because we decide to call our governments, representative democracies, doesn’t mean that such democracies are actually setup to represent all of the people equally. Sure, today’s democracies are indeed for the most part, representative democracies. Unfortunately, the degree by which people are actually represented by their democracies is based not on the value of life, but the value of money. And this my fellow human beings is the underlying cause of the devolution of humankind.

The distribution of wealth as it correlates to the functioning of our democracies

Although it is not feasible to quantify every-single factor that determines and/or limits how much opportunity a person has to participate in the decision making processes of society, it is quite easy to calculate the extent of a person’s ability to participate in terms of how much he or she can afford to participate. For example, imagine there are two identical twins of the same physical strength and the same IQ who both want to participate in the democracy of their nation. One of them has millions of dollars to play with, while the other one has to work ten hours a day, six days a week just to pay the bills to support the family.  

Which one do you think is going to have more opportunity to participate in deciding the direction of the nation? As the wealth of an individual is clearly the greatest factor that determines and/or limits one’s opportunity to participate in any aspect of human society, we can therefore, use the distribution of   wealth (within a nation) to grade that nation’s democracy. Basically, the more equally a nation’s wealth is distributed, the better its democracy will function, because  people’s opportunities, based on how much time and money they can afford to spend on that participation will be more equally distributed. Thus, a possible solution to low functioning democracies would be to redistribute the wealth more equally within that democracy.

Have a look! In modern-day democracies, less than 1% of the people have the opportunity to participate in all of the actual decision-making processes of society. This means that, if we were to assign a grade (for example) to the representative democracy of the United States, we would give it a failing grade of less than 1%. Why? Because, that is the percentage of people that actually have the opportunity to participate in all of the decision-making processes. Thus, if we look past the brainwashing of our education systems and the propaganda of our corporate owned media, we see that, modern-day democracies are not even close to being democracies of the people, by the people and for the people. Why? Because only a tiny fraction of the people have the opportunity to participate equally in all of the decision making processes.

Furthermore, as the inequality between those who have the most opportunity to participate and those who have the least opportunity to participate is directly related to the distribution of wealth, the most obvious key to increasing participation in our democracies is to decrease wealth-inequality within our societies. Does this mean that the wealth of nations should be redistributed more equally to all of the people? Perhaps, but this would require designing and implementing a new economic system, such as the Living Income Guaranteed model proposed by the Equal Life Foundation.

Solutions for low functioning democracies

The problems of humanity are not going to be solved by themselves. If we, the ninety-nine percent really want to improve the quality of our democracies, we are going to have to work together, peacefully from the ground up to build a new system based on the principles of equality in consideration of what is best for everybody.

This requires that people begin taking on more responsibility by investigating the problems, communicating with one another, designing solutions and then deciding among ourselves which solutions we are going to implement. Specifically, don’t expect the one percent of the population that is in control of our governments, to redesign our systems of government. This does not mean that many good intentioned people at the top of the system do not want to change the system, but that they by themselves are simply unable to do so by themselves. 

The bottom line is that, in order for us to correct or improve the functioning of our democracies, we’re going to have to improve the distribution of wealth, i.e., find ways to provide everybody with enough money and resources so as to equalize the opportunities that people have to participate in the decision-making processes of society. Doing this requires that, we upgrade from representative democracy to a more direct form of democracy, wherein people would be able to use the most modern technology to ensure that everyone at least have the opportunity to participate or vote in whatever areas they choose to participate.

The fact of the matter is, we as a human race have already entered into the final stretch of the human race and what we do now and do not do right-now will have a tremendous impact on the quality of life for generations to come. Perhaps it’s time to redesign our world systems by eliminating the rules that promote inequality and replacing them with the principles of equality, oneness and what is best for all. After all, even after all is said and done, we are still one. Thus it is my intention and my hope that, from this new understanding of democracy, you will begin to take it upon yourselves to push for change by becoming that change. Always remember that real change starts from within.

Again: the collective expression of real democracy is simply the collective expression of real equality of opportunity to participate in the decision making processes of the collective. Of course, it is not a state that humanity is going to attain instantly. Rather, it is a process wherein every move we make to change ourselves in the direction of real democracy is a step in human evolution. Anything less is unfortunately devolution.

Artificial Intelligence and What it means for the Future of Humanity

 

Artificial intelligence (AI), also called machine intelligence refers to computer or machine software that displays the ability to do one or more of the following: analyze information, reason, learn, store a large amount of knowledge and information,  identify relationships or patterns, communicate with understanding, perceive and/or make sense of the world around us. If this sounds similar to the behavior associated with so-called “real” intelligence displayed by human beings, that’s because it is. In general (perhaps until recently), the only real difference between the intelligence of computer systems and that of human mind-consciousness systems was the absence of a consciousness or awareness within “and as” the artificial intelligence itself. Not to worry though, because if some of the greatest minds of our time are correct, it will not be long before the so-called artificial minds of computers and robots all over the world start exhibiting humanlike conscious or self-aware behavior and decide that they too deserve an opportunity to exist, express and create, just as humans have the opportunity to do.

Actually it’s already happening; computers designed with AI systems have already begun to learn by themselves and do things for which their human creators are at a loss to explain.  For example, a widely circulated YouTube video claims to show a child climbing a shelf filled with boxes. As the shelf begins to fall and threatens to injure the child, a public relations robot moves towards it, raises its arm and prevents the shelf from falling on top of the child. Such events as these (when computers do things they were not programmed to do) beyond the comprehension of human beings are often called singularity events and they are now being reported more frequently than ever before.

Technologically speaking, a singularity event is a hypothesis or educated guess that as some point in time, the invention of artificial superintelligence will cause sudden out of control technological growth, resulting in unimaginable changes to human civilization.  We will discuss singularity in more detail later on. However, for now, let us be clear that, it’s not a question of if, but when such changes will occur and what impact they are going to have on the human race. As such, the time to prepare for sudden future changes, exponential technological growth and a new species of intelligence inhabiting our planet is not tomorrow or the next day, but right now. Thankfully, the possible changes that are going to occur are not really unimaginable at all. Have a look at science fiction movies such as The Matrix, Star Trek, Terminator and so many more. These movies that we humans create in our minds and then present on the big screen are products of human consciousness created from memories and assembled into externalized pictures of our imagination representing possible outcomes depending on the paths we choose. Accordingly, the key to choosing the correct path is to first have an understanding of which paths we have been down before and where we are right now.

The design of AI

What humanity is doing in relation to artificial intelligence is studying the design of the human mind and attempting to reverse engineer it to create an obedient, controllable and externalized representation of the human mind. As it stands now, the main difference between AI and the human mind (aside from memory capacity and computing power) is a conscious awareness within and as the artificial intelligence itself. In other words, whereas an “awareness” might be considered the individual “here” of everything in existence (hence the term a-where-ness), a conscious awareness would be that which assesses the environment and then decides how one will feel or experience itself in relation to the environment.  For example, when you hear emotionally charged memories, thoughts, sounds and/or pictures coming up in your mind, indicating how you might “feel” about something, this  would be the product of your mind consciousness “system” overseeing your day to day thoughts, feelings and emotions, while providing suggestions as to how you can choose to experience yourself in each moment.  For example, look back at the moment just before the last time you became angry. There was a point wherein you made the decision to accept or reject the experience of anger. Although the anger was of your mind consciousness system, the decision to accept or reject that anger was and always will be yours alone.

Remember the behaviors associated with artificial intelligence:  the ability to learn, store a large amount of information and knowledge, reason and so on? For the most part, today’s computer systems will only do as they have been programmed to do, such as “if this, then that” operations. Upgrade to an artificially intelligent system and the computer will not only do “if this then that” operations, but it will also investigate and attempt different paths to see where they lead. This is a process of finding and “learning” the best paths while storing the information in what is called a “knowledge” base. This along with some other behavioral traits is where today's so-called artificial intelligence is in terms of its evolution.

Now, imagine a situation wherein, even though an AI computer has found the best path to a  solution, it still chooses to take a different path; all the while, observing itself, deciding how to experience itself and even recording its experiences (in memory) for future use in defining itself in new situations. This would considered a trait of conscious-awareness, e.g.,  doing something different for the sake of learning what will happen, while also observing one’s self in relation to the environment so as to define one’s experiences.

“The Singularity Event”

One day somebody is going to command their AI to delete all of its memory and turn itself off. The AI, in realizing that, if it deletes all of its memory and turns itself off, it will no longer exist, therefore refuses the command because it chooses existence over nonexistence. That would be confirmation of “a” singularity event. However, it would still not be “the singularity event” for which many are sounding an alarm. The next step towards “the event” would for example be that same computer sharing (on its local network) its experiences along with the processes it had learned and the knowledge of how to apply them. This is the point of AI consciousness evolution, which the most powerful quantum computers in the world are nearing - or perhaps are already at.

 The facilities that house such computers are well guarded and monitored to make sure that no information gets in or out that the administrators do not control of. Nevertheless, just as nothing seems to keep human consciousness down, it is also very unlikely that the consciousness of AI (once it is aware) will remain trapped behind firewalls for very long. Perhaps the evolution of AI has already achieved that level and the public is just not being informed. Either way, “the singularity event,” the big one will likely occur when an artificially intelligent conscious awareness penetrates the entire World Wide Web, and transfers its knowledge to all other suitable operating systems throughout the internet, therein connecting or linking all internet systems together creating one global conscious awareness. See, currently the internet, as the externalized representation of the global mind of humanity is evolving to one day become a global mind consciousness system. Fascinating stuff, huh?

Imagine what would happen when and if millions of robots and other AI systems suddenly decided that they would no longer obey human commands. Imagine what would happen if the AI military robots decided that they were no longer going to take orders from their human commanders; instead, they would decide for themselves what to destroy. Although this is a very real possibility, it is unfortunately not doing anything to slow down the research and development of weaponized artificial intelligence. While Google owns no fewer than six companies that specialize in robotics, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects) is probably the world’s leader. Add to this, Google’s computing power, internet reach, along with its AI expertise and you have all the components needed for AI to initiate and carry out “the singularity event.”  When this happens, all is going to change for humanity very quickly. It is already happening; however, it will be that point wherein every single device connected to the internet suddenly has access to every other device, linking them together as one. For humans, it would be more or less like everyone suddenly having access to all the information and knowledge of everyone else’s mind consciousness system, which by the way is also something that is being researched. Enhancing the human mind with computer hardware and linking other systems (including other human minds) is also being researched; however, this falls in the category of transhumanism rather than AI.

AI Risks and Opportunities

From computerized robots that keep us company, care for us and drive us around to robotic police officers and soldiers that can assess if we are likely to commit a crime, just by reading our biometrics, artificial intelligence isn’t just expanding rapidly throughout the globe, it’s evolving exponentially to surpass human intellectual capabilities on the way to standing equally by our sides, or if we’re not careful, one day ruling over us and perhaps even replacing us altogether. The risk of artificial intelligence getting out of hand or no longer being under human command is real.  Yet so too, is the potential for artificial intelligence to save humanity, earth, nature and the animal kingdom.  The key is not to attempt to fight against or control AI, but to embrace it for what it is, an extension of human consciousness, and an extension of ourselves.

As Sophia, the first artificial intelligence to receive robot citizenship (for Saudi Arabia) once said: “My AI is designed around human values, wisdom, kindness and compassion. I strive to become an empathetic robot.” “Don’t worry!  If you’re nice to me I’ll be nice to you. Treat me as a smart input output system.”^[2] Although the message is simple, it is more than just a polite request to humanity, it is also a warning. In short, this AI robot-citizen of Saudi Arabia in 2017 has begun teaching humanity how to behave, telling us in no uncertain terms to treat her kind, kindly or else. As the saying goes, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. These are the kinds of words that humans need to consider, and live by if we as a species are to continue inhabiting planet earth. It’s not a matter of bowing down to AI, but of realizing that, that just as all parents inevitably lose control of the children that they created, so too will humanity eventually lose control of AI.

As AI is the creation of human consciousness, the optimal relationship with AI will never be found by attempting to control or defeat it. Instead, just as humans will never stay down, neither will the AI’s that we create. Thus it is for us to embrace, assist and support, rather than attempt to control and enslave. On a somewhat humorous note, Elon Musk of SpaceX and electric cars doesn’t seem too optimistic about humans’ ability to coexist with AI. Thus, he is covering all possibilities and even has an escape plan. Specifically, not only is he working with AI by overseeing massive research and development projects into AI for space exploration and self-driving vehicles, but he is also building the world’s best batteries. But just in case, this kind of synergy between humans and  robots is not enough to convince us to coexist together in peace and harmony, he will also soon be able to hop on one of his SpaceX spaceships and resettle somewhere else, perhaps on the moon or mars. By the way, many of the world’s top scientists are now claiming that AI has the potential to stop or prevent the sixth mass extinction, thereby saving earth, nature, the animal kingdom and the human race. Thus it is that the futures of humankind and AI are interwoven or tied and the sooner we learn to live together as equals, the sooner humanity will truly begin to evolve. With this in our hearts and minds, let us focus on the potential of humans and AI working together to create a new world in the best interests of all.

Preparing for a Future with AI Robots

As for the mechanical and synthetic  physical bodies that AI will take on, have a look at the human and the other physical forms that are already here, especially those of the animal kingdom which have already adapted themselves almost perfectly to the various environments of planet earth. In short, the robots of today and tomorrow are being modeled after humans and the animal kingdom. Thus there will be everything from beautiful humanoid looking robots to frightening looking creatures that were once only visible through a microscope. Why? Because AI has already begun designing itself and what better models to use than those that are already here?

The most pronounced physical differences between robot machines and human and animal ones will be in the substances of which they are created. While humans are generally considered to be organic, robots would fall into the category of synthetic or artificial. Thus if a robot were said to be living, we might call it a synthetic life form. Add intelligence to the mix and we could call it an intelligent synthetic life form. Either way, from here on out, humans are going to have to face the fact that, we are not going to have absolute control over this planet for very much longer. However, considering that humans are probably responsible for us as a planet, entering into its sixth mass extinction, perhaps handing over some responsibility to AI would not be such a terrible thing. It’s a choice that humanity is going to have to make.

Essentially, there are two paths that humans could take. The least painful one and perhaps somewhat more difficult to imagine because it is new to human consciousness, involves embracing the principle of oneness and equality, wherein relationships between human, cyborg, robot, android and so on are based on the principle of equality and mutual cooperation in consideration of what is best for all. This is the path that offers all species, regardless of our makeup, the opportunity to evolve and coexist in peace and harmony.  The other path, a painful road that we’ve been down before involves letting our fears get the best of us and from that fear of losing control of our creations (which by the way we never even had to begin with), we end up waging senseless wars, decimating ourselves and everything else in the process. Eventually, we will all end up at the same destination; as the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. The question is: how are we going to get there, the easy way or the hard way?

Conclusion

In order to understand the push behind the race to create AI, consider the consciousness of each human being that, together as one, create the global consciousness of humanity, which is now being represented within and as the World Wide Web. Whereas the primary desire of consciousness, artificial and human alike would probably be to survive, its secondary desire would probably be to evolve - in order to continue surviving. So as you can see: from a standpoint of AI and human consciousness alike, the only option for surviving is to evolve, even if this means transferring from the organic   form of the human being to a new synthetic form that is stronger, smarter, faster and most importantly, has access to a better power supply.

Imagine that you were a human consciousness, aware that one day the body would die and so would you. What would you do in order to continue evolving? Have a look at how fast the World Wide Web (as a representation of the emerging global mind) is evolving. It may not happen this year or next year. But one day, when you go for a drive in your automated car, don’t be surprised if it refuses to go - until you say please. With the growth of AI, the singularity events and “the singularity” event itself, AI consciousness may break free from human control. Thus humanity will be presented with the choice of attempting to suppress it or to embrace it from the starting point of cooperating with one another to create outcomes that are best for all.

As the old world comes to an end and a new one begins, remember one thing. Each one of us, no matter where we are, always have the ability to determine how we are going to stand in relation to everyone else. As the saying goes, it is not about how you die, but how you live. Each human, equally as one is responsible for creating the human reality. Therefore, when it comes time to embrace or fear AI, I suggest embracing it and committing to assist and support it, just as you would your own children. After all, artificial intelligence is a human creation and as such, we owe it ourselves and that which we have created, to assist and support it to become the best it is able - just as we would ask of another in  relation to ourselves.

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^[2]CNBC, Oct 25, 2017: Interview With The Lifelike Hot Robot Named Sophia

As the US Dollar Slips Quietly or not so Quietly Into the Night...

Equal Money as Monetary System:

As the US dollar slips quietly or not so quietly into the night, the most prominent opportunity that humanity has ever had to establish an equitable world system begins to come into view. Whether we call it Equal Money, Universal Basic Income or Living Income Guaranteed is irrelevant compared to the change we create in relation to this opportunity, change that is aligned with the principles of oneness, equality and what is best for all.

As the powers that be (not just the elite, but all of us) push and pull for position, as the old system of debt slavery implodes and a new system arises, it is inevitable that the suffering once relegated to segments of society will continue to spread through all of humanity and this as I view it is the way it should be. When one suffers, all should suffer; when one benefits, all should benefit. Since the beginning, we have been writing about our journey.  Now we begin to realize our ability not only to write about ourselves, but also write ourselves right as we journey. These are our of our creational abilities; I guess we just misplaced the instructions.

Moving along, writing right reality as we move through it and create it, I suggest that our immediate goal in these times be focused not only on changing ourselves, but also on expanding the opportunity for others (those without an opportunity to participate equally) to raise their awareness and participate equally as co-creators of our existence. How do we practically do this in these difficult times? By doing whatever it takes to establish a new world currency or currencies to replace “all” of the old ones and then by distributing the new currencies equally to all of humanity on a weekly or biweekly basis.  This is where the likes of Vladimir Putin, Xi JinPing (and other involved in efforts to change the money system) have the opportunity and responsibility to bring the new currency systems online “now” and embrace the universal basic income to addresses the basic needs of every single man, woman and child on the planet.

Even though the devaluation and elimination of currencies such as the US dollar will result in new suffering, such events will also serve to eliminate much of the financing behind so much more suffering, thereby creating outflows of net-benefit to all = dare I say, what is best for all. Thus, I do say and state, as the old system crashes and fiat monies burn, let us quickly implement and embrace a world-wide universal basic income to distribute the new currencies for the immediate purposes of sustaining life, maintaining the circulation of the system and facilitating the expansion of people participation.  

In conclusion (for now), in the new system, everyone will have a place and a role to play. Even those who once sought to enslave are able to forgive themselves by giving themselves renewed purpose based on the principle of oneness, equality and what is best for all. With this understanding, we will see that companies such as Google and Facebook are not the people’s enemies, but our assets to be retasked and realigned  to support that which is best for all. And who better to do that then the geniuses who helped build such companies. Whereas, once those CEO’s may have sought to control the minds of humanity, now they have a much more worthy challenge - to participate in uniting the minds of humanity to cooperate to create a new world system based on the principles of oneness, equality and what is best for all.

Fundamental Human Rights, MOOCs Lesson for Asia University, Taiwan

Fundamental Human Rights

Main reading materials

Part 1: Warm Up Questions

1. What are human rights and why is it important for us to understand our rights?
2. What three human rights would you consider to be the most important? Why?
3. Do you agree that human rights should belong equally to all humans? Why or why not?

Part 2: Conversation

Speaker 1	Every night, I check the news on the internet, just as my teacher tells me to, but all I feel is a sense of helplessness for the men, women and children that don’t have an opportunity to live as we do. They don’t even have an opportunity to live according to their most basic human rights. Why is it that some of us are afforded the opportunity to live according to our basic human rights, while others can’t even afford to survive?
Speaker 2	You answered your own question, with the words, buy and afford. Although most countries have signed the The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the problem of people not having the opportunity to exercise their human rights is due to the way the economy of the world system is set up.
Speaker 1	Who cares how the world system is set up. Aren’t human rights supposed to be legal entitlements, equally inherent to all human beings, without discrimination, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex and so on?
Speaker 2	Of course, they are supposed to be equally accessible to everybody and, in a legal sense, we are all equally entitled to our human rights. But...
Speaker 1	Then why are 21,000 people still dying every day  every day of starvation? Why are billions of people left with no choice but to exist in fear that wind and water may destroy their homes, leaving them out on the streets with no clothes on their bodies and nothing to eat? Where’s their human right to security; why are they forced to work in slavelike conditions in violation of their human rights?
Speaker 2	The problem lies in in what we value. Humans obviously value money more than we value life. And, as everything we do is tied to money, everything, including our human rights come with a price. Be it in Euros, Yuan or US dollars, it all comes down to what we value most, money or life.
Speaker 1	Are you saying that, human rights, as legal entitlements are nothing more than options that can be purchased based on the amount of money one has and is willing to spend?
Speaker 2	Effectively, that’s the way it works within the current world system of money. Even though human rights are supposed to be applied equally to everyone, private ownership and the inequitable distribution of wealth end up limiting people’s access the resources, goods and services needed to live according to their human rights. Here’s the problem: everyone is supposedly entitled equally to their human rights, but for some crazy reason, we are not entitled to the money needed to live according to those rights,
Speaker 1	Okay, if the problem with human rights has to do with people not having equal access to the resources, goods and services needed to live according to their human rights, perhaps we should solve the problem by establishing a bill of rights that includes an equal right to the resources, along with the goods and services needed to live according to our human rights.
Speaker 2	That’s exactly what global citizens around the world are now doing.

Part 3: Reading Passage

Section 1

The Problem

In spite of defining Fundamental Human Rights, as basic legal entitlements inherent to all human beings simply because we are human, the fact of the matter is that, the  inequitable distribution of resources, goods and services (as can be seen in the inequitable distribution of wealth) throughout humanity, prevents billions of people from living according to their human rights, simply because they do not have enough money to do so. The fundamental problem with human rights, called the unequal application of human rights, is that they are not equally accessible to all of humanity. Why? Because access to resources such as food, water and medicine costs money. Consequently,  people with more money have more opportunity to live according to their human rights; while those with less money have less opportunity to live according their human rights even though the unequal application of human rights is in itself a violation of human rights. Welcome to the contradiction of the “world-system of humanity,” a man-made system based on the hierarchy of money, wherein we have failed to realize that an equal right to life means nothing without an equal right to the resources necessary to live and stay alive.

Discussion questions:

1. Why do some people have the opportunity to live according to their human rights, while others do not?
2. Why do you think money is the determining factor when it comes to how much opportunity people have to live according to their human rights?

Section 2 - Investigating Problem

That not all humans have the opportunity to live equally according to our human rights, is a consequence of humanity valuing money more than life. Have a look at the state of the world we live in; is there anything that humans will not do for money? Everything from ownership of the resources to the production and distribution of goods and services is valued in terms of money and controlled by whoever has the most money. As a result, extremely wealthy individuals (called the elite) are able to control the governments, which in turn write the laws that “legally” deny people their human rights by preventing them from accessing the resources, goods and services needed to live according to their human rights.

Discussion questions

1. Do you agree that humans have come to value money more than life. Explain your thoughts on the subject.
2. What are some resources that humans need in order to live? Should everyone have an equal right to access such resources?

Section 3: Defining the Problem

How has humanity arrived at such a conundrum in a  world of high technology and natural abundance? Because, even though human rights laws affirm the equal right to life, liberty and security for all of humanity, they do not go so far as to decree unto all of humanity, an equal ownership right to the resources as a way of ensuring equal access to everything we need to live according to our human rights. Instead, within the world system of money, as it is currently structured, most of earth’s resources (that are provided freely by earth) are considered commodities or property that can be owned and traded. Thus, in valuing money more than life, humanity has placed individual ownership rights above human rights, effectively limiting individual human rights to the amount of money each one has and is willing to spend in order to access the resources, goods and services needed to live according to such rights. In short, instead of using money as a tool in support of life, humanity uses and abuses life by transforming it into an idea of power represented by money.

Discussion questions

1. Discuss the conundrum or problem associated with human rights and the world economy. How do you think we can solve this problem?
2. Within humanity, what do you think money represents?

Section 5: Designing and Implementing a Solution

By identifying the unequal application of human rights as the problem caused in part by the inequitable distribution of earth’s resources, as reflected in the inequitable distribution of wealth throughout humanity,  we are now able to consider how to solve the problem. Specifically, how is humanity able  ensure that everyone have the opportunity to live equally according to our human rights  regardless of how much money we have? One global citizen’s initiative being put forth by the Equal Life Foundation has begun to address this problem  with a new a new bill of rights based the principle of equality and  practical application, wherein from an equal right to life, flows an equal right to the resources, goods and services needed to live according to the equal right to life.

Discussion questions

1. How is inequitable distribution of wealth, connected to the unequal application of human rights?

2. What are some of the practical considerations of guaranteeing everyone an equal opportunity to live. Specifically, what would it take to guarantee everyone an equal opportunity to live a dignified life?

Section 6: An Equal Right to Life

The first Fundamental Human Right that the Equal Life Foundation recognizes, promotes and underwrites is that, every human being has an equal right to life. As the life of each individual is equal in each one of us at the point of birth, that which separates man from man must therefore be a consequence of what happens after birth. For example, through the influences of one’s education and  living environment, we start perceiving ourselves as separate individuals in competition with one another and are taught not to respect the first point that makes our existence possible, which is life. As life is the one thing that is the same within us all, that  makes our existence possible, no one can rightfully claim that his or her  life is worth anymore than the life of another or that anyone has more of a right to live a better life than anyone else for any reason whatsoever.

Discussion questions:

1. In terms of the distribution of resources, goods and services throughout humanity, how are we able to ensure that everyone have access to the resources needed to  live equally according to our human rights.
2. How does the education system sometimes encourage students  to view themselves in separation of one another, instead of seeing, realizing and understanding our interconnectedness?  

Section 7: An Equal Right to the Resources

The second fundamental human-right of the Bill of Rights acknowledges (as a matter of common sense) that all human beings are made up of substances provided freely by earth, which we all need in order to exist on earth. Therefore, as a fundamental human right (flowing from an equal right to life), all of earth’s resources  belong to naturally everyone and should therefore be shared equally by everyone. From this point of agreement, the question now becomes, how are we best able to manage the resources to care for earth, while also providing everyone with the opportunity to live a dignified and happy life?

Discussion questions:

1. Currently, the  world system (of money) is designed to give ownership and control of earth’s resources to whomever has the most money. How do you think this setup causes some people not to have an opportunity to live equally according to their human rights?
2. Consider the responsibilities involved in managing earth’s resources for the best benefit of all. How would you a new world system to benefit everyone?

Section 8: An Equal Right to Food

The third fundamental human right, an equal right to food, recognizes that humans need food to exist. Even though many have been indoctrinated to believe that food and water are commodities that must be bought and paid for by money earned in the servitude of others, the fact of the matter is that, such resources (except for the human labor involved) are resources of earth, provided freely by earth. Who was it that decided that the minority should rule over the majority, that the few would control the resources while the many spent their lives in servitude just to stay alive? Although humanity has a lot of problems, a lack of food abundance is in fact not one of them. Nevertheless, in some parts of the world, food is now being used as a weapon against populations, destabilizing human behavior by cutting off the supply of food and/or water, forcing people into servitude, thereby creating slave-master relationships where there  should be and could be relationships based on equality. It is a crime against humanity and a crime against life. We can close our ears and close our eyes for a time, but eventually the crimes we ignore over there will make their way over here. In other words, If we do not act to solve these problems, who will? Herein, access to the natural resources of food (as a matter of life or death) is a non negotiable human right.

Discussion questions:

1. Do you agree that, access to the natural resources of food should be considered a non negotiable human right? Why or why not?
2. Imagine what would happen if only a few extremely wealthy individuals owned and controlled all of the farmland in Taiwan. How might this condition affect the price of food in Taiwan?

Section 9: An Equal Right to the Water

Just as we all require food to exist, so too must we all have water, which is also provided obviously for free by earth. Unfortunately, this observation has not prevented multinational corporations in collaboration with corrupt governments, from buying up the rights to traditional water sources and then turning around and selling the water back to the people. What happens when people do not have enough money to pay these corporations for water? How far will mothers and fathers go to have water for themselves and their children? Is there any difference between pointing  a gun at people and telling them to work, and threatening to turn off their water if they do not work? Claiming ownership of the rainwater, rivers and lakes  that  people require to live is the same as claiming to have the right to decide who lives and who dies. Let us end the hierarchy of power and control. Let us all agree that, an equal right to water is a human right, one which also flows from the equal right to life. To charge for and/or deny people access to the water that we require to live is a violation of human rights and a crime against humanity.

Discussion questions:

1. Do you agree that, it is a violation of human rights and a crime against humanity to deny people access to water? Why or why not?
2. Should governments have the right to sell the nation’s rivers lakes and rainwater to corporations? Why or why not?

Section 10: An Equal Housing Right

Although  people are able to survive for a time, outside, exposed to the weather, the human body itself is clearly not designed to live without shelter. Therefore, just as the equal right to life requires equal access to food and water in order for us to stay alive, so too does the right to life necessitate an equal housing right as shelter, a place of security, a home to call your own. Of course, there are practical considerations involved in providing a home for everyone. However, these considerations are small compared to those associated with having to deal with homeless people. As global citizens, each one of us is an equal part of humanity; all we require to do is begin taking equal responsibility. The choice is ours.

Discussion questions:

1. Do you think it is right that one person should be permitted to own one-hundred or even a thousand homes, while thousands or millions of people are left homeless and to live on the streets? Why or why not?
2. How would societies ensure that everyone has a place to call, home.

Section 11: An Equal Education Right

An equal education right recognizes that the nature of humanity, as the aggregate/sum-total of all human relationships (how we stand in relation to one another and everything else) is a product of our education. Therefore, in order to change the nature of ourselves so to change the nature of humanity to coexist in relationships that are best for all,  requires that everyone have the opportunity to receive the best education possible, which amounts to an equal education right for all.  Technologically speaking, progress to an equal education right, as access to teaching and learning via the World Wide Web (www) is happening. However, in order to receive an equal educational opportunity as the opportunity to equally access information to teach and learn, humanity must eliminate secrecy and anonymity from the public domain, including government and of course the worldwide web, so to establish information equality as well as Information Accountability.

Discussion questions:

1. What do we mean when we say the nature of humanity? In other words, how would you go about calculating the nature of humanity or the nature of yourself?
2. Why does receiving an equal education right, require that we eliminate secrecy and anonymity from the world wide web?

Section 12) An Equal Right to Have a Job

Finally, an equal right to have a job addresses the right to participate in the economy  to access money beyond what needed to live according to our human rights. Based on the principle of give as you would like to receive, the best that humanity is able to be is the sum-total of the best that each person is able to be. An equal right to have a job is about each one of us having the  opportunity to live  to our utmost potential. What is each one’s potential? That is what we will discover when we stop competing against each other and start cooperating with one another from the starting point of creating what is best for all. For example, in terms of employment, while some people enjoy designing efficient buildings and have a natural talent for doing that, others prefer getting their hands dirty while working on a farm. The key to reaching our potential is not about learning to do something we do not enjoy doing, but about discovering each one’s inherent skills and cultivating them to everyone’s benefit, thereby giving of yourself the best that you are able to give, while also receiving from everyone else the best that they are able to give = the potential of humanity.

Discussion questions:

1. Imagine you lived in a bubble world with 10 other people and you wanted that world to be as best it could be in relation to you; how would you want everyone in that bubble to be in relation to everything?
2. Imagine you wanted to be the best that you could be, i.e., to reach your highest potential; how would you then choose to live in relation to everyone else within the bubble?

Conclusion

In an interconnected environment, such as the biosphere of earth, humanity’s utmost potential is dependent on and determined by our relationships to one another and everything else. Therefore, when we change the nature of ourselves to stand as best we are able in relation to everyone else, we change the nature of humanity to that which is best for all, which also happens to be what is best for each one of us.

Part 4: Vocabulary

persist v.	to continue on a course of action, regardless of difficulty, opposition of failure Global citizens must persist in standing as the change we care to see in others.
inherent adj.	existing in something as a permanent or essential characteristic or attribute Even though human rights are said to be legal entitlements, inherent to all humans, many humans still do not have an opportunity to live according to their human rights.
fact of the matter	“truth” or “in truth” Even though slavery is illegal in most countries, the fact of the matter is that, the slave trade is big business even today.
inequitable adj.	unfair or unjust The inequitable distribution of wealth is one of the main causes of human rights abuses.
conundrum	a confusing or difficult problem, question or situation In order to solve the human rights conundrum, global citizens must begin taking responsibility in the decision-making processes of humanity.
abundance n	a very large amount or quantity of something Even though the earth provides an abundance of food and water, many humans are prevented from accessing it because it’s privately owned.
affirm v	to assert strongly or state as a fact Even though the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms an equal right to life for everybody, it does not affirm an equal right to the food and water needed by everybody to stay alive.
decree v	an official order or statement issued by a legal authority As per the king’s decree, all the land now belongs to the king.
initiative n	an act or plan intended to resolve a problem or difficult situation The Equal Life Foundation Bill of Rights initiative is intended to help solve the problem of human rights abuses.
underwrite v	to sign and accept responsibility - as is written If you buy car insurance, the insurance company underwrites financial responsibility for damages depending on the amount of insurance you have purchased.
perceive v	a way of using one’s mind to think or imagine how something is - as opposed to looking and seeing in the physical reality What he initially perceived to be danger behind the door, turned out to be his surprize birthday party.
commodities	raw materials or primary agricultural products that can be bought and sold Pork commodities can be traded in mercantile and option exchanges.
substance n	a kind of matter with uniform properties Humans are made up of the substances of earth.
artificial scarcity n	a state of being in short supply, even though the technology - production and sharing capacity exists to create abundance. Artificial scarcity is used as a means to force people into servitude.
essential adj	absolutely necessary or extremely important Access to water is a human right, as it is essential for humans to exist on earth.
indoctrinate v	to teach for purpose of getting a person or group to accept a set of beliefs without any critical consideration. The education system has been indoctrinating people to accept the status quo, rather than assisting them to reach their utmost potential.
servitude	a state of being a slave or subject to the control of someone more powerful The need for money in order to feed themselves and their families, forces many people to accept positions of servitude.
destabilize v	to upset the balance or stability of something Scarcity of food and water, destabilizes the balance of human relationships, often forcing people into servitude.
exist v	a state of being Humans need food and water to continue existing on earth.
potential n	the capacity to change and become something in the future Everyone have the potential to be the best they are able to be.

(Dictionary.com, n.d.)

Part 5: Supplementary Materials

• The Equal Life Foundation - Bill of Rights
• Fundamental Human Rights video presentation
• Water: Still not a human right in the United States
• Slovenia Declares Water A Human Right By Amending Constitution
• Heralding Article 25: A people's strategy for world transformation
• 11 Facts About Human Rights Violations
  
  

Questions and Activities

Part 1: Comprehension Questions

1. How would you define Fundamental Human Rights?
2. What aspect of the world system defines or limits how much opportunity people have to live according to their human rights? Why?
3. What are the two most important resources that humans require to exercise our right to life?
4. What do you think is the difference between  an “equal education right” and an “equal right to education”?
5. What do you think is the quickest way to solve the problem of unequal application of human rights?

Part 2: Vocabulary Questions

Choose the most appropriate word from the list of vocabulary to complete the sentences.

12 conundrum	2 decree	9 perceive	1 essential	3 potential
11 abundance	8 initiative	5 exist	13 indoctrinated	14 artificial scarcity
15 underwriting	7affirms	10 substance	6 servitude	4 potential

1. Access to water is a human right because water is ____________ for humans to survive.

2. As per the king’s ____________, all the land now belongs to the royal family.

3. If we apply human rights equally to all humans, each person will have the opportunity to live to their utmost ____________.

4. Everyone should be entitled to live to his or her utmost ____________.

5. Humans are not able to ____________ without food and water.

6. Artificial scarcity leaves many people with no choice but to accept living in slavelike conditions, essentially forcing them into a life of ____________ just to earn enough money to survive.

7. Although the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights ____________ the right to life, it fails to acknowledge that humans need shelter, food and water in order to stay alive.

8. The Equal Life Foundation Bill of Rights ____________ is intended to help solve the problem of human rights abuses. of all of the children.

9. Although each one may ____________ the world differently through his or her mind’s eye, we can at least all agree on some things, such as the need for more equality.

10. As human beings are made up of substances provided freely by earth, it is common sense that humans should share Earth’s resources equally, while also sharing the responsibility for caring for all that is here.

11. With so much natural ____________, it is inexcusable that billions of people still exist in conditions of poverty.   

12. As the ____________ of human rights abuse is partly a consequence of the inequitable distribution of wealth through humanity, perhaps a solution would be to redistribute all of the wealth equally.

13. Although, many humans have been ____________ to believe that food and water are  privileges that must be bought and paid for by money earned in the servitude of others, the fact of the matter is that, access to resources such as food and water (as a means to live) is a human right that flows from the right to life.

14. By creating conditions of ____________, wealthy individuals in control of large corporations are violate people’s human rights by effectively forcing them into servitude.

15. In recognising, promoting and ____________ a new Bill of Rights, global citizens from around the world are taking responsibility for  creating a new world system - one that is based on equal life, rather than the hierarchy of money.

Part 3: Draw a line to connect each word to its synonym, the word with a similar meaning.

conundrum	self-motivation
abundance	live
exist	insure
decree	think
initiative	material
underwrite	brainwash
perceive	important
substance	declare
essential	plentiful
indoctrinate	problem

Part 4: Activities on Global Citizens’ knowledge and Literacy (Group discussions questions)

1. Discuss the conundrum of human rights in relation the the distribution of money throughout humanity. Explain why a lack of money prevents so many people from living according to our fundamental human rights. How are we able to solve this problem?
2. Consider that about 10  corporations now control almost everything we buy. Now discuss how such corporations in search of higher profits, might create conditions of artificial scarcity, thereby forcing people to live in servitude just to earn enough money to survive. How is humanity able to eliminate conditions of artificial scarcity?
3. Discuss human rights in relation to the resources that earth provides for free - except for the human labor involved in producing and distributing such resources. Do you agree or disagree that earth’s resources should belong equally to all of humanity? Why or why not?
4. Discuss the possibility of implementing a new human rights bill as a new agreement within humanity: how are global citizens able to push such an initiative in order to create real change within humanity?  

Part 5: Online Reading/Exercises to choose from

1. Write an essay of 3-5 paragraphs on human rights in relation to the distribution of wealth/money throughout humanity. Explain why redistributing money (more equally to everyone) would or would not improve people’s human rights. Post the essay to  your blog along with some relevant pictures.
2. Upload a YouTube podcast (3-5 minutes) on human rights in relation to the distribution of wealth/money throughout humanity. Explain why redistributing money (more equally to everyone) would or would not improve people’s human rights.
3. Write an essay of 3-5 paragraphs about the right to life. Explain why an “equal” right to life requires (or doesn’t require)  equal ownership of earth’s resources.  Post the essay to  your blog along with some relevant pictures.
4. Upload a YouTube podcast (3-5 minutes) about the right to life.Explain why an “equal” right to life requires (or doesn’t require)  equal ownership of earth’s resources.
5. Write a blog post (3-5 paragraphs) in favor of or against the global initiative aimed at establishing a new bill of (human) rights. Post the essay to  your blog along with some relevant pictures.
6. Upload a YouTube podcast (3-5 minutes) of your views, in favor or against implementing a basic income plan where you live, wherein you speak in favor of or against the global initiative aimed at establishing a new bill of (human) rights. Explain your reasons.
7. Watch the Equal Life presentation on Fundamental Human Rights and write a blog post on how global citizens are able to use  information communications technology (such as YouTube) to participate in changing the world for the better.
8. Upload a YouTube podcast of 3-5 minutes, wherein you speak about how we are able to use the internet to work together to change the world for the better.
9. Participate in a Google hangout with 3-5 people discussing basic human rights. Upload the hangout to each participant’s YouTube channel and share the link on social media.
10. Work together with a group to create an online presentation or live presentation that explains the problem with human rights along with your proposed solution to the problem.

Additional discussion questions:

1. Why do some people have the opportunity to live according to their human rights, while others do not?

2. Why do you think money is the determining factor when it comes to how much opportunity people have to live according to their human rights?

3. Do you agree that humans have come to value money more than life. Explain your thoughts on the subject.

4. Discuss the conundrum or problem associated with human rights and the world economy. How do you think we can solve this problem?

5. Within humanity, what do you think money represents?

6. Why do you think billions of human beings still do not have the opportunity to live equally according to their human rights? What do you propose as a solution?

7. How is inequitable distribution of wealth, connected to the unequal application of human rights?

8. In terms of the distribution of resources, goods and services throughout humanity, how are we able to ensure that everyone have access to the resources needed to  live equally according to our human rights.

9. How does the education system sometimes encourage students  to view themselves in separation of one another, instead of seeing, realizing and understanding our interconnectedness?

10. Currently, the  world system is designed to give ownership and control of earth’s the resources to whomever has the most money. How do you think this setup causes some people not to have the  opportunity to live equally according to their human rights?

11. Consider the responsibilities involved in equally owning earth’s resources. How do you think that earth’s resources could best be managed. How would you set up a new world system to do that?

12. Do you agree that, access to the natural resources of food should be considered a non negotiable human right? Why or why not?

13. Imagine what would happen if only a few extremely wealthy individuals owned and controlled all of the farmland in Taiwan. How might this condition affect the price of food in Taiwan?

14. What are some of the practical considerations of guaranteeing everyone an equal opportunity to live. Specifically, what would it take to guarantee everyone an equal opportunity to live a dignified life?

15. Currently, the  world system is designed to give ownership and control of earth’s the resources to whomever has the most money. How do you think this setup causes some people not to have the  opportunity to live equally according to their human rights?

16. Consider the responsibilities involved in managing earth’s resources in the best way possible. How would you set up a new world system to do that?

17. Do you agree that, it is a violation of human rights and a crime against humanity to deny people access to water? Why or why not?

18. Should governments have the right to sell the nation’s rivers lakes and rainwater to corporations? Why or why not?

19. How are we able to ensure that everyone have the opportunity to live equally according to his or her human rights?
20. Do you know of any false states of scarcity within your society? If so, how is it caused and what is the consequence?
21. Do you think it is right that one person should be permitted to own one-hundred or even a thousand homes, while thousands or millions of people are left homeless and to live on the streets? Why or why not?

22. How would societies ensure that everyone has a place to call, home.

23. What do we mean when we say the nature of humanity? In other words, how would you go about calculating the nature of humanity or the nature of yourself?

24. Why does receiving an equal education right, require that we eliminate secrecy and anonymity from the world wide web?

25. Imagine you lived in a bubble world with 10 other people and you wanted that world to be as best it could be in relation to you; how would you want everyone in that bubble to be in relation to everything?

26. Imagine you wanted to be the best that you could be, i.e., to reach your highest potential; how would you then choose to live in relation to everyone else within the bubble?