The Vision Force forums have just been released (shhhh… it’s kinda private, even though it’s the headline on our home page). We’re not doing much advertising yet as we’re still in “stealth mode!”

As smart as you are, you’ve probably guessed we’re up to something really big behind the scenes. Can’t fool you, can we? So, check it out, VisionForce is ramping up to facilitate what we see as the greatest shift in conscious thinking in history. Sounds a bit far out, I know. Still, that’s what we’re up to. The world needs drastic changes, and it starts with our thinking. With the shift in thinking that is already underway, tremors will soon be felt  through the fabric of society. Life as we know it is about to look radically different.

Our new forum area can handle mass quantities of people.  We’re starting fresh with no members and no posts–so there is a clean slate for us all. We’re nowhere near even done building the forum area, but in line with our new thinking here at VisionForce, we want YOU to help up us build it. We want the best and brightest, we want the visionary few (that’s you, right?).

For the time being, the boards are primary to be used as study rooms for our various courses. These are not the kind of forums you’ll find everywhere else on the internet. We’re asking every single person who plays here to have as their foremost focus in the forums to be their own personal evolution.

In other words, we are asking you to make “the shift” as you learn and help us create the shift. So, you should be conscious to make certain sub-shifts in your behavior. Here’s one such shift:

away from positionary posting >> towards visionary posting - from relating to new concepts as a threat to my paradigm >> towards new concepts as opportunities to upgrade my paradigm (or build a new one).

It’s characteristic of the Positionary Mind of the Past to filter new concepts and distinctions through what one already believes and then to show others (on forums) what’s incorrect about or missing from the new ideas. We see the usefulness of this in on-line forums that display little more than positionary arguments which do nothing but entrench people in the positions they already held (insert big sighing, eye rolling emoticon here).

Yes, you and I have a lot to share. Afterall, learning and self-development are a few of our highest values. And of course, we want people to see us in all our brilliance. Perhaps how we can best do that here is by being more willing than most to question our existing thinking and behaviours. The greater mark of wisdom will be how much we’re willing to question even the conclusions at which we’ve already arrived.

from displaying knowledge >> towards exercising wisdom

Socrates was considered wise, not primarily because of his ability to deconstruct others’ beliefs with his questioning, but because he never used that ability to assume or claim that he was right. He continually held his own understandings up for scrutiny and questioning.

In view of such inadequacies, Socrates himself professed his ignorance, but others still claimed to have knowledge. Socrates believed that his awareness of his ignorance made him wiser than those who, though ignorant, still claimed knowledge. Although this belief seems paradoxical at first glance, it in fact allowed Socrates to discover his own errors where others might assume they were correct. This claim was known by the anecdote of the Delphic oracular pronouncement that Socrates was the wisest of all men. Wikipedia

We encourage questioning of the new concepts and distinctions–that is part of the socratic method and a hallmark of any wise person. However, rather than focus being on protecting what we already know, showing others how smart we are our how well we can pick apart new concepts and distinctions–rather than by applying the socratic method outward on others–let’s focus first on what we can learn from the new concepts and distinctions–and apply the socratic method on ourselves!

This shift in thinking is part of our overall shift in consciousness from the Positionary Mind of the Past to the Visionary Mind of the Future.

(If, by slim chance, you happen to be reading this and you’d rather tell everyone how much you already know, well then, there are hundreds of thousands of on-line forum boards that would welcome you! For the rest of us, we’re up to leading the way to a whole new world in thinking and human behavior.)

With that in mind, enter the forums of self-inquiry–a haven for those of us who know that change happens first inside our own mind and heart.

In the recent interview of Bill Clinton by Fox News Sunday (watch video), he talks about the advantages and disadvantages of being an ex-president as he attempts to bring about positive change, and compares the power of an ex-president to that of a president. A president has the military might and political might to force change, whereas an ex-president does not. Former President Clinton and Former Vice President Gore have both been taking on projects to cause positive change in the world after leaving office. And, while I’ve seldom been inspired by any politician (as their primary strategies are typically positionary ones), I am often quite inspired by the paths taken by ex-presidents.

Gore, for example, may be doing more as an ex-politician to cause the kind of change he seeks with our relationship to the environment than he perhaps ever could have done as president. To add context to this comment, I’d mention these points:

1) a political victory is often short-lived as the opPosition usually becomes sufficiently inspired to fightback and undo what you’ve done.

2) while we can use political power to force others actions, we cannot force their minds and hearts

3) often forcing a person’s behavior can result in a myriad of rebellious actions which undermine the values of all involved.

I say it’s time to look at how much we turn to politics to make positive change happen in this world. What if we as civilians took much more of the time that we spend in building and defending our political positions, and instead built visions that called us into heroic action to be the change?

Visionaries such as entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs have over the last century solved all kinds of personal and social ills, not by forcing anyone but by creating a better alternative for people to freely choose.

How can we harness our own power to be the change and recreate our world? Comments most welcome!

When you watch the video of Fox News interviewing former President Bill Clinton, think about the prescious time we *all* waste as we operate from our positions.  Then please post your comments on this topic:
Think about all the time we waste attacking and defending, the time we waste preparing to defend and promote our positions, etc. This is a much, much bigger issue than the topic in the video. How much time do you and I spend in this positionary game?  (And please, no posting of your position about whether Clinton did enough or not to get Bin Laden, as that has nothing to do with our evolution from the Positionary Mind of the Past to the Visionary Mind of the Future, which is one of our primary focuses here at VisionForce.com.)

People take their seats. It’s good vs. evil, evil vs. good, or evil vs. evil–depending on your position. As with any good matchup, everyone has an opinion. That’s what it is so exciting about life, right? To be visible, to be seen, to be acknowledged–and so we take a position and express it. We may not do it with words, yet we do it. We wear the colors of the team we favor, or at least we sit in their section… if nothing else, we have our critique of the other side, our inner Charles Barkley… or of the game itself.

But for our experience to truly be fun, for most of us, it needs to be psychologically safe. So what we need from our position is a good enough reason to make it ok to sit on the sidelines… or if we are on the field, we need a reason to be ok with dirty tactics. And a colorful enough critique of the game, of our opponents or of any who dare play will do. If they are all evil or foolish enough in our eyes, we’re safe on the sidelines (or safe playing dirty) and the game will be fun to watch.

Hot dogs!! Get your hot dogs here!!

It’s Chavez vs. Bush for the future of the world! The crowd roars! Each fan shouting their opinions, judgments, complaints–from their safe and confortable positions. The Bush supporters shout this, the Chavez supporters shout that, other sides are cheering and shouting… there are “We’re number one” foam fingers every where… and quite a few middle fingers to boot.
For from a position, not only are we seen, we are safe–comfortable. No, not from the attacks of others. It’s never about what others think of us, ultimately. It’s what we think of ourselves. The trick is we must limit who we listen to, because our critics might have us face the painful reality about ourselves. And so, we take a seat on the sidelines of life, content to watch as our world falls apart.

Sounds a bit gloomy, but think about it. You have criticisms of the other side. No doubt you’ve concluded a few things about their character. And from your position of judgment, you expect them to step forward from their position and cause the change you recommend? While you sit safely behind your own judgments, not daring to expose your humanity or see that of the other? The funny thing is how we get all worked up, angry, animated, frustrated… and we think we are taking a stand as we berate the other side and argue against their position. Allthewhile they can’t hear us. They hear only our judgment, and are thus validated in their own judgments of us.

Popcorn anyone?

I just recently got the following email from an ally I call, Ronin, after the masterless samurai of feudal Japan. The ronin were those who’d been trained in the Samurai warrior life of honor, self-mastery, fearlessness, etc. as loyal protectors and servants to a master, and were then set free. Ronin literally means cast upon the waves.
Ronin authored a book after his Vision Force Boot Camp experience and is frustrated that the world does not yet know the power of the Vision Force technology. After he saw our recent promo page for Visionary Mind he was even more frustrated. Here’s part of his email to me:

I am more convinced than ever that the next level for you must be showing, rather than telling.

People need to see your technology in action. Even testimonials from bootcamp attendees are still telling rather than showing.

I am convinced that you need to test yourself, throw yourself into situations where the conflict, emotions
or stakes are high. Film it all and keep what works, and improve the format each time.

You, trying to describe your technology in terms of what it is not and in metaphors is like the great Musashi trying to describe his sword technique (without a sword in his hand) to people who don’t understand anything about swordmanship.

How far could he really get with words? But film him with a sword, and better yet, show him in action with others, and even if they no nothing about technique, the power and mastery of Musashi will be captured and demonstrated. They will feel it in their gut.

It also ties into your desire for being transparent. Get used to being recorded. Bring the bootcamp into every interaction.

Look for opportunities to film a couple of bootcamp challenges for yourself each week. Expect that it won’t
be perfect. But get the raw footage and figure out how you can edit it together to show something about the process and interaction itself.

All for now.

Jim

Well, Ronin, I feel ya brother! And, we have started with video–today. I’m exhausted after a day in the film studio, where we filmed footage for DVDs that we intend to include with future Visionary Mind packages. After that it’s video blogging, and raw video footage of Vision Force in action as we travel to do work with change agents, visionaries, organizations and people in conflict!

(We’re going to include the DVDs retroactively to all who’ve paid the $197 price, and there are only 13 left at that price as of today.)

Who doesn’t understand the principle that you don’t negotiate with terrorists? By negotiating, you validate and encourage more terrorist action. That’s a pretty sound principle.

So, apparently George Bush is not negotiating with or even talking to the Iranian “regime,” or President Ahmadinejad, as the Iranians “sponsor terrorism” and are part of the “Axis of Evil.”

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/19/bush.un/index.html

This is by no means a simple situation. There are many factors to take into consideration. However, the situation is a great example of why Positionary tactics no longer work in today’s world, and why it is time for some new ideas about how we interact with each other as human beings.
If ever there were a time to talk, would it not be *before* we enter into a crisis situation and were at war or on the brink of war? If ever there were a time to rebuild trust, open channels of communication and cooperate, would now not be the time?

Yes, Bush has stated his Position that he will not negotiate with terrorists (or those who sponsor them) and he will not hold talks with Iran until they have verifiably suspended their uranium enrichment program. He has dug himself into quite a corner in an attempt to impose his solution on Iran. Submit, follow and obey–or else.

I’ll come back to that in a minute. First, what is the greatest concern among the most violent opponents of the US in the middle east? Is it that they oppose Western culture? Is it that they fear America? Is it that they want to kill Americans or Christians simply because we are nonbelievers? Is it because they oppose US military presence or policies in the region?

Leaders on either side can explain the actions of the Bush administration’s declared enemies any way they want. But doesn’t it really come down to one thing? The greatest operational value of Positionaries worldwide. More important to all of us than freedom, peace, prosperity, security or anything else is one thing.

Pride. Or more specifically our image in others’ eyes. US policy in the Middle East humiliates its opponents. And they’ll die for their pride or their “honor.”

If this were so, would you expect Iran to halt it’s nuclear program in response to Bush’s threats? Iran backs down and they look like cowards. The fight and they maintain their pride.

Bush backs down and he looks like an indecisive coward…to his enemies and opponents AND to his supporters.
Now, am I suggesting that Bush is only enforcing his position, because he is prideful? No, and here’s the problem. There is a belief (with a lot of supporting evidence) that if Bush backs down, they other side will see it as a sign of weakness and attack more.

Good people use positionary tactics, because they see no other way. In fact, they often believe they’ve “tried” other approaches, and those approaches haven’t worked.

Alas, trying never works. Trying is usually a person’s attempt to prove that their original fears and judgments were right. “See, I tried. They are evil. I told you they’d react that way.” (We can see how well “trying” works in our marriages, once we’re convinced the our spouse just is a certain way.) Trying is what you do when you lack the vision or the moral courage to take a stand. Thus, trying is a Positionary tactic, just as intimidation and ultimatums generally are.

But it’s not as if we can blame the Positionary. From a position, there is no vision. Yet we all too often assume the other person can see what we see and just chooses not to act the way we believe is morally right. This, to us, proves they are just immoral, amoral or… “Evil.”

Really, if you oppose Bush, do you think he sees any other real alternative? Do you suppose he sees a peaceful alternative, but simply wants more power, control and has greedy, evil motives? If so, then you are just as positionary about him as he is about the “Evil” Iranians–or about your party, group or type.

On all sides are human beings. Human beings with children. Human beings with consciousness and conscience. Labelling the other side “Evil,” whether you place that label on Bush, Osama, Ahmadinejad, Nasrallah or someone else is a sorry ass (excuse my French, but I think it’s appropriate) cop out, and an excuse to act without conscience.

What this world needs are people who are willing to risk even the esteem of their supporters and colleagues to stand for values that they hold to be more important than how they look in other’s eyes. People who are willing to stand for something greater, much like the stand that former Egyptian president Anwar al-Sadat took when he broke ranks with all other Arab nations to sign a peace accord with Israel.

It was the belief of Arab Nations that the only way to deal with Israel, viewed as a rogue regime and a symbol of Imerialism, was through force and threat of force. Al-Sadat took a stand in the face of his fears and the judgments of others. There was something worth standing for.

This is the stand that as yet Bush, Ahmadinejad, and other leaders are unwilling to take.

I am quite sure that to the reader who is not very familiar with alternatives to Positionary tactics, the direction proposed here may seem half-baked or naive. A short blog post does not lend itself to presenting a “well-done” new alternative. Yet, such alternatives are being developed by visionaries all over the world. (VisionForce.com is currently building an on-line lab for all of us.)
Really, we cannot go back to the days when one group could rule the world by force. It’s a positionary mind that attempts to find The right or true group or idea (position), then get behind it and try to force the world to conform. Those who will survive, thrive and become mankind’s greatest benefactors will have visionary minds.

This seems like an appropriate time to plug Visionary Mind, a visionary’s trusty rusty compass in the world of the future.

Can you see how both Bush AND Ahmadinejad are standing for something? The problem is how our stands devolve to positions, and our positions then fail to inspire the change and honor the values we originally stood for.

Post your comments below.

Imagine, if all the American colonialists could have watched Patrick Henry deliver his famous speech via web cam:

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Our red coated friends from across the pond might have high tailed it back to their ships and sailed home without a fight.

Never before in history have we had so many powerful tools at our fingertips, tools which individuals can be use to communicate, organize, unite, mobilize, etc.  Never before have we had so much access to information and education.  People worry about technology’s ability to give governments’ greater control, but what about the new power and liberty such technology delivers to the individual?  I believe it far out paces the increasingly snoopy eye of the government.

Several in the VisionForce community have begun setting in motion plans to use tools such as video blogging to share their stories, their vision and the actions they’re taking to be the change they seek, and to change the world.

Imagine… training young people from China, Africa, India and all over the world in the ways of the visionary for free–straight from a web cam!  That and more is just around the corner.  Shhhhhh….