Over here at VisionForce we’ve been asking some radical questions that are evolving our entire idea of how we can best facilitate the coming waves of evolution. From the Stone Age to the Information Age, civilization has been defined largely by the tools of the times. New tools give us more power to do and to be. And as we realize there is more we can do and be, the more we elevate our ideas about what should be. And as we elevate our ideas about what should be, we change our ideas of what we should do and be. And as those change, we change the behaviors that we shame and honor.

The more one sees the extent to which shame and honor dynamics shape human behavior, the more one can begin to grasp the size of the waves of change that are headed our way. The tools that we as humans are just beginning to build give us access to power in a whole new realm–the realm of consciousness. (Before you assume that I am referring to the common tools you’ll find in the domains of religion, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, sociology, human development, self-help or New Age; I’ll tell you I’m talking about a Next level of tools that will arise in those domains. That Next level of tools is emerging as we develop more valid models of consciousness.)

These tools will give us a greater ability to create the kind of world that really works for all of us, and with that greater power, our standards, values and expectations will rise. Then, so too will the behaviors that we shame and honor shift. And with that shift will come the kind of mass behavioral change that will define the coming age, which may very well come to be know as the Age of Consciousness (or the Age of Vision, if I had my druthers). So sudden, so deep and so widespread will the changes be that the word revolution may apply better than evolution.

And the world that will emerge will be, I believe, brighter and more glorious than many of us dare to imagine. For most of our existence the power of our tools in the physical world have surpassed the power of our tools in our inner world. When MLK said, we have guided missles and misguided men, he was pointing to a dangerous dynamic that has only grown worse in the centuries since his death. Will we evolve the technology to be ethical enough and live together in peace and prosperity before we annihilate ourselves and each other? For the last two centuries the light of hope at the end of that tunnel seemed to grow smaller and smaller.

All that, I see, is about to change.

Here at VisionForce, we think we have some truly cutting edge ideas and tools in this new domain, created from our emerging model of consciousness. And the questions we’re asking now are having us look at how we can facilitate the coming revolution the best, rather than how we can best sell the ideas or the tools to people. These questions are changing everything.

This is just a heads up! Watch for ongoing evolution here at VisionForce over the coming months.

What do you see?  Add your voice below.

I just found a very cool tool for visionaries and revolutionaries taking a stand for something.  It’s called PledgeBank and it’s a way of generating commitments by having others see that they won’t be acting alone, but rather they will only be obligated to act if the agreed upon total number of people have also agreed to act with you.

Of course, it can be even more inspiring to take a stand regardless of what others choose to do.  I could see the use for a variation of the pledge, where an individual can say “I am doing this regardless,” or something similar.  It sounds a bit weak to have the pledges be “I commit do X, but only if ____# other people commit to do it too.”

Still, a very cool concept, and yet another way the internet is empowering those of us who are williing to take a stand for what matters, live from our own vision and inspire others to stand with us.

(I was invited to sign a new initiative by the Free State Project, as I am seriously interested in the idea of what kind of world could be created with human beings placing their trust in vision force, rather than political force.  It’s a bit radical, but hey, I think there’s something worth standing for, and I’m already committed to the original Free State Project pledge.)

Comments? Other resources for mobilizing grass roots efforts?  Post below.

Watch this presentation by William McDonough, a man who refers to human beings as “designers,” and looks at everything we see in our world as our intentional creation, so as to take full responsibility for creating the kind of world we really want.  If you’re in the Power To Stand course (register free), this man is exemplifying the distinction between Positionary and Visionary.  He speaks of the positionaries on each side, Capitalists and Environmentalists, and unites people in a stand for shared values and a vision that inspires all sides to step forward from behind the walls of their position.  It’s the new revolutionaries who will change the world.  They are visionaries, not positionaries (the distinction is here).  The next revolution is our evolution from a positionary consciousness to a visionary consciousness.

Please comment on the video here.

Really, we don’t know our own power to change the world. It’s cliche, but the power is really within us. I plan to tour the US and select countries beginning in 2007 with several Vision Force Boot Camp graduates.

by the way, we’ve recently chosen *not* to have another boot camp in 2006 in order to create space for the evolution of VisionForce into a vehicle that can drive real change in the world, on a much grander scale. If you were planning to attend our usual fall boot camp, I apologize. We will announce the spring boot camp dates soon, so stay tuned.

We spend so much time thinking about, talking about and being involved in political campaigns and controversies… as if political force is our best shot at change. It’s not! By far, it’s not. Most of the positive change we’ve seen in the world in the last 30 years has been from vision force–our natural ability as individuals to see a vision worth pursuing and then taking a stand and making it happen. Entrepreneurs, inventors, social entrepreneurs, community leaders, parents, teachers–you, we, are the ones who’ve brought the most possible change to the world–not politicians. Hey, I’m not saying don’t be politically active, I’m just saying what if we invested much more of the time, energy and money we invest in political force and invest it instead in our own minds and spirits–our vision force?!
What if?

JOIN US! Let’s campaign for vision!
If you’d like to talk about joining forces with VisionForce in a campaign to bring vision to the world, then reply to this post. You could be a local contact in your city or take on any of a myriad of other roles. Many more details to come. This is just an initial feeler. Just planting a seed.

If you’re used to just reading the VisionForce emails or blog entries, I challenge you to make your voice heard. This game of life is more exciting on the field. Come play with us. Say whatever is on your mind. Share your ideas for how we can bring vision to the world.

I remember graduating highschool in 1989 and heading out into the world in the 90′s…  It was the era of the Seattle Bands, and while there was a lot of brilliant music that came from those bands, often the lyrics echoed the Seattle weather… mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain, rain and more rain.

The summer of 94 I spent with my brother Dave building my father’s ranch in Arizona.  It was he and I every day working 12 hour days in the Arizona sun–to the music of bands like Soundgarden… “black hole sun, wontcha come…”  Wow, brings back so many memories.

But there didn’t seem to be much revolutionary rock music.  Most if it seemed to take on a whiney attitude, as if the world is screwed up and there’s nothing we can do about it.  Lyrics like Beck’s “I am a loser baby, so why don’t you kill me,” and Nirvana’s “I’m half the man I used to be,” made me practically sick to my stomach.  What I didn’t like was that the artists themselves had such amazing talent and great airplay, and in my opinion they were wasting their power to influence positive change.

So, I tended to listen to many of the older bands, classic rock from the 60′s and 70′s like Led Zeppelin and The Doors, and hard rock and heavy metal bands from the 80′s like Metallica.

Of course then there was the band that gave me the theme music for my life during the 90s… Rage Against The Machine.  It was the music of a positive rebellion.  “Don’t stand on a silent platform, fight the war, f— the norm!”  In my head I made up my own lyrics to many of their songs, but the underlying theme was that we can do something in the world we live in–we can “take the power back.”

(Where has Zack de la Rocha disappeared to, anybody know?)

Of course, my musical taste ranged far beyond classic rock, hard rock and heavy metal–the common theme being music that gave me power to be the change, to stand up, speak up and make a difference.  In fact, I must have worn out almost as many Rocky soundtrack CDs and Chariots of Fire soudtrack CDs as I did RATM.
Anyway, I just came across a news article on CNN about how heavy metal is growing up and starting to bring forward more messages for change.  The same thing can be witnessed in the world of Hip Hop.  It’s a trend that is just beginning to emerge.

Sure, each genre has always had it’s visionaries and revolutionaries, but it’s the change in the percentage of artists using their medium for positive change that excites me.
And what really excites me is that great movements of social change tend to be preceded by artists by a few years (can someone quote me a study or reference?).

So, tis the dawning of a new day!

And I know the power of heavy metal to reach a large percentage of today’s youth–especially the young rebels who refuse to abdicate ownership of their minds to authority and the majority.  Heavy metal artists, welcome to the Vision Revolution–make yourselves heard!

And, soon the day shall come when the messages of change in the music are presented not from well-intentioned positionary artists, but visionary artists (the distinction is here).

Musicians – Be heard!  Post comments below.

1 – You are one of the few who can’t turn your back on the opportunity you have to do something great in this lifetime. You’re committed to doing something great–something born of your own vision (your vision for your life, your family, your company, your community or humanity).

2 – You’re frustrated in a world that rewards conformity and tolerates mediocrity. You’re compassionate to the situations of others, yet you’re unsettled by the way conformity and mediocrity has human beings staying small.

3 – You know that what stands between you and the better world you envision is really but one thing: your own limits. And you know those limits are but an illusion. Thus, you are committed to transcending your limits to be the change you seek in the world. Deeply committed.

4 – Thus, human development is not something new to you. You eat it up. You don’t just have an intellectual fancy for human development ideas, you do the work, you take the action.

5 – Having been someone who takes action to transcend your limitations, you see how much more is possible–not just for yourself, but for the world at large. The more you see your own evolution, the more you see for all of humanity.

6 – This vision, you know, is more than a dream. People in your life may see you as an idealist, a dreamer, a rebel or maybe even a nut. But their opinions of you are based on their own fears to live from their own vision–and you know that. So you don’t give much credence to their doubts and fears.

7 – Yet it bothers you. You give so much in life, you sacrifice, you work, you commit at such a high level that you may often find yourself alone, disheartened or even in despair. For you have no comfort zone to retreat to. You can’t pretend you don’t see a greater vision. You won’t pretend. You won’t turn around and live a “normal” life.

8 – Until your dying day, you will keep standing for the vision you see–for what you know to be possible. You are a visionary–a revolutionary. The world is born by those with your courage, your will, your love. There you stand, you can do no other.

9 – You know that if more people could but see even a little more of your vision, it would change their life. It would change the world. You sense something is deeply missing from traditional self-improvement methods. You don’t want to just succeed inside the prevailing system–you want to change the system or give birth to a new one. And you know that takes an entirely different set of tools for thinking, being and communicating.

10 – Words like “change,” “revolution,” and “transformation” don’t scare you. “Bring it on,” you say. You welcome the new, the different, the complex.

11 – You likely have little company. You have few you can talk to who really relate.

12 – The idea of arriving at a final truth or solution annoys you or humours you. You know it’s a fallacy that the fearful cling to. To be human, you’re sure, is to be alive with the quest and the question, learning and evolving continually. The thought of pretending you have the answer repulses you.

13. So you don’t try to sell people on your worldview. You don’t have a need to change their beliefs. You are comfortable in the question, in the unknown. That is your home. It’s where you live every day.

14. You know fear. You seldom ignore your feelings. Rather, you face them. You feel them. And yet you don’t define yourself as them. You define yourself by your actions.

15. You are someone I wish to get to know. Together, we can change the world. We can create a future where every human being naturally develops a healthy, free, independent mind. Where children are honored as the visionaries they have the innate potential to be. A world where human beings live at the edge of their potential as conscious creators in peace and prosperity.

Speak up! Use the comment link below.

You gotta check this young man out.

I gave him the Vision Force 101 200 Mb download about 2 weeks ago (the precursor to Visionary Mind), and he’s already changing the world. Check out his blog today, and all the comments he’s getting.