Title: muse, rhythmic intermediary

Gender: Male

Age: 39

Sun Sign: Gemini

Chinese Sign: Metal Dog

Location: San Francisco, CA

It is an honor to have a name based on a philosophy as subtle, beautiful and unamable as the Tao. My parents had something in mind circa 1969 besides reading the Tao Te Ching–the Vietnam war. My impending birth ensured my Mother would not experience the abject horror of that war. Though I was conceived for many reasons, in a literal sense I was also “the way” or “path” that discharged her from the U.S. Army. How my hippy mom managed to be in the Army is a whole other story.

By day, I create graphic design for an intrepid eLearning shop in San Francico, where the value of its employees and working environ are tantamount; I feel blessed to be associated with this group and be able to live in the Bay Area.
 
In terms of  cyberspace travel, I've been a contributor to Driving Socrates, with my friend Andrei (an amazing thinker, writer, and talented artist. You can find him here: http://andreihedstrom.zaadz.com/) with the goal of creating a community of writers and people centered around the the concepts of TRUTH, BEAUTY and GOODNESS. Many amazing people contributed positive, thoughtful blogs, timely articles and information, conversations, including some prolific podcast ruminations on peace: Podcast for Peace.  

My Driving Socrates discoveries will be posted on *zaadz in the coming weeks, as well as new adventures, inspirations, with the hope to contribute something postive and worthwhile to this new continuum. My thanks to the founders of *zaadz for making this endeavor so easy and intuitive to work with–and for the underlying principles that make this an exciting endeavor.

I leave you with the Driving Socrates mission statement; a good introduction to what we sought out to do with Driving Socrates and hope to continue here at *zaadz.:

“The unexamined road trip is not worth taking” 
  Driving Socrates

The Driving Socrates community seeks to:

Inspire commitment to three central human pursuits: Truth, Beauty and Goodness.
We recognize these pursuits to be a worldwide collective accomplishment, encompassing our finest moments, our most abundant dreams, our most positive awakenings. These moments can be glimpsed and shared through our children, the natural world, the landscapes of the soul, connection with the sacred, a cherished song, books that manifests positive change, inspiration, forthright and sustaining love. When we find ourselves in a state of wisdom we live most naturally in awe and gratitude for all we are part of. We welcome all who endeavor to express these unequivocally multinational, infinitely diverse and fundamental human understandings.

Cultivate free thinking
At no other time in our species' history have we been so in need of teaching people how to think for themselves and take responsibility for the lives they are living. From decisions about what store bought goods we purchase, to what leaders we choose, to the choices being made in our scientific and religious communities - we need people to be able to think through the challenges in front of them and act responsibly; not to someone else's ideology or conscience, but to their own.

Create a media asset for free thinking
Driving Socrates is a forum, as well as a global hometown newspaper owing allegiance only to that hometown and its human and nonhuman residents! As we watch even the more “liberal” media channels of public broadcasting disappear, and as we see our most courageous and honest voices being shut out of the media, we have no choice but to create our own avenues of expression. It is essential that we also connect to the positive, life affirming news of the world often left behind by the corporate media for the sensationalism of mayhem. While much of today's so called news escalates panic and is filled with the worst of human behavior, it is by far only a fraction of the transformative world stories that truly matter.

Make change through celebration as well as critical discussion.
It is one of the finest points of humanity that even in the midst of great suffering we can experience and celebrate life through friendship, poetry, the simple victory of a parent's patient love or the acknowledgement of a life's work. We believe it is surely an historic endeavor to live responsibly, speak truth to power, and nurture our planetary resources. To this end Driving Socrates explores and discusses creative and non conventional solutions to global problems. The years since 9/11 have seen a long string of violence, global positioning, militarism and overall backsliding into hostility reminiscent of the Cold War years. Elected officials have capitalized on this and have severely limited our freedoms, imposed societal restrictions under the guise of protection and safety. Lines of division are being drawn in all areas of life. Logic, creativity, analysis and truth telling have increasingly fallen by the way side, as we drift into a mass “us and them” mentality. A deeper more global and holistic wisdom must be sparked in the hearts of our species so that global hostility and greed does not become normalized.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

Don't forget your voice is an intrinsic and essential part of our mutual freedom. The moment you speak up and take action you become a true world leader in your own right. And from this wells up the desire to embrace responsibility that comes through critical discussions and understanding - not as a burden - but as a thankful and welcome catalyst for change. When you do this - you will inspire others to do the same - your family, your children, your coworkers and your community will become emboldened to use their own voices. Again, while we do believe in the importance of political discussion, we need to remember how important it is that all creative arts feed our inspirational lifelines. In short, contribute your own revolution of spirit, heart and mind to Driving Socrates, in whatever form you may, then implement and share the collective wisdom you discover here!

Use information technologies to build global bridges
The Driving Socrates community seeks to embrace and further the experience of connectedness through information technology; however we have seen the power of technology used for good and for ill. WE strive to be present and aware amidst the data fervor of our time, so let it be known that WE are not simply interested in being “connected” online, but using that connectivity to enhance our greater cohabitation. WE strive to be conscious, enjoy the simple and indispensable wisdom of talking face to face, exploring the peace, the slowness, the breathtaking beauty of the natural world, and reconcile a sustainable relationship with our shared ecosystems. We seek to build alliances, friendships that reach farther outward to greater effect beyond the individualistic realities of just sitting in front of a computer.

“I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.” - Thomas Jefferson

Member Since: Tuesday, February 13 2007

Last Visit: 610 days ago.

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