| INTERVIEW |
Q3 Context: Imagine we’re a few years down the line and people like you have been hugely successful in moving us towards lasting and far-reaching changes that benefit all people and the planet as a whole. Wherever you look, there are dramatic improvements in how leaders behave and how communities interact. As you walk through your city, town or village and talk with others across your country and around the world, you see evidence of positive change spreading everywhere.
Q3(a): Describe the differences you, hear, feel, and experience in your everyday life. |
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Q1(a): As you reflect on a time when people came together in a powerful way for positive change, choose one that stands out for you. Tell me your story about that time and any part you, your family and/or friends might have played in it [if relevant]. |
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Q1(b): Why this is an important story? How has it influenced you? What lessons does it offer going forward? |
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Q2: At this time in history, what challenges do you see in the way we choose to organize ourselves politically, economically and socially? What opportunities do you see in the ways that things might be shifting, awakening and/or emerging in response to these challenges? |
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Q3(b): Describe the differences you see, hear, feel and experience in the way we choose to organize ourselves politically, economically and socially. |
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Q3(c): What did people do early on that helped to generate such positive outcomes? |
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Q3(d): What role did you play in making this happen? |
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Q4(a): What skills, talents and/or resources might you have to offer in service to collaborative work that emerges via the connect 2012 initiative? |
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Q4(b) What is the nature of this potential offer (as a paid service, barter, gift, a combination, etc.)? |
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Are you interested in developing the infrastructure of Occupy Cafe in support of this initiative or in other respects? |
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Are you interested in collaborating on the production of a short video or a blog post based on your stories and vision? |
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| INTERVIEW |
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People are happier. Diversity in all aspects being embraced. A greater tolerance—people are listened to. Standards of living increased. Corporations are more invested in their communities. Education and healthcare available to all. A more equitable distribution of wealth.
- Doug Neilson
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What I see is people connecting with one another--a new spirit of connection that's emerging. Whenever there are challenges, people gather in many different forms and collaboratively work together to solve them.
People coming together in delight. So instead of coming together in struggle, in compromise, it's more just the opposite. As we come together, we find abundance and good will. The massive waste--of energy, resources, people-- that was embedded in our old systems becomes an opportunity for enormous transformation. It's incredibly powerful creating abundance from this past waste. It feels really good to be actively involved in this process.
- Ben Roberts
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Feels dramatically different on Earth. The mantle of fear has dissipated. Instead of huge numbers of bothers and sisters living in anguish, we share a great peacefulness across the planet.
The work paradigm shifted to producing food and energy locally, in ways that preserve life; resonating with life instead of destroying life.
ife with ethics instead of corrupting power of money. Leaders help instead of hinder their constituents.
- Jim Prues
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A sense of inner peace and calm, connectedness and love with other people. People are laughing, grateful and experiencing joy. Present moment awareness is very much alive.
- Cindy Stradling
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Feels lighter; there is less judgment amongst people, mainstream media reports good news stories, supports community, and overall life is a more joyful existence.
- Cathy Nesbitt
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The DART trains [local transit] are free! Cops won't ticket folks who can't afford it. There's more shopping centers like the "Ola Padrida" - craftspeople, artists and shopsmiths worked together, cutting out the middle-man. Folks could walk down the street at night safely.
- Gregg Tull
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Vision of more authentic connection in Dave's community.
More spaces for conversation where people connect in real ways. Relatively simple, as people talk about real things with neighbors, getting to know and feel each other.
Feeling of subtle joy and security from feeling that web of community being knitted and woven more fully.
- David Nichol
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Optimism replaced fear and pessimism.
Education teaches to the strength of each child. Prison system educates, heals emotionally, and rehabilitates prisoners.
People respect and live in harmony with Earth and one another.
Local businesses and manufacturing are thriving.
Land trusts are dedicated to community gardens and other non-profit activities.
- Donald Simon
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Feel in harmony with myself. Doing what I really WANT to do. See things that are loved in community. things shine because they are valued, and the people are too. Beauty. Public spaces feel like shared spaces--common ownership. shops that provide "real value:" things that last and are fairly made and that enhance people's individuality and allow them to be "magnificent." Evidence of people thriving, expressing their talents, passions, creativity, and above all, folks having time to connect- stop and talk and hear their own and each others' hearts.
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More people understand what it means to be a citizen and there is a more engaged citizenry. When this is the case people are more understanding, and they are more appreciative of the necessity of giving and receiving. Necessary components are when community assets are recognized and appreciated for their worth. The definition of wealth is changed from growth community product (GCP) and broadened to the health and wellbeing of the community. The Open Source Model which is an online community model is experience in living and working communities. Neighbors are engaged with neighbors as citizens and as friends.
- John Teeling
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Collective sigh of relief. A deep breath. A dropping away of fear and mistrust of neighbors.
Post Homeland Sec., people have shifted from knee-jerk fear response, we don't have terrorism like we do today. US isn't pissing on other countries.
Old government institutions failed, new ones based on based on participation and cooperation and much less hierarchical, musch more direct democracy. Large scale flat, regional cooperatives. Knitting together of circles based on local and bio-regional orientation and cooperation.
Indigenous: counsel and cooperative organization; modern: internet/technological means to connect
we're taking care of one another. Shifting from fear to love - based responses.
People walking down the street hugs.
More collaborative society, gift/sharing economy spreading.. Look at sharable.net; it's here right now
Huge dollar crash, realized true value and true wealth is in relationships a that are a natural part of life; valuing relationships above what relationships will get us.
Work is like a family-people take care of one another. No aspect of society that won't be greatly affected bty great work that people are doing now.
Love how new ideas are growing out of speaking these responses.
- Jeff Vander Clute
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I went to the Seattle encampment one evening - there was spirited dialog everywhere. It felt like a think tank; free communication and dialog everywhere not just groups of people locked into churches and homes. The future would be similar to that. Neighborhoods and towns have regular general assembles. Facilitated, nonviolent communication is the norm - that's not the way it is now. If people were more compassionate, you'd feel it as you walk down the street. Everyone would have access to drug and alcohol addiction services, teachers well paid, schools would be beautiful. No homeless.
- Matt Ready
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The imagining moves me to tears. After all the struggle, people are engaged. I witness joy and happiness. Life is more local. Not a lot of vehicles. Stores are as much social gathering places as commercial endeavors. Less or no personal abuse of poisonous substances. What I notice most is everything seems completely integrated. The environment is healing as I witness a whole, functional ecosystem.
- Scott Krabler
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We have much more public transportation. In a community-based living situation, not in the suburbs. The American Dream is no longer that everyone has their own house, car, etc. It's about quality of life, not stuff.
Media no longer shapes the culture. It is a celebration of what's working. People are engaged in their communities, in the education of our kids, no more test-oriented education, but a focus on being "learners and thinkers," calling forth and affirming our gifts and talents. A restoration of the extended family/community. We know our neighbors, and they know what us and our kids are up to. We all care for one another's kids.
- Elaine Hansen
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Homeless people being taken care of, hungry people being fed, pensions being protected, inflation nonexistent, prices being realistic. Mental health patients get the housing care they need. Also, take care of the needs of the elderly.
- David
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I would feel like my efforts were important and helping my community feel a reverence for living life. Everything would run on clean, renewable energy, every person would have adequate, and abundance even, of food and water. Products would be quality - built to last. A focus on education - being creative and innovating.
- Lyndsay Werbecky
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You can get online every day and there are e-mails for free things given away by community members. Foods are exchanged more on a trade basis. People are connected to more sharing. More and more ideas are popping up to make a better community - not necessarily me coming up with these ideas, but it's just happening.
- nita
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Everyone around you eople are talking about what people's needs and core values arem trying to meet those needs. There would be free energy sources opening up the potential that everybody is okay.
- Nina Roark
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See people smiling, deep creases between there brows that have unfolded themselves. People are enjoying their lives, enjoying each other, excited about the work they do. "Work" is not a dirty word.
There is a spike in creativity. Everyone has enough and we realize that there is enough in the planet. That is is possible to distribute the wealth and resources of the earth.
People working together. Healthy local communities. Appreciations of culture. People enjoy the diversity of one another.
Where local communities have become self sufficient to a degree, there is also an exchange of culture and goods on a global level.
A realization as humans and a humility that we are a part of something wondrous and larger than ourselves. People are governed and govern themselves in a just way. People are interested in there government and willingly involved. Everything is good
- Jitendra Darling
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Now: I hear that people in work feel insecure and work long hours and are bullied, sometimes fighting like rats in a sack for their jobs, others are out of work or under-employed, and government officials are lauding 'hard-working' families who are trapped in a consumerist cycle, working hard to buy disposable consumer goods, and spending little time in meaningful social activity.
Then: everyone will have worthwhile work, with leisure time, creative pursuits, dance, gardening, making clothes.... They will know more of the people who live near them, they will travel less, spend less on travel, they won’t support large supermarkets, there will be more friendly neighbourhoods.
- Robert Eric Swanepoel
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I see these changes taking place already. People of all walks of life, cultures, races, etc., are relating as human beings. Lifestyle choices are no longer measuring sticks or tests. We recognize that we are all basically the same, and the same things are important to us all. Your joy is my joy, your suffering is my suffering. We see that we're all interconnected.
- Bodie McCoy
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1st thing I think about on a world wide scale-hearing diff. things from diff. countries-understanding and communication betwn mentalities of diff countries. Nothings ever going to be perfect-not la la land-but better understanding of differences-more local,people more open to hearing and connecting with people around. Utopia would be more connection. Foundation of connection—
- Jeremy Capdevielle
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A greater sense of joy and trust in relationships. TV is not wall-to-wall negative news. Sense that something great is happening, a waking up to one another. Great beauty and gentleness emerging.
- Bruce Schuman
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