Not much has been written lately on the Nation of Earth, but it hasn't been forgotten, hasn't gone away. It's just that there isn't anything new to report.
You might say we reached the end of a long road of discovery and are now waiting for a bus at the crossing. The concept having been refined, the vision clarified, it seems there is nothing left to do but wait...
But wait! Aren't there things to do? Yes, probably dozens, but not by me, not at the moment. As an admitted slacker who slipped into activism, I certainly fit the description of 'slacktivist'. I'll also admit to being an underachiever, setting projects aside for later, leaving many of them unfinished -- but rest assured, the Nation of Earth is still a work in progress.
The thing is, I can't think of anything else to do at this point that doesn't involve money, which is something slackers and underachievers rarely have much of. One could be kind and say that I'm merely ahead of my time -- money won't ALWAYS be what makes the world go round -- or one could label me an idealist, which could have a positive or a negative connotation, depending.
One may certainly wonder why I don't try to either raise or earn money for my cause, and to that issue I must repeat: Money should have become obsolete by now. Plus, I never felt comfortable asking for it, and working for someone else in exchange for it seems counterintuitive. It's not that I feel I'm above employment, or that it's beneath me in any way -- it's just that it doesn't FIT.
So to my mind, if the Nation of Earth is to be an organization with any funding at all, it will never come from solicited donations. Nor would I like to get any kind of business loan to manufacture such things as flags and T-shirts. However, from a practical standpoint it does appear that a certain amount of money is needed if we expect this movement to be given a name, if we expect people to become familiar with the Flag of Earth -- a flag that carries a meaning all its own, a symbol powerful enough to help unite the people of this world with or without added context.
Launching a non-profit organization (possibly called Earth Patrol) funded by sales of flag-related merchandise is the next logical step. Obviously this will require startup capital, which I don't have and won't ask for, and so the future of my involvement in this movement hangs in the balance.
The Nation of Earth, if I have anything to do with it, will not ask for nor expect money from anyone. All it asks for is time and consideration. If anyone wants to donate anything, please let it be kindness to your fellow humans, respect for the planet, and mindfulness of a future of sustainability -- along with time spent discussing these things with others. There is a need for many changes here on Earth, not the least of which are changes in attitude and outlook.
These changes will come in time, but the process has to start somewhere, and we can all choose a level of involvement. Maybe we can speed things along, or at least ease the transition.
Maybe, just maybe, we can shape our own future...
Phil Smith
January 27th, 2007
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Fil,
I'm working on an "off the grid" website that takes all the basics that we already know and understand and puts them into practical application. I hope to launch it in a month or so.
With that being said, I can totally understand your dilemma...It's seems wrong to charge or ask for money when you feel that everyone should have a right to the information you are sharing regardless of their financial situation....And you certainly don't want to be seen as someone just making a profit off of the horrible things happening to this planet....On the other hand you consider that maybe you should work "in the system" a bit so that your message can be heard by as many people as possible...Think of Rense.com and weigh the pro's and con's of what he's done...Sure he's making money, but he's also getting a message out to a lot more people than he could if he was just doing it in his spare time....
Ohh..it's a lot to think about and hella confusing sometimes...Anyway, I decided to start this "off the grid" thing...and I have a plan that you might like for Earth Patrol as well...It kind of takes these dilemma's and throws them out the window because it goes around the issues discussed above...Shoot me an email and we'll discuss it.
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