strawdog65

from the Venus Project website: Total City Systems It would be far easier and would require less energy to build new, efficient cities than to attempt to update and solve the problems of the old ones. The Venus Project proposes a Research City that would use the most sophisticated available resources and construction techniques. Its geometrically elegant and efficient circular arrangement will be surrounded by, and incorporated into the city design, parks and lovely gardens. This city will be designed to operate with the minimum expenditure of energy using the cleanest technology available, which will be in harmony with nature to obtain the highest possible standard of living for everyone. This system facilitates efficient transportation for city residents, eliminating the need for automobiles. The Venus Project's Circular City arrangement is comprised of the following: Hover over different areas of the city to see the section names. 1. The central dome or theme center will house the core of the cybernated system, educational facilities, access center, computerized communications networking systems, health and child care facilities. 2. The buildings surrounding the central dome provide the community with centers for cultural activities such as the arts, theater, exhibitions, concerts, access centers, and various forms of entertainment. 3. Next is the design and development complex for this research and planning city. The design centers are beautifully landscaped in natural surroundings. 4. Adjacent the research facilities are dining and other amenities. 5. The eight residential districts have a variety of free form unique architecture to fulfil the various needs of the occupant. Each home is immersed in lovely gardens isolating one from another with lush landscaping. 6. Areas are set aside for renewable clean sources of energy such as wind generators, solar, heat concentrating systems, geothermal, photovoltaic and others. 7. Next are the indoor hydroponic facilities and outdoor agricultural belts which will be used to grow a wide variety of organic plants without the use of pesticides. 8. A circular waterway for irrigation and filtration surrounds the agricultural belt. 9. The outermost perimeter is utilized for recreational activities such as biking, golfing, hiking and riding, etc. All the facilities are available to everyone without cost in a resource based economy. The sole purpose of this sophisticated technology is to free people from boring monotonous tasks, make available a much higher standard of living, and provide more leisure time. With an opportunity for constant growth and achievement people could have the time and freedom to choose the lifestyle they find most fulfilling. The city is designed to serve the needs of every member of society. Cybernated Government We are fast approaching a time when human intelligence will be incapable of interacting with the rapidly occurring events in the physical world. The human mind is far too simple to handle and put to practical use the voluminous information needed to operate a highly technical and advanced world society. The processing required would have to deal with trillions of bits of information per second, far too complex for human systems, particularly with the infusion of nanotechnology. The Venus Project calls for a cybernated society in which computers could replace the outmoded system of electing politicians that in most cases represent the entrenched vested interests. This new technology will not dictate or monitor individual's lives, as in The Venus Project this would be consider socially offensive and counterproductive. Books such as 1984 and Brave New World, and motion pictures such as Blade-Runner and Terminator 2 have spawned fear in some people regarding the takeover of technology in our society. The Venus Project's only purpose is to elevate the spiritual and intellectual potential of all people, while at the same time providing the goods and services that will meet their individual and material needs. Cybernation is the linking of computers with automated systems. Eventually the central cybernated systems will coordinate all of the machinery and equipment that serve the entire city, the nation and ultimately the world. One can think of this as an electronic autonomic nervous system extending into all areas of the social complex. For example, in the agricultural belt the computers could automatically monitor and maintain the water table, soil chemistry, and coordinate the planting and harvesting of crops. In the residential sector, the system could maintain environmental cleanliness and the recycling of waste materials. In addition, to ensure the efficient operation of the city's various functions, all of the processes and services could be equipped with electronic environmental feedback sensors. These sensors could be coordinated with redundant, back-up systems that could operate in the event of failure or breakdown of the city's primary systems. Only when cybernation is integrated into all aspects of this new and dynamic culture can computers appropriately serve the needs of all people. No technological civilization can ever operate efficiently and effectively without the integration of cybernetics as an integral part of this new world civilization. These proposals, from an engineering standpoint, seem fantastic and unfeasible within the present monetary system; and they are. The sums involved in ventures of this magnitude would be too huge and inconceivable. No government today can possible afford this prodigious undertaking. All of this could only be accomplished in a resource-based world economy where all of the world's resources are held as the common heritage of all of the earth's peoples. University of Global Resource Management This University of Global Resource Management and Environmental Studies, or "world-university," is a testing ground for each phase of development. This would be a dynamic, continually evolving research institute open to all of society. Student performance would be based on "competence accreditation," and research findings would be periodically applied directly to the social structure to benefit all members of the world society. People will live in these experimental cities and provide feedback on the liability and serviceability of the various structures. This information would be used to formulate modifications to structures so that maximum efficiency, comfort, and safety is assured. This facility is also used to develop modular construction systems and components that can be installed to serve a wide range of needs and preferences. In most instances, the external appearance of the buildings will reflect the function of the building - they are designed "from the inside out." Skyscraper These skyscrapers would be constructed of reinforced and pre-stressed concrete, steel and glass. They will be stabilized against earthquakes and high winds by three massive, elongated, tapered columns. These support structures will surround the cylindrical central tower, which is 150 feet wide. This tripod-like structure is reinforced to diminish compression, tension, and torsion stresses. These super-size skyscrapers will assure that more land will be available for parks and wilderness preserves, while concurrently helping to eliminate urban sprawl. Each one of these towers will be a total enclosure system containing an access center, as well as childcare, educational, health, and recreational facilities. This will help alleviate the need to travel to outside facilities. If we do not maintain a balance between the population and the earth's carrying capacity we may have to move our cities not only skyward and seaward, but subterranean as well. Subterranean Cities In-hospitable regions of the planet, such as polar and desert regions, cities below the surface of the earth would become an entirely comfortable home for many. Numerous elevators allow residents to enjoy skiing and other recreational activities on the surface. The primary source of power for these cities, where feasible, would be geo-thermal energy.

Hi JB! You bring some great points up. Sorry, you are misunderstanding something somewhere, about "undesirables". This is not part of anything I have said or posted. As far as the future energy capabilities, don't you think that maybe we should leave the pessimism to the scientists that are bringing the advancements about? I doubt you are even remotely qualified to say what will or will not come to pass. Unless you are a scientist working in the very fields necessary to bring about the replicators/ molecular assemblers of our future? The possibility of limitless energy production has been known for many years. JB, I think you are just being sour about a future I see as being bright. It is your right to be as you wish. I am an optimist. Peace!

Hi JB! Happy New year to you. As far as the communism bit: How does The Venus Project Compare with Communism? Communism being similar to a resource-based economy or The Venus Project is an erroneous concept. Communism has money, banks, armies, police, prisons, charismatic personalities, social stratification, and is managed by appointed leaders. The Venus Project's aim is to surpass the need for the use of money. Police, prisons and the military would no longer be necessary when goods, services, healthcare, and education are available to all people. The Venus Project would replace politicians with a cybernated society in which all of the physical entities are managed and operated by computerized systems. The only region that the computers do not operate or manage is the surveillance of human beings. This would be completely unnecessary and considered socially offensive. A society that uses technology without human concern has no basis of survival. Communism has no blueprint or methodology to carry out their ideals and along with capitalism, fascism, and socialism, will ultimately go down in history as failed social experiments. We would surpass the need for human participation in the production of goods and services. There is no taxation or obligation of any kind. We advocate no government by human systems. They have always proved inadequate. Computerized systems and cybernetics would be applied to the social system and must comply with the carrying capacity of our global resources. The machines' main purpose is for the manufacturing and distribution of goods and services while maintaining a clean environment with service to all and profits to none. When people have access to resources, most crimes will disappear. The need for police, military, and prisons will eventually vanish with it. Of course this will coincide with the necessary changes in education. I hope this helps to clarify some points. We realize this is a simplified description of how it differs from communism. Hope this helps as to how it is different.

from: http://technocracy-technate.blogspot.com/ Getting something for nothing: Excerpted from Prescription For Survival M. King Hubbert geoscientist & advocate of the technocracy technate design. In the distribution to the public of the products of industry, the failure of the present system is the direct result of the faulty premise upon which it is based. This is: that somehow a man is able by his personal services to render to society the equivalent of what he receives, from which it follows that the distribution to each shall be in accordance with the services rendered and that those who do not work must not eat. This is what our propagandists call 'the impossibility of getting something for nothing.' Aside from the fact that only by means of the sophistries of lawyers and economists can it be explained how, on this basis, those who do nothing at all frequently receive the largest shares of the national income, the simple fact is that it is impossible for any man to contribute to the social system the physical equivalent of what it costs the system to maintain him from birth till death--and the higher the physical standard of living the greater is this discrepancy. This is because man is an engine operating under the limitations of the same physical laws as any other engine. The energy that it takes to operate him is several times as much as any amount of work he can possibly perform. If, in addition to his food, he receives also the products of modern industry, this is due to the fact that material and energy resources happen to be available and, as compared with any contribution he can make, constitute a free gift from heaven. Stated more specifically, it costs the social system on the North American Continent the energy equivalent to nearly 10 tons of coal per year to maintain one man at the average present standard of living, and no contribution he can possibly make in terms of the energy conversion of his individual effort will ever repay the social system the cost of his social maintenance. Is it not to be wondered at, therefore, that a distributive mechanism based upon so rank a fallacy should fail to distribute; the marvel is that it has worked as well as it has. Since any human being, regardless of his personal contribution, is a social dependent with respect to the energy resources upon which society operates, and since every operation within a given society is effected at the cost of a degradation of an available supply of energy, this energy degradation, measured in appropriate physical units such as kilowatt-hours, constitutes the common physical cost of all social operations. Since also the energy-cost of maintaining a human being exceeds by a large amount his ability to repay, we can abandon the fiction that what one is to receive is in payment for what one has done, and recognize that what we are really doing is utilizing the bounty that nature has provided us. Under these circumstances we recognize that we all are getting something for nothing, and the simplest way of effecting distribution is on a basis of equality, especially so when it is considered that production can be set equal to the limit of our capacity to consume, commensurate with adequate conservation of our physical resources.

From: http://www.technocracy.ca/tiki-index.php?page=IB28 Technocracity website Study the chart, "Irreversible Physical Trends Shape America's Destiny." It shows the greatest change in the history of mankind! If projected on the same scale, the lines to the left would continue at nearly the same level for 7000 years. It took many man-hours of human toil to produce a bare living. Man was the slave who had to work so that he could eat, so that he could continue to work. It is the use of non-human energy that has taken man's nose off the grindstone any particular philosophy or type of government. The three-curve chart is a statistical record of physical events that have a direct bearing on human need and human suffering. It says an emphatic no to all who claim that machines make jobs. The use of non-muscular energy has freed man from toil, has replaced human labor. A new kind of slave has taken over the old slaves' jobs by the millions. In fact, there are so many of these slaves in North America that they outnumber all the human slaves on the earth by far. These new slaves are very different from the old. They neither buy nor consume the goods they produce; there is no limit to their working hours; they do not tire; and they can accomplish things the old slaves never dreamed of or thought possible. As you probably have guessed, the new slave is the kilowatt-hour; the old slave is the man-hour. WORK LESS TO HAVE MORE The chart shows that with a continuous increase in total production and a continuing decline in man-hours per unit of production, there will be a decrease in man-hours of purchasing power with which to buy that production. This discrepancy is the measure at our social instability. It was this inability to buy our mass production that brought about the economic collapse of 1929 and the depression that followed. Since purchasing power in our present social system depends upon the sale of man-hours, consequently purchasing power drops off as more and more kilowatt-hours replace man-hours. Whereas a few years ago it took many man-hours to produce only a scarcity, the situation is now reversed. Man works less and is able to produce an abundance. When man did 98% of the work he did not have enough goods and services; now, when he does only 2% of the work, technology produces so much he doesn't know what to do with it (under a Price System, of course). These trends will continue. They cannot go back; they are unidirectional and irreversible. Science and technology have given us nearly all of the physical things by which we live. Look around you right now. How many things do you see that were produced by hand? You are surrounded by things that did not even exist a hundred years ago--most of them did not exist even fifty years ago. Most of the things are produced by different methods than were used just a few years ago, or at any time before in history. Can you realize the magnitude of the change in the methods of production which has taken place in the last half century? It is shown on the chart. Science and technology have given us these things, and if they were taken away from us we would die off so fast there would not be enough of us left to clean up the mess. With 19% of the world's land area and 9% of the world's population, the North American Continental Area possesses an ample supply of mineral resources fuels and minerals than adequate for a potentially optimum high standard of living for the entire Continental population. On top of that, we have close to two thirds of the world's total power capacity, and more than our share of scientifically trained personnel. Why, then, must some of our citizens go without sufficient food, clothing, homes, medical care, and other necessities that would guarantee, to all of us, security and a high standard of living from birth to death? It is because we are living under a "Price System" which can only operate under conditions of scarcity. That system broke down in North America about fifty years ago with the "threat" of abundance. Price System politicians try to keep adding "props" by destroying, or by giving away to other countries our food and vital resources. To create artificial scarcity was once helpful to Price System business, but it was not to the best interests of North American citizens. Even the tremendous rise in public and private debt has not been sufficient to maintain stability in the economy. This, then, is the brief answer to "Why Technocracy?" Now if you understand why it is, you are ready to ask what it is. NOW, WHAT IS TECHNOCRACY? Technocracy is a social design for living engineered for the distribution of an abundance to all our citizens from birth to death. Today we are at the crossroads of our destiny. The correct turn will take us to a higher level of life than has ever been experienced in world history. Any other road will lead to national suicide. Technocracy is a social design that is compatible with our resources and technology, and one that provides for the distribution of abundance. If you are interested in North America's future, which is your future and the future of your loved ones, it would be wise to investigate further. We are all in this together. Your help is needed to avoid chaos.

A world without a monetary system. How would it be? How would goods and services be given or accquired? what would be a persons goals if they no longer had to earn an income to pay for anything? There will come a time when a monetary system is of no use to an advanced world society. The idea that a person must purchase what they need to live and survive is only acceptable to us because we know nothing else, and the technology to achieve such a society is still a long way off. But the possibility remains. What The Venus Project proposes in their ideas, is a totally new synthesis of society, government, manufaturing, and Humanity centric global resource sharing. The thought of sharing anything, especially to the western mindset, is a scary proposition. But what happens when we no longer have any choice because we have used up what easily accessable resources we had and are now at the point of having to work together to face the challenges that remain, without letting civilization decend into chaos? What then? Sharing of resources, creating new forms of energy production, using our present technology to harness the energy resources that we ignore now because there is not enough profit in it to put the work into it to produce energy. This type of attitude, that nothing is worth doing unless there is a profit to be made, is anti-Humanistic, anti-nature, anti-common sense, and totally destructive as part of the cyclic loop system that is our world, there is no "outside" of the system, it is symbiotic, cyclic, and infinitely interconnected. We can never understand the full dynamics of any system that we can not remove our selves from. Even as observers, we are influencing all and any outcomes of future events. It is to me a sense of wu-wei and physics combined. Even if we do nothing, we are still participating in the flow of events by our own inaction. So, like it or not, WE are involved in all things happening right now, just by our very existence within this system, called planet Earth. What needs to be done for the future of mankind is beyond cost. Thoughts of profit and greed are preventors from the true path of a world that has it's humanity as it's central system. If the monetary system was removed, and goods and services were a birthright to all, then the problem of greed would be addressed as well. We feel desire and greed when we see the uneven aspect of how wealth, is for the few, while the poor make up the greatest number, but get the scraps. Eliminating desire for wealth begins with the assurance that all people's needs will be met equally. When people all over the world wake to a life of having all their necessities met , and are all able to contribute what they can, the suffering of the world will have been much abated, and so to will many of the reasons for war. What is the quality of Human nature if it is soley about greed? The Tao talks of knowing when enough is enough, but do we live our lives in accord with this aspect when we deny others the same? There is enough for everyone when we know we already have enough.

She looks good in silk, Flowing lines of porcelain, Smooth skin, warm to touch.

Type I, II, III Civilizations An excerpt from the book: hyperspace by: Michio Kaku Futurology, or the prediction of the future from reasonable scientific judgments, is a risky science. Some would not even call it a science at all, but something that more resembles hocus pocus or witchcraft. Futurology has deservedly earned this unsavory reputation because every scientific" poll conducted by futurologists about the next decade has proved to be wildly off the mark. What makes futurology such a primitive science is that our brains think linearly, while knowledge progresses exponentially. For example, polls of futurologists have shown that they take known technology and simply double or triple it to predict the future. Polls taken in the 1920s showed that futurologists predicted that we would have, within a few decades, huge fleets of blimps taking passengers across the Atlantic. But science also develops in unexpected ways. In the short run, when extrapolating within a few years, it is a safe bet that science will progress through steady, quantitative improvements on existing technology. However, when extrapolating over a few decades, we find that qualitative breakthroughs in new areas become the dominant factor, where new industries open up in unexpected places. Perhaps the most famous example of futurology gone wrong is the predictions made by John von Neumann, the father of the modern electronic computer and one of the great mathematicians of the century. After the war, he made two predictions: first, that in the future computers would become so monstrous and costly that only large governments would be able to afford them, and second, that computers would be able to predict the weather accurately. In reality, the growth of computers went in precisely the opposite direction: We are flooded with inexpensive, miniature computers that can fit in the palm of our hands. Computer chips have become so cheap and plentiful that they are an integral part of some modern appliances. Already, we have the "smart" typewriter (the word processor), and eventually we will have the "smart" vacuum cleaner, the "smart" kitchen, the "smart" television, and the like. Also, computers, no matter how powerful, have failed to predict the weather. Although the classical motion of individual molecules can, in principle, be predicted, the weather is so complex that even someone sneezing can create distortions that will ripple and be magnified across thousands of miles, eventually, perhaps, unleashing a hurricane. With all these important caveats, let us determine when a civilization (either our own or one in outer space) may attain the ability to master the tenth dimension. Astronomer Nikolai Kardashev of the former Soviet Union once categorized future civilizations in the following way. A Type I civilization is one that controls the energy resources of an entire planet. This civilization can control the weather, prevent earth- quakes, mine deep in the earth's crust, and harvest the oceans. This civilization has already completed the exploration of its solar system. A Type II civilization is one that controls the power of the sun itself. This does not mean passively harnessing solar energy; this civilization mines the sun. The energy needs of this civilization are so large directly consumes the power of the sun to drive its machines. The civilization will begin the colonization of local star systems. A Type III civilization is one that controls the power of an entire galaxy. For a power source, it harnesses the power of billions of star systems. It has probably mastered Einstein's equations and can manipulate space-time at will. The basis of this classification is rather simple: Each level is catergorized on the basis of the power source that energizes the civilization. Type I civilizations use the power of an entire planet. Type II civilizations use the power of an entire star. Type III civilizations use the power of an entire galaxy. This classification ignores any predictions concerning the detailed nature of future civilizations (which are bound to be wrong) and instead focuses on aspects that can be reasonably understood by the laws of physics, such as energy supply. Our civilization, by contrast, can be categorized as a Type 0 civilization, one that is just beginning to tap planetary resources, but does not have the technology and resources to control them. A Type 0 civilization like ours derives its energy from fossil fuels like oil and coal and, in much of the Third World, from raw human labor. Our largest computers can- not even predict the weather, let alone control it. Viewed from this larger perspective, we as a civilization are like a newborn infant. Although one might guess that the slow march from a Type 0 civilization to a Type III civilization might take millions of years, the extraordinary fact about this classification scheme is that this climb is an exponential one and hence proceeds much faster than anything we can readily conceive. With all these qualifications, we can still make educated guesses about when our civilization will reach these milestones. Given the rate at which our civilization is growing, we might expect to reach Type I status within a few centuries. For example, the largest energy source available to our Type 0 civilization is the hydrogen bomb. Our technology is so primitive that we can unleash the power of hydrogen fusion only by detonating a bomb, rather than controlling it in a power generator. However, a simple hurricane generates the power of hundreds of hydrogen bombs. Thus weather control, which is one feature of Type I civilizations, is at least a century away from today's technology. Similarly, a Type I civilization has already colonized most of its solar system. By contrast, milestones in today's development of space travel are painfully measured on the scale of decades, and therefore qualitative leaps such as space colonization must be measured in centuries. For example, the earliest date for NASA's manned landing on the planet Mars is 2020. Therefore, the colonization of Mars may take place 40 to 50 years after that, and the colonization of the solar system within a century. By contrast, the transition from a Type I to a Type II civilization may take only 1,000 years. Given the exponential growth of civilization, we may expect that within 1,000 years the energy needs of a civilization will become so large that it must begin to mine the sun to energize its machines. A typical example of a Type II civilization is the Federation of Planets in the "Star Trek" series. This civilization has just begun to master the gravitational force-that is, the art of warping space-time via holes-and hence, for the first time, has the capability of reaching nearby stars. It has evaded the limit placed by the speed of light by mastering Einstein's theory of general relativity. Small colonies have been established on some of these systems, which the starship Enterprise is sworn to protect. The civilization's starships are powered by the collision of matter and antimatter. The ability to create large concentrations of antimatter suitable for space travel places that civilization many centuries to a millennium away from ours. Advancing to a Type III civilization may take several thousand years more. This is, in fact, the time scale predicted by Isaac Asimov in his c Foundation Series, which describes the rise, fall, and re-emergence of a galactic civilization. The time scale involved in each of these transitions involves thousands of years. This civilization has harnessed the energy source contained within the galaxy itself. To it, warp drive, ad of being an exotic form of travel to the nearby stars, is the standard means of trade and commerce between sectors of the galaxy. Thus although it took 2 million years for our species to leave the safety of the forests and build a modem civilization, it may take only thousands of to leave the safety of our solar system and build a galactic civilization. One option open to a Type III civilization is harnessing the power of supernovae or black holes. Its starships may even be able to probe the galactic nucleus, which is perhaps the most mysterious of all energy sources. Astrophysicists have theorized that because of the enormous size of the galactic nucleus, the center of our galaxy may contain millions of black holes. If true, this would provide virtually unlimited amounts of energy. At this point, manipulating energies a million billion times larger than present-day energies should be possible. Thus for a Type III civilization, with the energy output of uncountable star systems and perhaps the galactic nucleus at its disposal, the mastery of the tenth dimension' becomes a real possibility.

Another version From: Tao Te Ching, on the art of harmony Translated by: Chad Hansen 15. Original Intent Those in ancient times who mastered being scholars Were mystifyingly subtle and inscrutably penetrating. So deep they cannot be comprehended. Generally, precisely because they cannot be comprehended, We are forced to use constructs to imagine them. Cautious- like crossing a stream in winter. Ambivalent- Mmm! As if fearing those on all sides. Exacting- Mmm! As if a guest. Mutable- Mmm! As ice on the point of melting. Unaffected- Mmm! As uncarved wood. Munificent- Mmm! As a valley. Obscure- Mmm! As muddied water. While muddy, who can gradually become clean with calmness? While tranquil, who can gradually come to life with relentless activity? Whoever secures this way Doesn't desire filling. Generally, precisely because unfilled, Hence they can shroud established forms.

I can take it bro, Like kareem abdul jabbar, Crazy Kung-Fu fight!

But there would be a place for everyone, its all one world. Maybe a Hermit city, where no one sees anyone else? Peace!

We must storm the fort! Helmet strap buckled down tight, Conquered by Softness.

Hi TSoDE! Just to interject: The premise of "Logans Run" It is a future society of a city under a environmental dome. They are the remnants of a society destroyed by nuclear war, I believe. The inhabitants of the city are born test tube style, normal conception has been eliminated. There is a celebration called "renewal" in which all members of society are forced to participate when they reach the age of 30 years. This is shown by a colored star imbedded into the palms of every inhabitant, the color of the implant changes as you age, when reaching 30 years of age it changes to red, I believe, and signals renewal or execution. The thing about the renewal ceremony is that you are supposed to float upwards and receive renewal and live your life continued, with your colored star returning to the color of a youth, renewal of your life. The truth is that the ceremony is a staged execution of all who reach 30 years old, made to look like a beautiful religious ceremony of renewed life. Only problem is, no one ever seems to know anyone that has been renewed. It is because the city is self contained and has limited available resources to it's automated computer systems, that the original population numbers had to be controlled for the survival of the other inhabitants. Logan (played by Michael York) is chasing a runner that is not going to willing participate in the renewal ceremony because she says it is suicide and there is no renewal only death. She tell Logan about escaping the city being possible and he begins to question his reality. When he does this, the controlling computer of the society messes with his own star implant and triggers it so he is due for renewal, so he takes the girl and runs! What follows is the struggle between him and his former police partner trying to kill him, trying to escape the confines of the city, to reach the outside world. It's a must see sci-fi movie as far as I'm concerned. Not sure how this reminded anyone of the Venus project, but is a great movie to watch! There is talk of a remake in the works! Peace!

Based on some responses to the initial post, I see that many people are just assuming to know or understand what is being presented. The Venus Project is a NEW Idea, there is much to learned by reading the available information. This is not a fly by night idea, the founder Jacque Fresco has been actively involved in the design and philosophical leap being presented, for the last 35 years. It is because of the nature of this project wanting to leave a profit based economy for a resource based economy, that those who control governments and power and the world monetary system, want this information to not reach you. Please take some time and read what this project really is. Those that are criticizing this Idea have obviously not taken any time to read and comprehend that the approach for a new paradigm in a world society has never been attempted on this scale. Nothing is written in stone, change is constant, but the base of this concept is sound. I see it is necessary to repost some of the links: http://www.thevenusproject.com/the-venus-project-introduction/faq What is The Venus Project? Very Briefly, The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change; one that works toward a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are not only paper proclamations but also a way of life. The Venus Project presents a vision not of what the future will be, but what it can be if we apply what we already know in order to achieve a sustainable new world civilization. It calls for a straightforward redesign of our culture in which the age-old problems of war, poverty, hunger, debt, and unnecessary human suffering are viewed not only as avoidable, but as totally unacceptable. Anything less will result in a continuation of the same catalog of problems found in today's world. The Venus Project presents an alternative vision for a sustainable world civilization unlike any political, economic or social system that has gone before. It envisions a time in the near future when money, politics, self and national-interest have been phased out. Although this vision may seem idealistic, it is based upon years of study and experimental research. It spans the gambit from education, transportation, clean sources of energy to total city systems. Many people believe what is needed is a higher sense of ethical standards and the enactment of international laws and treaties to assure a sustainable global society. Even if the most ethical people in the world were elected to political office, without sufficient resources we would still have many of the same problems we have today. As long as a few nations control most of the world's resources and profit is the bottom line, the same cycle of events will prevail. As global challenges and scientific information proliferate, nations and people face common threats that transcend national boundaries. Overpopulation, energy shortages, global warming, environmental pollution, water scarcity, economic catastrophe, the spread of uncontrollable disease, and the technological displacement of people by machines threaten each of us. Although many people are dedicated to alleviating those conditions, our social and environmental problems will remain insurmountable as long as a few powerful nations and financial interests maintain control of and consume most of the world's resources and the monetary system prevails. If we really wish to put an end to our ongoing international and social problems, we must declare Earth and all of its resources the common heritage of all of the world's people. Earth is abundant and has plentiful resources. Our practice of rationing resources through monetary control is no longer relevant and is counter-productive to our survival. Today we have highly advanced technologies, but our social and economic system has not kept up with our technological capabilities. We could easily create a world of abundance for all, free of servitude and debt based on the carrying capacity of Earth resources. With the intelligent and humane application of science and technology, the people of the earth can guide and shape the future together while protecting the environment. We don't have enough money to accomplish these ends but we do have more than enough resources. This is why we advocate a Resource-Based Economy. http://www.thevenusproject.com/the-venus-project-introduction/about Resource Based Economy All social systems, regardless of political philosophy, religious beliefs, or social customs, ultimately depend upon natural resources, i.e. clean air and water, arable land and the necessary technology and personnel to maintain a high standard of living. Simply stated, a resource-based economy utilizes existing resources rather than money and provides an equitable method of distributing these resources in the most efficient manner for the entire population. It is a system in which all goods and services are available without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of debt or servitude. Earth is abundant with plentiful resources; today our practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter productive to our survival. Modern society has access to highly advanced technologies and can make available food, clothing, housing, medical care, a relevant educational system, and develop a limitless supply of renewable, non-contaminating energy such as geothermal, solar, wind, tidal, etc. It is now possible to have everyone enjoy a very high standard of living with all of the amenities that a prosperous civilization can provide. This can be accomplished through the intelligent and humane application of science and technology. To better understand the meaning of a resource-based economy consider this: if all the money in the world were destroyed, as long as topsoil, factories, and other resources were left intact, we could build anything we choose to build and fulfill any human need. It is not money that people need; rather, it is free access to the necessities of life. In a resource-based economy , money would be irrelevant. All that would be required are the resources and the manufacturing and distribution of the products. When education and resources are made available to all people without a price tag, there would be no limit to the human potential. Although this is difficult to imagine, even the wealthiest person today would be far better off in a resource based society as proposed by The Venus Project. Today the middle classes live better than kings of times past. In a resource based economy everyone would live better than the wealthiest of today. In such a society, the measure of success would be based on the fulfillment of one's individual pursuits rather than the acquisition of wealth, property and power. This is the very tip of the iceberg... The thoroughness of the Idea is astounding. Please visit the Venus Project website for more info. Peace!

Breeze of ninja fart, A whiff of enlightenment! A flaccid flower.

Hi JB! Dude, for someone that was ready to walk away from this discussion, you sure have a lot to say! I welcome further discussion of this idea. The reason for the paradigm change is because we are reaching a point in time where doing business as usual(separate countries/governments, lack of human value, lack of seeing the importance of education , food, and shelter for all) is taking this world to the brink. We will need to learn how to share resources, and work for the greater good of all mankind, if our survival as a species is to continue. No one is talking about forcing anyone to do anything at all. If in a future society where humans have been removed from the labor process of creating goods, and providing many services because of technology, what do you think we will do? Is not the cultivation of our minds the next logical step? Or are you supposing that we should purposely keep menial jobs for those we deem to be too dim to learn and cultivate? In this future society, with advancements to technology, food supply will be able to meet future demands. It is because of the lack of efficiency in our food production, and the fact that food is being hoarded because of a profit based economy is necessary to create the needed scarcity by which the product can then be sold to the highest bidder. Food is wasted many times over all over america. The rich countries hoard the food they have and there is little to no sharing. This is a wasteful and destructive way of living. The distribution of food is not something anyone cares about unless they can profit from it. The elimination of a profit based economy to be replaced by a resource based economy would change the dynamics from one of making profit, to one of all Humans having value and a right to basic needs such as food. You describe what is suggested as another type of prison cell. You are making an assumption based on this illusion of what we in america call "freedom". Our society is not a free society. You believe you are free because you continue to think within the box that are the "laws" and and slogans which are dictated by nationalism. You live by law and rule that has been created by men. There is nothing innately natural about our society. It is a structured illusion that we are told to believe in, and we are indoctrinated to do so from our birth. Try seeing outside of the box you call "freedom" and "america" and "rights". These have all been imposed upon you. No one alive today has chosen to live the way they do. It is an imposition, which we can not refuse. We are in servitude to the master of our society... Money and the monetary system. You say that within this "democracy" that each individual is allowed to pursue their dreams. How is that true to those less fortunate then yourself? Not everyone has the ability to become successful by the standards which are imposed upon us by this society. If an individual is not financially successful, and can not afford to pay for an education, or a place to live, or food, does this make that individual worthless and of no value to their society? Does this mean that it is their own fault that they are not successful? Right now, today, there are many people out of work, unable to find jobs, are these people of no worth? Is it their own fault that because we exist at the whim of a profit based economy, that they are unable to support themselves or their families? I think you JB should re-examine your thought processes in this regard. Maybe you will see that in the best of times a profit based economy seems to work to those of us who are the receivers of the wealth and goods, we are able to pay for, but there are always those who are the poorest of world society that are never able to have the barest of necessities that we take for granted every day. And because of a lack of education and opportunities available to them, they will never have a chance to change their lives for the better, especially when there is no profit to be made in it. Is this their fault? Is their suffering their own making? I can see no way that these people can change their existence when known suffering is ignored and used as a form of world domination. No world society can claim to be beneficial unless those of the world who have the least are are lifted out of subsistence so they can contribute to the society they are part of in a meaningful way. Human suffering caused by profit based world economics is a crime. I believe the suffering of many people world wide is exacerbated by the attitude that nothing is worth doing if there is no profit to be made in it. A world economy based on profit is the bane of Human existence. We can do better. You ask what makes this Idea different and why is it not akin to a new form of slavery. The difference lies in the foundation of the new society. Basic needs should never be left to having to be "earned". Being born, being a Human being, having innate Value to your society will dictate basic needs be part of our existence. Food, shelter, education is for everyone. When you remove the worry of providing these most basic items from the everyday existence of the individual, you remove the impetus for much of the felt discontent based on not having these things. This is a huge societal influence. All Humans are of value, and will treated as such. Without having to be forced into providing these most basic of needs, mankind will be freer than ever before. We as individuals will be able to pursue our interests in any fields we wish. Imagine a world in which mankind will be interested in science and the arts not because they are having to make a profit, but because there is actual true interest and a love of what you are doing. Is this not freedom? Who among us is able to pursue their interests without always having to worry about money? How are we free at all if everything has a cost preventing us from actually doing and being what we are on the inside? From what I have read of your belief of what the Venus Project means to you, I believe you are more than anything afraid of the unknown aspect of societal change. Fear of anything is a limiting factor. Fear limits our very perceptions of what the world around is, fear dwindles our view from being open to new ideas to fearing any change at all. Whether we want change, or fear change, I promise you it is the only constant in our very existence. If you do not see the merit within the idea that is The Venus project, then I implore you to please present something as an alternate model for a future societal model. I believe that if you want to criticize an Idea, you should have an alternate Idea available as an example of what else is possible. Without doing so, you are just like any other critic who says no to something based on their own dislikes without any commentary that is of constructive use. Please present an alternate vision of a possible future society so we may discuss and compare. Peace!

The idea that we can continue with the present form of country based government, into perpetuity, is this really what we believe? When the Earth is seen from space where are the borders of countries? How is an arbitrary line drawn on a map anything more than an animalistic form of marking one's territory. Borders and demarcation of territory are all parts of the Human animal instinct, but this view was originated with the idea that all things are separate, and so too would be countries and states. This Idea is outmoded. Borders and separation are only in the human mind. This is one planet, one world, one ethnically diverse people who are only separated by their inability to communicate by a common, universal language. One day I believe there will come to be an "Earth standard" language. This will go a long way towards eliminating the backwards thinking of "I am separate and apart from you". We as a people are going to leave Earth and expand outwards as we have always done, it is a Human instinct to explore and expand and propagate ourselves and our culture. Space is just the next step, after Earth is filled to capacity there will be little choice but to go. When we leave our homeworld, when we are able to finally see the Earth as just a world, a world of one people, will borders and territories really make much sense? As long as we are perpetuating the consumerism view of desiring things, we will never know any means of contentment and satisfaction within whatever society the future will bring. We need to change our world by changing our view of what is meant by living our lives. Our society of working for money to pay bills and buy things, is stupendously wasteful and demeaning to the value of life. Everyone has a right to live and have their necessities provided for at no cost. What you have to try to understand is that we live within a manufactured idea. The idea that we must work to provide for ourselves, made sense when we had to work the land and physically provide food and shelter. The providing today is manufactured. We have all become slaves to working to pay for things. We are indentured slaves, and because we are able to roam within the established boundries of our roomy cages, we are unaware of our servitude. The future will need to be different and new. peace!

Hi Sunya! Good question! If the technology existed long enough ago, much would have fallen away to dust by now. But here's an idea... What if the technological society that influenced these ancient cultures was not Earth Originated? Then they would have just taken their technology with them when leaving Earth. Peace!

Beautiful post Gerard! What I see when I look at the first picture is complete openness without judgment. "Being" in its most natural state. The ruin of our natural state follows in the next pictures..... In the final picture I again see this beautiful openness. A sense of welcome, without judgment. I feel it is the state of acceptance without judgment for what this moment brings of it's own accord. And the ability to fully exist without any expectation , to just "be". Thank you Gerard.

My willie is cold? Just a boxcar, to call home. Railroad to no where.