First Big Project of 2008

The cat is out of the bag. I have been working on this idea, mainly in my head, for a couple of years now. Over the holidays I finally put it down on paper and had a few friends and family take a look. It is a doozy of an idea and still very flawed but I am excited to see where it leads. I am putting it out there for you readers to give me your honest and critical feedback. If you like it tell me why, if you don't like it tell me why. The more input and perspective I get on this the better as it will allow me to really see the flaws and more importantly how I can possibly fix them. So here goes.

Ideal World Book:

I think we can all agree that the world, in its current incarnation, is not a world that we would call ‘ideal’ (and if you can make a valid argument against this statement, I would love to hear it!). If you are like me, you dream of a world where everyone has access to basic needs, there is equality for all and peace across the globe. However, what does the ideal world really look like? Where a world with a population of 6.6 billion, all have different dreams and aspirations, how can we ever come to a consensus on the question, “What does the ideal world look like and how do we make it so?”

What if we could ask the world to share their vision? Not just politicians and the rich and famous, but everyone. What if we could get men, women, and children of all ages, ethnicities, geographical locations, religions, and sexualities to shape a global, collaborative vision of what an ideal world would look like?

The Ideal World Book is a global community of people looking to shape this vision. The Ideal World Book is the accumulation of thoughts and ideas, of essays and poems, of art and science that shape a vision of an ideal world.

We are at an apex, the tipping point, in both our lifetime and the lifetimes of future generations. If we are going to affect positive change in our own lives and the lives of those to come, then we must make the conscious effort to do so now, here, in this moment. I can’t do it alone; you can’t do it alone. But WE – a community of people with a collaborative goal, a goal with substance and vision – WE together can make it happen.

I don’t have the answer to this important question. I have ideas and passion. You can’t answer the question, but you can provide your insight and assistance. I am asking for your help to shape this vision, to join a community of people who want to voice their opinions, to assist in starting, here and now, to make the ideal world a reality and not just a daydream.

This is a project that I have dreamt of for years, but I need help! I have the passion to make this project happen, but I don’t have all the necessary skills. If you would like to join me in making the Ideal World Book a reality, I would be indebted to you. I have no money to offer, but at the completion of the Book, you would be able to say you were a vital part of creating it – and that is far more valuable than money.

How it Works:

The Ideal World Book will start as a community where people will answer the question, “What does the ideal world look like and how do we make it so?” Members will post their thoughts, ideas, poems, essays, photographs, drawings, and anything else that can be printed, to a website for all to see. The material posted on the website will then be graded by the whole community on a scale of 1-10. The top-rated material that will fit into a 200-page book, along with a chapter crafted by the Ideal World Book committee, a group of global leaders, will then be printed to form the Ideal World Book – a manifesto of an ideal world. From there, we as a community can decide how to start making it happen! At the conclusion of its creation the proceeds from the sale of the book will be put towards further projects that make the Ideal World a reality (the community will decide how this is done). This is the basic idea - it sounds simple but I know it is far more complicated.

The Next Step From You:

Email me with feedback, ideas, what you would like to contribute. Tell me why this could work, tell me why it can’t, what needs to be thought about in order to move forward. I emphasize again that I have the passion to make this happen, but I don’t claim to have all the skills or answers required. In the end I’m not looking for money, (although I certainly don’t want to lose any!), but my goal is to have as many people as possible participate in the creation of this Book. I will measure success not by profit, but by knowing that the vision that comes out of this will be shared by the world over. Let people know about this; start a conversation; invite me to a conversation or a presentation to a group of people; let us start a dialogue and get things moving.

I am on the record now. Dreaming is not a bad thing. Dreaming without taking action is just disappointing. This is my dream, what is yours?