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*** What matters the most to you? Your family? Your accomplishments? Your business?
Whatever it may be, it cannot exist without the planet. And the planet is in a dire situation. |
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Have you ever seen a line of ants in a sink, looking for food, totally unaware that there is a faucet over them that could deluge them with water and wash them down to their deaths?
It is fascinating that they are so focused on getting their food and so unaware of the bigger picture, even when it is right in front of them.
There is a parallel between this scenario and that of the Earth. Humans are so intent on consuming that they do not see the bigger picture. The bigger picture is that this pattern of consumptive behavior is putting the whole planet in jeopardy by environmental degradation and nuclear arms proliferation. Is it possible for the ants to look up and see the faucet and realize that they better get out of there? No. It will never happen.
But humans are not ants. Is it possible for humans to be able to see the bigger picture? Definitely.
We have something that ants do not have. Science and technology. But technology is useless if we use it only for treating the symptoms. And climate change is a symptom. The underlying causes are over-consumption and over-production due to a lack of awareness of what it is doing to the world. No one wants to see the destruction of our planet; if people knew what was really going on with the planet, they would act, even sacrifice their lives to save it. But as it is right now, there is no such awareness of impending doom. Most people in the world have not had first hand experience with disasters caused by climate change. And they will not change their lifestyle without sufficient personal evidence. Scientific data does not suffice. They must have a visceral connection with the Earth. They must learn to love this planet. Once they have that they will do anything for planetary health and well-being.
How can we bring this global awareness to the peoples of Earth? Can technology make an instrument that will do this?
Yes! The Earth Monitor is that instrument: a 360 degree spherical display monitor with layers of graphics and, in time, a real-time video of current conditions.
It will not be just a pretty electronic globe. It will be dynamic and interactive like a smartphone, suitable for a group such as a family and for the individual. If we can make the Earth Monitor half as ubiquitous as the smartphone, we will create a new awareness of the Earth; an organic system that we are very much a part of. And when more people from around the world relate personally to the Earth, it will engender a world culture.
The Earth Monitor Project is not about just saving the Earth, or stopping climate change, although those things will happen as a side effect. It is not about taking either side on environmental, political or economic issues. It is about finding the true state of things on this Earth. It is about becoming aware of ourselves as Earth. People need to relate to the planet as a whole, and it needs to be self-evident that we are part of a greater organic system.
We, humans, are not yet united in awareness of this fact and have not yet formed a mind that values our bigger self, the world, over everything else. And this is crucial to our planetary health, prosperity, peace and self-development. It is supremely important that humans realize what part we play in this planetary organism. Unlike a rock, or a tree or the air, I am a thinking, feeling, cognitive part of the Earth and have the power to determine what happens to this planet. Once we realize who we are, and relate to the planet as our bigger self, and begin to love everyone and everything about the Earth, we will do what is right just out of self-love and self-preservation. But it all starts from awareness of our relationship with the planet and this is where the Earth Monitor comes in. Becoming aware of ourselves as part of a living Earth entity is very important. This awareness is vital and absolutely necessary for Earth’s well-being, sentience and development. Here are the facts:
1. Our bodies are made up of the same things as the planet. We are constantly being recycled by the environment. Even as I write this, gasses and microscopic material is being exchanged by our bodies with the environment. We are not separate from the environment. These are facts that can be validated by science and by our common sense of perception. Literally, we are the Earth.
2. We are different from the rest of the things the make up the environment, such as animals, rocks, trees, bugs, air, etc. We, human beings, have the ability to change the environment in a big way. Some people still don’t believe that humans can impact such a big world. A photo of the night sky of Earth from space when it is relatively cloudless is better than a thousand words. If we can light up the Earth like a Christmas tree…
3. We, humans, are sentient, conscious beings with volition and will. We are an integral and intrinsic part of the Earth. I am the Earth as much as the cell in my finger is me. We, humans, are the cognitive parts of the Earth organism. We are the thinking, thought processing, creative, and self-aware part of the Earth. The Earth’s “brain cells”, if you will.
If we, human beings, can become aware of the Earth as our bigger self, like the cells in your body are aware of the bigger you, the one universal moral imperative would be to do everything for the bigger self and we would get along much better and the world would be in a much better state. By recognizing that Earth is our bigger self, we can be selfish and still do good for all. The Earth Monitor will be the mirror of our bigger self that we can see every day. By seeing a living representation of our bigger self on a regular basis, we will develop a heightened sense of who we are and our individual part in the whole. We will develop a sense of culture and community that will encompass the globe. A general sense of belonging will pervade the planet.
The world’s problems such as war, crime, racial strife, poverty and threat of mass extinction have all as their root cause competition and struggle to be on the top of the heap. It was necessary to build our current civilization but now, the competitive urge is becoming destructive. But we’ve been doing it for so long, it has become a habit, this need to get more and more stuff, that it’s hard to quit. It’s going to require a sea-change in the way people think. Cooperation, unity and wholeness will be the new world standards of morality. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we can plant the seed now. The Earth Monitor is the seed.
Seeing the popularity of the smartphone, it seems people are attracted to bright, shiny objects that are cool, hi-tech and enable us to connect to each other.
The Earth Monitor is just that. Although not practical to carry around like a phone, it could be in every household much like a tv set or computer. It would be a device that would unite the family, much like what the radio and TV set did in our past. The smartphone connects individuals, the Earth Monitor would connect families, as more than one person would be able to view the display. And as the family is the basis for civilization, it would lay the foundation for a global culture and community. The smartphone could also be used by the public to gather data from all over the globe. A worldwide network of volunteers using special apps and social media on their phones could be deployed so that we would be getting constant data from various points on the Earth.
The Earth Monitor would be a major tool for self-awareness on a global scale. It would not only be a planetary bio-feedback device, but a socio-economic-political feedback device, if you will. Being able to take verbal commands, the Earth Monitor can be asked, “show me how a certain new law could affect global population and pollution in ten years time.” I could say, “show me how a civil war in a given country could affect climate change.” The results would be shown graphically on the monitor with time lapse simulations of Earth conditions and relevant data.
The possibilities are endless. Everything that happens physically on the planet that could change the planetary condition is input into the computer to create simulations and solutions. The optimum health, well-being and prosperity of the planet would be the paramount purpose. Given time, the positive impact would be unprecedented and life changing on planet Earth.
I see the Earth Monitor as belonging to the Earth and everything that makes up the Earth. Like the Internet, it’s for everyone. Owned by everyone, with new apps that nurture our environment being constantly made. It is a natural process of planetary evolution that will grow and grow, powered by input and contributions from everyone. The more near real-time information about this planet we can gather with our sensors, instruments, observations and the better we get at integrating and coordinating this data into a whole, the more awesome the potential of this endeavor. With volunteers with smartphones getting environmental metrics from all over the world to be input into the system, everyone will have a chance to contribute, to get a sense of belonging to the Earth community.
The environmental crisis is just one of the many problems we have in the world, such as war, crime, poverty, racial strife and hate. The Earth Monitor will be a major factor in reducing all of them. When we truly realize that we are indeed one with the Earth, many things happen in our minds and hearts. The basic and most profound realization is that we are an essential part of a bigger community. We belong. This sense of belonging is a sense of love. We work together in wholeness because we become aware that we are all interdependent of each other. It is like a cell in our body becoming aware of the entire person and knowing that it is part of the person, inseparable and one with it for all intents and purposes.
The sense of jealously, envy, hate, insecurity, and separateness disappear. Why be jealous of someone when you realize that parts of you are in them, and parts of them are in you? Everyone becomes like a son or daughter that you love, enjoying their victories and comforting their defeats. Even the fiery emotion of hate will dissipate. Hate crimes have to do with separateness. The desire to inflict pain and suffering to others cannot happen if they do not feel separate and alienated. It becomes unthinkable when one is a recognized and cherished member of the whole.
Throughout our history, the way we think of our planet Earth has evolved. Many people still cannot completely grasp the Earth and identify with it as a whole. They are still thinking nationally, even tribally. To many, it is still a dog-eat-dog world with the individual competing with all others. This pattern of thinking will change as our awareness of our role in the Earth changes. Profound changes in the way people think often happen with new inventions: the printing press spread knowledge in unprecedented ways. Transports like cars and planes furthered our understanding of our world and peoples. Mass media and information technology are connecting our minds.
The Earth Monitor will make us One. Intellectually and spiritually. It will address the one underlying root cause, the one thing that causes the major problems of the world: a lack of empathetic oneness with the living planet as our bigger self – the Earth. When we become truly aware of our biological role as a part of the planet, by truly aware, I mean in our hearts and not just in our minds, we will have a communal sense of belonging to the whole and not just the part. We will know that we belong. That we are One. That basic understanding will form the foundation of a world with a beautiful environment, a world living in peace, prosperity and health. It is an understanding that must come from the people. It cannot be legislated, forced, or mandated. The desire and impetus must come from the population as a result of their genuine love of Earth. The Earth Monitor is a seed of awareness, a inner lens through which this love can be engendered and magnified.
This is just the beginning. It is just the seed, but it will snowball. I can see a small Earth Monitor in every home and classroom. A big one in every college, at every stock market, United Nations, corporate boardrooms, environmental agencies, science labs, trade companies, and more.
This is a work for many generations. Just as the Egyptians made pyramids that required the work of thousands of people over many generations, so will the Earth Monitor require the work of thousands, even millions and billions of people over many centuries to take it to its ultimate potential. This is something that will involve not only every one of us right now, but also everyone who will be born and will live on Earth. We will need people from all walks of life to contribute. People who can help make the hardware and the software, and after that, we need global data. The Earth Monitor has to be supported by a global institute or agency that can help gather, integrate and interpret the information. We may need an Earth Monitor Institute that is jointly operated by the UN or other global entities. It is very important that it be freely open and not controlled by one government, company or organization.
The future of our planet is at stake. Are we ants so concerned about consuming that we cannot see the faucet overhead? Let’s use everything in our means to find out how our behavior is impacting the planet.
The Earth Monitor is more than a technological device, it will be a living representation of the planet in near real-time that will engender togetherness, empathy and love for Earth. The Earth Monitor will make us self-aware.
Earth needs your help to make this happen.
Watch the video at: https://youtu.be/jAfz3tyRceA
One way of contributing is to go to this crowd funding site: https://www.patreon.com/WorldUplifter
Crowd funding is a start but not enough. What this project needs are people who have the wherewithal to take this to a global level. This is the fate of our civilization we’re talking about, folks! We must consider every idea. Please contact me on how we can get this going. I will be happy to make a presentation at your convenience.
About: www.RichardOmura.com
Contact: Email: Uplifter Ph: 310-710-7962 |
