The seeds for a Marketplace have already been planted, but what about a form of currency for the nation? That seed has now too been planted, in the form of a Time Bank . So what is a Time Bank?

Essentially, the goal is to step away from this dependency on money to achieve everything. Money is a useful tool, but it is not the ONLY tool, and should not be the ultimate determining factor in the feasibility of a project … let alone a decider of the worth of the project’s participants. The seed that has been planted is to create a barter economy, with the primary unit of exchange being time rather than money. Ultimately, someone using their time for another is the most valuable resource there is. Our Time Bank is starting with a unit called service minutes, which is just what it sounds like. You can earn and spend time as you will, to help others; to get help from others. The Bank is very simple at the moment, but it will grow into a fully functional economy if we all work together to make it happen. As it grows, other forms of currency will no doubt be needed (including money) and created, with appropriate exchange rates to keep the value of the service/product. The key here is that whatever currency we choose … it is a means to an end … not the end itself. The current bank is not a definitive guide to worth, but rather an incentive to cooperation. It is about helping each other by providing an avenue to do it. This does not mean we can’t cooperate outside this system, nor does it mean we can’t work out other forms of cooperation outside the system. It is just a tool for those who need it. One can earn service minutes just by being an active member of the community. Here is a list of ways to earn by just using the site:[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

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PAX Nation can only work if people get involved. The growth of the nation will ensure the growth of its citizens (as any healthy society should). So by using the resources available here, your will grow as well. I encourage everyone to participate and become active citizens. Cooperation is the ONLY way we will truly effect change in this world. Cooperation is also the core of the PAX Nation ideology and dream.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_cta h2=”” h4=”BECOME ACTIVE!” style=”3d” color=”orange”]If you truly believe in the concept of PAX Nation, then embrace it. Become actively involved. Share about your personal projects. Become a resource. Use the resources that others offer. Let’s create an ACTIVE community for change. It can only be done with your help![/vc_cta][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”5/6″][vc_empty_space height=”16px”][vc_cta h2=”” style=”outline” add_button=”right” btn_title=”Write a blog post” btn_size=”xs” btn_align=”center” btn_i_icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-pencil” btn_add_icon=”true” btn_button_block=”true” btn_custom_onclick=”true”]Did you enjoy this? Do you want to share something similar? Write your own blog post![/vc_cta][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/6″][vc_column_text]

The post Introducing the Time Bank first appeared on thrumyeyes.

Help spread the word! It would be great if you added this image to your website (with a link to PAX Nation), someplace where it would be seen but not distract from the main focus of the site.  It would look great on social networking pages too!

The primary resource for PAX Nation is … and always WILL be … active participants. Without caring, INVOLVED people, this is is nothing more than a set of ideals mixed with some progressive ideas. Words and ideas have the power to MOTIVATE, but if not acted upon, they never become more than POTENTIAL. The types of skills needed will grow and evolve as the Nation does. Below is a list of some skill sets we currently could use:

• Blog writers

  All citizens can right blog posts. We need folk to share about their organizations, their communities, their expertise … anything they feel is worth sharing.

• Forum moderators

  Communications are one of the most important tools for cooperation. There are several opportunities for discussion, with the possibility for many more. Moderators will keep things moving and civil.

• Web Developers

  For the community to develop to its full potential, we need IT professionals who can maximize the web functionality.

• Entrepreneurs

  We need business savvy people to help get the backing and resources necessary for the nation to grow.

• Social Networking Gurus

  Social Networking is essential for an online community. With so many out there, we need people dedicated simply to spreading the word and interacting with the many networks.

• Webmasters

  This project will keep growing, most likely eventually becoming a network of sites. Management will require a conscientious team.

I until we establish funding sources and a functional internal economy, all positions will be voluntary. This will change as PAX Nation starts truly taking form.[

Another important resource is ideas. How can we improve the website? The whole plan? How can we help Pax Nation grow? What actions can we take? ANY ideas are worth looking at, and NONE are of any value if not shared.

As much as an ideal world will not be totally dependent on money … this is not yet an ideal world. If it were, PAX Nation would not be needed. Sadly money is a key to growth in our current world culture, and thus a resource that needs to be gathered. The Marketplace is intended to aid this need, but (at the moment anyway) we need other sources. Crowd funding and grants are options that need to be explored. Donations are also an option. If you have ANY resources that can help with funding, please CONTACT US!

The post A few things needed by PAX Nation first appeared on thrumyeyes.

Apparently signing The Charter for Compassion was the snowflake I needed to start an avalanche. In the last four days, there have literally been as many visits to PAX Nation as in the ENTIRE YEAR until this point. Enough people have registered (and hopefully will continue to) to truly call this a community. I started this project in December of 2012, right after the Sandy Hook shooting. That event kind of tipped the scales with my general dissatisfaction of the course humanity was taking. The idea got a lot of thumbs up at first … with little other support beyond that. Despite the apparent lack of support, and due to my general stubbornness, I have kept at it, with a few extended interruptions (such as an attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail). In recent months, I decided to commit to it fully, and reworked the entire project. Apparently I have learned much of what I needed to learn, and found much of what I needed to find, because I seem to be on the right course finally!

WHAT’S NEW ON THE SITE?

The key to a successful online community is effective communication. Technically, the key to ANY community is effective communication. I have updated the Forum pages, adding some general topics that are issues that those who would change the world need to deal with. I encourage EVERYONE to join any conversation that interests you. Or start one on what is near and dear to you. For PAX Nation to be successful, first we need to start talking with each other!

If anyone wants to moderate or guide conversation, your help would be most welcome. Drop me a line, or post on my profile.

Cooperation is about sharing: sharing resources, sharing ideas, sharing goals. PAX Nation is all about creating a cooperative effort, removing many of the barriers that might prevent this from happening. Check out the slightly modified and expanded resource section. Maybe you want to use the Marketplace. Or learn about Partnership opportunities. If you, or someone you know has some skills to offer and time to spare, see what PAX Nation needs.

Working together is the key to advancing all of our causes. Take advantage. Don’t just be a name on a list!

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

For this idea to have any success, the Citizens need to be active.  Many of you have your own projects to put forward, which is exactly what PAX Nation is about. Here we can connect with like minded people who might have alternate goals, or come from other areas. If somebody needs what we offer, we can connect with them and do what we can to help. If you have needs that you cannot meet elsewhere, maybe they will be met here. But it will only work if we USE the site. Set up your profiles. I will add the capacity for making friends and adding photos and videos shortly. Write a blog post! Tell us about your specific projects, or teach us about your part of the world. And most importantly, TELL OTHERS about PAX Nation. For us to be a truly effective community; for us to actually become a presence in the world, requires that we continue to grow and evolve!

How far can we go?

The post Unexpected, but very welcome, progress! first appeared on thrumyeyes.

That said, I have started adding some pictures from my own adventures to Images from afar … a page devoted to sharing images of the variety and beauty that this world has to offer. I have many of my own pictures to share, but as with everything else in this project, it is not intended to be just me sharing MY life. I have also added the ability for others to upload images that THEY would like to share. Even if we do not have the capacity to CHANGE the world yet here, we certainly can share information about our part of it with others. I encourage folk to upload pictures that are indicative of your part of the world. Images of nature, of people, of civilization … whatever you think is worth sharing. I had already included the ability for members to write their own blog posts, but I have added some posting guidelines to the page. Let your voice be hear about … whatever it is you wish to share.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_btn title=”Visit Images from afar …” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fthrumyeyes.life/a-better-world%2Fvisit-pax-nation%2Fimages-from-afar%2F|||”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_btn title=”Upload your own images” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fthrumyeyes.life/a-better-world%2Fvisit-pax-nation%2Fimages-from-afar%2Fupload-images%2F|||”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_btn title=”Write a blog post” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fthrumyeyes.life/a-better-world%2Fwhats-new-in-pax-nation%2Fwrite-a-blog-post%2F|||”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_images_carousel images=”2791,2826,2825,2820,2819,2818,2817,2816,2815,2814,2813,2804,2803,2802,2801,2800,2795,2794,2793,2792″ img_size=”medium” autoplay=”yes” hide_pagination_control=”yes” wrap=”yes” title=”Recently added images”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post More site improvements first appeared on thrumyeyes.

I have done a few more modifications to the site, and hopefully made a few more improvements. I have opted for a different method to add social networking features. They are prettier than the last attempt, and seemingly more functional. User profiles are a little more elaborate, and one can actually view their own profile now (something I did not realize we could not do before … part of the reason for the new method). Take a peek at My profile and Meet our citizens!. There is also a new page for general activity updates.

Also, I have added in the ability for registered members to write their own blog posts. I am using that feature right now to test it out. Members have a fair amount of flexibility as far as the posts appearance, including the ability to add media. All posts will be vetted before final publication, just to make sure they are not spam or somehow not suitable to the aims of the community, but it will take some serious effort to be denied. Their might be some minor editing to correct for typos and such, but for the most part the posts will be as written. If the list of categories does not apply to the needs of the post, contact us and we will make sure the desired category is added in.

The network is still pretty simple, but I have plans of adding in many more features, such as the ability to have friends and interact with them in several different ways. There will be chat and messaging and groups. There also will be the ability to add media to he profiles, as well as more customization features for them. Unfortunately the more advanced features require resources I don’t have yet, but since our user base is still small (and basically inactive), they are not needed yet.

I encourage members to become more active and try out some of the new features. I have been trying to trim the user list to actual people, so if I inadvertently deleted a real account, I apologize. Please register again!

I hope all enjoy the changes. As always, feedback and suggestions are quite welcome![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Another community update first appeared on thrumyeyes.

Disclaimer:

Knowledge is limiting. Knowledge is static. Understanding is limitless. Understanding is fluid. I lay no claim to knowledge. I do lay claim to understanding.

The primary weakness of the following is that it is written with words. Words lie in the realm of knowledge. They often try to shape the shapeless; define that which has no definition. Knowledge is described in words. Understanding goes beyond words. Yet the path to understanding often must be gained by playing with knowledge – thus the necessity for words. Is any of it correct? Is any of it true? It is my belief that truth is in the heart of the beholder.

“Huh?” you think. Not to worry. We are just starting the confusion.

Let’s talk about ecosystems. What exactly is an ecosystem? With out getting hemmed in by definitions let us vaguely describe a system as and orderly relationship between somethings. Add eco to it and what do we get? Well in the language I am using right now, eco derives from a word (in another language of course) that basically means home or household. What that word derives from is beyond my powers of guessing, and possibly irrelevant to whatever it is I am trying to relay anyways. But again we don’t want to get hemmed in by definitions. So let us say an ecosystem is an orderly relationship between somethings that has something to do with the environment around the somethings. Vague enough for you? All right, we’re on a roll.

Here is some more vagueness for you. I am going to say a consumable is something that something else can use. A consumer is the something that does the using. And one more: change is the process of something becoming something that is not quite the something it originally was. All of this vagueness clear so far? Hold on. The ride only gets better from here.

Based on these precise and definitive descriptions of some precise and definitive concepts, I lay out for you the most basic example of an ecosystem- a consumer and a consumable together creating change. More specifically: a consumer consumes a consumable, thus changing both the consumer and the consumable. For those of you now asking yourself “Why am I reading this, it is all a bunch of nonsense?” or more simply “Eh?” I will draw a picture of sorts:

Consumer  Consumable

.

.

.

CONSUMER  consumable

Where “…” = “change”. Much clearer now right? This is the basic unit of all ecosystems. Try a few word substitutions and see what we get: consumer = predator, consumable = prey; or maybe consumer = matter, consumable = energy; or how about consumer = country, consumable = resources. Fun isn’t it (of course that is only if you have a clue what I am blabbering on about, but if you don’t you probably have wandered on to more rewarding pastimes by now anyway).

Now that we have successfully stirred up some nice muddy water, let’s dive in. Our simple ecosystem unit as it stands is likely to have a limited lifetime. Based on the model described and some wonderful assumptions generated by the choice of words, the consumable will eventually be used up, resulting in the consumer sitting there wondering “Now what?” This of course would be no fun, and doesn’t lend itself too much to deep mystic babble. So we will get more “realistic” and assume that the consumable somehow renews itself. Unless we want to completely digress and jump into the realm of metaphysics, where something can be created out of nothing, the easiest way for our basic unit to renew itself would be for the consumer and consumable to exchange roles at some point. As long as this role exchange continues, our baby ecosystem, though still boring, will continue plying change, thus remaining an ecosystem.

Time to add some more vagueness. I’ll describe a closed system as a system whose somethings have absolutely nothing to do with any other somethings. If our baby ecosystem unit is a closed system, then as long as the role reversal continues (which it would because no other somethings can prevent it) the cycle will continue indefinitely. I’ll say that the system is “in balance”. I could say that it has “reached equilibrium”, but there are many more letters in “reached equilibrium” and I am not a very good typist. So I will stick with balance.

Now a healthy ecosystem is all about balance. If our little ecosystem was knocked out of balance (which of course could never happen, because it’s closed), it would make every effort to attain balance again. To add more “reality” to this creation of ours, and to add more stability to the search for balance (as well as eliminate the need to explain previously unexplained role reversals), we need to add another something. “Consumer or consumable?” you are no doubt not even thinking of asking yourself. And to stir up the mud some more, as well as give our ecosystem a chance to do what we are trying to make it do, the new something would have to be both. Consumer and consumable that is.

Are we back to “Eh?” again. I will reword the vagueness. A consumes B. B consumes C. C consumes A. Or in “picture” form:

So pretty isn’t it? A nice tidy little ecosystem. All somethings get the chance to play both consumer and consumable. And all somethings are happy because our closed ecosystem is nice and balanced. For now on we will call this our basic healthy ecosystem unit.

“This sort of makes sense” you may (or may not) be thinking right now. “What’s next?”

Since I must have started this whatever it is for a reason, I can’t (and won’t) stop now. That would just be mean. Or maybe a blessing. Oops. Digression is so easy. Let’s get back to our ecosystem unit. With a little imagination, it can be seen that this unit can become vastly more complicated. We can add more somethings, increasing the size of the cycle (A  B  C  D  A). Or maybe each something actually represents a group of somethings (C = D, E, F and/or G). The second imagining actually adds a few little twists. As consumers, are D, E, F and/or G working together or are they in competition? As consumables are they consumed individually or all together? Could these question perchance be a glimpse into whatever it is I am hopefully leading up to? Only time will tell (Time: a series of events in which change occurs. Seemed to fit in with the vagueness I’ve already thrown at you, so I figured “Why not?”).

If our closed and balanced ecosystem existed, we would have the proverbial perpetual motion machine. Unfortunately, closed systems do not really exist in nature (if they did, we would not really be aware of them unless we were in them which of course we’re not – am I correct, cat of Schrödinger?). In “reality”, though there are well-defined ecosystems, they will interact with other possible equally well-defined ecosystems. The interaction of these several ecosystems may (and probably will) create an altogether new ecosystem. Picture time!

Assuming anything I have said previously actually makes sense to anybody, we can see that our developing ecosystems can get pretty complicated. It is also pretty obvious (at least to me, but as I already said I know nothing) that everything is kind of dependent on everything else. In order for the greater ecosystem to be in balance, the individual baby ecosystems also must be in balance. It’s all about balance!

Now if you are as alert and creative as myself (or is warped a better description?) You might notice a few things. If the balance shifts with one baby ecosystem, then the balance will shift with all the baby ecosystems, not to mention the greater ecosystem. If one of the ecosystems follows the pattern of our original basic model- you know the two something system many confusing words ago, then the entire system is ultimately destined to collapse, because one by one our consumables will be wholly consumed. I will even throw in a new vagueness to label this concept. I will call it entropy. “Ah,” you say, “there is a reason for the title!”

By this time, some of you may be saying “Get to the point already!” Many more of you probably dropped off the ride words ago. But for the diehards among you it really gets fun now. For ecosystems are everywhere! Some are very simple. Others are extremely complicated. And all of them ultimately have some connection to all the others. Is there a beginning or an end to all of this? Another question for the metaphysicians.

If our ecosystems are microscopic in scale, we might call them chemical reactions. On a macrocosmic scale, we might call them astronomical events. Smaller macrocosms might be considered geological events. If the interactions are fundamentally involved with a substance known as carbon, we might call the ecosystems life. If said interactions are actually changeable; if there is choice involved with the interactions, then we might call the systems intelligent life. Can you guess what’s next? If the interactions involve control, we might call the ecosystems human!

Time to jump backwards, all the way to the beginning of the confusion. As I am sure you don’t remember, I said something like eco roughly equates to home. I have already manhandled it into the concept of ecosystem as created above. How else can it be used? Let’s see. Chemical/atomic interactions leading to astronomical events leading to geological events heading towards life. So far so good! Multiple simple ecosystems coming together into more and more complex ecosystems. Depending on your point of view, ultimately heading for entropy. Even the words form a sort of ecosystem. Oh wait. I stopped to soon! Next we had conscious life. Ah! At last! Another use for eco. For now we have ecology. Using the derivative method I abused earlier, ecology can roughly be described as “the study of the home”. Note that it takes consciousness for “study”. I then took some further liberties and equated “home” with “environment”. Did you happen to catch that?

So here we are. Life is a complex collection of ecosystems as well as being an ecosystem itself, watched over by a concept I call ecology. This/these systems all do their dance for balance. Remember balance! And though entropy makes perfect balance impossible, the time involved for the balance to be completely toppled is beyond our ken. So all in all, this environment that ecology is so kindly watching over is pretty good at maintaining balance. But I still stopped my progression early. I forgot about humans! How could I forget them? The human ecosystem, with its ability to control its interactions brings eco into a new concept. Let me introduce you to economy. Using my shameless manipulations, economy can be broken down to “management of the home”. More word play and we have “control of the environment”. Isn’t this a fun game we play. With a push here and a tug there I have managed to “prove” that the human ecosystem –let’s shorten that to humans for ease of typing- can control the environment.

Those of you who have stuck with me this long might be playing with doubts. “What a load of [insert favorite appropriate word here]!” The more erudite of you might think “Sophistry!” And I can’t say I disagree. Remember my disclaimer. I do not claim to have any knowledge, nor that I am imparting any knowledge. I am simply trying to use the powerfully weak tool that is words to give a gift of understanding. Some of you may already be so gifted. Others may not wish to accept the gift. Still others may not think it is my gift to offer. And even more likely, everyone bailed many words ago, and I am simply writing this for myself. Doesn’t matter. I’ll keep going and see where the abundance of words leave me. Even I am not sure where I will end up!

So back to economy! As humans become more and more complex, so does this economy. As humans are part of the environment that ecology watches so closely (more assumptions), they too must seek balance. Right? The economy concept is so ever changing itself that it has many different incarnations. Some forms of this economy work towards the maintenance of balance. Such forms only control when balance needs to be restored. These incarnations might be labeled by some as “primitive”. Some forms of economy try to skew the ecosystems towards consumables. This ultimately can not work because the consumers will just consume more to maintain the balance. Either that or the consumables become so strengthened that a role reversal takes place, causing the whole ecosystem to try and reverse direction. This of course messes with the balance of any affiliated ecosystems, causing a grand mess with greater ecosystems, requiring some serious shifting to restore the balance. It might even require entropy stepping in and hastening the demise of some of the ecosystems. An example of such an economy might be labeled “Communism”.

This collection of words grows more and more exotic. I hope there are others out there still along for the ride! Onward! I’ve described an economy that tries to maintain the balance. I have beaten upon an economy that prefers consumables. That only leaves us with one other basic type. An economy that tries to push the ecosystems towards consumers. One might call an example of such an economy “Capitalism”. This model also cannot ultimately work. Eventually certain consumers will grow too strong, causing consumables to disappear before they can restore themselves. Once again the balance is totally thrown of for all affiliated ecosystems. As consumables disappear, the consumers will grow even stronger at first, but all of a sudden all associated ecosystems will come to a screeching halt. Why? No more consumables! Once again we will have a rather large and unwieldy consumer sitting there, scratching its proverbial head and saying “Now what?” Entropy will be having a field day!

How do you like that! I think I finally found where I was headed! I hope others came with me. Let me condense the mass of gobbledygook that went before into something possibly worthy of understanding. Humanity is part of an environment. We can even play the word games again and say “Humanity is part of THE environment”. In order to hold off entropy for as long as possible this environment that is the essence of all our ecosystems must maintain balance. Thus we have a choice. As humans with the ability of economy we can most effect the balance. Do we work towards maintaining the balance? This choice is the most unselfish and is the most beneficial to all ecosystems (whatever labels we choose to call them by). Do we push everything towards consumables? I personally do not see any ultimate benefit for this choice, but what do I know? Or do we take the most selfish route and focus on the consumers? In the short term it may be the most comfortable (at least for the top consumers), but it might actually be the most destructive path, ensuring a quick end for many ecosystems. Which path do we choose?

As with truth, morality is in the heart of the beholder. I cannot tell anybody what is right or what is wrong. I only hope to offer my understanding of what is. If my gift is accepted, then maybe others will make the same choices that I have made. And if enough others make the same choices maybe these many ecosystems will achieve the reality that I would like to see. Are my choices the right choices? In my mind/heart yes. But I am just one. I cannot compel, but I can hope. If anyone has managed to stick it with me right to the end I hope you enjoyed the ride. I hope I was able to impart some understanding. I hope.

Choose well![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post The Road to Entropy first appeared on thrumyeyes.

If this crazy project of mine ever has a chance of working, it will need more than just human resources ( though I am still struggling to get those as well), but material resources as well. Even a virtual nation will need commerce of some sort to survive … until humanity changes its views on material wealth. I am barely in a position to support myself financially, let alone a build a theoretic nation of unknown size. So it seems prudent that I actually spend some of my time actually earning some money. Me being me, I could not just go with some traditional job, so I sought out something that, to me at least, is in keeping with my personal goals. I have found something along those lines, and am now in the process of trying to make it into something viable. To that end, I am spreading the word wherever I can. Hopefully, the combined efforts will someday bear fruit worthy of the effort.

That said, I would like to introduce my newest project, It all starts with the body. I have said many times that the way to a healthy world starts with a healthy self.  In a holistic view of health, this means a healthy physical body, a healthy mind, and a healthy soul. We cannot forget the basics, so the starting point is simple physical health. From that we can start changing the world. Please visit my new site, and if you find that it speaks to you in any way, well we can go from there. If not, I still welcome other resources to make this project grow :D[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/12″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The post Building blocks first appeared on thrumyeyes.