View source for Purpose, Mission and Vision

== Why "One House"? What is "e-Pangea"? ==
One House or more accurately, ''1 Ouse'', is what many of my local friends in Sierra Leone use to say when we jammed together as they taught me to play the djembe (pronounced jem-beh). They engraved this artistically on the djembe that we made together while I was living there. They were referred to as "the beach boys" by many upper and middle-upper class expats who feared them, considering them local robbers and trouble-makers. 

Most of these young men had ended up on the beach, cleaning it every Sunday in exchange for a place to stay and live, too ashamed to return to their mothers back in their native countries after having failed to acquire some financial gains that they had sought after in these foreign lands - story of so many all over the world, told in various ways and structures, but all with the same heartaches, challenges and objectives; to make mom or dad <or insert loved one here> happy and proud.

The word ''ePangea'' was selected to represent the idea of global unity, and again, was available at the time of registration. I've concocted numerous names in the past such as [https://epolaris.epangea.top/ ePolaris], HumanCurriculum, LifeManagementBodyOfKnowledge or LMBoK, LilBlueMarble, ePolaris (and even, though less polite, How to Train a Human). Some were new back in the day but are now in use for other purposes; some were already being used for other purposes; some were just, inappropriate I suppose.

== The Vision ==
Reinvent our reality. It's not that difficult. We just need to do it.

== The Mission ==
Design a blueprint for an alternate reality based on everyone's vote - a reinvented vote, that is your voice; your thoughts; your opinions. 

We then put together transition plans for each part of the blueprint to move us safely and seamlessly from the status quo to our new humane way of living.

Once we're fully transitioned, we pile up all the national (and highly divisive) flags that have ever existed and make a nice United E-Pangea embroidery with them - no more governments, politicians, borders, visas, immigrants, environmental carelessness, and eventually, lack of access to quality learning and development, lack of commonality in sense, and eventually, homelessness, poverty, malnutrition and eventually <your thoughts here>; this list can be endless and it is completely up to us to design it however we see fit! 

It all begins with a dialogue.

If we prefer, we can always continue doing it the old fashioned way. You know, via wars and destruction and misery and deception; all that not-so-funky jazz.

== The Purpose - A Short History... ==
As I write this journal entry on the final day (30th) of the ninth month (September) in 2023, well-respected media outlets such as the BBC are discussing how Discovering Alien Lifeform is Now, Only a Matter of Time!; how Unlimited Energy through Nuclear Fusion is Now, Achievable; and how Superconductivity, or frictionless energy transfer Is possible. We have had countless renowned scientists and psychologists - and these include Abraham Maslow, who is relentlessly referenced all around the world for his intuitive and practically self-evident Hierarchy of Needs - confirm that humans are either neutral or kind in nature - Not violent or evil. We have statisticians such as Hans Rosling who have studied human advancement for decades and published books such as Factfulness to contrast and show just how innovative and capable humans have been, and continue to Be, today. 

I have yet to see a culture that does not teach its kids not to judge a book by its cover, or that it's what's inside that counts. That we should try walking a mile in a person's shoes before judging them. Yet, for various and perhaps valid reasons, many academics, intellectuals, blue collar, white collar, entrepreneurs, retirees, or even teenagers whom I've met around the world, are often quick to tell me how humans are greedy, or selfish, or evil, or lazy, or incapable, or... everything but "good". They tell me that people can be strange and are to be feared. They tell me how this very endeavour, this dialogue, is and idealist and utopian dream. On the other hand, the very few who Do believe in people's kindness and potential, they - perhaps accurately - believe that our leaders and those in current positions of power, wealth and influence will do all that they can to destroy this movement, to keep this simple idea from flourishing.

I have yet to meet a purely evil person who is out to kill or do anything harmful without (subjective) rational grounds that stem from the (irrational) structure(s) of our many societies existing as We accept them today. This may sound naiive, but I would like to humbly consider how being born in war-torn Lebanon (10yrs), raised in Canada (25yrs), moving to West Africa and East Asia(10yrs), and having studied and worked in a multitude of capacities with people of all ages, backgrounds, skillsets and 'classes' (30yrs), should at least give me some idea of how things seem to work on the various grounds I've set foot on. 

So the (seemingly impossible) idea here, is to reduce the (purposely constructed?) complexities of our world into a prosperous global reality that we all envision together. In other words, this platform was built to facilitate worldwide constructive and collaborative dialogue to help us reinvent how we live on this earth - reinvent our reality. Everyone needs to take part. Everyone's Vote, that is to say, everyone's Voice, is not only welcome but necessary; if we're to draw out a blueprint that can satisfy everyone's immediate needs and perhaps even, dare I suggest, future desires. No more ballots full of other people's names. It's your name and your voice that matter.

If this sounds like science fiction, it is not. If it sounds meaningless, I would argue that there is nothing more meaningful at the moment if we wish to have any chance at survival as a species. We have scientists such as Neil Tyson underlining the need for global cooperation in producing the next wave of energy sources, ensuring its accessibility to everyone and not only to a certain power and its allies, if we are to have any chance at surviving climate change - whether you believe in its impacts or not. We have historians such as Yuval Harari, author of Sapiens and Homo Deus, warning the world about how AI could drastically morph the current balance of power if it is developed privately, underlining the need for global cooperation if we are to stand a chance. We have respectable mathematicians who define themselves as Doomers, suggesting that the survival of our species is well past its threshold; that we're likely to drive ourselves extinct through one of many possible outcomes, which not only include the common topics such as Global Warming and Nuclear War, but also the less discussed and much more likely outcomes relating to superbugs and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Our current answers to these global challenges include wealthy institutions such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) working on changes such as the Great Reset which aim to supersede governmental agency and independence and centralizing ultimate control, and therefore power, in unelected corporate hands. We have individuals such as Jordan Peterson attempting to face these challenges by creating his own group of intellectuals to identify the changes needed to make this world a better place. Of course, by definition, such small pockets of people are no different or are comparable to the WEF and their endeavours - a small group of people trying to solve everyone's problems based on their limited perceptions (no offense intended here as all intentions to do good are welcome, but the approach is limited by definition as such a conversation is in itself limited to the 2000 handpicked participants, selected by Dr Peterson and his entourage).

One can ask where the governments come into play, but it seems their priorities have very limited and self-centered scopes placing their own economical benefits above international and environmental interests. When I ask diplomats what their missions are, the answers have often (without exception, really) been limited to international trade agreements. It's as though local economies trump all other interests, which as historical trends have shown time and time again, inherently nurtures incentives that distort the balance of all things and generate endless harmful environmental and societal outcomes for the benefit of profit and capital gain. Such harm include the obvious green house emissions, as well as indirect or covert "civilized slavery", as my driver in Sierra Leone dubbed it when he and I compared my (supposed) "rich" Canadian life with his own, back in early 2013. I'll spare you the details but happy to share the breakdown of our conversation if interested. 

It's not too difficult reason, define or even recognize such a new age slavery system if we take a close look at the intricacies of our world today. Our visa systems and movement restrictions are discriminatory at best and inhumane at worst. Limited (andor expensive) access to quality education (and healthcare) are rampant throughout the (so-called) developed and developing nations, which happen to make up the majority of our world. Local currency devaluations and market inflations are worsening on all continents, from Venezuela and Argentina to Canada to South Africa to Lebanon to New Zealand. Forced instabilities and frictions have existed ever since the world was colonized and divided arbitrarily by imaginary lines placed by foreigners standing at a remote office and staring down at a drawing which eventually became an officially accepted map. 

To add to this unnecessary divide and facilitate conquests, our very own public tax money is redirected to private pockets, where military toys and weapons are put together and then given back to the general population. Each neighbour then goes out murdering its neighbouring population using these toys, built by our own public money, while private corporations sit back and enjoy the show as they enrich themselves through engineered fear, hate and divide. If that wasn't bad enough, our (their?) leaders are given further power, again using our public tax money, to the point where a single individual can wipe out an entire population at the push of a button. Whether this button launches nuclear warheads or AI-powered technology doesn't really matter anymore. The fact that we not only allow it to happen but actually fund it, should be an obvious question that we should all be asking ourselves! Especially when we have obvious failsafes discussed long ago. Isaac Asimov suggested almost 7 decades ago three simple laws of robotics to ensure our innovations don't turn on us. Yet here we are, funding our governments to continue doing the exact opposite of what these laws demand.

Isn't it time we do something? Isn't it time for a change? Yes, it is possible. We just need to talk it out. Together. All of us. Right here. Right now. Once we have a blueprint of what we envision - what we all want - then we can easily start mapping out transition plans to get ourselves there. It's not impossible. It's actually quite easy. We just need to stop fearing, stop hating, stop shooting - and instead, start talking to one another.

What other option do we have, really. I can't think of one other than continue to follow, continue to do as we're told, and eventually, go extinct.

=== Change is Easy Once it Can be Imagined (Purpose v2 - A longer history, in the form of a rant) ===

What is the purpose of our complicated national andor governmental structures?

When was the last time you had a terrorist knocking on your own personal door? When was the last time you had an elected representative lie to your people? The answer to the first question will almost certainly be never, and I think we all know the answer to the second. 

Regardless what we answer to either question however, what exactly IS the purpose of a nation these days? Is it to represent a culture? Very unlikely as there are few states left that are absolutely homogenous in nature, down to every detail. 

Take Lebanon for instance, a tiny little country of 10,000km2 or the size of Prince Edward Island - the smallest province in Canada about which most foreigners I've met have never heard - was made up of 18 different minorities throughout the majority of my 4+ decades of being alive. The northerners and the southerners are polar opposites, with varying religious, linguistic, and artistic pockets scattered everywhere in between. 

Canada, the second largest nation in the world, has two official languages but there are serious talks of adding a third and fourth language, not to mention all the native and immigrant tongues that are also rich in their own artistic manners themselves.

It seems to be bordering on the absurd if such an entire collective were to classified as a single culture, or people, or religion or, pretty much anything else besides the term itself, 'nation'.

So then, again, what is a nation? Is it simply its governing body? Its currency? Its flag? What's the point of having any of these if they don't mean anything for the entire population? Government was put in place to serve shared public needs, hence the term public service. Weird how it seems to be ran by people who are wealthier than the masses and sure don't appear anything like 'servants'.

Currency was just one approach to value exchange, which has proven to be highly inefficient. The value of your hourly labour depends on where a baby is born on the planet? How does that make any sense? The constant inflation (almost everywhere these days) is a commonly justified phenomena, as if it were the natural effect or outcome of a healthy economy. 

Well, some economists have dared to suggest that it really isn't anything other than a purposely implemented hidden tax against the mass populations, forcing a devaluation of any small amounts of savings a middle to lower class citizen may be trying to hold on to for too long a period of time. 

Banks only take small currency exchange and administrative fees but they're here to help you borrow whatever you need to build up with nothing. Just don't forget that 95% of new businesses fail within their first year.

The flag, well, it's a symbol of unity and something to die for of course, but unity in what? Nationalism? Patriotism? Die for country? Defend our freedom? From whom exactly? Who - or what - are we dying for, and exactly how is this such an honorable thing to do? Charlie Chaplin in the Great Dictator gives a moving speech for soldiers everywhere. I know my retired military friend is certainly on the fence these days wondering whether he had spent his entire life fighting for the wrong causes.

Maybe it's that when all of these are put together, they may represent our constitution, our laws and our freedoms! Well, then if two nations shared the same constitution, laws and/or freedoms, wouldn't it make sense for them to be part of the same body or entity? Isn't there power in unity? Is that what the EU or the USA is all about? 

So this is it then. A shared constitution and legislation, which together dictate our rights and our duties - a shared vision of a citizen's freedom. What's all the fuss about religious freedoms then and why are there so many arguments about gun laws in the USA? Abortions, marijuana, magic mushrooms? Why are tobacco, alcohol and sugar legal everywhere in developed nations were various less harmful drugs such as marijuana are illegal - or were, only until very recently?

Our tax money pays for our infrastructure and so anyone who uses it should contribute to this "shared tax collection basket" - Revenue Canada or its equivalent in the US, the IRS. So our nation is really the need to protect our own collective interest and investment in our infrastructure! Well that finally makes perfect sense. What if we changed the way we paid our taxes though? What if we abolished income tax and made companies pay taxes on behalf of employees? Revolutionary! Not quite. China, of all places, has been doing just that for quite some time. Successfully. Not sure Big Corp will be too keen, but hey, Bernie isn't likely to return to the polls anytime soon.

Speaking of Bernie, what's the point of electing someone to represent us under such ill-defined nations? Are we that incapacitated that we can't represent ourselves? Do we have that little faith in ourselves? Or is it always 'the others' we fear are too stupid or untrustworthy? Them over there, the ones that can't sign their names on the paper, they could never join a political dialogue. Right. Could they give their opinion on a clearly stated situation, question or concern? Cause, what else do they need to do? Is that not what votes are used for, to elect someone to be their voice? To speak on their behalf, because the citizen cannot or because we can't have 7 billion people talking about solutions. Or can we? Well, what if there was something like the internet that allowed everyone everywhere to do just that - to have a civil, constructive dialogue about our needs? You know, all that supposedly complicated stuff that all our politicians and diplomats are TRUSTED with, but with no success over the past, oh, century or two? Maybe it's high time we reinvent the concept of a vote, together: YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VERY VOICE ON WHATEVER TOPIC WE DECIDE MATTERS.

WELCOME, TO OUR NEW REALITY - ONE THAT WE CAN BUILD TOGETHER! ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS HAVE AN OPEN DIALOGUE ON WHAT WE ALL NEED SO THAT WE CAN BEST DESIGN A BORDERLESS PEACEFUL WORLD THAT LEAVES EVERYONE HAPPY. EVERYONE. EVERYWHERE. NO EXCEPTIONS.

I know we can do this. All we have to do is participate in this exchange until we have ourselves a blueprint of where we want to go - what do we want our world to look like? Once we've really included all community pockets everywhere, and covered all our human needs within this single shared earthly environment, then we can start mapping out transition plans so we can migrate and cutover to the desired life we want for us and our children.

Nothing can stop us from doing this, except ourselves - if we don't believe we can do this, we won't. Let's try to practice what we teach our children for once. That there's power in unity. That we shouldn't judge a book by its cover. That we should love and forgive one another. That we should treat others the way we want to be treated. Anything else that you would like to add to this list?

We got this. I know we can do this. We, got this.

=== What’s the alternative to this seemingly mad, and arguably ignorant, “Let’s all hold hands and sing kumbaya” proposal? === 
Well let’s just for a moment imagine there once existed something we called gladiator-states (modern day nations). These gladiators primarily competed for economic growth, asset acquisition, military might, property and land ownership and control. The stronger the state was in these terms (often quantified by a simple layman term such as “economy good” or “economy bad”, or perhaps by a single indicator such as their GDP), then the more comfortable a living standard and quality of life its leaders (slave masters?), citizens (local slaves?), and groupies (expats?) got to live. The worst off the economy, the worst off the quality of life, at least for its common citizens (..not slaves?). Each gladiator state comes with its own brand logo (flag) and team chant (national hymn). Each team uses a slice of its collected contributions (taxes) and forced donations (hidden taxes such as inflation or some awareness-based debt that often seems to trickle back down to the… common citizen to pay). Lines are drawn amongst gladiators and amongst members everywhere, ensuring that no gladiator nor any part of a gladiator state ever become too unified and strong. There can always be a reason to compete (run into conflict).

At times, an initiative might be spawned, with the attempt to take care of all gladiator members’ health using their collected contributions, but then some of these same members might complain about how they shouldn’t pay for other people’s well-being and convince everyone not to use the collections for such a (public) service. Some have said that the prosperity of a nation is reflected in its ability to treat its weakest members. How can that ever be achieved if each individual is solely looking out for themselves and their own interests with no care for the community? Mathematically, that goal (caring for the weakest) seems clearly unattainable with such a mindset (me first individualistic mentality). Perhaps some may fairly ask why they should we care about others who don’t work as hard as them? The question I would then have is, has everyone been given caring, attentive and loving parenting in their first 2yrs since their birth? How about the safe learning spaces conducive to positive cognitive development? Is the world really fair to begin with to judge others for what they do, without knowing anything about what has made them who they are?

When it comes to military investments, the gladiator state does not hesitate for a moment to invest in such research and development without any real challenge from the members. They take from the (publicly) collected contributions and place them in (private) military toymaker pockets. These toys make the gladiator state leaders (slave masters?) so strong, that a single leader can at a whim erase an entire region and its members from existence. Side benefit, they develop and distribute military toys that they then give back to the common citizen, so that they can go fight members of another gladiator state in the name of honor, patriotism and a flag. They are defending their fellow citizens and their families from these other scary neighbouring gladiators. They speak different languages and eat different foods and sing different tunes and dress funnily and act without etiquette; and so we should make fun of them, and also, remain alert and fearful of them; well because, though we can have trade agreements with them to improve our economy today, we may have to fight them tomorrow; Us vs Them.

What if these gladiators had invested all of their military budgets in making learning fun, and interesting, and enlightening, and empowering? That would be spending (public) collected contributions back on the citizens who primarily contributed this money. Would not doing the same thing with healthcare just as much sense, regardless of the variances between individual needs? What if all gladiator state members had embraced neighbouring cultures all along as opposed to fearing them, perhaps learned their language so that they could communicate better and understand one another; discussing their way through conflicts rather than battling it out? All sharing in their knowledge and understanding so they can all learn more from one another and take better care of their health and growth overall? Alternatively, we can accept that both parents will likely need to work only to (try to) ensure the future security and safety of their children, by contributing a large portion of their earnings on (low quality) education and healthcare, with the dangling carrot of a dream that is to make their kids’ lives better than their own.

I can't help but wonder if I could possibly lose my citizenship and passport for writing such a text; whether this may be considered the equivalent of blasphemy in a church setting, or worse, high treason and unworthy of the queen or king now or whomever slave master I apparently might belong to now days? One can only wonder just how free I am to speak under the Freedom of Speech act, if I'm not engaging in defamation, libel or conspiracy - none of which I aim to encourage. I simply care to empower everyone who is currently alive by promoting the idea that we we all need access to living, learning, growing, communicating and collaborating.