Honor is a distinct human emotion, although it’s not yet been named as one. It’s part of our inner compass that is squashed
in a world of hierarchical institutions. Our leaders play upon our starvation for this emotion when they tell us that the other side is “evil.”

Having direct, ongoing and lasting access and control of this emotion can empower you to stay steadfast in your commitments to create
a better life, a better world.

When you FEEL this inner force, you

- have nothing to prove,
- react to nothing and no one,
- have no doubt about your path or purpose,
- are completely fulfilled, nothing missing,
- feel one with god/universe/life/nature,
- have unlimited access to love as your source
of courage
- naturally become more conscious and awake,
- inspire others to open their hearts,
- and much more.

Today, we talked about how social conditioning has left us without Honor as a powerful emotion, and how we now compromise ourselves and suffer
silently as result. (and what we can do to regain this source of courage, power and love)

Listen to the complete audio to get a good grasp of this natural force within you.

You’ll also hear how we tap into this force at our VisionForce Boot Camps. At this posting, there are still some seats available for
the November BOOT CAMP for world-changing parents, teachers, leaders, entrepreneurs, artists… and YOU!

Register here: http://www.visionforce.com/bootcamp


MP3 File

http://revolution.zaadz.com/blog/2007/10/shawn_maddens_visionary_journey

A young visionary in Hawaii has a vision of a green, sustainable, conscious community that can be a beacon for other communities around the world. Imagine–communities that work for everyone and with everyone. Is it possible? Many believe that our global community will only heal itself when we first ascribe to a local cohesiveness that bridges divisiveness at home in our families and local communities. From that foundation, many believe, we can build a world that really works… but will it work?

Recently, one such community has emerged as an example of such a vision, showing what is possible when people unite with a common vision to create sustainable and evolving communities that work for and with everyone.

Keith Kavisic, a recent VisionForce Boot Camp graduate (pictured playing his guitar at the Boot Camp Dinner of Honor (and, yes, that’s sparkling cider!)) is spearheading a project in Hawaii known as The Green Source Community. “We are committed to creating this project into a blueprint for community cohesion, cultural appreciation, social responsibility and local economic development,” states Keith. “You are that change you see in the world! Evolution starts here.”

So what does Keith have to say about his experience with VisionForce, “VisionForce broke through the glass ceiling that I had been tapping at for years! Unlocking the tools necessary to walk with honor in every step of life…In addition, this connection provided a team of visionaries for life to move forward in our collective stand for humanity!…If we all live to these standards we begin to change the world instantly! Through the bold actions taken immediately after attending [Boot Camp] I see the light at the end of the change and know that I am and will stand in the face of everything for humanity! As a community leader in Hawaii, I will take these tools and utilize the resources to put sustainable models of economic development and incorporate the sacredness into the infrastructure of life.”

The more Keith and those in the Green Source Community stand for their vision, the more they find themselves living in the vision and the more the vision becomes reality. Rising up to “be the change” is often not an easy task to undertake. As Keith said, however, “I see the light at the end of the change.” Oftentimes when we step out to walk the journey of our vision we step out with nothing more than faith in ourselves and our vision, and trust that we shall see the day where our vision comes into fruition as Keith’s has.

“We are always looking to join forces with all of you visionaries and creators standing for humanity,” says Keith. “If you would like to come to Hawai’i and Stand with us as we create GreenSource and Globe Oasis this community model of sustainable change, contact us.”

If you are interested in Keith’s project or would like to support the Green Source Community, you can visit him on zaadz and learn more about the Community and Keith.

At one of our Boot Camps for world changers in 2004, a young Turkish man realized he stood for social justice. He would go on to describe it as far more than an intellectual insight–it was a deeply emotional, physical and spiritual realization for him. Through his being, he felt called to stand for social justice, and a vision was born.

Within months after that event, he founded 20/20 MultiMedia and began sharing his vision for giving a voice to conscious hip hop artists, who could use their medium for positive change. A few years later, a feature-length documentary starring some of the biggest names in hip hop is about to be released internationally–it’s a visionary film with a powerful message and a call for hip hop artists to stand and own their power to bring about positive change.

This man’s name is Emjed Hammas, his company is 20/20 MultiMedia, and his film is Business As Usual: The Exploitation of Hip Hop. Check out his web site here: www.2020multimedia.net The trailer for the documentary can be found under ‘Projects.’

Positive revolutionaries, authors, musicians, change agents, educators, artists, activists, entrepreneurs, parents, students, CEOs–those who attend Boot Camp tend to become so deeply connected to their values, that they take a stand for what matters most. And a vision is born–a vision, which calls them into heroic action, a vision which demands their personal evolution. They become shaped by their stand and their vision, and their relationships, companies and communities are transformed.

The world needs visionaries now. VisionForce, through our One Million Visionaries campaign, is searching for the most impassioned, conscious agents of change we can find to attend our upcoming “boot camp for world changers” in Austin, TX, July 18-22. Those who are ready to face everything and avoid nothing to stand for humanity for 5 days should apply.

Scholarships are available through our portal on Zaadz.

Many visionary Zaadzsters showed up to our March 2007 Vision Force Boot Camp for visionary change agents to kick start our One Million Visionaries campaign!  Pictured above are some of the crew.  (notice the Zaadz Tees being sported by Keith, Mary and Ronin. 

Other Zaadzsters pictured are Deborah, Joseph, Jordan, Shawn, Audrey, Carl, Brandi, Michael, John, Jim, Tom, Koray, Margalo, OT, myself, and… who am I missing?

Zaadzsters in attendance not pictured include Michael, …

For more photos from this Boot Camp, go here.

1- We’ve witnessed the success of our project in Uganda with young visionary, Clovis Ategeka, who has been changing the world, largely due to his ability to access the internet, and thus Vision Force, Zaadz, etc.

2 – The school we visited in Ngong Kenya has no internet access, and it has been difficult to follow up with the students there, who were so inspired by the Vision Force work, and wanted to continue to develop themselves as visionaries and entrepreneurs. The plan they created when we were there was to start an internet cafe there on campus, and since then they’ve received several new computers… but still have no internet access.

3 – Morris Thuku, a Kenyan visionary, who started an institute of technology for street kids in a small village outside of Nairobe has a vision to raise youth and communities throughout Africa from poverty by training them in computer repair, maintenance, etc. Most all African homes do not have computers yet, so his students are positioning themselves for wealth… but Morris lacks the kind of funding that has come so easily to Clovis through his access to a global community.

Clovis has a vision of spreading Vision Cafes throughout Africa, as a way of connecting people to the global community and all of the resources and opportunities that come with it. The internet creates opportunities to raise funding, make money, save money, get educated, find business partners, collaborate with a global community, etc. But the beauty of this vision doesn’t stop with the advantages of internet access. Clovis sees these cafes as a way to educate and train people to be visionaries, leaders and entrepreneurs. Both the tribal and colonial culture contexts are very authoritarian and lacking in entrepreneurial and visionary concepts and conversations.

Clovis sees his Vision Cafes bringing everything the internet has to offer, as well as everything the west has to offer regarding entrepreneurship and advanced ways of thinking as a conscious being and visionary.

The bottleneck is internet access. In East Africa it’s outrageously expensive, and so at first glance it does not seem feasible to spread these Vision Cafes throughout Africa. But there is a bigger vision here, that once seen could easily inspire many organizations and individuals to invest their time and resources in the cause. Clovis, through his Vision Cafe in Kampala, is not merely providing jobs and adding value to the community. He is in essence, “creating creators.” It is one thing to fish, it’s another to teach someone how to fish–and quite another thing to teach someone how to be a visionary entrepreneur and create a business… or better yet, teach someone how to be a visionary entrepreneur who teaches others how to do the same. That’s what Clovis is up to. He wants to train others to train others, and thus open up all of Africa to unimaginable opportunity.

Democracy and capitalism are very new in many parts of Africa, and still only a dream in others. In Kenya, when I visited last year, I could feel an energy in the air… people were actively engaged in politics, not resigned and cynical as so many of us seem to be in the West. Kenya only gained freedom from Britain about 40 years ago through a violent revolution. Everything is still new, everything is possible. And the youth… so many told me they were going to be president one day. Yet, the colonial and tribal cultures there silence the youth in many respects. There seemed to be a consensus among Kenyans 40 and under that they’d never be listened to until they were at least 45 years old. This, even though so many Kenyans are known for their oratory skills (so many we met spoke like Senator Obama, whose father was Kenyan–or even more eloquently). The youth we met were incredibly bright, incredibly spirited, well-spoken and authentic. The only things that seemed to be missing for these young leaders to have the power to bring their visions into reality was 1) lack of access to technology, and 2) lack of entrepreneurial/visionary contexts.

Enter Clovis and his Vision Cafes, where he not only connects the youth to the world wibe web, but he liberates them from the conditioning which keeps them silent. The Vision Force concepts and work are incredibly powerful in this regard. Vision Force technology was not created from within the context of existing structures, and thus does not teach people how to be successful within the system. No, it encourages and empowers independent, creative thought, entrepreneurial thought. It’s most powerful for those willing to step outside the existing structures and create something new. It’s very liberating and refreshing for many who’ve grown up inside the heavily authoritarian cultural contexts in Africa. Perhaps this is why some come from 6 hours away to attend Clovis’ Vision Force workshops. Clovis is not just bringing hope, he’s bringing vision and everything that comes with it.

Kampala is ready. Kenya is ready. Could these Vision Cafes be an idea whose time has come?

How will we find the funds and resources to bring these internet learning centers into existence? Well, just ask Clovis, who through investing himself in the Vision Force 101 program, has been able to articulate his stand and his vision in such a way that he’s inspiring people from around the world to collaborate with him. One man, Michael Blomsterberg, and fellow Zaadzster (member of the Zaadz community), was so inspired that he has organized a trip for 12 to Kampala this summer, and plans to bring 10-20 computers for Clovis’ Vision Cafe. Other Zaadzsters and friends of Michael’s have joined in, and are doing what they can to support Clovis and his vision.

We at Vision Force along with generous Zaadz members have just recently raised $3,400 to get Clovis’ Vision Cafe wired with high-speed internet access. Some 80+ people from around the world were inspired to contribute. Others have purchased and sent Visionary Mind packages to Clovis. And the story goes on…

Vision Cafes throughout the 3rd world… supporting One Million Visionaries just like Clovis… can we really change the world? Do we even have a glimpse of how quickly we could create a world that really works for everyone? Organizations and individuals alike are already stepping forward to join forces in manifesting this vision. It’s not a Vision Force thing. It’s much bigger than that. It’s simply time.

We wish to acknowledge and thank every single person and organization that has chosen to stand with and for Clovis and all our African visionary friends. This is just the beginning! Together we really can create a future where all people are honored as creative, conscious beings… a world where we’re free inside and outside to live powerfully, and where it’s just natural to do so… a world where our best efforts go to collaborate creating a world that works for all, rather than fighting to enforce our individual views on others…

There are some exciting new developments in what’s next for Clovis, so stay tuned.

Clovis’ story sparked the One Million Visionaries campaign here at VisionForce, where we’re now asking, “What if we could empower one million visionaries like Clovis around the world–as fast as possible, and for as little money as possible?” The next chapter in that story happens March 21-25 at the special boot camp we organized for 30 inspiring change agents from around the world. The application process is over, the event is full, and they’re 3 weeks away from arriving here in Austin.

My Kenyan friend on the call right now, Morris Thuku, upon returning to Kenya after receiving an education here in the U.S., decided to build an academy to teach street kids in the village where he grew up. Morris is a visionary with an indominatable spirit. He’s teaching his young people about information technology and giving them the skills that will allow them to make a better life for themselves and even create wealth in their community. His vision is to bring such training to youth throughout Africa. I hope to hold an audio interview with him in the near future and make it available here.

Our young Vision Force friends in Uganda have been able to attract and gain the support of a global community on Zaadz, and have raised thousands of dollars over the past few months for their projects. Morris, however, has very little exposure, as he must travel an hour just to access the Internet. Our emerging One Million Visionaries campaign will give us a way to unite and empower all of these visionaries from around the world. That campaign, of course, is being kick-started at our upcoming boot camp in March, where a constellation of visionaries from around the world will gather to evolve themselves in ways that will facilitate evolution in the communities they serve.

I find Michael Strong’s writings at FLOW are always inspiring. As I see it, Michael is helping to debunk what I see are longstanding myths, such as it is governments that possess the most power to bring about positive change in the world.

We see it so often. Someone becomes impassioned about a cause, and immediately they turn to the government in hopes that a new law or regulation will enforce the positive change they seek. Eventually, such change agents tend to become resigned and cynical, as they witness goverments, especially democratic governments, operate via compromise. Still, political battles are exciting and a source of energy for many change agents, who although they see little forward progress from their government, enjoy the stimulataion of the competitive, political arena.

While we do need visionaries in politics, who can revolutionize our systems in a way that really works, the sad reality is that many brilliant, passionate change agents and would-be visionaries become bogged down in the political quagmire, and gradually devolve into positionary thinking. Postionary thinking makes them less and less compassionate, courageous and able to think in a visionary way, and they gradually become more a part of the problem than a part of the solution. FLOW is calling such change agents to step forward and “criticize by creating.” For we can bring about the positive change we seek in the world, and we have more power to do this outside of the political arena than we realize.

I recommend that individuals who notice their spirit and vision being sucked into the downward spiral of positionary thinking, 1) enroll in the Visionary Mind Shifts course (free), and 2) start reading Michael Strong’s writings at FLOW.

Those wishing to discuss FLOW ideas, should join their community at Zaadz.