want to join a new "change the world" web group?

Thanks to my friends in the Network of Spiritual Progressives [NSP], the new name and wider network than the old name Tikkun Community could handle, or be understood quickly, given its wonderful but mysterious Hebrew word Tikkun, part of the powerful phrase Tikkun Olam which Jews use to describe what God does and we are called to join in: Heal [or Transform] the World, I am now signed up as at least a tentative new member of another online network, which you may want to explore also: www.zaadz.com which uses the less mysterious Dutch word for Seeds = Zaadz.
You can also explore www.tikkun.org and www.nsp.org to learn more about the Network that was born in the 1,500 person gathering at the UC Berkeley campus in the summer of 2005, upon Lerner and Co's invitation with folks like Jim Wallis of Sojourners, Sister Joan Chittester, retired leader of progressive nuns, Cornell West at Princeton, and formerly Harvard and Yale [with whom I once enjoyed getting arrested in New Haven along with our Supt. of Schools, many other clergy, etc. in a protest demonstration trying to get Yale to stop investing in apartheid-plagued South Africa] and many other progressive folks.
The Zaadz folks sound a bit like Buddhists, somewhat New Age, and quite a bit like SiliconValley folks, who hope to make a profit from this venture, but also change the world, healing it and ourselves in the process, and they sound very much like Rabbi Michael Lerner in their Conscious Capitalism talk. He uses New Bottom Line [no longer mainly Profit and Power, but much more Generosity, Compassion, Sharing and Social Responsibility; Caring about one another as members of the worldwide human family....] and Global Marshall Plan as the first priority for US politics, replacine War on Terror, or US against the Evil Axis, whatever the latest mumbo jumbo from the White House is, with all their talk about Liberty and Freedom borrowed from Orwell's 1984, meaning let us run the world while you keep silent and obedient to our Empire building, and we all enjoy "freedom" to step on one another in Savage Capitalism's pyramid of a few wealthy and powerful folks on top, running things and getting most of the benefits of an economic and political system that sucks labor and oxygen out of the rest of us who mostly dwell at the bottom of the pyramid, and get very little of the benefits of being part of the Human Family, Children of God, or however we name ourselves and understand ourselves.
It is also part of George Lacock's insight to the two understandings of human "family": one that is dominated by a Stern Father [ruler, king, Boss] - the early Hebrew Torah /Old Testament vision of God before the 23rd Psalm, and the 8th century BCE Hebrew Prophets started their work, giving us the progressive vision of a loving, compassionate Nurturing Parent whom Jesus called Abba, Daddy, but is much more a Mother God in my imagination, and in the minds of a lot of feminist theologians.
But let me stop trying to explain my take on Zaadz.com and quote the CEO himself, Brian:


Welcome! Let's Change the World.

This is Brian, your friendly Philosopher & CEO here at Zaadz. On behalf of our entire team, I’d like to welcome you to our little Oasis on the web. Thrilled you’ve found us. Here’s a quick intro to what we’re up to:

Our Name. We’ll start with the name. zaad. It’s Dutch for “seed.” Amazing how much potential is in a tiny seed, eh? We think so, too. That power reminds us of the amazing potential within each of us. We thought the idea of creating a company that inspires and empowers you to bring your “seed” to actualization would be pretty powerful. So, we created “Zaadz.”

Our Mission. We’re gonna change the world. Our math goes like this: you be the change + you follow your bliss + you give your greatest strengths to the world moment to moment to moment + we do everything in our power to help you succeed + you inspire and empower everyone you know to do the same + we team up with millions like us = we just affected billions = we (together) changed the world.

Our Plan. Ours involves Conscious Capitalism infused with Spirituality and a healthy dose of Enthusiasm, Love, Service, Inspiration, Passion, Humor and Teamwork. People CRAZY enough to think they can change the world, Courageous enough to do something about it, AND Committed enough to stick to it when they feel like giving up.

We’re in the process of building THE most inspired community of people in the world…social networking with a purpose, a community of seekers and conscious entrepreneurs circulating wisdom and inspiration and wealth and all that good stuff. We’re passionate about inspiring and empowering people to bring their dreams to life, learning and growing and getting paid to do what they love, using their greatest gifts in the greatest service to the world. (And having fun in the process!)

Our Community. You (& Your Friends). Yes, you. You want more than the 9-5, the house and the car, the conditioning. The blah! Life is to be lived - Fully. In spirit. In love. In service. In celebration. (You’ve already swallowed the red pill, so let’s go…)

Us. A community of Leaders, Visionaries, Thinkers, Artists, Writers,
Healers, Teachers, Conscious Entrepreneurs, and Many (many!) Others. People
of many ages (from 12 to 90), many nationalities, from different countries
(over 110!) and different backgrounds. Some already making huge differences
in thousands of lives, others working to make a difference starting with themselves.

We’re thrilled you’ve joined us so early on and are excited to change the world together.

Namaste,

Brian Johnson, Philosopher & CEO

“In the faces of men and women I see God.”
~ Walt Whitman from Leaves of Grass

All you need to do next is take a look at www.zaadz.com, and tikkun.org and nsp.org. Then let us know using the Comments boxes here, telling us what you think and what you learn and want to share with us.