How do we pump up the energy in here?

[MetroPunk]

any suggestions on how to keep OSI alive? Most people interested in these topics are interacting at GAIA, but i don't think we want to lose OSI as a possible "space" to grow Integral...

who knows, any suggestions?

[zachary samuel krueck]

i've been reading integral here and there for over ayear and am new to this site. i have never talke integral face to face with anyone because i dont know anyone so maybe some of what i say may be off base but thhese are some things ive been thinking about. mainly, how to apply integral to third world countries. i usually think of jamaica (are they third world?) because i enjoy reggae, the spirit of the people, and thetropical atmosphere. im not going to focus much on the political aspect as don beck can take care of that. first of all let me start by saying that people like buddha and jesus (and haile sellassie as the jamicans believe) were ultimate integral to say the least. they could live anywhere and be content including a tribal society. one of the dangers of integral, and philosophy in general, i believe is that it can for some become an end unto itself, after a while one turns to interal theory and whatnot because it is such a rich and significant mind puzzle. as ken says one must do the yoga. one must work on oneself and go out into the community. we have these complex philosophies and theories becuse we live in a complex society. we are not only trying to solve our societies problems but also to simplify our culture. do we really need a space program? do we really need 40 different types of music? umm this is really hard to explain as i am missing big pieces of the puzzle so if i meander off forgive me. if we were to go to jamaica and offer say an integral class we would also be bringing our problems and queries with us, which the jamaicans probably have answers to, which would be so simple many of us would either miss the point or blow it off as being insignificant. the jamaicans have been crying out for help for years. they dont want a handout but modern day society has gotten them into a mess and maybe integrally informed peace corps volunteers could get them out. i think if it were to work america would learn alot from this as most of us have forgotten where we came from. jamaicans, from what ive seen in their music videos are still in touch, they keep each other in check, but are constantly being pulled this way and that by temptation, like us. they dont have a history like most whites in america who have gone thru spanish inquisitions, hitlers, etc. etc. i'm no historian but before slavery any oppression in africa for many tribes may have been on a smaller scale. so they have had less time to forget who they are and less of them are separated from the general sociaety by wealth. poverty keeps you humble, unless you have things paraded in front of you like on tv and then you get angry and you have angry gangs like in compton california. jamaica used to be a happier place, alot more guns and gangs now. american influence. also how come most reggae that is politically angry also acknowledges its sadness, american rap ignores its sadness and just gets harder or indifferent. why? because we have over the years, watered down our culture. your voice leads you life, most other cultures put emphasis on different syllables if you listen. this seems very simple and basic yet language is the very foundation of communication and when it crumbles, well informatioon maybe shared but the feeling sometimes seems just a little off, maybe jaded or sarcastic, cynical. our ancestors came here with different dialects and accents and have eventually flattened them all out. to get onto something else, not to pick on integralist steve mcintosh hes very smart and seems to know what hes talking about but i listened to an interview of his and he talked very quickly about very broad big ideas and deep issues. well i got about 15% of what he was saying, not because i didnt understand but because i couldn't keep up. if maybe he would have said less and maybe a hair slower i would have got it. integral cant be taught to people who dont want to hear it in large doses, it needs to be compressed,simple and apply to the situation. i suppose i have more to say but i'm pooped thanks for reading , zak

[Grey Drane]

Coming in late here, but I just noticed this thread.

I've mentioned this over in the OSi Blog Network thread, but it seems to me that the "statstream" (or "statusphere" or whatever... think Twitter, essentially, but more as an open infrastructure/protocol than a single branded service) is the way forward in terms of maintaining energy in our respective social spheres. So something that goes beyond any one portal or blog or wherever.

The statstream provides the "ambient awareness" we need to stay in contact with our broader communities, and from there we can drop into whatever discussion "forum" (sensu lato) happens to be hosting a conversation we're interested in.

What this does is takes some of the "social" burden off of the individual forums, so that they can focus on enhancing their sense of identity and purpose. That way, when you have something you want to discuss, you can say to yourself, "Hey, OSi (or wherever) would be perfect for this!" So you start the discussion, tweet it forward, and see who shows up to discuss. Then on a day-to-day basis, rather than bouncing around from Gaia to OSi to Integral Life to Integral World, etc., etc., you just monitor your statstream and see what's happening where.

So for OSi specifically then, I think we'd first need to decide what balance we want between span and depth and make sure that the purpose of the site is clear in the way it's organized and the way it's presented to potential new members.

~G

[zachary samuel krueck]

hi mike, if you want to check out an enlightened thinker practicer check out paramahansa nityananda on youtube. excellent .

[Mike Redmer]

Thanks. I'll definitely check him out.

[Tony Susnjara]

have you tried spreading your message on social media? Facebook, Twitter? That's where I heard about you.

[shaman sun]

twitter sounds like a good idea. i posted the same question a bit earlier last week... welcome to OSi!

[BrightAbyss~]

i think thats a great idea Tony. i just don't have time to set something like that up. If you want to take a role (seeing as this is an "open" project) please feel free.

More importantly, i believe, is getting the people already signed up to take an interest in participating in this "forum". not for the OSi's own sake - but in the interest of evolving alternative 'integral' visions and evolving the movement and its potential more generally.

and i don't know that such interests yet exist...?

cheers-