Verb. New York: Bantam, 1970, p. 86A).

Hence, language functions as a system that keeps us trapped in a mindset that exploits the earth and other people, keeps us mired in wars, and prevents us from leaping forward in a way that is crucial to save Spaceship Earth (I use the term “language” to refer to the entire system of words, the concepts underlying the words, the grammatical rules for combining words, and the logic that gives the rules for combining concepts.). Consider that our logic of either/or keeps us trapped into thinking “it’s you or me; not enough for both” (Fuller, R. Buckminster. “Humanity’s Critical Path: From Weaponry or Livingry.” 1983, p. 1). I propose that by making specific types of alterations to language we will create a paradigm shift for how humans interact with all elements of the universe, which will expand our capacity for thinking holistically by expressing that it’s not “you or me” it’s “you are me.” For example, I proposed new types of concepts that embody self-reference, paradox, and the mutual permeation of opposites or part/wholes. One such concept draws on the notion of a Klein bottle and means “there is only one side that serves as both sides” (Maroski, L.E. The One That Is Both. New York: iUniverse, 2006).

The outcome I envision is a world in which people already always recognize the interdependence of existence. We will express that interdependence concisely and directly. A new form of representational language will be developed in which we directly express, not just describe, our interdependence and connectedness. Furthermore, the current “either/or” logic will be enhanced by a logic of “both/and” (I consider “either/or” to be as a subset of “both/and,” so in a logic of both/and, the either/or distinction is not lost.). What now seem to be paradoxes, the concurrent existence of seemingly mutually exclusive concepts, will be the norm.

An either/or logic polarizes us into thinking that either I’m right or you’re right, and if we disagree we can’t both be right. A logic of both/and allows us to operate from the position that if I get some valuable resource and you get some, neither of us loses so long as we manage the source. This shows how a slight alteration in our thinking and language, if carried into action, could result in vast economic and political changes.

By causing a profound shift of focus (to be mirrored by a shift in language) from assuming that we are all separate to assuming that what is “out there” is an aspect of me, you, all of us, changes one’s relation to what is “other.” No longer am I simply an isolated individual struggling against other individuals for scarce resources. Now the others are aspects of myself and so are the resources we all need for survival. Our interdependence is both implicit and explicit. By evolving the way we think and speak/write such that we express the transpermeation of what is subjective, objective, and spatial, we will take our own evolution to a new level.

I propose that altering the language, the system that mediates our interaction with all other systems, will enable us to devise entirely new types of systems, ones that to our current logical sensibilities might seem paradoxical but will enable us to take up the stance of both/and that is necessary to create a world that works for all.

Proposed Project
I designed this project as a seed that requires participation for its fulfillment. It will plant some ideas, but the world that I envision will be created not by me but by what others do with the seed. The internet has become a primary means to share ideas, interact, and create a participatory market, and I intend to capitalize on that. Because of the recent explosion of easy-to-access visual media, such as YouTube, I will create a series of 10-15 short (5-10 minute) videos that will be posted on YouTube and on a website dedicated to this project. In these videos, I will introduce and visually illustrate new types of self-referential and paradoxical concepts that can be used to express interconnectedness, paradox, and how a logic of both/and works. They will show that for the world to work for all of us, it is necessary to get beyond either/or, because if the world works for either me or you, one of us is left in a world that does not work. Based on comments posted by viewers, we will determine which videos resonated with them and got the ideas across successfully.

We will utilize the notion (from YouTube) of a “Video Response” to encourage others to continue to develop these explorations into a new type of language by sponsoring an annual video exhibition, and especially encourage young people to participate as individuals or a class/group. The submissions will have to be responses to the videos created by me and my team and will also address themes such as
• What do these concepts (interconnectedness, both/and, etc) look like in your life?
• As you think about your future, what would you want the world to be like for your grandchildren? How could you use these ideas to bring about that type of world?
• If you could alter the way we communicate to convey that We Are All One, what would it be like?

Launch a website devoted to creating a new language of interconnectedness. Run the video exhibition through this website. The selected submissions will be screened at a conference on “A New Language for a New Reality,” which will feature speakers (including the video makers) and a gala recognition banquet. We will solicit sponsorship from environmentally friendly/sensitive corporations, such as Patagonia, GAIAM, Sounds True, and others, to hold this conference and video screening festival. By charging admission to the general public, we will generate revenue to fund future festivals and/or other activities. We will also solicit sponsorship from organizations such as Spiritual Cinema Circle, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Sierra Club, What is Enlightenment? Magazine, and others to promote distribution of the selected videos to a wider audience. We will also arrange to screen them at conventions such as GreenBuild, Mind Body Spirit Expo, and others. The videos will be available for sale through the website.

This approach maintains that there is nothing to fix; there is only a shift of heart, mind, and perspective. Ultimately my intention in life and through this project is to create, by 2012, a world interconnected in thought, word, and deed, manifesting that we are all one.

Short-term feedback—Monitor the spread of novel types of concepts and logic of both/and Leverage the internet to track their usage, spread, and application by using existing search mechanisms. Bi-weekly searches will be done to keep abreast of their spread, record total number of hits, and randomly search websites to determine accurate usage, context, evolution, or adaptation of concepts.

Long-term consequences—Correlate usage and spread of novel concepts and both/and logic with world-wide trends To what extent does the shift to a both/and perspective decrease violence (personal and political), pollution, resource use/abuse, and alter business practices (fair pay, waste reduction/transformation, ecological priority)? Many of these measures are already being tracked on the websites of organizations such as the World Bank and the Center for International Development and Conflict Management.

This testing must be done from the new paradigm rather than the old either/or paradigm.

Budget
10-15 short videos @ $1000 each $15,000
Website design and maintenance $15,000
Conference seed money $50,000
Tracking and measures $ 5,000
Contingency $15,000