The latest news... GW ties the knot with Sheehan!

Can you believe it?

No?

What about both of them being visionaries? Can you buy into that?

Not if you're American. If you're an American, you're likely on one side or the other.

If you're pro-Bush, there's no way you regard Cindy Sheehan as a visionary. If you're pro-Sheehan, there's no way you regard George Bush as a visionary.

That's where the revolution starts though. Looking for, seeing, speaking to the visionary, the hero, the greatness in those you look down upon.

Bush and Sheehan may not speak like visionaries, but by nature, each has the natural potential to live, to be, to speak as a visionary. Each inherently has the power to "move mountains"--to "make the impossible happen."

Gandhi moved the British Empire. One man, one lifetime. Forget whether or not you agree with his position on pacifism or non-violent resistance. Gandhi's power was in how the thought, acted and spoke.

He lived as a visionary.

Many of us pay lip service to Gandhi and revere him as a hero, a visionary or even a spiritual leader... but then when we face lesser conflicts in our own lives, we react, we play small, we often don't even think twice.

George Bush could be the one to inspire the world to peace, to greatness. Cindy Sheehan could be the one. OR...

YOU could be the one.

Forget for a moment your "position" on the Iraq War. Forget all your great-sounding opinions, your proven facts and your well-documented case studies. Those form your "position."

Positions are weak by nature. Positions are why we find ourselves at war--in Washington, in Iraq, at work, and in your marriage. Positions are helpful if what you aim to do is defeat the other side. Is that what you want in your marriage? With your co-workers? With your neighbors? Throughout the world?

Sure, taking a position can often seem more fun. There is often more drama in taking a position and defending it. But thinking, acting and communicating from a position is a solution that is killing us. Literally. If you want to protect your freedom, if you want to save the lives of American soldiers, consider that the problem is not "Out there" somewhere. It is not Bush's fault, Osama's fault, Saddam's fault or Cindy's fault. It is how we as human beings are currently resolving conflict.

It's time we learn to think, to speak, to act as visionaries. It's time we take a lesson from Gandhi. And in doing so we can learn what it is to Take A Stand instead of a position. Visionaries hold real power. More than any government or activist that acts from a position.

Bush! Sheehan! You really want to cause positive change in the world? Be the one to inspire your adversary to greatness, rather than try to defeat and humiliate them.

But the Vision Revolution will not wait for George or Cindy! Revolutionaries and visionaries are already taking the power into their own hands. Be a hero of the Vision Revolution! Start at the Vision Force Academy.

Listen to yesterday's Vision Revolution Radio show.

OK, good. Yesterday's post stirred things up a bit.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about the Iraq War.

One reply I got was,

"Take me off your mailing list. Anybody who remotely considers Sheehan
visionary is also a traitor and in my opinion should be tried for
sedition."

I'm sure the person who sent me this email simply intends to stand for the freedom of Americans and for the honor of the American soldier.

But what we tend to do in life, rather than express a Stand For is take a Position Against.

Good people confuse the two all the time. The effect is the blinding self-righteousness that has each side being the righteous ones fighting the evil ones. Not distinguishing between these two explains the world we live in today, full of war, destructive lawsuits, irresponsibility, nasty divorces, malicious politics, etc., etc.

The same can be found in the language of Cindy Sheehan. So many of us can't see what she is standing for, when it comes out as a position against. Each side fighting against leads to destructive ends that neither side wants. Yet both sides are responsible for the results.

(I recently recorded a call on this subject for Vision Force Academy members, and I'll make it available here.)

Now, let's turn our attention to the word sedition.

In our efforts to protect our freedoms in America (or whatever free country you hail from) and stand for the honor of the loyal soldier, we can espouse such things as trying for sedition or treason those who voice a different opinion.

Sedition: (n) Conduct or language inciting resistance or rebellion against the authority of a state.

Had America's Founding Fathers not committed this "crime" of sedition, there
would be no freedom to protect in America. Would we who enjoy freedoms even be free?

If speaking up and inciting resistance or rebellion against the authority of the state is a crime, then lord help us as visionaries. If we only permitted voices that agree with authority, then there would be no hope for our children living as free beings or as passionate visionaries and creators.

The Freedom of Speech in America was established in part to free us from the common law crime of sedition that kept America's forefathers muted in England.

For more insight into the danger in viewing sedition as immoral or as a crime, watch the movie Last of the Mohicans.

American settlers must choose whether or not to commit the crime of sedition. The British authority refuses to allow them to go an save their wives and children. If they choose to leave, he promises to convict and hang them for sedition.

Food for visionaries.

I don't care where you stand on the Iraq War.

The Vision Revolution is being fed and inspired by visionaries on all sides.

Meet Cindy Sheehan. Iraq War Protester. Visionary.

Here is a woman, one person, who saw how she could make a difference and cause positive change. She saw she could be a voice for the voiceless. She felt called to take action and speak up and she did it. That is what it means to be a visionary.

I just read an article on CCN about how she was apparently roughed up when she spoke in Philadelphia without a permit. All I can say is Go Cindy!

(AND, Go American Soldier... you are our heroes as well. Really, this has NOTHING to do with politics. I doubt she and I would agree on much politically. Who cares? That's beside the point.)

How many of us don't speak up and speak out due to a fear of authorities? If we are to reclaim our world and our future for our children, what we need is not more fearful obedience, but courageous independence.

Visionaries are uncontrollable. Their vision for making a difference lifts them above fear, above doubt, above the small things that keep so many of us small. Go Cindy!

Our future does not depend so much on who "wins" the Iraq war as it does on who wins the Vision Revolution! I don't know about you, but I'm ready and waiting for a world full of people like Cindy.

And if certain Philadelphia policemen did abuse their power, shame on them. They give a bad name to all those brave souls who risk their lives every day to protect our rights, our freedom and our dignity. There is no cause for roughing up any human being who is simply speaking up--PERMIT OR NO PERMIT.

Totally uncalled for. Totally shameful. Such behaviour shames and intimidates people acting as visionaries, as real heroes. Such intimidation tactics and brute force also shames others from stepping up like Cindy.

Since when does the authority of "the law" oeverride the authority of your conscience? She is a human being. She is a visionary. Treat her like one. Honor her.

As a defender of our rights, freedoms and human dignity, a heroic police officer is one who takes a stand among his fellow officers and encourages restraint. Especially when pride, adrenaline and testosterone are factors. It takes a visionary officer to see how he or she can be the one to make a difference, to cause positive change. To all officers who stand first for conscience above simply acting "within the law," our future depends on you. You are our heroes. We honor you.

If we care about our future, we'll honor visionaries like Cindy, especially when we disagree with them. Our future and our children's future depends on it!

Don't even get me started.

You can be the hero of Hurricane Katrina. YOU.

Human beings are heroes. By nature.

The news media during Hurricaine Katrina has focused largely on the helplessness and destructiveness of ordinary citizens, and the heroism of the authorities. Sure there has been widespread coverage of criticism of the government in response to Hurricaine Katrina, but the underlying premise is the same: GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE THE HEROES.

When they're not the heroes, it becomes an excuse for the government to grow larger, so next time it can do it's job as heroes and saviors.

The widespread view of government authorities as our bosses, saviors and heroes keeps us "ordinary citizens" from seeing ourselves, like Neo in The Matrix as "the one." The one for ourselves. The one for our families. The one for our communities. The one.

Footage of the pandamonium and dire situation at the SuperDome and convention center can lead one to think... "See that is why human beings need to be controlled." Yet, I would have you consider, what if we were raised to be supremely sovereign? What if we were raised and respected from an early age to be heroes and visionaries?

Al Gore, the ex-VP, personally paid for and personally flew rescue missions in New Orleans. Whether politically motivated or not, that is the act of a visionary, a real hero. The 3 Duke University students I blogged about a few days ago were acting as true visionaries, real heroes. They saw a vision that called them into heroic action. They made a difference.

In a future of increasing chaos, can we keep looking to "authorities" to save us? What is an authority? They are people like you and I. Often times with power and money, but not much vision. No, usually, so called authorities are limited to their superior's vision or lack their of. And often the chief authority's vision only extends as far as popular opinion will allow.

So, YOU, are your own authority. And you can be the visionary for your life, your community, your world.

I just read an interesting account by a person who was a victim of the Hurricaine Katrina disaster. It is controversial, but so much the better... afterall, visionaries think for ourselves. Check it out, it is titled, The Real Heroes and Sheroes of New Orleans.
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Sept05/Bradshaw-Slonsky0907.htm

How many of us sat and watched what was happening on TV with Hurricane Katrina? I did. Too busy working.

Yet, I just read this story about 3 college kids from North Carolina, who were disgusted about what was happening in New Orleans. They jumped into a 2-wheel drive Hyundai and drove straight there.

The National Guard and other authorities turned them away at every in-road to the city. So they swiped a press pass and took it to Kinko's and made 2 more copies. They used there stolen/counterfeit passes to get past the guards and drive straight to the Convention Center, where people were trapped in horrible conditions.

20 minutes and they were there, no flood waters to cross, nothing. The people trapped in the Convention Center could have been easily bussed out days earlier.

I see we are heading into a future that includes more and more distrust of authority, and more and more reliance on one's own mind--one's own inner guidance.

Human beings are heroic by nature, yet...

How many of us are stopped from being everyday heroes, because we've been conditioned to wait on approval or permission from authority or society?

It's time we raise our children to live by their own vision and inner guidance... time for the Vision Revolution!

Shortly, I will reveal what the Vision Force Academy is doing to bring vision to the disaster victims. Yes, food, water, clothing and shelter is needed... but so is vision. Now more than ever. Starting over again and dealing with chaos and change... it helps to have vision.

Today, I salute those 3 Duke students, and everyone who has heroically stepped forward to make a difference with the Hurricaine Katrina disaster... including the National Guardsmen and the authorities.