Jay --
Yes! It is the awakening I've been
advocating for the past three years
through the Media Visions essays
on Global Sense and Deep Media
Literacy. When we realize we are
deeeply interconnected, when we
know all life is interactive, how we
behave changes. We tend to live
more responsibly free. The sort
of abuses of rights we see from
ICANN are no longer acceptable.
We'll actually mature enough for
real democracy to work -- at last.
-- ken
http://www.media-visions.com/globalsense.html
http://www.media-visions.com/ed-deeplit.html
Ken Freed, Publisher
Media Visions Webzine
(a journal of global sense)
http://www.media-visions.com
Jay -- Please re-post this to the AWPA list -- ken
>FYI:
>
>An Internet Awakening
> by Jay Fenello
> An Aligning With Purpose(sm) Column
>
> From Deepak Chopra's latest book, to the current format
>of The Oprah Winfrey Show, I am constantly amazed at the
>exploding interest in the Personal Growth/Spirituality
>movement. It's almost as if the entire field has reached
>a critical mass, the point where a new concept or idea
>spreads far enough to build a momentum all its own.
>
>To me, this is a movement of awakening.
>
>It is an awakening to the human condition -- who we are,
>what we do, and why we do it.
>
>It is an awakening to the unconscious nature of our
>actions, and how they are driven by unconscious beliefs.
>It is an exploration of these unconscious beliefs, and
>the process of replacing them with conscious ones,
>beliefs made rationally and spiritually.
>
>And through this process, it's an awakening to who we
>really are, our purpose here on this planet, and a
>personal relationship with the God of our hearts.
>
>My name is Jay Fenello, and this is the latest edition of
>the Aligning With Purpose(sm) column. In today's edition,
>I am reflecting back on my three years of involvement in
>the establishment of Internet Governance, and how it
>relates to the introduction above.
>
>Now this discussion may sound a little strange to you. I
>know, because there was a time when it would have sounded
>strange to me. But this is my truth, for I have seen the
>results of this movement, up close and personal.
>
>I have seen people who were unhappy in their lives and
>unhappy in their loves, emerge from a weekend seminar
>as newly radiant beings, on their path towards
>consciousness.
>
>This process of moving from darkness to light, from
>unconsciousness to consciousness, can be a rocky road,
>full of emotional turmoil, distress and misunderstandings.
>But the end result is worth it, for it is that which we
>all seek.
>
>And *this* reminds me of ICANN.
>
>For those who don't know, ICANN is the newly formed
>organization established by the Clinton administration
>to assume the role of Internet Governance.
>
>In actuality, it is a take-over of the Internet by big
>business, big media, and big government. It is currently
>pursuing an agenda that would place some serious controls
>over use, and some serious controls over civil liberties.
>Worst of all, it lies, cheats and steals to get its way.
>
>So, how did we end up with a seriously flawed organization
>like ICANN governing the Internet?
>
>Why has a coalition of like-minded power mongers, working
>in secret, been able to establish ICANN, a structure where
>they can artificially constrain resources on the Internet?
>
>Why has ICANN been structured to stifle free speech on the
>Internet, not only by constraining name space growth, but
>also by constraining the allowable uses for the existing
>name space?
>
>Why has ICANN been allowed to favor certain players,
>making new business opportunities on the Internet
>dependent on who you know, not what you know?
>
>Why has ICANN pretended to embrace democratic processes,
>all while the decision making remains secret and well
>hidden from view?
>
>Why didn't our governments step in to stop it? Why didn't
>the world press report it? And why did some of our most
>prestigious institutions and foundations support it?
>
>In the real world, the answers to these questions are
>conjecture, mere whispers in the wind. On the Internet,
>they are the seeds of our collective rebirth.
>
>In people, unconscious beliefs lead to unconscious
>actions, which result in their current life situations.
>In societies, unquestioned beliefs lead to unquestioned
>actions, which result in our current world situation.
>
>Before the Internet, we could not tell that big business
>had been using exactly same techniques with ICANN, that
>it had with the WTO, NAFTA, etc. We could not tell that
>a knowledgeable minority existed in each of these battles,
>and despite their protests and well reasoned arguments,
>they were ignored and marginalized by our government and
>by our press.
>
>Now, thanks to the Internet, we can see this pattern in
>action. We can see how big business uses the government
>for its own benefit, and how it uses the media to hide
>its secret agendas.
>
>And this situation is getting worse.
>
>Not so long ago, a single organization could only
>control a handful of media outlets, and only if they
>were scattered throughout the nation. Today, thanks to
>the Telecom Act of 1996, these restrictions have either
>been removed or drastically reduced.
>
>The result -- less than 10 multinationals control over
>80% of the worlds news outlets. And this consolidation
>continues, as can be seen in the CBS/Viacom merger, and
>the Time Warner takeover of America Online. In fact,
>this consolidation is such a large threat, that even
>people like Walter Cronkite have voiced their concerns.
> http://www.mediachannel.org/originals/cronkite.shtml
>
>Not surprisingly, the Telecom Act had its own small
>but knowledgeable minority that fought against these
>provisions. One such participant was Robert McChesney,
>the author of "Rich Media, Poor Democracy" and a scholar
>at the University of Illinois. And just like the other
>battles, his input was ignored, and he was marginalized
>in the process.
>
>The truth of the matter is, we are all stuck in a
>recurring pattern. We are using unexamined beliefs
>about our government and the way our world works,
>to guide our actions. And through this process,
>we continue to get results that we don't want.
>
>In other words, ICANN is really just a symptom of
>the problem. The real problem is our "collective
>*un*consciousness."
>
>A little over 20 years ago, I first noticed the bias in
>our media. A few years later, an engineer at IBM gave
>me a book that explained much of what was going on. It
>told the story of an elite establishment who had great
>wealth and power at their disposal, which they used to
>control and manipulate the masses for their own benefit
>(more about this in future columns).
>
>I've been following this "shadow government" ever since.
>At first, I doubted its existence. But over time, I
>found that it was an accurate model of how our world
>really worked. I even came to accept it, convincing
>myself that they must be benevolent and fair.
>
>But what if they weren't benevolent or fair? What if
>they used their power and influence to the detriment of
>the masses? What if they grew more arrogant with time,
>and started down a path that was clearly against the
>common good?
>
>In my opinion, that's exactly what is happening -- power
>has been consolidated to the point where those at the
>top, no longer feel that the rules apply to them. And
>given current events, they are right.
>
>I humbly suggest that it is time for us to realize that
>many of our fundamental beliefs about the world are no
>longer valid (if they ever were). It's time for us to
>explore these fundamental beliefs, and replace them
>with beliefs made rationally and spiritually.
>
>In other words, just like people have started on a
>journey from darkness to light, and a life without
>purpose to a life with purpose, let's drive our
>collective *un*consciousness towards consciousness.
>
>Thanks to the Internet, we are now on the cusp of our
>greatest renaissance -- an Internet Awakening. Or,
>our worst dark ages. Let's hope we choose wisely.
>
>Until next time . . .
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Jay Fenello,
>New Media Relations
>------------------------------------
>http://www.fenello.com 770-392-9480
>Aligning with Purpose(sm) ... for a Better World
>------------------------------------------------
>"If we want to change the world, we have to
>begin by changing ourselves" -- Deepak Chopra
>
>Copyright (c) 2000 Jay Fenello -- All rights reserved
>
>Permission is hereby granted to 1) redistribute this
>column in its entirety via email, discussion lists,
>and newsgroups, and 2) publish this column in its
>entirety on non-profit web sites.
>
>Note: Due to recent changes at Fenello.com, the
>Aligning With Purpose(sm) publishing schedule has
>changed from weekly, to more of a monthly basis.
>
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