swfchan: planetloop.swf (info)

Text

About

The Zeitgeist Movement is not a political movement. It does
not recognize nations, governments, races, religions, creeds
or class. Our understandings conclude that these are false,
outdated distinctions which are far from positive factors for
true collective human growth and potential. Their basis is in
power division and stratification, not unity and equality, which
is our goal. While it is important to understand that
everything in life is a natural progression, we must also
acknowledge the reality that the human species has the
ability to drastically slow and paralyze progress, through
social structures which are out of date, dogmatic, and hence
out of line with nature itself. The world you see today, full of
war, corruption, elitism, pollution, poverty, epidemic disease,
human rights abuses, inequality and crime is the result of
this paralysis.

This movement is about awareness, in avocation of a fluid
evolutionary progress, both personal, social, technological
and spiritual. It recognizes that the human species is on a
natural path for unification, derived from a communal
acknowledgment of fundamental and near empirical
understandings of how nature works and how we as humans
fit into/are a part of this universal unfolding we call life. While
this path does exist, it is unfortunately hindered and not
recognized by the great majority of humans, who continue to
perpetuate outdated and hence degenerative modes of
conduct and association. It is this intellectual irrelevancy
which the Zeitgeist Movement hopes to overcome through
education and social action.
The goal is to revise our world society in accord with present
day knowledge on all levels, not only creating awareness of
social and technological possibilities many have been
conditioned to think impossible or against "human nature",
but also to provide a means to overcome those elements in
society which perpetuate these outdated systems.

An important association, upon which many of the ideas of
this movement are derived come from an organization called
"The Venus Project" directed by social engineer and
industrial designer, Jacque Fresco. He has worked nearly his
entire life to create the tools needed to assist a design of the
world which could eventually eradicate war, poverty, crime,
social stratification and corruption. His notions are not radical
or complex. They do not impose a subjective interpretation in
their formation. In this model, society is created as a mirror
of nature, with the variables predefined, inherently.
The movement itself is not a centralized construct.
We are not here to lead, but to organize and educate.

The Goal

The Means is the End:
We intend to restore the fundamental necessities and
environmental awareness of the species through the
advocation of the most current understandings of who and what
we truly are, coupled with how science, nature and technology
(rather than religion, politics and money) hold the keys to our
personal growth, not only as individual human beings, but as a
civilization, both structurally and spiritually. The central insights
of this awareness is the recognition of the Emergent and
Symbiotic elements of natural law and how aligning with these
understandings as the bedrock of our personal and social
institutions, life on earth can and will flourish into a system
which will continuously grow in a positive way, where negative
social consequences, such as social stratification, war, biases,
elitism and criminal activity will be constantly reduced and,
idealistically, eventually become nonexistent within the
spectrum of human behavior itself.

This possibility is, of course, very difficult for most humans to
consider, for we have been conditioned by society to think that
crime, corruption and dishonesty is "the way it is" and that there
will always be people who want to abuse, hurt and take
advantage of others. Religion is the largest promoter of this
propaganda, for the "us and them" or "good and evil" mentality
promotes this false assumption.
The reality is that we live in a society that produces Scarcity.
The consequence of this scarcity is that human beings must
behave in self preserving ways, even if it means they have to
cheat and steal in order to get what they want. Our research
has concluded that Scarcity is one of the most fundamental
causes of aberrant human behavior, while also leading to
complex forms of neurosis in other ways. A statistical look at
drug addiction, crime and incarceration statistics, finds that
poverty and unhealthy social conditions comprise the life
experience of those who engage in such behavior.

Human beings are not good or bad... they are running, forever
changing compositions of the life experience(s) that influences
them. The "quality" of a human being ( if there was such a thing
) is directly related to the upbringing and thus belief systems
they have been conditioned into. This simple reality has been
grossly overlooked and today people primitively think that
competition, greed and corruption are "hardwired" elements of
human behavior and, in turn, we must have prisons, police and
hence a hierarchy of differential control in order for society to
deal with these "tendencies". This is totally illogical and false.
The bottom line is that in order to change things for the better
fundamentally, you must begin to address root causes. Our
current society's system of "punishment" is outmoded,
inhumane, and unproductive. When a serial killer is caught,
most people jump up and down and scream for the death of
that person. This is backwards. A truly sane society, which
understands what we are and how our value systems are
created, would take the individual and learn the reasons behind
his or her violent actions. This information would then go to a
research department which considers how to stop such
conditions from occurring through education.

It is time to stop the patchwork. It is time to begin a new social
approach which is updated to present day knowledge. Sadly,
society today is still largely based on outmoded, superstitious
dispositions and resolutions.
It is also important to point out that there are no utopias or
endings. All evidence points to perpetual change on all levels.
In turn, it is our personal actions everyday of our lives that mold
and perpetuate the social systems we have in place. Yet,
paradoxically, it is also our environmental influences which
create our perspectives and hence world views. Therefore, true
change will come not only from adjusting your personal
understandings and decisions, but equally from changing the
social structures that influence these understandings and
decisions.

The elite power systems are little affected in the long run by
traditional protest and political movements. We must move
beyond these 'establishment rebellions' and work with a tool
much more powerful: We will stop supporting the system, while
constantly advocating knowledge, peace, unity and
compassion. We cannot "fight the system". Hate, anger and the
'war' mentality are failed means for change, for they perpetuate
the same tools the corrupt, established power systems use to
maintain control to begin with.
The Distortion and Paralysis:
When we understand that all systems are Emergent and
constantly in a state of evolution, along with the reality that we
are all Symbiotically connected to nature and each other in the
most simple yet profound ways, forcing the realization that our
personal integrity is only as high as the integrity of the rest of
society, we then see how twisted and backwards our social
establishments are and how their perpetuation is largely the
cause of the social instability in society.

For example, the Monetary System has been long deemed a
positive force in society due to its claim to produce incentive
and progress. In actuality, the monetary system has become a
vehicle for division and totalitarian control.
It is the ultimate form of "Divide and Conquer" for at its very
core are the assumptions that (1) We must fight each other in
order to survive. (2) Humans must have this reward "Incentive"
to do anything meaningful.
As far as Number 1 (We must fight each other in order to
survive.), this characteristic of 'competition' in the system
guarantees corruption in society on every level, for the basis is
"us against them". Many argue that the "free market system" is
good... but it is corrupt in the modern day due to bad policies,
favoritism, bailouts, etc. They assume that if a "pure" free
market was allowed to flourish then it would be okay.

This is false, for what you are seeing today IS the Free market
at work, with all its differential advantage and corruption. No
laws will ever stop the insider trading, collusion, monopoly,
labor abuse, pollution, planned obsolescence or the like... this
is what the competition based system produces without fail, for
it is based on the premise of taking advantage of others for
profit. Period.
We must begin to transition out of these oppressive ideals and
move towards a system which is "designed" to support human
beings... not force them to fight in order to survive. As far as
Number 2, (Humans must have this reward "Incentive" to do
anything meaningful.) this is just a sad and an incredibly
negative perspective of the human being in general. To assume
that a person must be "structurally motivated" or hence "forced"
into doing anything, is just absurd. Think back to when you
were a child and had no idea what money even was.

You played, were curious and did many things... why? Because
you wanted to. However, as time goes on in our system, that
natural curiosity and self-motivation is stripped away from
people, as they are forced to conform to the specialized,
compartmentalized, nearly predefined labor system in order to
survive. This, in turn, often creates a natural rebellion within the
person due to the forced obligation, and this is how we came
up with "leisure" and "work" separations. The laziness assumed
to exist by the monetary system proponents (who claim it
produces incentive) do not recognize this. In a true society,
people would follow their natural inclinations and work to
contribute to society not because they are "paid" for it, but
because they have a greater awareness which recognizes that
contributing to society helps them just as much as everyone
else. This is the heightened state of awareness we hope to
communicate. Your reward for contributing to society is the well
being of that society... which, in turn, furthers your well being.

Now, putting things into perspective, it is important to
understand that our world is currently run, undeniably, by a
small group of dominant men in high positions of those
institutions which are most dominant in society- Business and
Finance. The establishment of government is in tandem with
the influence and power of corporations and banks. The life
blood is money, which is, in fact, an illusion that now has little
relevance to society and serves as a tool for manipulation and
division along a kind of social organization that guarantees
elitism, crime, war and social stratification.
Simultaneously, individuals are taught that being "correct" is
what creates their value as human beings. This state of being
"correct" is directly related to the prevailing values of society
itself. Therefore, those who accept and support the social
system's views are considered "normal", while those who
disagree are considered "abnormal" or even "subversive".
Whether it is the dogma of a unique social tradition, or the
alignment with a worldwide establishment religion, the basis is
the same: Intellectual Materialism.

As we realize that knowledge and hence our institutions are
always evolving, we see that any belief system which claims to
"know" anything, without allowing for dispute, is a failed
perspective. Religion, with its foundation in faith, is the king of
this distortion, as it claims to know something definitively about
the most complex and elusive origins of human kind, and this
simply is not possible in an emergent universe.
That being said, it is then realized that equally as dangerous as
the Establishment Power Structures, are the people who have
been conditioned to completely accept the static
understandings put forth by these systems... therefore
becoming: "Self Appointed Guardians of the Status Quo". This
applies to every system, especially political, financial and
religious systems. Since people's identities become associated
with the doctrines of a Country, Religion or Business ethic, it
often becomes very difficult for a person to change, for his or
her identity has become combined with the ideologies which
have been imposed upon them.

Therefore, they perpetuate the doctrine of the institution, simply
to maintain their personal integrity, as they see it. We must
break this cycle, for it paralyses our growth not only as
individuals, but as a society.
The Truth and Transition
Once we understand that the integrity of our personal
existences are directly related to the integrity of the earth, life
and all other human beings, we then have our path predefined
for us. In turn, once we realize that it is science, technology and
hence human creativity which creates progress in our lives, we
are then able to recognize what our true priorities are for social
and personal growth and progress. These points denoted, we
can then see that Religion, Politics and the Money/Competition
based Labor system are outdated modes of social operation,
which must now be addressed and outgrown.

Our avocation is to achieve a social system which operates
without money or politics, while allowing superstition to work
itself out as education flourishes. It isn't the right of any person
to tell another what to believe, for no human has a full
understanding of anything. However, if we pay attention to the
natural processes of life, we then see how we can align with
nature and thus our path becomes more clear.
For example, many people are worried about population growth
on the planet, while very spooky comments by despotic figures
like Henry Kissinger claim that some kind of "reduction" is
needed. This is, of course, very scary. However, the real
question remains: Is population growth really that bad? The
answer is that from a scientific perspective the earth can handle
many, many times more people if need be, once high
technology is harnessed.

70% of our planet is water and cities in the sea ( one of many
projects by Jacque Fresco ) are the next step. In turn,
education about life operations will inform people as to the
ramifications of their reproductive interests and population
growth will naturally slow as people begin to realize how they
are related to the planet and its carrying capacity.
In fact, the only true "government" that can possibly exist is the
earth and its resources. From there, all possibilities can be
assessed. This is why an intellectual unification of all countries
is needed, for the most important information we as a species
can have is a full, highly detailed assessment of what we have
on this planet. Just as you would examine the land and
resources of an acre of land to see what you could do or grow
on it, this is what needs to happen with the planet in order to
optimize what we are capable of as a species, resource wise.

Of course, many who consider the ideas presented above will
often ask: "How can we do this considering the distorted value
systems which are currently in operation.? How do we make
such a move or transition?" This is, of course, the most difficult
question. The answer: We have to start somewhere. There are
many things that can be done by a single person or community
that can begin to shape this vision. The most important step is
education.
Thank you for your help.

Synopsis

Fluid social change can only materialize if two circumstances
are met. One, the human value system, which consists of our
understandings and beliefs, must be updated and changed
through education and thoughtful introspection. Two, the
environment surrounding that value system must change to
support the new world view. The interaction between a person's
value system and their environment is what influences human
behavior.
For example, in our culture, "ethics" is really is a matter of
degree, for our social system promotes and rewards
competition and self-interest. This perspective doesn't just
"lead" to aberrant behavior... it creates it directly. Corruption is
the norm in our society and most people do not see this, for
since the society supports this behavior, it is considered right
and normal... or as a matter of degree.

Given this understanding, there is a fallacy that has emerged
where certain groups are deemed "corrupt" and everyone else
is "good". This is the age old "us and them" world view which
has no basis empirically, for it is, again, all a matter of degree.
For example, there is a large movement of people who
constantly talk about "The New World Order" and this notion
that there is an elite group of people who have been trying to
take over the world for a long time and have manipulated
society in various ways to further their goals.
This, of course, is true to a certain extent.
BUT, the failure of awareness is that this "group" is not a group
at all. It is a tendency.

If you took out all the people at the top who are engaged in
global hegemonic rule, it would simply be a matter of time
before another group stepped in to seek the same ambition.
Therefore, it isn't the individual people or groups that are the
problem. It is actually the conditions upon which those people
have been accustomed and indoctrinated by. Of course, many
argue against this view with the escapist notion that it is
"human nature" that causes this competition and need for
dominance. This is unsupported by the facts. In reality, we are
nearly clean slates when we are born and it is our environment
that shapes who we are and how we behave.
Therefore, in order for TRUE change to occur, we must spend
less time battling the products of this sick social structure and
more time trying to change the root causes. As difficult and
daunting as it may be to think this way, it is the only way our
world will change for the better.
We can continue to stomp on the ants coming out from under
the refrigerator, but until we remove the spoiled food behind it,
they are just going to keep coming.

Psychology

Psychology is often defined as "The science that deals with
mental processes and behavior".
In the modern day, there are basically two prevailing schools of
thought. 'Geneticists' and 'Behaviorists'... the old notion of
"nature vs nurture."
The Geneticists are inclined to think that human behavior is
derived from heredity and instinct. Often on the news, reports
detail how some study claims to find the 'genetic predisposition'
'to being republican' or 'smoking cigarettes'. This supports the
world view that we are 'hardwired' in some way and that even
subtle nuances of behavior, such as an inclination for addiction,
is genetic or "instinctual" in some way.
The Behaviorists, on the other hand, see the human being as a
product of conditioning, as based on the environmental
exposure of that person. Therefore, the actions of a person
have a source that is derived from experience or a triggered
train of thought, brought on by a learned understanding.

The mechanism of action/belief therefore is sourced in learning,
not heredity or instinct.
Which is more relevant? Obviously, both views are relevant in
certain ways. Our interest in surviving and reproducing is
imprinted/genetic in some way, as it is directly associated with
fundamental survival. However, the means by which survival is
obtained is entirely based on the social conditioning of that
person. If a person grows up in a scarce, poverty stricken
environment, with limited access to employment, they will have
more of a propensity to engage in illegal activity to survive...
more so, then say a middle class person who has basic needs
met.
On the other side of the spectrum, if a person with great wealth
has grown up in an elitist family and is thus conditioned into
thinking that his or her wealth/class serves as a status symbol,
they might often exploit those who work for them or perform
illegal activities to conform to the identity and social arrogance
they think is real.

The bottom line is that it is environmental conditioning that
really affects 99% of our actions, and all diligent behavior
studies have proven this time and time again.
People become alcoholics not because they have a genetic
predisposition, but because of the influence of their parents or
friends. If you abuse a child, very often they grow up to abuse
other children. When the mass media promotes a certain idea
in society, such as "terrorism", the public is conditioned into
believing this is true and a real threat, regardless of reality. The
fact is, we are emergent, vulnerable organisms and always
undergoing influence, conditioning and change to a certain
degree.
That 'degree' is largely influenced by the social/ideological
identifications which many have been conditioned to think are
immutable. This particular state of awareness is where
paralysis comes in, for there is nothing in nature to support the
conclusion that anything we think about today will not be
outdated in the future, for one of the few patterns we can stand
behind with a certain degree of confidence(so far) is the reality
that all elements of nature are emergent.

The 'identification' with a set understandings for the sake of
ones integrity is a serious distortion in our world, for it is
considered a 'weakness' when a person is proven wrong. This
is, of course, absurd, for to be proven wrong is how most learn
and it should not be a feared circumstance.
Fritz Pearls once said that "The human species is the only
species that has the ability to interfere with their own growth".
This is an important understanding, for our belief systems,
which we think we must keep to support our identities, often
stand in the way of new, changing understandings and personal
growth.

The most dominant institutions which perpetuate this paralysis
seem to be Theistic Religion and The Monetary System.
Theistic religion promotes a fixed world view, with a "faith"
based understanding that rejects logic and new information.
The Monetary System ( in all countries) is based on
Competition for Labor and thus Labor for Money. Very simply,
the "competitive edge" can only be sustained through self-
perpetuation, and self-perpetuation/self interest naturally leads
to a static institution which prefers not to change, for it
threatens the survival of that business, government or the like.
This is unsustainable.

Sociology

Sociology is often defined as "The study of society; human
social interaction".
This field considers social structures, both Cognitive and
Material. An example of a Cognitive Social Structure is the
established institution of religion and how its operation affects
the collective awareness. For instance, Prolife Christians share
a disposition that human"life" is a separate element of nature
and that killing an unborn fetus is wrong. Concurrently, the
competition based monetary system has proponents putting
forth ideas such as how competition is the most productive
social state that humans can engage in.
Material Social Structures, on the other hand, are very obvious
and they exist in the form of corporations and governments,
each having a strong influence on society. Of course, all
Material Social Structures bleed over into the Cognitive realm,
for they always have an ideology behind them.

Now, a common sociological issue has to do with "Human
Nature" and its effect in a collective sense. For instance, most
people have been taught that human beings are naturally
competitive with each other, along with the assumption that
social stratification or hierarchy is also a "natural human
tendency".
This is a fallacy.
If you look to, say, a pack of lions, you will see social hierarchy
and violent competition for food in most cases. This comparison
is what leads people to think it is a natural occurrence in human
society as well (war, greed, ego, etc.). What is overlooked
however, are the Environmental Conditions present in each
case. The pack of Lions exist in a world of Scarcity. They do not
have the ability to create traps for food, nor is food accessible
in an 'on demand' basis.

They have to hunt and fight with each other. This creates
competition naturally, for in order to survive, the lions MUST be
aggressive with each other. In turn, hierarchy is developed for
the strongest of these lions wins the most, and in turn exert
their dominance in a stratified way.
Likewise, in our current Human Society, the exact same thing is
going on. Humans have been living in the same sort of scarcity
since the dawn of existence. However, as time has gone on, we
have become more and more "civilized" due to our ability to
Create. Unlike the Lions, humans are able to create tools and
set in motion processes that free the human being from a
particular chore or problem, reducing Scarcity.
Given this "insight" we then see that on a fundamental level
that if scarcity could be eradicated, then human behavior would
undergo a dramatic change, moving away from competition,
dominance and stratification.

Likewise, outmoded ideologies that do not stand up to the test
of time, such as theistic religion, compound this myth that
humans/society are built a certain way. For example, the
Catholic ideology states that humans are "born with sin".
This is absurd, outmoded and based on a primitive
understanding of human behavior.
There is no difference between a Ghandi baby or a Hitler
baby... it is the environment that shapes the person and hence
the society (and vice versa).
Therefore, true Sociological change will come from removing
the conditions that cause the aberrant behavior patterns which
pollute our societies. Prison, Police and Laws are mere
patchwork and, in fact, tend to make things worse over time.
Ultimately, it is going to take a redesign of our culture to change
human behavior for the better.

Technology

When we consider the relevance of our social structures and
ideologies in society, very often we view governments,
politicians and corporations as the guiding organizational and
catalystic institutions responsible for the quality of our lives.
This is, of course, true... but only to a certain extent. As time
has moved forward, human beings have become more and
more aware of nature, its processes, and thus have been able
to derive inference about how to imitate nature in all its creative
glory.
The result has been Technology, which is what separates us
humans from the other species as far as functionality. We have
the ability to create in very vast ways. If we don't want to clean
sewers, we can devise a machine to do it for us.
At the beginning of the Industrial Age, a great majority of people
worked in factories. Today, automation comprises 90% of nearly
all factories. This has displaced humans and created a large,
artificial "service" industry in order to keep humans in
employment for money.

This pattern is very revealing. The implication is that machine
automation is constantly challenging the role of general human
labor. This doesn't mean that humans will have "nothing to do"
as time moves on. Quite the contrary... this implication denotes
the freeing of humanity from jobs which humans do not care to
engage in, so they will have time to pursue what they choose
to. As an aside, it is important to point out that society today
assumes a very negative posture towards humanity, retaining
the belief that if human beings were not "required" to do
something, they would just sit around, be lazy, and do nothing.
This is absurd propaganda.
The notion of "leisure" is a monetary invention, created
because of the oppressive, fascist basis of the employment
institution itself. Laziness is, in fact, a form of rejection of the
system. It is a quality that only exists due to the oppression and
required servitude.

In a true society, there would be no such thing as the
separation of "work and "leisure", for humans should be
allowed to pursue whatever they feel is relevant. To put it a
different way, consider the curiosity and interest of a child. He
or she doesn't even know what money is...Do they need to be
motivated by money to go out and explore/create? No. They
have a personal interest and they pursue it without reward. In
fact, the greatest contributors to our society, such as Einstein,
Newton or Galileo, pursued what they did without any regard to
money. They did it because they wanted to. The act of doing
and contributing was their reward.
The point here is that money is not a true incentive for anything
and to think as such is to assume that humans are inherently
lazy and corrupt. Laziness and corruption are products of the
conditioning our social system creates.

Now, coming back to technology, we find that our quality of life,
as far as functionality, has been increased greatly by the
benefits of the technological tools we create. From a lawn
mower to a pace maker, technology saves lives and decreases
the amount of time we need to spend on mundane, difficult or
dangerous activities. In fact, if one steps back far enough, it
becomes clear that Technological development is the most
important institution we have and the pursuit of socially helpful
technology(not weapons) should be the highest priority of the
culture.
At the same time, technological development is brought about
by a particular train of thought, or process... this could be called
"The Scientific Method". Carl Sagan was once quoted as
saying something to the effect of "Society welcomes the gifts of
science, but rejects its methods".

This is very true in the modern age, for what the public fails to
understand is that science is not just a tool... it is a near
universal functionality which can be applied to society in ways
many would not think about.
It seems obvious that technology improves our lives and serves
as the greatest liberator of human life in the material realm... so
why aren't its methods applied to society as a whole?
Obviously, the scientific method is used constantly for isolated
systems, but it has never been truly considered in the broadest
ways. This is largely due to age old superstitions which battle
the logic of science in favor of a dogmatic, outdated and highly
romanticized world view.

If we had the option to rebuild a society from scratch, how
would we do it to make it the most efficient, sustainable and
humane? This is our perspective. Obviously, we cannot build a
society from scratch but the point is clear. It is time we stop
thinking about monetary concerns and limitations, and begin to
think about the possibilities we have here on earth in the
broadest sense.
It is this interest that has created the concept of a 'Resource
Based Economy'. The Venus project has been working on this
concept for a long time and its foundation is very simple. We
survey, preserve and maximize our use of planetary resources
in conjunction with open information and technological
development.
In this view, little is left to subjective interpretation, for it is a
scientifically derived strategy for social construction at the very
core. From there, the scientific parameters work themselves out
as far as possibilities.

Sustainability

When we think of sustainability, often we think of durability,
longevity and environmental respect. In general, a sustainable
practice is a practice that takes the health of the future into
consideration. However, this idea isn't just reserved for the
physical, material world- it also applies to thought, belief,
human conduct and society as a whole.
An unsustainable practice is one that has an unbalanced
negative effect, which, through time, will adversely effect a
person, society and/or the environment. A classic case is our
current use of Oil as a medium of energy. This could be
considered unsustainable due to the fact that oil is largely
unrenewable and, when burned, is damaging to the
environment. Any practice that causes an irreversible resource
depletion or long term environmental pollution is an
unsustainable practice.
Likewise, if a particular company outputs large amounts of
waste byproducts during production, polluting the environment,
this would be considered an unsustainable practice as well,
regardless of what they are producing.

Similarly, if materials or knowledge used in the production of a
particular kind of product are not of the highest known quality,
very often the integrity of that product is compromised
inherently, leading to the eventual creation of more waste when
that product fails or becomes obsolete. Given our current
system of profit, most everything that is produced is done so
with a built in weakness, due to the need to compete for market
share. In other words, if two companies are each competing to
create a certain item, both will need to be strategic in the
materials and designs they use, very often compromising
quality for the sake of affordability. The result is a product which
breaks down much faster than a product which was given the
greatest care and highest quality component materials.
This doesn't happen in our system for two reasons: 1) If a
company was to use the best known design and the best
known materials, they would likely have a much higher
production cost and would likely lose a competitive edge.

2) If products were made to last for extended periods of time,
people would not need to repeatedly replace, update and fix
their items as much, and a vast amount of revenue and jobs
would be lost by industry at large, slowing the economy.
This is, of course, unsustainable by definition, for the inherent
inefficiency of the economic system eventually creates
unnecessary multiplicities, waste and pollution.
And this leads us to unsustainable ideologies.
An unsustainable ideology is one that inherently leads a person
or group to unsustainable practices. For instance, the reason a
production plant might use poor materials to create
unsustainable products, while also outputting a disproportionate
amount of waste, is really the result of a larger force, known as
the Monetary or Profit System.

In a Profit System, there is no reward for sustainability, for the
system is built upon competition and regeneration. In such a
circumstance, sustainability is always second to profit, for the
survival of a company is based on profit, and profit is partly
based on reducing costs and expanding income. Therefore, the
unsustainable practices that exist in all industries are the result
of an underlying flaw in the ideological economic structure
itself.
In theory, most would agree that having an abundance of
resources, along with products that are made of the most
endurable materials for maximum sustainability and efficiency,
is a good thing. However, these notions are not rewarded in our
current world monetary system. What is rewarded is Scarcity.
Scarcity and planned obsolescence are rewarded in the short
term, for it creates a 'turnover' of profit, while also making more
jobs. Sadly, this 'short term reward' is at the cost of 'long term
destruction'.

The Free Enterprise System, along with all other subgroups,
such as communism, socialism and fascism, is an
unsustainable ideology, for it has built into it a propensity for
environmental and social abuse. To put it more clearly, a world
that is in competition with itself for labor, resources, and
survival is an unsustainable system inherently, for it lacks an
external conscience.
So then, what is an sustainable ideology?
While this question will always bring new answers as human
evolution continues, in the present day we have a concept
called The Scientific Method. Very simply, the Scientific Method
is a process of investigation which, though the most modern
methods of learning, measurement, testing and
experimentation, works to demonstrate the validity of a
particular understanding or possible resolution to a particular
problem.

An example would be a problem with a car. If your car doesn't
start, you would begin a train of thought, based on logic, to find
the source of the problem. Logic would guide your focus, likely
beginning with how much gas is in the car, moving towards the
ignition mechanism, etc. This is the scientific method applied to
problem solving. A non scientific method for such a problem
would fall under the category of 'irrational'. For instance if you
car doesn't start, it would be irrational to start looking at the
tires, for the tires would likely have nothing to do with the
mechanisms associated with the problem.
Sadly, our approach to social operation is largely without logic
or methodology, but rather it is submerged in tradition,
superstition and outmoded methods of conduct. A scientific
approach to society, using logic and reason to assess and react
to social issues would have a natural gravitation towards
sustainability, for nothing can be isolated or detached in such
an approach.

In other words, we need to stop looking at the world through the
blinders of the systems and ideologies that have been created
in the past, and start looking at the world in the most broad,
unbiased way we can. The only medium which supports this
approach, is Science, and the gifts of science have proved its
validity without question. Therefore, it is time we utilize the
methods of science in our approach to society itself.
A quick glance at the modes of operation used in the world
today reflect a gross negligence of reason, logic and scientific
application. Our economic structures are based on mediums of
exchange and values which have little relationship to true
resources and reality. Religion continues to preach worldviews
which have long been overridden by progressive scientific
thought. Our labor system is setup so that people must be
"employed" in order to gain money to survive, while the actual
contribution that these occupations have to society are highly
suspect, showing that "jobs" often exist simply to keep people
doing "something" in order to live and support the economic
structure. This is a waste of human life...

There are many, many facets to the understanding that our
current social institutions are unsustainable. To summarize the
issue, our life on earth must have a foundational premise by
which our operations relate. This premise must be as empirical
as possible, and not based on opinion or projection. From a
scientific perspective, we see that resources and human
ingenuity are the most valuable issues at hand. Human
intelligence and awareness, coupled with the thoughtful
management and utilization of earth resources are really the
only two core issues. Everything else is built upon this.
Therefore, we need to begin an approach which maximizes
education, technology and resource management.
Until this is done, sustainability will be in jeopardy. This is the
goal of The Venus Project and The Zeitgeist Movement.

Spirituality

Spirituality has a different meaning to each of us, it seems. A
standard definition would be: "A sense of meaning and
purpose; a sense of self and of a relationship with 'that which is
greater than self".
Currently, Religion and Mysticism seem to have the monopoly
on Spirituality. Theistic religion often regards a 'relationship with
god' or divine creator, as a spiritual relationship, while Mystics
will often find a relationship to a 'supernatural' force or power.
The bottom line is that, almost universally, spirituality has to do
with a 'relationship' on one level or another. In most
perspectives, it is associated with a person's 'place' or
'meaning' in life... whatever that may be.

As subjective as these things can be, we begin to recognize
changes in these notions, for social progress tends to carve a
path for understandings that stand the test of time. In the
modern age, we have the ability to look far in our past and
examine what our ancestors used to consider 'real', and then
compare those ideas to what we understand today. Many
"spiritual practices" which have existed in the past, no longer
exist due the understandings that have come about in regard to
natural phenomenon. As a base example, early religions often
'sacrificed' animals for certain purposes... this rarely happens
today, as the relevance of such an act has proven pointless in
its desired effect. Likewise, rarely do people perform
'raindances' in order to influence the weather... today we
understand how weather patterns are created, and ritual
practices have no provable effect.

Similarly, the idea of 'praying' to a god for a particular request,
has also statistically proven to have little effect on an outcome,
not to mention the evidence to support a personified creator
doesn't exist in any scientific way...rather it is often derived from
ancient historical literary speculation and tradition.
Establishment Religion, in many ways, seems to be rooted in a
perceptual misunderstanding about life's processes. For
instance, it presents a worldview which often puts the human
on a different level than other elements of nature. This 'spiritual
ego' has led to dramatic conflicts for generations, not only
between human beings, but inadvertently between us and the
environment itself.

However, as time has moved forward, Science has shown how
human beings are subject to the exact same forces of nature as
everything else. We have learned that we all share the same
atomic substructure as trees, birds and all other forms of life.
We have learned that we cannot live without nature's
elements... we need clean air to breathe, food to eat, energy
from the sun, etc. When we understand this Symbiotic
relationship of life, we begin to see that as far as 'relationships'
are concerned, our relationship to the planet is the most
profound and important. The medium by which this is
expressed, is Science, for the Scientific Method has allowed us
insight into these natural process, so we can better understand
how we 'fit' into this life system as a whole.
This could be called a 'spiritual' awakening.

This realization, which has been proven by science, is that
humans are no different from any other form of nature, while
our integrity is only as good as the integrity of our environment,
to which we are a part. This understanding presents an entirely
different 'spiritual' worldview, for it forces the idea of
interdependence and connection, at its core.
The interconnection of the whole of life is undeniable in the
most basic sense, and it is this perpetual 'relationship' of total
interconnectivity that is not fully realized by society overall.
Thus, our modes of conduct and perception are largely out of
line with nature itself... and hence destructive.
Nature itself is our teacher, and our social institutions and
philosophies should be derived from this foundational and,
invariably, 'spiritual' understanding.
The faster this spiritual awakening spreads, the more sane,
peaceful and productive society will become.

The Zeitgeist Movement

www.thezeitgeistmovement.com

ActionScript [AS1/AS2]

Symbol 8 Button
on (release) {
	nextFrame();
}
Symbol 13 Button
on (release) {
	gotoAndPlay (1);
}
Symbol 17 Button
on (release) {
	nextFrame();
}
Symbol 19 Button
on (release) {
	prevFrame();
}
Symbol 21 MovieClip Frame 1
	stop();
Symbol 21 MovieClip Frame 2
	stop();
Symbol 21 MovieClip Frame 3
	stop();
Symbol 21 MovieClip Frame 4
	stop();
Symbol 23 Button
on (release) {
	nextFrame();
}
Symbol 24 Button
on (release) {
	gotoAndPlay (1);
}
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 1
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 2
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 3
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 4
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 5
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 6
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 7
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 8
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 9
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 10
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 11
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 12
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 13
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 14
	stop();
Symbol 40 MovieClip Frame 15
	stop();
Symbol 42 Button
on (release) {
	nextFrame();
}
Symbol 43 Button
on (release) {
	gotoAndPlay (1);
}
Symbol 47 MovieClip Frame 1
	stop();
Symbol 47 MovieClip Frame 2
	stop();
Symbol 47 MovieClip Frame 3
	stop();
Symbol 47 MovieClip Frame 4
	stop();
Symbol 49 Button
on (release) {
	gotoAndPlay ("1");
}
Symbol 50 Button
on (release) {
	gotoAndPlay (1);
}
Symbol 56 MovieClip Frame 1
	stop();
Symbol 56 MovieClip Frame 2
	stop();
Symbol 56 MovieClip Frame 3
	stop();
Symbol 56 MovieClip Frame 4
	stop();
Symbol 56 MovieClip Frame 5
	stop();
Symbol 56 MovieClip Frame 6
	stop();
Symbol 58 Button
on (release) {
	nextFrame();
}
Symbol 59 Button
on (release) {
	gotoAndPlay (1);
}
Symbol 64 MovieClip Frame 1
	stop();
Symbol 64 MovieClip Frame 2
	stop();
Symbol 64 MovieClip Frame 3
	stop();
Symbol 64 MovieClip Frame 4
	stop();
Symbol 64 MovieClip Frame 5
	stop();
Symbol 66 Button
on (release) {
	nextFrame();
}
Symbol 67 Button
on (release) {
	gotoAndPlay (1);
}
Symbol 74 MovieClip Frame 1
	stop();
Symbol 74 MovieClip Frame 2
	stop();
Symbol 74 MovieClip Frame 3
	stop();
Symbol 74 MovieClip Frame 4
	stop();
Symbol 74 MovieClip Frame 5
	stop();
Symbol 74 MovieClip Frame 6
	stop();
Symbol 74 MovieClip Frame 7
	stop();
Symbol 76 Button
on (release) {
	nextFrame();
}
Symbol 77 Button
on (release) {
	gotoAndPlay (1);
}
Symbol 86 MovieClip Frame 1
	stop();
Symbol 86 MovieClip Frame 2
	stop();
Symbol 86 MovieClip Frame 3
	stop();
Symbol 86 MovieClip Frame 4
	stop();
Symbol 86 MovieClip Frame 5
	stop();
Symbol 86 MovieClip Frame 6
	stop();
Symbol 86 MovieClip Frame 7
	stop();
Symbol 86 MovieClip Frame 8
	stop();
Symbol 86 MovieClip Frame 9
	stop();
Symbol 88 Button
on (release) {
	nextFrame();
}
Symbol 89 Button
on (release) {
	gotoAndPlay (1);
}
Symbol 95 MovieClip Frame 1
	stop();
Symbol 95 MovieClip Frame 2
	stop();
Symbol 95 MovieClip Frame 3
	stop();
Symbol 95 MovieClip Frame 4
	stop();
Symbol 95 MovieClip Frame 5
	stop();
Symbol 95 MovieClip Frame 6
	stop();
Symbol 99 Button
on (release) {
	getURL ("www.thezeitgeistmovement.com");
}

Library Items

Symbol 1 Video	Used by:2
Symbol 2 MovieClip	Uses:1 SS1	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 3 Graphic	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 4 Graphic	Used by:5 8 23 42 49 58 66 76 88
Symbol 5 MovieClip	Uses:4	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 6 Font	Used by:7 10 12 18 20 22 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 41 44 45 46 48 51 52 53 54 55 57 60 61 62 63 65 68 69 70 71 72 73 75 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 87 90 91 92 93 94 96 98
Symbol 7 Text	Uses:6	Used by:8
Symbol 8 Button	Uses:4 7	Used by:21
Symbol 9 Graphic	Used by:21 40 47 56 64 74 86 95
Symbol 10 Text	Uses:6	Used by:21
Symbol 11 Graphic	Used by:13 24 43 50 59 67 77 89
Symbol 12 Text	Uses:6	Used by:13 24 43 50 59 67 77 89
Symbol 13 Button	Uses:11 12	Used by:21
Symbol 14 Graphic	Used by:17 19
Symbol 15 Graphic	Used by:17 19
Symbol 16 Graphic	Used by:17 19
Symbol 17 Button	Uses:14 15 16	Used by:21 40 47 56 64 74 86 95
Symbol 18 Text	Uses:6	Used by:21
Symbol 19 Button	Uses:14 15 16	Used by:21 40 47 56 64 74 86 95
Symbol 20 Text	Uses:6	Used by:21
Symbol 21 MovieClip	Uses:8 9 10 13 17 18 19 20	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 22 Text	Uses:6	Used by:23
Symbol 23 Button	Uses:4 22	Used by:40
Symbol 24 Button	Uses:11 12	Used by:40
Symbol 25 Font	Used by:26 30 36
Symbol 26 Text	Uses:25 6	Used by:40
Symbol 27 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 28 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 29 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 30 Text	Uses:6 25	Used by:40
Symbol 31 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 32 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 33 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 34 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 35 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 36 Text	Uses:6 25	Used by:40
Symbol 37 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 38 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 39 Text	Uses:6	Used by:40
Symbol 40 MovieClip	Uses:23 24 9 17 26 19 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 41 Text	Uses:6	Used by:42
Symbol 42 Button	Uses:4 41	Used by:47
Symbol 43 Button	Uses:11 12	Used by:47
Symbol 44 Text	Uses:6	Used by:47
Symbol 45 Text	Uses:6	Used by:47
Symbol 46 Text	Uses:6	Used by:47
Symbol 47 MovieClip	Uses:42 43 9 44 17 45 19 46	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 48 Text	Uses:6	Used by:49
Symbol 49 Button	Uses:4 48	Used by:56
Symbol 50 Button	Uses:11 12	Used by:56
Symbol 51 Text	Uses:6	Used by:56
Symbol 52 Text	Uses:6	Used by:56
Symbol 53 Text	Uses:6	Used by:56
Symbol 54 Text	Uses:6	Used by:56
Symbol 55 Text	Uses:6	Used by:56
Symbol 56 MovieClip	Uses:49 50 9 51 17 52 19 53 54 55	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 57 Text	Uses:6	Used by:58
Symbol 58 Button	Uses:4 57	Used by:64
Symbol 59 Button	Uses:11 12	Used by:64
Symbol 60 Text	Uses:6	Used by:64
Symbol 61 Text	Uses:6	Used by:64
Symbol 62 Text	Uses:6	Used by:64
Symbol 63 Text	Uses:6	Used by:64
Symbol 64 MovieClip	Uses:58 59 9 60 17 61 19 62 63	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 65 Text	Uses:6	Used by:66
Symbol 66 Button	Uses:4 65	Used by:74
Symbol 67 Button	Uses:11 12	Used by:74
Symbol 68 Text	Uses:6	Used by:74
Symbol 69 Text	Uses:6	Used by:74
Symbol 70 Text	Uses:6	Used by:74
Symbol 71 Text	Uses:6	Used by:74
Symbol 72 Text	Uses:6	Used by:74
Symbol 73 Text	Uses:6	Used by:74
Symbol 74 MovieClip	Uses:66 9 67 68 17 69 19 70 71 72 73	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 75 Text	Uses:6	Used by:76
Symbol 76 Button	Uses:4 75	Used by:86
Symbol 77 Button	Uses:11 12	Used by:86
Symbol 78 Text	Uses:6	Used by:86
Symbol 79 Text	Uses:6	Used by:86
Symbol 80 Text	Uses:6	Used by:86
Symbol 81 Text	Uses:6	Used by:86
Symbol 82 Text	Uses:6	Used by:86
Symbol 83 Text	Uses:6	Used by:86
Symbol 84 Text	Uses:6	Used by:86
Symbol 85 Text	Uses:6	Used by:86
Symbol 86 MovieClip	Uses:76 9 77 78 17 79 19 80 81 82 83 84 85	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 87 Text	Uses:6	Used by:88
Symbol 88 Button	Uses:4 87	Used by:95
Symbol 89 Button	Uses:11 12	Used by:95
Symbol 90 Text	Uses:6	Used by:95
Symbol 91 Text	Uses:6	Used by:95
Symbol 92 Text	Uses:6	Used by:95
Symbol 93 Text	Uses:6	Used by:95
Symbol 94 Text	Uses:6	Used by:95
Symbol 95 MovieClip	Uses:88 9 89 90 17 91 19 92 93 94	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 96 Text	Uses:6	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 97 Graphic	Used by:99
Symbol 98 Text	Uses:6	Used by:99
Symbol 99 Button	Uses:97 98	Used by:Timeline
Symbol 100 Sound	Used by:Timeline
Streaming Sound 1	Used by:Symbol 2 MovieClip

Special Tags

FileAttributes (69)	Timeline Frame 1	Access local files only, Metadata not present, AS1/AS2.
Protect (24)	Timeline Frame 1	0 bytes ""