Sharif Abdullah’s Blog

Howdy–

A lot has shifted for me in recent months.  I want to share that with you, and give you some news on my new book and related activities.

The recent events in Sri Lanka have affected me deeply.  The Sri Lankan government’s willingness to kill and imprison an entire population in pursuit of their goal to eliminate the Tigers is appalling.  Even more difficult for me has been Sarvodaya’s silence in the face of this nightmare.  Because of confidentiality, I cannot go into the details of this matter.  However, suffice it to say that they are NOT following my STRONG advice.

In the face of this setback for peace, in the face of the temporary triumph of violence and fear, I asked myself a question: have I wasted the last 14 years?

The answer that came back from that introspection was a resounding NO!  I have learned a lot from my international work, in Sri Lanka, in Cuba, in Argentina, in Russia, in Venezuela, in many other places in the world.  I have understood what makes societies work, and I’ve learned when and how they fail.  I’ve learned the difficulties of keeping to one’s values in the face of adversity, and how easy it is to go along with popular opinion, even when that opinion violates your core values. I’ve learned what it means to be alive in the beginning of the 21st Century, and what it’s going to take to create a world for all beings.

I have also been searching through over 100 distinct cultures, looking for the common spiritual threads that unite humanity and connect us with the Divine.  And, I’ve found them.

Every year, I use my birthday as a time to reflect back on my life, to look at how things have been and where I’m going.  (I turned 58 in March.)

For the past 50 years, I have been witness to the NEED for a new society.  For the past 30 years, I have been ENVISIONING the system that will lead us to that society.

For the past 15 years, I have been both discovering and field-testing the elements of a new operating system in places like Sri Lanka, Cuba, Argentina, Bali and now Nepal. I have learned what works (regardless of how improbable or unlikely) and I’ve learned what doesn’t work (despite how good it looks on paper).

And, for the past several months, I’ve been writing down what I have learned about Spirit and society.  So, on the 20th anniversary of “The Power of One” and the 10th anniversary of “Creating a World That Works for All”, I am doing a new book, my most comprehensive.

My working title is: SPIRIT ON EARTH: AN OPERATING SYSTEM FOR A SPIRITUAL SOCIETY. Our challenge: to practically apply our spiritual values in the world, in a realistic way that we can save humanity and save the Earth. My goal is to envision a system that can work in Oregon and in Egypt, in New York and New Delhi, in Kathmandu and in Chattanooga. I am articulating what I call the “Relational Operating System”, as the replacement for (and antidote to) Breaker systems such as capitalism, communism/ socialism and any other human system based on separation and exclusivity (including most religions as practiced).

We know quite well what doesn’t work.  Our problem is that we don’t know what will.  For the first time in human history, our technology has outstripped our imagination.  Recently, one of my critics wrote: “If socialism has failed we might as well embrace our coming extinction.”  Isn’t that sad?  In his self-limited mind, there are only two thoughts in the world: capitalism and communism/socialism.  You can only have one or the other…

My new book will offer a solution to this dilemma.

I plan a very unique 3-step presentation/ rollout for “Spirit on Earth”:

COREBOOK:  First, there will be a short “corebook” that will contain the essence of the concept.  The corebook will be “launched” on 14 July (my late mother’s birthday, as well as the French Bastille Day – a good enough time to talk about the liberation of humanity… from itself).  I am aiming for the corebook to be about the size and length of “The Power of One”.

I intend to offer this corebook as SHAREWARE!  People will pay for it as they can, and to the degree they derive value from it.  The intention is to BROADCAST “Spirit on Earth” widely.  The goal here is maximum impact… well beyond the “usual suspects” that have populated Commonway’s database.  I am also looking for some definitely non-traditional distribution methods.  I’m going to seek some funding (probably from Fetzer Institute) to support the distribution.

SOURCEBOOK:  Next, I will write and publish a “full” text of the concept.  I am aiming for a December, 2009 publication.  This will be available in a more traditional format.  The sourcebook may be attractive to a publisher (especially if the launch of the corebook is successful).

THREE IN-DEPTH BOOKS:  Depending on what happens with the sourcebook, I intend to write up to 3 other books in 2010 or 2011, one each on Consciousness, Economics and Power.  (Most of the text has already been gathered.)

In addition: I intend to offer a series of new workshops and seminars, all based on how to understand and implement the Relational Operating System.

What I need from you is three things: spiritual support, networking support, and financial support.

1. Spiritual Support: One of the things that I learned from Sarvodaya: focused spiritual activity can shift the “psychosphere” the field of human thought. All it takes is focused will. Through your prayers, affirmations and meditations, you can help me to establish this one thought: “IT IS TIME FOR US TO LIVE OUR VALUES”. That will help prepare the ground for “Spirit on Earth”.

2. Networking Support: Each of you is part of a network. Some are obvious, like Facebook or MySpace. Others are less obvious (and more “human”): your church group, your school groups, your neighbors. By seeding the question – “WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FOR US TO TRULY LIVE OUR VALUES?”, you will be helping me to prepare the ground for what I hope will be a major dialog on our future as humans on this planet.

3. Financial Support:  I am working as full time as my schedule allows (while monitoring the situations in Sri Lanka, Nepal and elsewhere, and doing some fee-based contract work during the summer).  What I need from you is financial support.  The more financial energy I get from you, the less I have to stop writing to do fee-based work to cover expenses.

I have already received a few generous donations, totaling over $1,000 toward my goal of $8,000 to complete this book by mid-July.  This money will keep Commonway going, as well as allow me to hire a page editor, cover designer and other behind-the-scenes people who turn a collection of ideas into a BOOK.

Those who donate $100 or more to the corebook development and launch, will get a “Producers” credit in the book itself!

To Donate: Click on the “donate” button on the lower left-hand column on any page of the Commonway website:  http://www.commonway.org/.  After making your donation, please send me an email saying that you would like the funds applied to the “Spirit on Earth” book launch.  (And remember: I still accept donations the “old fashioned” way: paper checks made out to “Commonway Institute” and mailed to:

COMMONWAY INSTITUTE

P.O. BOX 12541

PORTLAND, OR 97212

If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Peace,

Sharif