SolSeed Goals — revision 42048

Brandon was working on his dissertation when he discovered Omidyar.net and met Kim, Ted, and possibly Mark
He had a "peak experience" related to his parents' Christianity and how to relate to it
SolSeed was going to be a religion (name chosen partly because Earthseed domain name was taken)
Religion has a privileged place in people's lives, opens a space for the discussion of meaning
Goal: create a community with a shared language and practices

Judy: Now, SolSeed may be a spirituality
Avoids problems with trying to convert people
No need for claims of exclusivity
See the circles drawing from Seed 2009 on how the SolSeedMovement relates to the wider world
Overall, Brandon wants to live a life that is part of an epic story
SolSeed's story is about seeding the galaxy with life
Other people who have been involved in SolSeed, such as Bonnie, are in it only for connection to people
Humanists may object to TheDestiny because "we need to fix our problems on Earth first"
But maybe life is as good as it's ever going to be

An intentional community/society
Would attract "normals," i.e. people uninterested in space?
Judy and Steve's example: housing co-op in Davis, CA house bought by Judy's parents
Created by renting out bedrooms
4 or 5 total occupants at a time with pretty high turnover
They've also been involved in a babysitting co-op in Washington, DC
SolSeed could start with an association of neighbors
Specific goal: SolSeed room in new neighborhood community center

Steve: TheDestiny, and space travel more generally, requires building real wealth
Best way for SolSeed to help with these big goals may be by "acting at the headwaters," as per the movie The Upward Spiral, taking focused actions aimed at much larger downstream results
But how to know if we're doing something that will work?
Shelley: science itself is young, so there's no shame in not entirely knowing what we're doing

Judy's religion is "Allishness," defined as connecting with an inner reservoir of awe at All-That-Is instead of focusing on the buzzing of one's thoughts
Rainier dying: Shelley had to learn to "let it be what it is"
Brandon: Being open and connected is powerful
Back to religion: is community its most important aspect rather than the stories it tells?
Stories about people are effective
But do people want to follow along with someone else's existing story?