Blog Blast For Peace!!!

Day 6

Welcome to BlogBlast For Peace - The Fifth Launch!

Dona Nobis Pacem in the blogosphere is upon us again. These three Latin words which literally translate "Grant Us Peace" have become a mantra for an incredible dialogue and exchange of ideas that happens twice a year. It has also become my hope that the simple words we find scrawled on the face of our peace globes and blogs sink heavily into our hearts and collective consciousness to infuse and ignite us, as a people with a voice for change and a vision for peace. And then, one day soon, they will spill over into new territories, stepping off the blog page alone and inspire us to action in our homes and communities. It's already happening.

The above words are copied from Mimi Writes, the home blog of Blog Blast for Peace. I urge you to go check out Mimi's blog, it's fabulous. WAIT!! First finish reading MY blog before you go to Mimi's. Thanks, you are great!!

Thanks to Rev. Dale Jukes of the Okanagan Centre for Spiritual Living, and Rev. Linda Fisher of the Rev. Linda Fisher of the Center for Spiritual Living, Westlake Village - CA 91361 for telling me about iPeace. I am now a member of iPeace, a social network for people who want to see world Peace. I highly recommend this as another place to go if you are interested in Peace.


This is what Rev. Linda Fisher sent to me about iPeace:


What can better describe iPeace than:

iPeace presentation to Google's Project 10 to the 100th


What one sentence best describes your idea?

Like carbon atoms connected to form a diamond, iPeace connects individuals through the web to form the strongest force of peace, which will unite, cooperate, and share with others to remove the spectrum of obstacles to peace.


Describe your idea in more depth.

Imagine a living organism made of people, regardless of their nationality, sex, religion, race or politics; imagine millions contributing and sharing freely their energy, talent, creativity and love; imagine an organism that keeps pouring money into initiatives, projects and causes that its members believe can help bring about peace; imagine an organism that can save lives: this organism is iPeace.

iPeace is a hub for serious peace initiatives, a platform that actively supports, advertises, promotes and aids in financing them. It offers a forum where its community debates, discusses and educates each other on what projects to support.

People fall in love with iPeace, giving it their art, ideas and connections. People feel ownership in iPeace and actively help it to grow and spread. Based on the profound belief that peace comes from within, iPeace spreads 'virally' to one's immediate environment, creating pockets of peace that connect to each other and grow. Eventually its network will cover the entire world.

iPeace is a non-profit organization, that pledges to return to society by a vote of its members all income from any source, of advertising, referral fees, merchandising or donations.

This isn't utopia. It is a quickly emerging reality. Since its launch a month ago, 8,000 members have joined iPeace. The buzz of their activity is not only in groups, forums and blogs, but also in real life events where people from opposing zones meet to break down the barriers that are built on fear.

Among the initiatives that iPeace is currently supporting are KIVA (Loans that change lives), PeaceJam, The Sole of Africa (Landmines removal) and PIJ (Palestine Israel Journal). Its first real life event is scheduled for Amman, Jordan, on December 31, 2008 when iPeace Day will bring together people from Palestine, Syria, Israel, Egypt and Jordan to celebrate in a festival of peace.


What problem or issue does your idea address?

Besides an unbelievable pool of heart, talent, intelligence, creativity, compassion, awareness and energy gathered and focused to remove obstacles to peace, iPeace members are adept at planning and fund raising. Knowing that all revenues generated by their website are directed in a democratic way to peace initiatives, iPeace members have an extra incentive to make the organization succeed.

One example is referral fees. Members will want to do all of their web business through a state of the art shopping portal, thus directly helping their causes with a minimal change to their web behavior.

The iPeace ideas highlight issues and topics surrounding peace in the widest meaning of the word. Whether it is the conflict in the Middle East, confrontations in Africa, human trafficking driven by poverty, crimes of hate spawns of prejudice, etc., it addresses issues like hatred, our shrinking freedoms, and violence. iPeace views reducing fear as its biggest challenge.


If your idea were to become a reality, who would benefit the most and how?

Who would not?

iPeace will be home to individuals, initiatives, organizations and foundations as an interface/platform connecting the virtual and real world of networks, collaborative endeavors, research projects, grassroots field operations, educational programs, social campaigns, school activities, community action, and individual aspirations into a single unique space dedicated to peace. There are many among us without high self-esteem who are creative, intelligent, and resourceful. Being part of iPeace will enable them to feel meaningful and worthwhile.

A force field of activity, ingenuity and dedication, iPeace will create an inter-connectivity where the receiver and the giver will each benefit every person on the planet, but most importantly, the weak and the underprivileged. iPeace is dedicated to more peace which will bring more prosperity which will bring more peace. The organization is a global meeting point, a resource and expertise exchange, and a location that will become a centralized juncture in the global community of peace activism.


What are the initial steps required to get this idea off the ground?

The iPeace idea is already off the ground, spreading, promoting and marketing. Its citizens blog about it, post its banners on their websites, spread the word in social networks and upload videos. They volunteer to for the services needed to run the network. Most importantly, they fill the iPeace space with information, ideas, great energy, love and light.

iPeace is happening, but the world needs it to happen faster with an infrastructure for a major social network. It needs to be translated into other languages to operate as a true multilingual network. It needs to develop an interface that will enable its members to do their web business so iPeace benefits from the referral fees. As it grows it will need more developers, designers, creative minds and writers. It needs to design and develop methodology and tools for funneling its income back to society.


Describe the optimal outcome should your idea be selected and successfully implemented. How would you measure it?

How can one measure the life of a potential suicide bomber who found iPeace one day before he was approached or measure the millions who learn to fear less from what was instilled in their minds as evil? How can you measure a new acquired high self-esteem or measure inspiration and imagination?

One can measure the number of people who joined iPeace, and the number of people who subscribed to the iPeace idea, without joining its social network through its geographical and ethnic penetration.

One can measure how many great ideas came to fruition through iPeace space, how many programs was iPeace involved, what the involvement was, and how much money it distributed.

One can also measure iPeace recognition. How many initiatives, projects, campaigns and causes wanted to partner with iPeace and how much of a household name iPeace became? The latter is easy, just Google it.


If you'd like to recommend a specific organization, or the ideal type of organization, to execute your plan, please do so here.


Who else? The iPeace idea belongs in iPeace.me where it was conceived and born.

All one has to do is go to the website and feel the magic. The people of iPeace possess the desire, the expertise, the heart and the soul to effectively increase the chances of harmony among humanity in our lifetime.

David Califia