January 15, 1998
Westminster, California, USAThis morning, I woke up at 4:45am, and by 5:45am, Marilyn(a friend of Marni) and I were on our way to a breakfast at a local university, hosted by a group called The Inside Edge. In their brochure, The Inside Edge is described as "a dynamic interpersonal environment for people of vision, high dreams and achievement - a support group for leaders." My guest fee was $20, and I was almost 20 years younger than anyone else in room. After a back rub circle, a tasty breakfast, a group discussion period, and a "get to know you" walk-a-bout, Barbara Marx Hubbard spoke to us. She is a "social architect", described by Buckminster Fuller as being "one of the the world’s foremost futurists".
Barbara began by telling us that she is the mother of five children, and for many years, was considered by society as "just a house-wife". "That’s what women did in those days...", Barbara explained, "You had babies, and watched J. Edgar Hoover on the television. I wasn’t even called the wife of a husband... I was the wife of a house!!! I remember thinking... There has got to be more to life than what I’m experiencing...!"
She went on to talk about her campaign for the position of Vice President of the United States. Her main platform in the campaign was: "Since our government has a War Room, it should also have a Peace Room." Unfortunately, Barbara was unable to win the nomination for Vice President, but she has continued with her quest, authoring several books, and co-founding the Foundation for Conscious Evolution.
Like myself, Barbara believes that the generation of people living on earth at this time, are the "Deciding Generation". She figures that we have thirty years or less before the total destruction of earth is imminent. This means that if society doesn’t wake-up and do something to reverse the trend on a global scale, earth is doomed by over-population and damage to our environment, to a point of no return.
Barbara quoted Buckminster Fuller as saying, "Humanity has the option to make it!" He meant that humans have the knowledge, the technology, and the means to carry out the task of saving the world. It’s just a matter of convincing enough people to do it. The thing is... we may have less than 30 years to do it - after that, it could be hopeless. It’s a good thing I haven’t bothered with saving my money for retirement.
The one thing I envy about Barbara, is that she had the privilege of being a student of Buckminster Fuller - a man I consider a hero. I’ve even named my first kayak, "Bucky", in his honor. The following is an article from the San Diego Earth Times, by Alice Martinez.
R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER CENTENARY CELEBRATION
If you’ve ever seen a geodesic dome or heard the term "Spaceship Earth" then you have had a least some exposure to the work of R. Buckminster Fuller. Better known as "Bucky" to his supporters, this month marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of this unique man - architect, engineer, inventor, philosopher, poet and mathematician.
A COMMITTED LIFE
In 1927, at the age of 32 and on the brink of suicide, Fuller had a realization that set the course for the rest of his life. It struck him that his life belonged to the universe, not himself. He immediately dedicated his life "as an experiment to discover what the little, penniless, unknown individual might be able to do effectively on behalf of all humanity." He even referred to himself as "Guinea Pig B"(B for Bucky).
Over the next 56 years of his life, he steadfastly held to his purpose, becoming one of the world’s first futurists and global thinkers. Fuller addressed himself to the largest questions. What would it take to "make the world work - to provide food, shelter and energy for 100 percent of humanity? This global thinking led him to coin the terms "Spaceship Earth" and "One - Town World."
A unique thinker, he invented his own geometry and language of design. His Dymaxion Map is the first to accurately depict the earth on a flat surface without distortion. His most famous invention, the geodesic dome, emerged from his search for affordable housing for the world's masses. Indeed, it is the strongest, lightest, most cost-effective structure ever devised.
Although he never graduated from college, Fuller was awarded 47 honorary doctorates and more than 100 major awards. He wrote 28 books, consulted for world leaders like Indira Gandhi and Pierre Trudeau, and his picture was even on the cover of Time magazine.
Altogether, a remarkable man and a remarkable life.
*End of article*
When Barbara finished her talk, a guest entertainer played her guitar and sang. Between songs she told jokes. She was extremely funny... and sort of funny looking too. I am positive she’s a transvestite. I said to Marilyn, "She’s a great singer... but I am amazed at how masculine her voice sounds" "Yeah... Well... She’s just making it work..." Marilyn replied. I knew what that meant.
After it was over, I had a chance to speak with Diana Von Welanetz Wentworth, founder of the Inside Edge. Diana told me she is compiling another edition in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and asked me if I’d like to be a part of it. "You bet!" I told her. It’s not the $300 commission I am excited about. I’m just enchanted with the possibility of being published in an almost guaranteed best-seller. That perk alone makes it worth doing. I already have the story written. I’m going to submit the narration of how I let serendipity take over control of this journey, and decided that having fun was more important than having a fat ego.
This afternoon, Marni introduced me to the works of Earl Nightingale. In 1956, Earl Nightingale recorded an essay called The Strangest Secret, which became the first spoken message to sell more than a million copies, and was the precursor of today’s booming motivational audiotape industry. Today was the first time I had ever listened to The Strangest Secret, but the message contained in it was nothing new to me.
Before I left on this journey, I listened to two series of audio tapes by separate motivational speakers - Marshal Sylver, and Anthony Robins. Both of these guys have made a fortune from selling their philosophies. The funny thing is... these aren’t their philosophies - they’re the same things Earl Nightingale was saying 30 years ago.
In the early fifties, Nightingale went on a quest to find the secret of success. He was in search of the reason why some people are able to achieve any desire and accumulate an abundance of wealth, while others seem to be doomed to live a life of despair and poverty. After years of research, he came to the conclusion that "We become what we think about." Simple isn’t it?! So simple in fact, that it wasn’t a new idea at all. Scholars have been saying it for generations, and it is stated in the Bible at least a dozen times. So why isn’t everyone happy and successful, if the key to success was found thousands of years ago? Well... I’m not sure. I discovered it for myself when I was seventeen. But, it does explain the reason why Earl’s essay is called The Strangest Secret. If it wasn’t a secret... why would he have sold over a million copies?
Mr. Nightingale has saved me a lot of work. I’m quite sure I will never need to create an audio program called "MAX’s 12 Steps to Success!" Everything that I have learned about goal-setting, has already been said by Earl. I have decided, that my duty is to prove that the message actually works. When folks ask me, "Why are you on this journey?", I tell them, "It is the only way I can become the person I want to be." I believe my job is to encourage others to figure out what kind of person they want to be, and to inspire them to believe they can become that person.
Southern California is a haven for motivation speaker-types, and folks trying to save the world. Marni and Warren are huge motivation fans. In front of me, is a book-shelf filled with "How to become successful" books, and down-stairs, the television is almost always tuned into TPN - a channel which broadcasts motivational messages and helpful financial information, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Living here over the past two weeks feels like I’ve been attending The University of Success &Inspiration. Here is my roster of professors so far this semester: Mathematics - Buckminster Fuller, Religious Studies - Dr. Robert Schuller, Social Economics - Earl Nightingale, and Philosophy - Barbara Marx Hubbard. These scholars are legendary. It is an honor to be educated by them, and yet, at the school I attend, they do it for free.
You need to pay for your books, and occasionally, depending on the courses you choose, you may be required to pay a lab fee, but there is never a tuition fee. There is only one requirement - you must want to learn. There is no teacher to check your home-work, no deadlines on your essays, and no exams or term papers forcing you to digest information. Knowledge has to be sucked into the brain... not pushed in. Class begins each time you take action. You don’t need to wait for someone else to validate your learning.
I am on this journey because I believe it is the only way I can gain the experiences I need to become the ultimate person I desire to be. I do not believe that any university could offer me these experiences. "The University of Diversity", and "The School of Hard Knocks", are modifiers I use to illustrate that living is learning. This is true now more than ever. Rapidly advancing technology and fierce competition are revolutionizing the way we do business. For businesses to stay in business, and for employees to keep their jobs, they must be continuously re-educating themselves. In other words... "If you want to keep on earning... you’ve got to keep on learning!"
Solution: the internet. People don’t have the time or money to keep running back to school every time there is an advance in technology, or their job disappears and they need to find a new occupation. At this time, there are professors teaching full credit university courses over the internet. It won’t be long before people will be able to receive full degrees over the net, without ever setting foot on a university campus. This is exciting! Not only does this make getting a formal education extremely convenient, it also brings the price down to a level most can afford.
