Do you want to do SOMETHING? - Democratic Underground

OneGrassRoot

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Mon Aug-30-10 11:39 AM
Original message

Do you want to do SOMETHING?

(Warning, this is long. I'm asking for your help with a fairly large undertaking, and providing background to my plea, so thanks in advance for taking the time to read. It's taken forever to compose this and get links working, so I don't have time to proof. I hope it makes sense. :blush: :hi: )

One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something. - Henry David Thoreau

Do you want to do something to help others, something to help yourself, but you have no idea what or where to turn any more? You probably either feel beaten down yourself and think you have nothing to give, and have experienced no one helping YOU; or, perhaps you have received help but it's just not enough to ease the daily struggle any more as the dominoes keep falling.

Maybe you are fortunate and have some time, energy and/or resources but are overwhelmed by the needs of others and don't know where to put your attention.

Everything feels so fragmented to me nowadays. Sometimes there are too many choices, too many organizations and agencies, too many websites, and it's confusing; plus, I just don't see much headway being made because we are, IMHO, fighting the current system every step of the way.

I know many here are enraged and/or have fallen into a deep despair about life, with good reason. There are so many things wrong, critically wrong in this country (and other countries) that it's overwhelming. Many tend to get mired down in the anger and despair; many are barely surviving and don't have any energy to fight or contribute toward trying to, once again, create positive change.

I get that. I don't wear rose-colored glasses. I see the extreme injustice and brutality in the world, in our own country, in our own communities. What to DO about it has always been my question. Pursuing systemic change via legislative means is too slow for me given the crises we face, though I act on that front as well and won't become apathetic.

For the longest time I sought to engage others who act disengaged and uncaring, or even judgmental and cruel. The ones who "diss" having empathy. While I still believe there is hope with some of those types, I can't put my energy there any longer.

I'm putting out a call, and those who resonate with that call can answer; when it falls on deaf ears, so be it. We'll create our own critical mass by joining together; maybe others will come along in due time.

As for the system itself, there are others much smarter than I to pursue those avenues and work toward systemic change; I support them wholeheartedly and will continue to do so however I can.

But I needed to DO SOMETHING...something to provide a way to regain our humanity, even if it starts online and filters into the "real world" from there. I wanted to empower others and provide a space where everyone can feel they are of value and can have a voice, not a case number; that they are accomplishing something beyond sheer survival by being in this space, something which contributes to that proverbial Common Good.

That something is a Revolution of Compassion, and it's starting at Wishadoo!

The revolution can start, for some, by simply perusing a list of things people have posted at the Wishlist, to see if, by some miracle, they can help another that day. If they find a "match," it's as simple as hitting "reply" to contact the person who posted it, not a lot of red tape or waiting. I wanted a space that empowers others to know it's okay for them to ASK for what they need...to "put it out there" and see what manner of good can manifest when as a collective we gather, in compassion.

It's truly about giving, receiving and paying forward, without any belief system or ideology being involved or required. Simply respect, for oneself and others.

There are no applications, there is no vetting. You simply join and post. It's about direct connections, personal responsibility, using gut instinct and having hope, however little, that things CAN get better. I suppose it's a grand social experiment.

I invite you to watch the video. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzASMa_Th10

Wishadoo is my attempt (along with my partner) to be able to DO SOMETHING to help alleviate suffering and maybe even bring some joy into lives along the way and, maybe...just maybe...come together in a way to REALLY start thinking outside the box and create a new way of doing EVERYTHING. An umbrella site of sorts where others thinking outside the box can also have a presence via our Groups, make use of tools to connect, and truly all come together to work in a cooperative fashion to make things better in some way.

Many have wonderful gathering places already, such as here at DU; Wishadoo doesn't take the place of any of them; in fact, it complements other groups and is simply the space for everyone to come together with a much more focused intent: creating compassionate, cooperative communities.

We can come together in the Groups formed around issues with the fierce urgency of now -- poverty, homelessness, hunger, education, healthcare -- to get creative and think WAY outside any existing boxes. There are a lot of brilliant people here, with a lot of amazing ideas. I have faith in you. :)

Please know that Wishadoo is NOT political at all; DU and other sites fill that role beautifully. :)

It's going to take a LOT of people coming together to make it work. So, I'm calling on DUers to help get the word out about this Revolution of Compassion.

Here's how:

First things first.....

HELP! If you or someone you know is proficient in both WordPress and a platform called phpFox, please contact me! Well, if you have the time and interest in helping, that is. ;)

SPREAD THE WORD:

- First, please join join Wishadoo and join our Facebook page if you're there.

- If you could please encourage others you know to join, that would be GREAT. The more who gather, the more we can accomplish.

- If you belong to care2.com, Yahoo groups, or any other online forums and groups, please spread the word there. If you are active within care2.com, please contact me; I'd love to work with that organization but have a mental block about maneuvering within their site for some reason. If you can post about Wishadoo at your local craigslist.com, that would be AWESOME.

- I'm creating downloadable fliers and will post to the site soon. People can post at libraries, fire stations, grocery stores, etc. to spread the word. You can also get banners to embed in your website/blog here: http://wishadoo.com/wp-faq/share-wishadoo

- If you have other ideas on how to spread the word, let's brainstorm here.

GET INVOLVED WITH WISHADOO:

- Please take a moment to consider what you need that could make life easier in some way and post to the Wishlist. Granted, until more people gather, it may take time to get a connection to have a wish fulfilled; but, until we start gathering, nothing is going to happen, ya know? Then again, you may be amazed that someone who can help you sees your post right away and starts moving life in a new direction; unless you ask -- unless you "put it out there" -- chances are nothing is going to change. Rocky is a living testament to that. Please consider posting anything you can offer. Wishadoo! is about giving, receiving and paying it forward. There are DUers there who have posted to the Wishlist already. Please check the Wishlist.

- If you are reading this and want to be a Wishadoo Advocate and be more involved, please contact me. Making calls on behalf of others and representing the Wishadoo! Community is how an Advocate can help. There is no specific time requirement or commitment; if this appeals to you, whatever you can do is appreciated. Rocky really created this role via his experience with Wishadoo -- :hug: -- realizing that when calling for help and having a community behind you, people tend to listen and pay attention more. We plan to use 211.org (and may be partnering with United Way in order to do so!) to make use of existing help in each area, calling on the Wishlist poster's behalf, as so often people are frazzled by the time they reach us and feel beaten down, to the point that making more calls to find existing help is beyond them.

For non-crisis-related Wishlist posts, I hope to engage high school students to work with Wishadoo in this capacity as a means to give them community service opportunities.

- If you are involved in a workplace or school or other group, online and/or offline (PTA, book clubs, environmental groups, a close neighborhood, anything) that you feel would like to be involved with Wishadoo and its mission, please let me know. We can create a group FOR you there and you can make use of Wishadoo's tools.

We can brainstorm about the myriad issues that are at a crisis level and how to work within our individual communities to directly combat these issues and affect change. Let me know and I'll create the group, and/or we can link to other existing grassroots groups focused on these issues. We already have a few here.

- If you want to be an ambassador and lead the Wishadoo group for your state/city/region, please let me know.

- If you know people with resources (the ones with some funds to help others, the ones with jobs or ideas for jobs, the ones with connections TP other resources), please start making a list and invite them to Wishadoo! We need to balance things out between the haves and have nots, and this is a way of integrity and heart for this to happen directly, without middlemen or write-offs.

IT'S TIME FOR THE REVOLUTION OF COMPASSION TO HAPPEN!!!!!

Please help keep this kicked.

Thank you all SO MUCH for reading this lengthy missive! If you have suggestions or questions or whatever, please feel free to PM me or email me directly at dena@wishadoo.com.

:hi: