Version 1.0 - April 6, 2008
If you are a human being born on planet Earth, at conception, when sperm and egg fuse, you become a Citizen and are automatically bound by a Grand Social Contract (GSC) that defines a set of rights and obligations for all citizens. The basic rights granted you under the GSC are as follows:
collectively known as "Rights," "The Rights," or "Your Rights." Your sole obligation under the GSC is that you do not deprive another citizen of these same rights, known as the "Obligation" or "Your Obligation."
There is only one way to free yourself from being a party to the GSC: death.
Organized groups (for commercial, governmental, societal, or other purposes), known collectively as "Groups," are also party to the GSC. Groups can be considered Citizens for the purposes of the GSC, so the term Citizens includes Groups.
Without the GSC, anarchy reigns and life ends. The GSC's purpose is to maintain a high "Peace and Joy Quotient" (PJQ) for all Citizens bound by it. The PJQ is a simple description of the absence of fear or stress in the lives of Citizens. It is not expected that the PJQ can ever be accurately measured, but that is irrelevant.
Please note R3, which means that even threatening someone's life, freewill, Person or Property, is a crime, a violation of your Obligation under the GSC, for a threat- whether reasonable or not- can introduce fear into a Citizen's life.
The purpose of this site is to
The Peace and Joy Quotient doesn't directly measure the level of peace and joy. It measures the absence of fear. If no Citizen was experiencing fear from another Citizen, the PJQ could be said to be close to 100%. It is possible that the threat of a natural disaster could introduce fear into the measurement, but that is a result of our living on planet earth and not a result of another Citizen's criminal behavior. If a murder occurs in a community, the fear level rises significantly, as the threat of deprivement of the Rights for each Citizen increases, and the PJQ falls. If everybody were afraid of losing their Rights, the PJQ would be at zero (0).
The GSC serves as the foundation for everything you do while you are alive. It forms the basis for your religion (or lack thereof). All religions recognize the right to life. Any religion that includes in its precepts any violation of another Citizen's Rights, for whatever reason, will be considered a Religion Non Grata and will be considered criminal.
Any citizen who purposefully deprives another citizen of his Rights gives up all his own Rights. For example:
When you are found guilty in a court of law by a group of Citizens (called a "Jury"), you become a "Criminal," and are now subject to one of several methods of punishment. Which punishment you receive depends on what the Jury decides. Remember, however, that the maintenance of the PJQ is of the highest priority. When you fail to keep your Obligation under the GSC, you introduce a level of fear into the Community and thus give up all Your Rights, including that of life. This means your penalty for any crime can be death. As you will see, however, reasonable punishment is the norm.
In most cases, you can see that the Jury punishes Criminals with the loss of full liberty and some free exercise of the will, allowing the Criminal to retain his right to life. In all cases of violent crimes, punishment is always either Life Imprisonment or Death. There can be no Forgiveness or Simple Payment in these cases.
Criminals introduce fear into society, and fear quelches peace and joy. The peace and joy of each citizen is sacred; so sacred that their desecration should be held in highest contempt by all Citizens. The usurping of a Citizen's Rights deserves serious and harsh punishment, to include, at the most extreme of violations, death. We are put on this planet to enjoy our lives, and for one Citizen to take that away from another Citizen should be construed as the most violent of crimes.
I believe the Grand Social Contract can save the world.
If everybody fully understood their Rights and Obligations under this contract, we could significantly increase the PJQ of this planet. We could significantly reduce poverty and crime.
This is not a path to Utopia, however. I don't believe Utopia is even possible. I don't believe we can eliminate crime and poverty, simply because some people will refuse to participate. Whether through genetic difficulties, character flaws (such as willful laziness), or other lack of ability, some people just won't want to, or simply could not, be a part of the Grand Social Contract. There are provisions for dealing with these people so their affect on the PJQ is limited and then eliminated.
For those who are willing and able, there are two ways to save the world: by education and by example. People can be told and they can be shown. Of course, leaders of the Grand Social Contract Movement should do both.
The salvation of the world can be broken down into two simple steps:
It is in the step details where things get more complex (but still not complicated).
The first step, Save yourself, is the easiest. Educate yourself regarding Your Rights and Obligations under the Grand Social Contract. If you understand and agree with the privileges and obligations ascribed to you via the Grand Social Contract, make a public proclamation on your web site or even in your "real life." Then send others here and give them the opportunity to do the same.
The second step- Save everybody else- has several levels of precision that should be followed in order:
We can have the greatest impact for change on the generation coming up today. Children are the most amenable to a Grand Social Contract for peace and joy for all. Outside of this youngest generation, you will find old codgers comfortable in their home who won't see a reason to change, racists who fear change, and plain ol' idiots who can't understand the simple formulas of peace and joy for all. So, while it would be nice to change the world with the snap of a finger (or the posting of a web site), it is unrealistic to expect change overnight. Instead, let us develop a long-term solution that focuses on the children.
Children need to learn about this contract early and often. "Citizenship" should be a required class from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Imagine if these principles were instilled from an early age. These precepts, along with a healthy work ethic, would go far in reducing both poverty and crime. Personal responsibility would no longer be just a buzzword, but a significant concept guiding the lives of all Citizens for the great benefit of all Citizens.
Charity needs to be just as newsworthy as justice and injustice. A daily review of some uplifting, positive story, would go far in bringing peace and joy to the hearts and minds of all Citizens.
None of us are better than any of us, and we are all in this together. Let us go forward embracing our potential for peace and joy. While I don't believe we can engineer Utopia, I do believe we can significantly raise the PJQ of our planet and truly make our world a better place to live for all.