The world is obsessed with defensiveness, debate, and division. We have a choice to get off that ride and do something radical: to sit not across from one another, but to sit NEXT to each other as we share a meal and listen with true intent and care. Not to win with our view, but to understand and to be vulnerable.

The first step toward peace in our community is not agreement. It is observing and understanding our mutual needs.

The objective here is for people from wildly different backgrounds to come together not as opponents, but as humans. We may never share the exact same views, but what we do share matters: We all eat. We all bleed. We all love. We all fear. If we can remember those areas first, we can begin to remember what connects us and our communities.

We can all begin and contribute to this or similar community projects. With just one shared meal, one conversation, and the very courageous act of listening first.

If you would like to learn more or have interest in participating in some of the upcoming meals that I have been able to help facilitate, please contact me.

In 2015, I began exploring an idea that had been forming in my mind, a project focused on philosophy, religion, and universal concepts. It stemmed from the realization that much of my thinking had been shaped by the JW framework I was exposed to as a child. I wanted to understand these concepts more deeply and objectively.

By 2016, I started gathering data, organizing my thoughts into spreadsheets to make sense of the patterns I was observing. Over time, this evolved into several large files. What I have now is a pared down, consolidated version, a proof of concept that represents only the most coherent pieces of that initial work.

The table I have created attempts to show how certain concepts are built upon more foundational ones. In some cases, these relationships form feedback loops, leading to the development of entirely new beliefs. While this draft has been polished to some extent, it remains highly subjective, riddled with errors, and far from complete, if completion is even possible for something like this.

My goal is to move beyond subjective interpretations and toward a more objective, fact based framework for understanding universal concepts and perspectives. Ultimately, I envision this project as a kind of Rosetta Stone to help understand philosophy, a tool that bridges concepts of understanding and fosters deeper insights. I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this work in progress.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kk5_9ywIK1cK3ObkKyVAMJ4PTyNvn8S1kJxYzyJ8W0w/edit