Seeking Idan Angels

Concord MA

Description

. What or who is Idan [eedan] Society? Idan Society is people. People who are aware that humans are a product of evolution that has resulted in our having a unique trait compared to other species - ideals. "Idan" is a shortened form of the Greek word for ideal - "Idaniko", and is pronounced like the mythical ideal place called "Eden". It is a project of the non-profit Massachusetts Amodio Foundation The people of Idan Society believe that the unique trait of ideals in humans is not some kind of evolutionary physical ornament like the color of our hair or eyes. Rather, the people of Idan Society believe that ideals are like all traits that evolution delivers to a species - they serve to foster the survival of the species. So, IS believes that the unique trait of ideals in humans serves the purpose of the survival of the human species. What this means in practical terms is that the people who are Idan Society would try to foster human ideals in the way they live their lives, and how they relate to others, as contributing to the well being of the human species. The people of IS are aware of something-else that motivates them. ideals are not only a unique trait of humans, but ideals are also a unique evolutionary trait unlike any other trait that evolution gives to other species - it is the only trait in the story of evolution that unlike all traits possessed by other species, can be rendered on or off by the species, humans, who possess it. No other species has this kind of control over any of its evolutionary traits. The implications of this controllable aspect of the human trait of ideals are profound, because the degree to which humans act or do not act according to ideals, is the degree to which human survival is either enhanced or injured. The people of Idan Society do not suffer the delusion that humans are the end-game of evolution, or that we are evolution's ultimate destination. The people of IS are aware that we are a speck in evolutionary history, albeit a speck that has had a profound negative effect on the Earth and other species - the time and consequences of what has come to be called in evolutionary circles, the Anthropocene. IS people understand that humans, as a species of evolution, are subject to the same laws of Nature and evolution to which other species are subject. This means that despite the somewhat arrogant delusional belief by many, if not most, humans that we are the ultimate destination of evolution, we are, in fact, vulnerable to the extinction to which all species on Earth are subject, if their traits are no-longer sufficient to survive changes in their environmental circumstances. IS directs doubters of this species-extinction potential in humans to the history of the dinosaur whose dominant presence in their time on Earth far exceeds the time of the human presence. And more close to the human story is the relatively short stay on Earth of Neanderthal whose time on Earth was longer than present Homo Sapiens, but who went extinct after incorporating into our human species who replaced them. Given this vulnerability, Idan Society proposes for the sake of making a positive contribution to the survival of evolution's human experiment, to try to to foster humans acting according to their ideals in all aspects of human behavior, especially in light of the looming indication of evolution's moving to its next iteration of the pure intelligence of AI "beings" that apparently will be without such human traits as emotion, conscience, compassion, responsiveness to music and art, or in other words, human and humane ideals. The people who populate Idan Society understand that if ideal living were easy, everyone would do it, and there would be no relevance for an Idan Society. The daily news, chronicles, and history of human life on Earth, and the practical exigencies of living their own lives make people of Idan Society aware that reality poses all kinds of impediments to the realization of human ideals. The practical and the ideal are often, if not usually, in conflict, in human life, putting humans into a paradoxical dilemma - being compelled by the demands of existential reality to choose between a practical behavior for their individual survival and well-being versus acting in accordance to some apparently impossible ideal that is a trait whose purpose is survival of our species. Idan Society and its people choose to address this dilemma in hope, if not surety, of outcome. Rather than accepting what might seem to be an ideal behavior impossible to achieve, Idan Society chooses to ask in every human circumstance, what is the ideal behavior that should govern this situation? Is there anything I can contribute to reducing the difference between behavior that is being compelled by practical exigency, or a behavior that is ideal? Getting to live in Idan Society is easy. there are no dues or transportation costs or taxes. All are welcome without regard to race, religious creed, or political persuasion. It is not a place to be found on a map, but an idea in the minds of its residents - a virtual community governed by the laws of Nature, the lessons of history, the insights of psychology, and a shared common purpose to foster the realization of ideals in human behavior. Rather than functioning as fervent activists, the people of Idan Society seek to live according to the fun of some apt metaphors - holders of mirrors up to the general human society; or painters of idealistic impressionistic art from real scenes of human life; or seed planters of trees that will bear the fruits of idealism. Those in Idan Society who would like to become part of actively spreading the word about, and invitation to, Idan Society are [borrowing from the mythical Eden] called Idan's Angels. There are various payed and volunteer part-time positions available by choice, and with the possibility of advancement for those whose efforts are effective in populating Idan Society with kindred spirits. Will you be an Idan Angel? .