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"We are not in a fight to compete - we are in a fight to learn to collaborate and honor the contribution and potential of each."

- April Lorenzen, May 2004

AprilDLCooperationPost to <a href="http://www.emailaddresses.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&postid=263352#post263352" target="ea263352">EmailAddresses.com forum</A>. **Excerpt:** "What does it mean for the good-of-the-world, when investors are reluctant to fund the commercialization of a practical and useful tool, because others may "steal" it or litigate it out of existence? I think it means that the ideas that would help the world - surface and then are frozen and prevented from doing their good work." There are roadblocks between helpful idea and idea put to work for good purposes.

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We've got a lot to accomplish while we are here on earth, a lot of things to improve. Mainly, in my view, to enhance people's ability to achieve their potential, to set the framework so that this is possible and nurtured. Societies denied the basic luxuries we enjoy - health care, clean food and water, personal safety from crime - may not support the majority achieving their potential. (Nor does an alcohol-plus-work-I-hate-then-TV-at-night numbed society which has the basics covered.)

Technology could not have progressed at the rapid rate we've had in my lifetime, if improvements were not shared. I don't think litigation is speeding up world improvement either. What if we were all working for what was most EFFICIENT rather than what was most defensible, protectable, and how we could prevent others from profiting? Must be the engineer's dream.

More and better technology moves us ALL forward faster. If open source software and  non-proprietary standards result in better solutions faster, this appears to me to be a GOOD THING for worldwide business. Perhaps what needs to be removed is the ability of corporations with the bigger budget for lawyers, intellectual property hoarding, political process and media influence from being the dominant channels for distribution of innovation.

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For me, it's all about connection.

Anytime I'm around people, I'm either staying open to connection with them, or finding ways to keep them a distance away. Sometimes I think I'm connecting, by "joking" or making smart remarks. I have to ask myself, is this really making it possible for us to become closer, or do some good work together, or am I pushing them away?

I don't think that people can "own" ideas. In the spiritual understanding of native Americans as I understand it, the concept of owning the earth or parts of it - would be like someone today claiming proprietary rights to the clouds. I think somewhat similarly with regards to intellectual property. I like the book "One" by Richard Bach, and the fanciful description of the foundry of ideas. It describes pretty precisely my experience of having complete concepts given to me by - whatever the source - pretty much people in my circles call it "the universe."

I don't think people can "own" an idea, and I think that what people or companies CAN do, is take good care of ideas. Whoever takes really good care of an idea - ethically, sustainable business model, synergistic, fair, inclusive... customer service... customer-centric... as a friend of mine says "solve the problem the customer wants solved." Well, I think the companies that take the best *care* of ideas, are the ones who will thrive and prosper.

I can't say that all intellectual property laws are a bad idea - to some extent some IP laws have sought to even out power imbalance. However, I wouldn't form a company whose sole source of revenue was litigating proprietary rights, or whose main focus was doing so. I also don't respect those who engage in the practices of "I can do what I want because I can afford more lawyers for more time than you can."

Answering escalating competitive moves with more escalated competitive moves isn't how I want to reach my potential with other people, or with other companies.

It's all about connection - how do I treat you, and the space between us, the garden between us. What is in the garden and are we going to nurture it and watch it grow. It's all about potential - the potential to do good in this world. I want to help others reach their potential - not their potential for killing, stomping and hurting each other - the potential of what they came here to earth to this life to do.

Some people dream of whatever status symbols to have from wealth. I dream of things like being able to go to laundromats and find women and men of potential who don't have the basic essentials they need to have that hand up - yes, odd things I guess like helping some families to have a washer and dryer in their probably rented home, with dignity. Of sponsoring those with extra fire to self-improvement and motivational training, making connections with others and getting out of demeaning work which wastes their potential and dulls them into living a zombie life.

I dream of that when I see a laundromat and a woman or man struggling with the baskets, or garbage bags of clean clothes. I've been that woman, too, and I don't think that is why I dream. I've created the life I want - with the help of many others. One man I would like to thank is <a href="http://imagorelationships.org/">Harville Hendrix</A> - who was born and orphaned with seven sisters in a share cropper's family if I have my facts right - and who has given the world wonderful gifts - surely one of my examples of reaching for and living out life potential.

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Ironies of my life: 

I met the guy who owned Internet.com many years ago (1995?) at a dinner at a mutual friend's house in Providence, Rhode Island. I don't think I had anything to do with the internet at that time or very little. My friend said that this guy "helps businesses get on the internet, and you should talk to him!" - however, I never liked tech talk or computer talk at social gatherings and so avoided that completely. I also remember thinking or saying to my friend "come on, no one can OWN internet.com!" - see, I said it was ironic. I also remember her saying to him "gee why didn't you answer my email" and him saying "you have to realize I get 3,000 emails a day..."

That was a time where I was juxtaposed with, crossing paths with part of my future destiny. And I avoided connection with him, maybe losing some potential we had together. Or maybe that potential is yet to come :)

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Wish: surround myself with people who are willing to make the effort, even make a game and a challenge out of re-framing complaints and negative views into a description of what we do want. Surrounded by means that just like alchoholics and drug addicts tend to be surrounded by users, many of my friends, customers, people I talk with throughout the week, email, chat, phone, visit in person - my son, me, roomates, family - we'd all have this awareness and intention. Just like people now are aware of 'don't smoke around me' or 'don't drive drunk' or 'eat healthy' ... we'd all expect the standard of helping each other and ourselves reframe negativity into the focus of what we do want, phrased in the positive.

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