The New Paradigm
vol. II, Number 3

Dear Friends,

[This is your Friendly Editor speaking...] As we approach New Years, 1999, and then but a short year later, 2000, a growing number of people are beginning to turn our attention, often with growing alarm, to what is being referred to variously as "the Millennium Bug," "the Year 2000 problem," or, no longer cryptically, "Y2K." The point of concern is of course that fateful moment when thousands, millions, hundreds of millions, of computer clocks all over the world inexorably tick over from "23:59:59 12/31/99" to "00:00:00 01/01/00" the first second of the morning, 1 January 2000. The question in a growing number of troubled hearts is, "What's gonna happen then?" Nobody seems to know for sure, but as we gingerly explore the possibilities, numbers of us are beginning to think, "We're not gonna like it."

Unfortunately, it's a little late in the day for that. Ten years ago I was working in a Computer Room for a far-sighted Boss who was seriously worried about this problem then, before it even had a name; but the year 2000 and its associated problems seemed awfully remote in 1988, and neither myself nor anybody else, evidently, paid his concerns much attention. Had there been as much widespread interest in "Y2K" then as there is today, it is probable there would be very little to worry about come New Years, 2000. In the event, however, the seemingly easier track of "Ignore it, and maybe it will go away" was collectively followed by the vast majority of the Human race; only, "Y2K" didn't "go away."

Now there's a lot of Doom and Gloom associated with the "Y2K Problem." Some are saying it'll be the end of civilization, as simultaneously failing systems under computer control create a cascade of dominos that ultimately unravel the global infrastructure of banking, power distribution and telecommunications. There's a whole lot of fear associated with all this; and although regular readers of The New Paradigm have often heard me say, "There is nothing to fear," still that may sound a bit theoretical if you happen to be thinking about just what you might do on a fine winter morning if all the lights in the city, in the country, in the world, more or less, were to go out all at once, and not come back on again pretty darn quick. It's not a really joyful thing to think about; which may be why so few people have been thinking about it, until rather recently.

I still think there is nothing to fear, and that "Y2K" may prove to be one of the greatest blessings that could have befallen the Human race at this time; but I imagine it might nevertheless appear a seriously challenging situation to a great many people, and I've been at a loss, myself, as to what best to think, say or do about it in practical terms. That is why I feel particularly indebted to a gentleman from Hawaii who has gone through a spectacular evolutionary process over "Y2K." Something he wrote was brought to my attention just a few days ago by a tnp Subscriber, and I wrote a letter asking if I might not include it in The New Paradigm; to which the author agreed, requesting only that his name, e-mail address and Web Site be included at the bottom of his message. I think you will agree with me that Karlos deTreaux's message is a genuinely "new paradigm" response to a very troubling situation, and that if his approach proliferates sufficiently throughout the world in the course of the coming year, whatever happens at "00:00:00 01/01/00" will not, as many fear, "move us back into the Bronze Age," but move us swiftly forward into what is for most of us an entirely "new paradigm" for Human interaction on planet Earth.

Without further preamble, here is Karlos deTreaux. [H.]

I am writing this letter as way of thanking those who have given their "Kokua" (the Hawaiian word for "Help") and their time, to a small isolated island in the South Pacific.

Though Kauai is considered one of the most remote populated land masses in the world, the residents of the island, along with the Honorable Mayor of Kauai, Ms. Marianne Kusake, and even the islands present and future guests, have all played a part in a growing worldwide experience that has come to be known as Y2K, the Millennium Bug.

Though the island is separated from the mainland and the rest of the world by thousands of miles of water, and is guilty of being "low tech" more often not, the problems that the Millennium Bug will bring to the island at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, 2000 will impact the tiny island in a myriad of ways.

It is ironic that the Hawaiian Islands will be one of the last spots on Earth to usher in the New Year. Residents will watch the New Year's celebrations across the planet slowly circle the globe towards them. What might they see? Will the satellite feeds covering the stories suddenly go blank one by one as many experts have predicted? Will supply lines be cut off from the mainland and the rest of the world leaving Kauai alone surrounded by the vastness of the ocean that embraces it, to once more fend for itself, as an island nation, a separate kingdom?

Almost a year ago, I was exposed to the human equivalent of the Y2K virus. As if I had caught an actual disease myself, I went through various stages: denial, disbelief, anger, depression and despair. Projects around the house that were long term, were abandoned; business decisions that had seemed simple only weeks before, became complex and required strategy that might be more suited to a poker game. Would it be wise to expand our business in the next year? If we did, would we be leveraged to the hilt if a severe recession hit the islands as the "best-case scenario" that many analysts were predicting?

If we did not take advantage of certain business opportunities, and our competitors did, and Y2K turned out to have minimal effects on our island, country and world, our competitors would have gained advantage over us by expanding bravely while we contracted.

The questions did not stop. I began to get both excited and depressed. Something big was going on, something historic, and the whole world was right in the middle of it. I felt that I had a responsibility as a family man to understand the Millennium Bug and its possible and probable effects on myself, my family, my business, the island of Kauai and the entire world.

I stumbled into Gary North's Y2K forum. The focus of the forum and its participants was on doom and gloom, Armageddon and survival of the fittest. In this case, the fittest would be those who were armed with the information to prepare themselves before the masses caught on. My anxiety mounted. I was certain we were doomed. My response: let the lawn go, forget about painting the house, sell everything non essential, buy gold, guns and ammo, dehydrated food, and head for the hills. I became neurotic in a quiet desperate sort of way. There suddenly were only two types of people in my life: those who understood Y2K, and what it meant; and those who did not have a clue, ambling along toward Armageddon, death and destruction.

I had an advantage, I had information others did not and I was prepared to act on it at all costs.

First step: arm yourself. I began buying gun magazines. I was embarrassed when I did this, more than if I had been buying Playboy or Penthouse. I had spent my whole life focused on peace, and the prospect of creating or finding some real community. I had thought I had found it on Kauai, but now felt trapped. After a few weeks of studying all forms of weaponry, I decided it was time to get licensed. I took the classes necessary, practiced daily until I was a competent shot, spent hours talking to characters I would have been afraid of only months before, discussing kill methods, etc. I was becoming a survivalist with a mercenary bent.

A week after I passed the classes, I applied for my license and made a down payment on a shotgun, and a pistol. I felt powerful, I owned a gun. Let "them" come and try to take my provisions, I was preparing for a siege. I began obsessing about the food needed to keep my family alive, I would stay up all night following discussion groups exploring different possibilities. Y2K was a government conspiracy. Y2K was Armageddon. Y2K was the day the alien invasion began. And FEMA was behind it all.

I consider myself a positive, community-minded, well-rounded individual. However, as the days progressed, I developed an almost righteous attitude about Y2K. I was informed, illuminated. Damn the rest of "them" for not seeing what was happening. I had my guns, my food and my secret knowledge. My family would survive.

Then something strange happened. I was in a hunting shop looking over bow and arrow setups -- something that would still protect the family when the ammo ran out. Night scopes to protect my daughters from the "bad guys" etc. The shop owner wondered why I was interested. It was obvious I did not have a clue what I wanted or needed. I was new to the killing tribe.

I explained to him excitedly what I "knew" about Y2K. I explained there was probably no hope for society as we knew it. That the powers that be were well aware of it all and were quietly making provisions to take care of their own. By the time I had left, I had infected the poor fellow with the "Y2K" human virus. He was almost jumping up and down in excited panic. He proceeded to tell me what he would do to anyone who might come on his property and how he would do it. "I'm gonna blow their damn heads off if they try to steal my food"! He was saying as I left the shop.

It was then that things changed for me. It was as if I had suddenly woken up from a horrible dream. I had just infected this guy with not only fear and panic, but hopelessness. I was leaving him now to go home in a panic, yell at his wife and kids and who knows what else. I was responsible for his fear. I had helped create it and I had left him to fend for his own sanity.

I felt terrible. I took a long drive and considered the past few months; considered the ramifications of a survival mentality, and what it meant to my neighbors, the community, the world. It did not work. Heading for the hills was a solution back when there were enough hills to go around. Things had changed in the world.

I drove home feeling guilty and embarrassed at my past behavior. It was not me. It was not the type of behavior that I had come to associate with myself. I kept to myself that day, and in the late evening I got onto the Internet and began searching for more answers. There must be people out there who had had the realizations that I had just experienced.

It was that first night that I stumbled onto a piece of writing by Cynthia Beal. I can't even remember it any more, but it spoke to my heart and to my soul. What the hell had I been doing for the past several months? I would never be able to turn away a hungry neighbor if things got bad. I would share my food, my provisions, my shelter with all who needed it. There was really no other option for me.

From Cynthia Beal's piece, I was directed to a piece by Tom Atlee on community. From there I was directed to another piece, I believe it was " Y2K Our Big Bet" by Larry Shook. All the while it was as if I was in detox coming out of a drug binge. A fear binge. It felt so good to find like-minded people. More than that, I felt my hopelessness abating. It was suddenly clear to me just how ridiculous survivalism and self preservation really was. It really didn't matter how much and how well I was prepared if my next door neighbor was not. I would open my doors.

I realized that the forward and visionary thinking these individuals were doing was really the only solution to Y2K. A community process of awakening to our absolutely undeniable interdependency on each other. The only preparation that could possibly work, was one that involved every participant in society.

I called some friends and asked them to get together to discuss Y2K. One of those I called was having a similar catharsis and offered his house as the meeting site. The night of the first meeting we had a great turnout. Everyone showed up and brought guests and shared their own deep fears, despairs and hopelessness. We did have a few survivalists at that first meeting, one actually held up a large knife and stated loudly "This is all I need to survive."

It was a poignant moment. Our next meeting had less then 50% of the first one, but we were at a manageable level. We began discussing the nitty gritty aspects. At each new meeting, there were less and less people that needed to be brought up to speed, convinced about Y2K. We were a team, a community. Our preparation plans still kept falling back to the group. How could we help each other get better prepared? We all felt the need to get the word out, but we were at a loss as to how to proceed.

After almost two months, we had discussed water filters, food storage, composting and gardening, but we had still not made a move publicly. One of the original members stated that she would no longer be with us because she did not see anything tangible happening, and felt that fear and self preservation still infused the group. She left us. The group suffered an emotional loss but continued to meet. Our numbers dwindled. The woman who left emailed me at a dream she had recently had. In it, she saw me abandoning her in jail, and protecting myself.

The dream effected me greatly. I knew I was supposed to be acting, but how?

Once again I returned to the forums. I posted messages as to how one might effect change in ones community. How could one interface with government, and big business in regards to Y2K.

All the information I needed was there. I just had to sift through the thousand other sites devoted to fear and self preservation to get the information needed. My silent mentors guided me to websites that were devoted to just those issues. I found pamphlets and brochures online and ready made. The Cassandra Website, The Joseph project, The Millennium Ark, The Millennium Salons.

From my studies, I realized that aside from the technological aspects of Y2K, there was the social side, the human factor. All the bug fixes in the world would not, could not keep the money in the banking system if the public lost confidence in banks. It did not matter what the reality was. Human perception moved the markets as much as any quarterly profit statement. If panic was to be avoided, the social element had to be addressed immediately on all levels from the top down and the bottom up. We were running out of time. According to my research, if a percentage as small as five percent of the saving public quickly demanded their hard-earned savings from the banking system, the Banks would be brought to their knees. Only a very small percentage of people would actually be able to get their money out before this happened. Even if they did mange to get their money out, what would it be worth? Possibly nothing.

I began actively seeking out and devouring everything written by Larry Shook, Bill Dale, Cynthia Beal, Tom Atlee, Paloma O'Riley, Rick Cowles, Bill Laird, Robert Theobald and other visionaries. They all seemed to be spelling out the specifics of a concept that I have held in my heart for years. That of what I have come to call "Community Compliancy".

They were already charting out the territory I was being drawn to explore. I no longer had to reinvent the wheel. Further, they were actively pursuing their cause, and most of them were accessible for personal correspondence. In my own correspondence with them, I made the final leap into Y2K consciousness. It was not Armageddon, or the end of the world. It was a wake up call. An opportunity to make a massive leap as a planetary civilization. We all had created it. We all would have to fix it. This would involve clear and definite technological fixes, but even more important was the need for "Social Compliancy" or "Community Compliancy". It was going to be a difficult problem, but it was also the greatest opportunity that we the people of the Earth had ever had.

The last veil of fear lifted from me.

I remembered the woman who had left the group because we were still focused on fear. I knew it was time for action at the Government level. I began calling the Mayor's office on a daily basis. I was polite, but persistent. I emailed them a daily article that I felt would facilitate the county of Kauai's own awakening to Y2K, and the opportunity the island had for community building, for healing a lot of the issues that had torn the island of Kauai into fragmented discordance in recent years.

My partner and I along with the remaining members of our group established a name for our group: "The Community Self Reliance Cooperative". We drafted a mission statement, and then a website. We pledged that fear would not become our motivating impetus for action. We then developed a free website to disseminate educational information. We also posted our correspondence with the Mayor's office. At a certain point, our letters began to take the form of focused demands for action from the office of the Mayor. I begged the local public radio station to let us do a show. They agreed to an interview. I was scarred to death, and was incomprehensible for the first few minutes, but soon relaxed when I felt the rightness of our actions.

All the while, we tried our best to present Y2K in a non-fear-based perspective, as an opportunity for growth and awakening. We began correspondence with our local utilities, the local hospitals, and several mid-size businesses on the island.

A critical mass was reached, and the Mayor decided that Kauai needed to address the issues. We asked her to call a meeting of County of Kauai officials, and other business and industry participants. The meeting would take place behind closed doors so that all concerned could speak without fear of litigation later. The meeting brought out some sobering facts about the state of Kauai County, as well as the state of Hawaii and the world in general. In many ways, the island was behind in creating a Y2K plan. The Mayor called for a continuance of the closed door sessions so that all factors of society and commerce on Kauai would be in close contact with each other. We were asked to participate as "citizens representatives".

The first meeting was in session for over an hour, and then the Mayor went on Public Television with some of us from the newly created task force. We discussed Y2K on Kauai for an hour, and it is currently being aired daily on Local TV.

The Mayor then asked to be part of a grassroots meeting that was expected to draw over one hundred participants. Local cable was alerted and agreed to cover the event. The Mayor decided to make an historic statement. She would declare her pledge to bring the island and County of Kauai into a state of "Community Compliancy" that would exist outside of the realm of technology. She would explore all aspects of Y2K as a social crisis as well as from the standpoint of embedded chips and 1's and 0's.

This would involve a broad, system-wide approach that would have to involve countless factors such as community gardens, county-sponsored first aid classes, an honest evaluation of our island's interdependency with Oahu, the mainland USA and beyond. A study of our food reserves and natural resources should we be cut off from the rest of the world. Fuel reserves, water and sewage, education, on and on. All of these would have to be considered in the creation of "Community Compliancy".

A fact that amazed me was that the Mayor was up for reelection in the following week. Hawaii by its nature tends to find new thoughts, concepts and ideas with skepticism. The culture also finds people that expose problems or weaknesses with the system both unpleasant and distasteful. Nonetheless, the Mayor stuck her neck out and put down her commitment on the public record via television and newspaper. Y2K is an issue that few have wanted to stand next to in the State of Hawaii. I believe that the Mayor's public address at both meetings were historic.

The dangers to her political career far outweighed the immediate benefits. With the election in less then two weeks she could have simply waited to see the outcome and then acted.

The meeting was a great success. Our North Shore Business Council on their own sent out a multi-fax announcement to over two hundred business owners. The head Y2K expert from both our gas and electric companies were present as speakers, as well as doctors, veterinarians, food storage consultants, a branch manager from the First Hawaiian Bank, an IT professional from a local resort, a psychologist, a local gardening expert, a representative from Hanalei Poi (which produces over 80% of the states taro), a Hawaiian rights and culture representative, etc.

The meeting went long past its allotted time, but the cable guys kept filming and the audience braved the tiny metal chairs of the Hanalei Elementary School Cafeteria for over two and a half hours with no break. Most of the participants signed up to help the Mayor and the Community Self Reliance Cooperative begin to construct a fast-track plan of Social Compliancy on Kauai.

This will involve extensive grassroots efforts. In fact, the people of Kauai will have to bear the brunt of the effort involved. We have instigated an island-wide Y2K awareness day, as well as chosen participants to start meetings on every part of the island. Door to door surveys will have to be completed with hard but honest questions such as:

• "Will you be willing to feed and shelter your neighbor in the event of a natural or manmade disaster such as Y2K"?

• "How much food do you plan to stock"?

• "Do you or any family members have any critical medicinal needs such as insulin etc., and do you plan to have reserves of that medicine?"

• "Do you or your family members have any special skills that the community could call upon in times of crisis such as nursing, doctor or counseling skills?"

The list is extensive. What we are trying to do on Kauai is create a picture of a community that can be called upon in times of crisis. It will not matter if Y2K comes to be regarded as the biggest hoax in human history. The simple act of bringing our island into a state of "Community Compliancy" will build much-needed bridges that will be available to all of Kauai should a crisis occur. There is no wasted effort. There is no adversary. There is only the simple actions of a community remembering what it means to have neighbors, strengths and weaknesses. When all is said and done, Kauai will be much stronger. Hopefully, the youngest will not remember a time when a family did NOT know your next-door neighbors.

Kauai, Kauai's people, and Kauai's Mayor, the Honorable Marrianne Kusaka, have set out on a great voyage. The metaphor of the sailing ship, and the cliché "We are all in this together" seems appropriate. Through the Internet, newspaper and television coverage, we of Kauai hope to document our efforts, our mistakes, and our ultimate success, as we set out on this voyage. It is one we have all long awaited in our hearts whether we have been aware of that desire or not.

As Kauai is an island in the Pacific, all counties, towns, cities, neighborhoods, states and countries of the world are also islands. We are islands in a sea of denial if we do not see that our very existence depends on a true and honest admission of our absolute interdependency upon each other. If because of a simple computer glitch, we realize that we must embrace that interdependency, if we realize that the boundaries of the world are in our mind rather then carved across the edges of the countries of the world, then our sea of denial, might become a sea of hope. A sea of possibilities where problems come to be seen not only as opportunities and challenges, but as an open door with no lock. A doorway we must all pass through as we walk together as world community into the next millennium.

Aloha from the island of Kauai, and The Community Self Reliance Cooperative (CSRC).

Mahalo's to the Mayor of Kauai, Ms. Marianne Kusaka, and to the residents of the island of Kauai who bring true meaning and understanding to the word and the concept of Aloha.

Mahalo's to the Authors, editors, and all concerned for creating the book called "Awakenings: The Upside of Y2K". For individuals and communities, it is a map of the future, a map of what might be. It has been my guide to the present, and I will be forever indebted to all of you for your visionary thinking. It may have saved my life.

Sincerely and Humbly,
Karlos deTreaux

Y2K@aloha.net
www.hawaiiy2k.com

Box 33
Hanalei, Hawaii 96714

You see [this is your Friendly Editor again], I've been saying again and again in different ways that the Human Being is an inherently noble Cosmic Entity of Love and Light; that this must be so, otherwise there could never have come into existence such a thing as "Human Society," in any shape, manner or form. When I praised him and his work described above, Karlos replied, "Your letter honors me, but I am such an ordinary person I think you would be shocked at the simplicity of my life."

Maybe, Sir, but you nevertheless display the Sterling Character that must lie at the heart of every Human Being, and your example is an inspiration to me and many others; and is of incalculable value because it reflects what each of us, upon examination, can recognize within ourselves. I'm sure I speak for many when I say, "Thank you much for that."

Additionally, you have demonstrated numerous practical steps that may be taken in any community on the Planet to foster spontaneous, heart-to-heart community relationships. You have shown us that our neighbors need not be perceived as "enemies," but rather as mutually supportive and vital parts of our very own life support systems on planet Earth. I submit to general consideration the thought that individuals and communities that follow the example of yourself, Karlos, and your "isolated" insular community of Kauai, will find themselves, whatever happens on this Planet from here on out, lightyears ahead of individuals / communities / organizations that opt for the "bunker / survivalist" approach.

Love & Light,

-- Harmon
J. Harmon Grahn