Open source development is the free sharing of ideas–a concept rooted in collaboration and community. It is a mutually beneficial relationship built on trust and cooperation, rather than competition and profit. The passion and drive for these projects and the individuals who work on them, stem from powerful beliefs that their combined work will help better the world as whole for all people–not just a lucky few. These projects bring diverse groups of people together from all over the world bridging race, ethnicity, culture and geographic divides–connecting all of them with what they are passionate about and love to do.

Deep down we all know it is better to have many different brains and eyes working together to develop and create something new. The more brain power, the faster, better, more efficient and effective problem solving becomes. This has already been shown to be the case with the Linux operating system–a very well known and recognizable open source project. In the case of Linux, we see how powerfully the open source peer-review process works, through the creation of a rigorous public audit and verification process. The results have been increased code quality, the reduction of bugs, and the increased protection against vulnerabilities. Research has shown that this open source process in the case of Linux, produced higher quality software than standard, proprietary quality assurance and testing procedures. Blockchain also comes to mind.

Compassion and Cooperation – Open source sharing of information and technologies (energy)

How many times over the last hundred years have new innovations and technologies which threaten power structures such as governments, large industries and big corporations, had their patents seized, research stolen or destroyed, and inventions lost or hidden from the masses? The most popular one that comes to mind is Nikola Tesla and his discovery of free, radiant energy back in the early 1900s. A discovery like Tesla’s literally had the power to change the world—eradicating poverty and hunger around the world in a single generation, while also helping to reduce greenhouse gasses, save our ozone layer, and heal our planet as well.

Imagine if we leveraged the power of the internet, blockchain technology and the collective power of humanity by combining our intelligence, wisdom and creativity to develop the next life-changing and planet-saving solutions available to everyone, everywhere, through open-source databases, directories and peer-to-peer collaboration. Where ideas, inventions, and innovations are owned by the people and the communities who help to create them, not by governments, corporations, academic institutions seeking power, profit and control. As it stands now, most individuals who invent something new while working for a company or academic institution don’t even get to own the rights to their idea or invention that get patented, the company or institution owns it and profits off of it! Talk about unfair and undervaluing human capital. Not only do governments and corporations make massive profits off of the ideas of their undervalued and often underpaid workers, they also end up often hoarding patents and valuable innovations, suppressing or withholding them from the masses so as to milk them over time for as much profit and control as possible. All the while depriving the masses of their potential to make life and the world a better place. Let’s work together to help pay it forward to others less fortunate, helping to heal humanity and our planet.

Being Human is a book for anyone interested in what life is all about, and what it really means to be human