CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE - VINCENT FRANK DE BENEDETTO - Philosopher of Love - Agape Master - agape brotherly love ethic erich fromm art of loving martin luther king agape brotherly love ethic erich fromm art of loving martin luther king

I am pioneering philosopher and writer VINCENT FRANK DE BENEDETTO. The CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE, in Northern New Jersey, is the physical headquarters for all my work in philosophy and social science in what I term THE NEW SCIENCE OF AGAPE. "Agape" (ugg op' ay - rhymes with "day") is "brotherly love" in the language of Greek philosophy, as taught by Jesus, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Erich Fromm, Leo Buscaglia, Buddha, Gandhi, Robert Hansen, Valarie Kaur, and others, including myself. I also conceptualize the Center as a place where like-minded brothers and sisters can gather to talk, plan, and even recharge with a nap or meal.

Agape is the principle upon which the Center is founded and exists, and is the principle behind all my work, in prose, poetry, music, radio, and indeed underpinning the very way that I try to live my life, every moment of every day. It is also where I'm presently writing my magnum opus and masterwork, that which I believe the world desperately needs, "LOVE, PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD: the Most Powerful Force Available to Humankind."

I'm also an Agape Master,* neologist, silence activist, anti-AI, pro-brain advocate, inventor, and more. I've also mounted an exploratory campaign for the U.S. Presidency, every plank in my platform rooted in Agape, starting with plank #1: bring Americans together.

In music, I'm an aspiring metal singer, composer, and founder of the seminal INTERNATIONAL HEAVY METAL MUSIC ASSOCIATION.

*Agape Master: one deeply versed in, and committed to, the principle and practice of Agape (ugg op' ay), which is "brotherly love" in the language of Greek philosophy.

The Center is always open to MESSAGE OF HOPE team members, or, anyone else of love and positive intention who wishes to visit. Please always call before coming (phone, below). We've recently begun incorporating Internet-based videoconferencing/communication ala' Zoom, Meet, Webex, etc.

While here, I'll prepare you a healthy snack or meal, you can use the restroom (aka bathroom, LOL), rest or even sleep, shower if necessary, use the telephone, or make use of a small available workspace. If you wish or need a brief stay-over, that is possible.

Cooperation with hygiene and other Center rules is expected, of course. Upon your departure, if you care to leave a financial donation, it would be appropriate and greatly appreciated. If you genuinely can't, you can't.

INTRODUCTION TO MY WORK

The tagline to all my work is: "Love, properly understood, is the most powerful social force available to humankind," and indeed, the increasingly complex problems of today, informed by technology, such as hacking and other cyber-crime, and ego, such as terrorism, cannot be resolved any other way. Just how many laws can be written? And those inclined to do harm don't obey the law, anyway. The only realistic way to address the many complex problems of this new epoch is to forestall their occurrence in the first place through a change in the human heart, such that our brothers and sisters will not transgress against other brothers and sisters in the first place.

In the realm of health, regarding cancer, actress Fran Drescher said, "Prevention is the cure," and this insightful and clever notion is precisely what I'm advocating as the only realistic solution to the primary problematic of humankind--the pain that we continually cause each other.

My proposed solution could happen through the reconstitution of global society from profit and ego to brotherly love, as Love, properly understood, is a force and principal so powerful that it easily forms the basis for 1.) interpersonal relations and interaction, and 2.) an entire modern global economy.

Thus must and does the CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE seek to replace our current global system of what I term "ego-capitalism," which is morally and economically illogical, pernicious, insidious, superfluous, rickety, and by any measure obsolete, with an orders-of-magnitude superior Classless, Moneyless, Needs-based, Love-oriented or assisted (C.M.N.L., pron. kuh myoon' ul) socio-economic system: the historic and long dreamt-of Brotherhood of Man (akin to the Beloved Community of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). Relevant thought includes that of figures such as Erich Fromm and Dr. King, while that of figures such as Lenin, Mao, Castro, and Guevara is explicitly and categorically rejected.

My vehicles for revolution include those listed and linked below: prose (books, articles), poetry (my book-length poem entitled simply "Love"), original recorded music (MESSAGE OF HOPE), a radio program BROTHERHOOD-OF-MAN-RADIO, man-in-the street conversation and interaction, and correspondence. Indeed has my long-awaited book, a true Agape bible, finally been released free online in its first draft iteration, a comprehensive work on the principle and practice of Love, suitable both for study and daily practice.

Love--it's the only way.

OTHER PROJECTS

The Center also applies, selectively, its unique combination of intellect and morality to human socio-existential problems that sometimes arise, such as the historic pandemic of 2020, or the problematic of the global trend toward the legalization of drugs.

NOMENCLATURE

Shorthand for the name CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE is the CPPL, CPPL, or simply the DC, for the DE BENEDETTO CENTER, after this writer, its Founder (and my beloved Father, artist Frank Salvatore De Benedetto, a key influence).

This site, its official Internet home, went live, appropriately, September 11, 2020, the 19th anniversary of the 9-11 terror attacks. Love, and likely Love, alone, properly understood and thus properly exercised, could have prevented that attack.

WHY

Why, indeed.

Upon learning of, or personally experiencing one or more acts of human transgression, from corporate crime that injures or kills, to political terrorism, to domestic acts of violence whether political or that from a school shooting, to even smaller, yet still injurious and painful acts like discourtesy, insensitivity, or bullying of children or even adults from co-workers, neighbors, or even family members, many are perplexed or even confounded, and ask "Why?"

"Why would people behave this way? Why would they hurt others so badly? How can they do that?" "Why would people behave this way, causing injury, whether physical, psychological, or both, to one or more other people?"

These, of course, while comprehensible (i.e. understandable) questions, are the wrong ones.

In fact, the correct question is: "Why wouldn't they act this way?"

What countervailing force exists in society to prevent such behavior? To meaningfully discourage people from behaving this way? There's no real love ethic in this world. Study, and broad implementation, of the Love ethic, that is, a standard of behavior based on Love, would do the trick--but this does not presently exist in the world.

How many of us were required, at any stage of our education, from kindergarten, to graduate, medical or law school, or beyond, to take even a single course in Love?

The answer: no one.

Were you?

People act without Love because 1.) they don't learn Love, or learn it properly, and 2.) Love is not reinforced. There's no consistent, comprehensive, formal social mechanism preventing or strongly discouraging them from injuring others. Religious or spiritual traditions usually advocate Love, but, like the notion of "random acts of kindness," these are usually hit-or-miss affairs that have no meaningful impact on the general human pattern of "everybody-injure-everybody," that is, the reality that we all hurt each other in myriad ways, all the time.

"Who," you might then ask, "is fighting to create a 'consistent, comprehensive, formal social mechanism' to build a fully loving world?"

I am. The aforementioned objective is precisely that of my work, writing and teaching through the DE BENEDETTO CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE. There is a tiny handful of others working in this area, as well. At another of my key sites, THE AGAPE ORDER, I have a page called "Mentors" that displays photographs of seven or eight persons who have also fought, or are fighting, meaningfully for Love.

NonLove

My concept nonLove (© 2020 VFD) refers to every action or attitude not rooted in Love. Just as in the physical world it is observed that nature abhors a vacuum, so, too, does our social world, our human behavioral environment, so that if Love is not present, nonLove will always rush in or otherwise enter. For example, if high school children are not taught, and living, Love and resolving inner or outer conflict this way, through Love, nonLove, that conceptual class of injurious actions or attitudes will readily rush in to fill the vacuum. As Love is not taught in the world generally, and certainly not in the United States, there is a continual ubiquitous morality vacuum into which nonLove can and does continually enter, and as any unimpeded force or motion, is now accelerating.

Accordingly, school shootings and other malevolent and transgressive behaviors will never cease until Love is actively taught so that it is present, everywhere, thus preventing the introduction of nonLove into our mental spaces both individually and and socially, as those spaces are already full.

See my primary work, LOVE: Properly Understood, my Magnum Opus of pragmatic philosophy for the most comprehensive treatment available of the nature of Love, its actual potential, and the proper methodology for its use and introduction into the world, at every social and economic level, from individual interaction on the street or in the supermarket, to the basis for the formation and operation of a modern global economy.

HUMANKIND AT ITS BEST

Try to imagine Humankind at its absolute best.

Actualization (pron. ACK shewel iz AY shn) is the process by which an organism (i.e. a living thing such as a human being) or group of organisms (such as a group of human beings) achieves the fullest level of development for which it, or they, is capable, in one, some, or every regard. That is, it, or they, fully realize their every latency and potentiality in one, some, or every regard.

In sum, to "Actualize" simply means to be the absolute best that you are capable of being.

The objective of the DE BENEDETTO CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE is to facilitate actualization of our human species through pedagogy on, advocacy for, research on, and practice of, Love, that is, brotherly love, properly understood; Agape (pron. uh GOH pay) in the language of Greek philosophy. These latter two means are laboratory research and field practice, to facilitate understanding as to how best to constitutionalize Love, that is, facilitate its official, formal inclusion as a foundational principle in a new paradigm of global social organization. At such time that humanity finally comes together as a human family, its official Constitution or other principal founding document must have Love as the first word of the text.

Actualization is a penultimate final elevation that cannot happen under any system of class rule, including our present global form, capitalism, and its psycho-emotional symbiont, ego (together, ego-capitalism). Thus must the elimination of capitalism, itself, occur prior to, or concomitant with, the establishment of the new community.

Accordingly, the elimination of capitalism is a key objective of the DE BENEDETTO CENTER, and must be for society, itself, as well, if it is to actualize. This is no reflexive or doctrinaire claim against capitalism: to actualize our species, at most, and prevent its destruction, at least, we must build a Love-centered world. If capitalism were innately receptive to this necessary endeavor there would be no call for its dissolution--but clearly, it's not. As a philosopher, a philosopher of Love, specifically, I must be unsentimental in my analysis of, and subsequent call to eliminate, that which emasculates humankind and inhibits its actualization, and equally direct in my call for that which must replace it.

Specifically, I seek to establish the Brotherhood of Man, roughly analogous to the Beloved Community of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a society underpinned categorically by the moral imperative, that is, Love, such that people simply could not, and thus would not, injure other people, because their consciences simply wouldn't permit it. The moral imperative of such a society being simply that ubiquitous and strong.

Please join this effort!

RELIGION

"But I'm already a Christian," I can hear some of you saying, "I don't need this Love project."

You do.

This writer was born and baptized Christian. Christianity teaches Love, or more properly preaches it, for it advocates Love but doesn't present anything even remotely resembling a pedagogy or primer, in other words, a complete guidebook advising Christians how to act or respond, that is, the preferred behavior in regard to the many transgressions that we Christians and other human beings unfortunately suffer at the hands of our brothers and sisters in this world.

My work presents that guidebook, and is completely compatible with Christianity.

If the prescription of the Center is a shift in the direction and capacities of the human heart, how does this answer differ from that of virtually any theology? Why not merely join a religion, or re-commit to existing religious doctrines and affiliations?

In large measure because of what the work of the Center recognizes as the critical implication of its prescription: a change in economic relationships and, indeed, the global economy, itself. You'll be hard pressed to find any organized, popular theology, from Christianity to Buddhism that asserts, as does my work and thus the Center, that a fully loving society cannot exist under a capitalist system, or indeed any system of class rule, and thus the implication of the assertion that humanity must officially and fully commit to Love is that capitalism, itself, must be eliminated.

The change called for by my work is sufficiently sweeping and radical that it requires that we rebuild our global society from the ground up.

GOD

Does the Center root its morality or socio-existential prescription in any notion of God? The fact is, Love and the "Love Ethic" have been claimed by a number of religious and other belief systems, Christianity notable among them for its strong and explicit emphasis on Loving one's neighbor, as the second great commandment of Christ.

While the philosophy of the Center does not, itself, root in a notion of God, neither does it denigrate such notions, and, in fact, if you are a religious believer, affiliation with the work of the Center, with its explicit emphasis on Love, properly understood, can strengthen the adherence to Love that your theology probably already requires, and even provide you a deeper understanding of what Love is, and what is realistically required to practice it personally, as well as instruct in its utilization as a leverage to rebuild our entire global society--including our global economy. Part of the power of Love is its scalability, in this manner.

Last, my paradigm will do for you what no religion really appears to do: describe in detail how to love others in a culture where such behavior and perspective is grossly misunderstood and devalued, and in the main does not underpin social or economic behavior, relationships, or thinking.

KEY RESOURCES & LINKS

The comprehensive blueprint for the new human community and the road thereto is found here.
The sister project to the above is a real-life "Jedi Order" that one can join now, to immerse oneself in a group of like-minded adherents learning, and actually practicing, Love.

In joining the AGAPE ORDER one might eventually rise to the rank of AGAPE MASTER.

If you are an exceptionally loving individual, all the better interested in Agape theory, as well, you may already be the equivalent of an Agape Master. Join, or simply speak to me, to see!
My principal volume, under development, of the theory and practice of Love, that is, brotherly love, properly understood, Agape (pron. uh GOH pay) in the language of Greek philosophy, the key to both the survival, and actualization, of our species, including the solution to every human problem, and elimination of all human pain.

CONSIDER THE MESSENGER

ACHIEVEMENT

Established wisdom asserts that in assessing any message, "consider the messenger." As regards this Internet resource, CPPL, I'm that messenger, Vincent Frank De Benedetto. Here are four key descriptive characteristics and achievements:

As stated, above, I possess the key to both the survival, and actualization, of our human species, including the solution to every human problem and elimination of all human pain: Love, as described at this web site, and more fully in my pending volume LOVE.
I'm prescient regarding a solution to the present global pandemic. In fact, I have the solution, available free.

This solution, presented as, and contained in, a print document, web site, or article for publication, is obviously an existentially critical document that must be written and released to the public, especially every government on Earth, as soon as possible. Your financial or task-based support, below, are invaluable in permitting me the time and energy to complete this task.

In this regard we have zero time to waste, since, remember, as bad as a situation is...it can always get worse. We must move immediately and I have the answer.
My original writing on terror (that is, terrorism) was cited-and-quoted by the New York Times.
I'm the first to notify the FBI and other relevant United States law enforcement agencies, or publicly call for their notification, through my anti-marijuana-legalization book, that the legalization and even decriminalization of dope (i.e marijuana) poses a distinct national security threat.

Attempting to save the world by teaching Love, properly understood, is not my only contribution to this planet and our human family. I also make subsidiary or incidental contributions as warranted. For example, I have the solution to the global Coronavirus pandemic of 2020.

Additionally, in 2003 I researched, authored, and widely disseminated a formal 6-page proposal to attempt to thwart the imminent war with Iraq, scheduled to begin in a matter of hours. I received a rather ardent and genuine "Thank You" from Elbert Garcia, Congressional Page at that time in the Washington office of Congressman Charles B. Rangel.

I'm also attempting to mount a serious run for the Presidency of the United States in 2024.

A comprehensive descriptive summary of my social, political, familial, intellectual, and other roles can be found at my personal website.

APPROBATION

I engaged in a substantive online conversation in a philosophy chat room on or about Monday, May 17, 2021, with Sophie Grant, 28, resident of Florida, U.S.A., and humanitarian. During our colloquy, she stated, of her value system:

"I live by the principles of empathy, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness."

During the conversation, she came to recognize the seminal character of the work that I'm doing within the framework of the DE BENEDETTO CENTER, intended to change, and indeed save, the world. Said work underpinned, she indicated, by a discernible sincerity.

She further stated, of myself, the founder of the Center:

"It feels like there actually is a truly good person in the world."

Touche'.

ABOUT

The principle objective of the CPPL is explicated, above.

The CPPL is headquartered in New Jersey, U.S.A.

The CPPL is a division of the DE BENEDETTO MUSIC & WRITING STUDIO, itself a division of THE FSD GROUP.

The Center also devotes itself selectively to other very large-dimension social issues and problems. For example, I had conceived and proffered the only viable plan to permanently end the Coronavirus pandemic.

I've committed the remaining years of my life to saving the world by teaching what I know to be the only thing that can save it--Love, properly understood. Yet concomitantly (i.e. at the same time) I caregive a parent full-time, by myself, thus cannot work, so I survive on a shoestring. My life is difficult and has been so for over 20 years now. I elect for the task of teaching Love not because I want it, but because of a sense of duty to the human family. I have conceived the most powerful knowledge in the world, the most powerful knowledge that one could obtain, or ever be obtained, so I must use and transmit it. Though I do this as a duty, there is little else I could be doing with my years that is more important.

I'm doing nothing less than attempting to build a miracle. The miracle that humanity must have.

SUPPORT TEAM

Ideal candidates would 1.) agree with the mission of the Center: creation of a love-centered world, and 2.) be fans of 1980s-style heavy metal, as central to my roster of projects is a musical project, commercial to earn vast income but of the same thematic, Love, as all my work.

Team members required first are Web Designer and Personal Assistant/Operations Manager. The nature of the work, primarily telephone calls and Internet research, can be undertaken anywhere in the world, so place of residence of Team Members is of lesser importance. Nor must Team Members work a minimum number of hours each week: five, three, or even two hours a week would be significant and appreciated.

As 1.) my projects are highly commercial, 2.) they are numerous and varied, and 3.) I am considered a unique and talented thinker and writer, as well as musician, inventor, and more, I reasonably anticipate vast earnings. And when I earn big--so will loyal Team Members.

CONTACT

Contact me, Vincent Frank De Benedetto, and the CPPL by email at onehumanfamily@fastmail.net (request telephone access if you wish it). I presently maintain about twenty web sites, each of which I conceived, researched, wrote, and built, and all of which are explicit or implicit in their advocacy for the creation of a Love-Centered World (LCW), the BROTHERHOOD OF MAN.

In fact, a participant in a Philosophy chat room recently complimented me on, as I recall his word, my "immense" body of work. In fact, my efforts to save the world are contained in this multimedia body, all in support of my thesis, explicitly or implicitly, directly or indirectly. My longstanding musical release is one celestial body resident in this universe.

YOUR SUPPORT

The CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE requires financial, and other assistance.

Supporting my work is just about the most important single act of good toward the world, present and future, that you can do, for my work intends to eliminate the force that I term "nonLove" (© 2020 Vincent Frank De Benedetto) that has, and without question will continue to, undermine and thwart every attempt to really improve this world.

I've committed the remaining years of my life to saving the world by teaching what I know to be the only thing that can save it--Love, properly understood. Yet concomitantly (i.e. at the same time) I caregive a parent full-time, by myself, thus cannot work, so I survive on a shoestring, and my life has not been easy, nor is it, now. I elect for this task of teaching Love, properly understood, not because I want it, but because of a sense of duty to the human family. I have conceived the most powerful knowledge in the world, the most powerful knowledge that one could obtain, or could ever be obtained, so I must use and transmit it.

But I do need your assistance with money, and if possible, tasks. There are very, very few people working, or working seriously, in this area of social science. If you recognize just how unique, powerful, and critical my work is, I will take all the financial--and other--support you wish to give. Please start by donating as much as you can, as often as you can. A substantial recurring donation would be ideal; you'd be a recurring patron.

Do your part!

Brothers and Sisters, I can assure you that there is no more important contribution you can make to this world. Your children, and theirs, and theirs will be living in this world for a long, long, long time.

What kind of world will it be?

That's up to you.

LOCAL NEIGHBORS

If you are a neighbor residing near me at my New Jersey residence, the new headquarters for the DE BENEDETTO CENTER, note, importantly, that it's unlikely that I can produce the superlative, premier-level scholarship required to save the world, as explicated (i.e. explained methodically, in detail) above, given the pernicious and interminable distractions constantly occurring in this neighborhood. These distractions are principally twofold: A.) the murderous, interminable (i.e. never-ending) din of leafblowers and other lawn equipment, and B.) the insensitivity, general lack of decency and cooperation, and persona non grata treatment that I presently receive from most of you, most of the time.

Believe it or not, in 2003 while on the telephone with Washington (yes, that Washington), speaking with Elbert Garcia in the office of Harlem Congressman Charles B. Rangel, in the attempt to advance my formal 6-page white paper intended to prevent the imminent Iraq war, I actually had to contend with the distracting sound of vigorous basketball playing by children directly outside my window, complete with pounding vibration of the ball against asphalt and the shouts of play.

Nor do I have unlimited time to complete this work. My life was relatively stress-free prior to moving here. Since then, however, based on the cruel, thoughtless, and narcissistic treatment my family has received in this neighborhood from several quarters, many insults to body and mind over the arc of years, I'd estimate the balance of my lifespan to be no more than 20 years--if that.

Through my work I can put this urban town on the map--but not if this neighborhood remains obtuse and morally confused, hostile to the preferences and needs of myself and my family. And need #1 is silence, or near-silence.

The key need for silence, or near-silence, intends not just to provide me, an important writer, an environment in which I can work, as critical to the future of humanity as this is, but also because my Mother, whom I caregive, is 91 years old and ill. Caregiving is difficult and the regular din that occurs here makes it even more difficult: it's highly intrusive, often interrupting delicate moments of care, for example. Moreover, when someone is very ill, respect and a proper consideration should be proffered. Constant loud noise is highly inappropriate, and does not comprise, and is indeed opposed to, such a posture of sensitivity. It suggests that the neighborhood is ignorant of, unconcerned with, or not in social and emotional communion with the family in pain.

Albert Redux

Brothers and Sisters, I often wonder, and consider its answer a key barometer for the future of our species, whether American, or even global culture could ever produce another Einstein. Could a person with an extremely high intellect, and equivalent impulse toward achievement, flourish today? Given the inordinate level of distraction today, including leafblowers and other noise, pornography, smartphones, financial difficulty and economic hardship and want, endless human conflict on every scale, and underpinning it all, the continuing, near-immutable fact of our simple human stupidity (read, for example: climate change, and now coronavirus)?

Could the human species ever produce another Einstein, seminal, revolutionary thinker in physical science, or perhaps even his equivalent in the social sciences?

It doesn't look good.

Einstein Query Update

October 04, 2020

I realized that there is a question concerning intellectual excellence related to, and even more fundamental than, that, above.

This question and related explication will appear in my book-under-development THE DECLINE OF MIND, of which a second body of study and writing titled GRASS NOT GREENER, also in development, will find inclusion as a chapter or section, or conclude as a discrete (i.e. standalone) work, likely under that title.

This latter body argues categorically against the legalization and even decriminalization of the drug marijuana, as said liberalizations would comprise a catastrophic assist in the decline of the human mind, driving the descent of humankind one or more full orders of magnitude toward the complete inactualization of the human mind.

Make Your Decision

You probably find the required sensitivity, courtesy, and consideration implied here to avoid such conflict, alien. This is not a culture, national or global, based on Love, certainly not Love, properly understood, and neither the Orthodox Judaism of some of you, nor the Christianity of other of you, appears sufficient to the task of generating a meaningful increase in awareness, or elevation of morality. However, it's what is required to meet the dual needs I've just described, as well as to begin to build a world of Love.

Orthodox or not, Christian or not, like most people, you're probably using your religion for every reason except the right one. Perhaps some of you are sensitive toward, or do extend courtesies to, persons of your own faith or group. If you so restrict your Love, however, you're missing the point, entirely.

Regarding the shifts in behavior and attitude that I'm suggesting, then, you'll have to make a decision. But make it the correct one--the future of myself and my Mother, and our human family, itself, depend on it.

In fact, I believe that one day an evolved moral awareness will form the basis for the newest movement for Love, following #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter. We'll call it #LoveThyNeighbor.

Remember--you read it here, first.

Note: if the level and kind of intellect, and morality, informing all you've been reading on this page strikes you as unique, powerful, and, indeed, vital to retain and build upon for our community, country, and indeed global society, I again urge full cooperation with me in every way, especially the establishment of silence, as well as your all-important financial support.

	CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE www.Center4Love.com refresh page before viewing, as it may have changed: f5, windows / ctrl-r, mac "LOVE, PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD, IS THE MOST POWERFUL SOCIAL FORCE AVAILABLE TO HUMANKIND" - VINCENT FRANK DE BENEDETTO - "...love is the only...satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence...any society which excludes...the development of love, must in the long run perish of its own contradiction with the basic necessities of human nature." -- Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving, 1956, p.148 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "...solidarity...and love...may assert themselves secondarily as private acts of philanthropy or kindness, but they are not part of the basic structure of our social relations." -- Erich Fromm, The Sane Society, 1955, p.127 WELCOME I am pioneering philosopher and writer VINCENT FRANK DE BENEDETTO. The CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE, in Northern New Jersey, is the physical headquarters for all my work in philosophy and social science in what I term THE NEW SCIENCE OF AGAPE. "Agape" (ugg op' ay - rhymes with "day") is "brotherly love" in the language of Greek philosophy, as taught by Jesus, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Erich Fromm, Leo Buscaglia, Buddha, Gandhi, Robert Hansen, Valarie Kaur, and others, including myself. I also conceptualize the Center as a place where like-minded brothers and sisters can gather to talk, plan, and even recharge with a nap or meal. Agape is the principle upon which the Center is founded and exists, and is the principle behind all my work, in prose, poetry, music, radio, and indeed underpinning the very way that I try to live my life, every moment of every day. It is also where I'm presently writing my magnum opus and masterwork, that which I believe the world desperately needs, "LOVE, PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD: the Most Powerful Force Available to Humankind." I'm also an Agape Master,* neologist, silence activist, anti-AI, pro-brain advocate, inventor, and more. I've also mounted an exploratory campaign for the U.S. Presidency, every plank in my platform rooted in Agape, starting with plank #1: bring Americans together. In music, I'm an aspiring metal singer, composer, and founder of the seminal INTERNATIONAL HEAVY METAL MUSIC ASSOCIATION. *Agape Master: one deeply versed in, and committed to, the principle and practice of Agape (ugg op' ay), which is "brotherly love" in the language of Greek philosophy. The Center is always open to MESSAGE OF HOPE team members, or, anyone else of love and positive intention who wishes to visit. Please always call before coming (phone, below). We've recently begun incorporating Internet-based videoconferencing/communication ala' Zoom, Meet, Webex, etc. While here, I'll prepare you a healthy snack or meal, you can use the restroom (aka bathroom, LOL), rest or even sleep, shower if necessary, use the telephone, or make use of a small available workspace. If you wish or need a brief stay-over, that is possible. Cooperation with hygiene and other Center rules is expected, of course. Upon your departure, if you care to leave a financial donation, it would be appropriate and greatly appreciated. If you genuinely can't, you can't. INTRODUCTION TO MY WORK The tagline to all my work is: "Love, properly understood, is the most powerful social force available to humankind," and indeed, the increasingly complex problems of today, informed by technology, such as hacking and other cyber-crime, and ego, such as terrorism, cannot be resolved any other way. Just how many laws can be written? And those inclined to do harm don't obey the law, anyway. The only realistic way to address the many complex problems of this new epoch is to forestall their occurrence in the first place through a change in the human heart, such that our brothers and sisters will not transgress against other brothers and sisters in the first place. In the realm of health, regarding cancer, actress Fran Drescher said, "Prevention is the cure," and this insightful and clever notion is precisely what I'm advocating as the only realistic solution to the primary problematic of humankind--the pain that we continually cause each other. My proposed solution could happen through the reconstitution of global society from profit and ego to brotherly love, as Love, properly understood, is a force and principal so powerful that it easily forms the basis for 1.) interpersonal relations and interaction, and 2.) an entire modern global economy. Thus must and does the CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE seek to replace our current global system of what I term "ego-capitalism," which is morally and economically illogical, pernicious, insidious, superfluous, rickety, and by any measure obsolete, with an orders-of-magnitude superior Classless, Moneyless, Needs-based, Love-oriented or assisted (C.M.N.L., pron. kuh myoon' ul) socio-economic system: the historic and long dreamt-of Brotherhood of Man (akin to the Beloved Community of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). Relevant thought includes that of figures such as Erich Fromm and Dr. King, while that of figures such as Lenin, Mao, Castro, and Guevara is explicitly and categorically rejected. My vehicles for revolution include those listed and linked below: prose (books, articles), poetry (my book-length poem entitled simply "Love"), original recorded music (MESSAGE OF HOPE), a radio program BROTHERHOOD-OF-MAN-RADIO, man-in-the street conversation and interaction, and correspondence. Indeed has my long-awaited book, a true Agape bible, finally been released free online in its first draft iteration, a comprehensive work on the principle and practice of Love, suitable both for study and daily practice. Love--it's the only way. OTHER PROJECTS The Center also applies, selectively, its unique combination of intellect and morality to human socio-existential problems that sometimes arise, such as the historic pandemic of 2020, or the problematic of the global trend toward the legalization of drugs. NOMENCLATURE Shorthand for the name CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE is the CPPL, CPPL, or simply the DC, for the DE BENEDETTO CENTER, after this writer, its Founder (and my beloved Father, artist Frank Salvatore De Benedetto, a key influence). This site, its official Internet home, went live, appropriately, September 11, 2020, the 19th anniversary of the 9-11 terror attacks. Love, and likely Love, alone, properly understood and thus properly exercised, could have prevented that attack. WHY Why, indeed. Upon learning of, or personally experiencing one or more acts of human transgression, from corporate crime that injures or kills, to political terrorism, to domestic acts of violence whether political or that from a school shooting, to even smaller, yet still injurious and painful acts like discourtesy, insensitivity, or bullying of children or even adults from co-workers, neighbors, or even family members, many are perplexed or even confounded, and ask "Why?" "Why would people behave this way? Why would they hurt others so badly? How can they do that?" "Why would people behave this way, causing injury, whether physical, psychological, or both, to one or more other people?" These, of course, while comprehensible (i.e. understandable) questions, are the wrong ones. In fact, the correct question is: "Why wouldn't they act this way?" What countervailing force exists in society to prevent such behavior? To meaningfully discourage people from behaving this way? There's no real love ethic in this world. Study, and broad implementation, of the Love ethic, that is, a standard of behavior based on Love, would do the trick--but this does not presently exist in the world. How many of us were required, at any stage of our education, from kindergarten, to graduate, medical or law school, or beyond, to take even a single course in Love? The answer: no one. Were you? People act without Love because 1.) they don't learn Love, or learn it properly, and 2.) Love is not reinforced. There's no consistent, comprehensive, formal social mechanism preventing or strongly discouraging them from injuring others. Religious or spiritual traditions usually advocate Love, but, like the notion of "random acts of kindness," these are usually hit-or-miss affairs that have no meaningful impact on the general human pattern of "everybody-injure-everybody," that is, the reality that we all hurt each other in myriad ways, all the time. "Who," you might then ask, "is fighting to create a 'consistent, comprehensive, formal social mechanism' to build a fully loving world?" I am. The aforementioned objective is precisely that of my work, writing and teaching through the DE BENEDETTO CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE. There is a tiny handful of others working in this area, as well. At another of my key sites, THE AGAPE ORDER, I have a page called "Mentors" that displays photographs of seven or eight persons who have also fought, or are fighting, meaningfully for Love. NonLove My concept nonLove (© 2020 VFD) refers to every action or attitude not rooted in Love. Just as in the physical world it is observed that nature abhors a vacuum, so, too, does our social world, our human behavioral environment, so that if Love is not present, nonLove will always rush in or otherwise enter. For example, if high school children are not taught, and living, Love and resolving inner or outer conflict this way, through Love, nonLove, that conceptual class of injurious actions or attitudes will readily rush in to fill the vacuum. As Love is not taught in the world generally, and certainly not in the United States, there is a continual ubiquitous morality vacuum into which nonLove can and does continually enter, and as any unimpeded force or motion, is now accelerating. Accordingly, school shootings and other malevolent and transgressive behaviors will never cease until Love is actively taught so that it is present, everywhere, thus preventing the introduction of nonLove into our mental spaces both individually and and socially, as those spaces are already full. See my primary work, LOVE: Properly Understood, my Magnum Opus of pragmatic philosophy for the most comprehensive treatment available of the nature of Love, its actual potential, and the proper methodology for its use and introduction into the world, at every social and economic level, from individual interaction on the street or in the supermarket, to the basis for the formation and operation of a modern global economy. HUMANKIND AT ITS BEST Try to imagine Humankind at its absolute best. Actualization (pron. ACK shewel iz AY shn) is the process by which an organism (i.e. a living thing such as a human being) or group of organisms (such as a group of human beings) achieves the fullest level of development for which it, or they, is capable, in one, some, or every regard. That is, it, or they, fully realize their every latency and potentiality in one, some, or every regard. In sum, to "Actualize" simply means to be the absolute best that you are capable of being. The objective of the DE BENEDETTO CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE is to facilitate actualization of our human species through pedagogy on, advocacy for, research on, and practice of, Love, that is, brotherly love, properly understood; Agape (pron. uh GOH pay) in the language of Greek philosophy. These latter two means are laboratory research and field practice, to facilitate understanding as to how best to constitutionalize Love, that is, facilitate its official, formal inclusion as a foundational principle in a new paradigm of global social organization. At such time that humanity finally comes together as a human family, its official Constitution or other principal founding document must have Love as the first word of the text. Actualization is a penultimate final elevation that cannot happen under any system of class rule, including our present global form, capitalism, and its psycho-emotional symbiont, ego (together, ego-capitalism). Thus must the elimination of capitalism, itself, occur prior to, or concomitant with, the establishment of the new community. Accordingly, the elimination of capitalism is a key objective of the DE BENEDETTO CENTER, and must be for society, itself, as well, if it is to actualize. This is no reflexive or doctrinaire claim against capitalism: to actualize our species, at most, and prevent its destruction, at least, we must build a Love-centered world. If capitalism were innately receptive to this necessary endeavor there would be no call for its dissolution--but clearly, it's not. As a philosopher, a philosopher of Love, specifically, I must be unsentimental in my analysis of, and subsequent call to eliminate, that which emasculates humankind and inhibits its actualization, and equally direct in my call for that which must replace it. Specifically, I seek to establish the Brotherhood of Man, roughly analogous to the Beloved Community of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a society underpinned categorically by the moral imperative, that is, Love, such that people simply could not, and thus would not, injure other people, because their consciences simply wouldn't permit it. The moral imperative of such a society being simply that ubiquitous and strong. Please join this effort! RELIGION "But I'm already a Christian," I can hear some of you saying, "I don't need this Love project." You do. This writer was born and baptized Christian. Christianity teaches Love, or more properly preaches it, for it advocates Love but doesn't present anything even remotely resembling a pedagogy or primer, in other words, a complete guidebook advising Christians how to act or respond, that is, the preferred behavior in regard to the many transgressions that we Christians and other human beings unfortunately suffer at the hands of our brothers and sisters in this world. My work presents that guidebook, and is completely compatible with Christianity. If the prescription of the Center is a shift in the direction and capacities of the human heart, how does this answer differ from that of virtually any theology? Why not merely join a religion, or re-commit to existing religious doctrines and affiliations? In large measure because of what the work of the Center recognizes as the critical implication of its prescription: a change in economic relationships and, indeed, the global economy, itself. You'll be hard pressed to find any organized, popular theology, from Christianity to Buddhism that asserts, as does my work and thus the Center, that a fully loving society cannot exist under a capitalist system, or indeed any system of class rule, and thus the implication of the assertion that humanity must officially and fully commit to Love is that capitalism, itself, must be eliminated. The change called for by my work is sufficiently sweeping and radical that it requires that we rebuild our global society from the ground up. GOD Does the Center root its morality or socio-existential prescription in any notion of God? The fact is, Love and the "Love Ethic" have been claimed by a number of religious and other belief systems, Christianity notable among them for its strong and explicit emphasis on Loving one's neighbor, as the second great commandment of Christ. While the philosophy of the Center does not, itself, root in a notion of God, neither does it denigrate such notions, and, in fact, if you are a religious believer, affiliation with the work of the Center, with its explicit emphasis on Love, properly understood, can strengthen the adherence to Love that your theology probably already requires, and even provide you a deeper understanding of what Love is, and what is realistically required to practice it personally, as well as instruct in its utilization as a leverage to rebuild our entire global society--including our global economy. Part of the power of Love is its scalability, in this manner. Last, my paradigm will do for you what no religion really appears to do: describe in detail how to love others in a culture where such behavior and perspective is grossly misunderstood and devalued, and in the main does not underpin social or economic behavior, relationships, or thinking. KEY RESOURCES & LINKS The comprehensive blueprint for the new human community and the road thereto is found here. The sister project to the above is a real-life "Jedi Order" that one can join now, to immerse oneself in a group of like-minded adherents learning, and actually practicing, Love. In joining the AGAPE ORDER one might eventually rise to the rank of AGAPE MASTER. If you are an exceptionally loving individual, all the better interested in Agape theory, as well, you may already be the equivalent of an Agape Master. Join, or simply speak to me, to see! My principal volume, under development, of the theory and practice of Love, that is, brotherly love, properly understood, Agape (pron. uh GOH pay) in the language of Greek philosophy, the key to both the survival, and actualization, of our species, including the solution to every human problem, and elimination of all human pain. CONSIDER THE MESSENGER ACHIEVEMENT Established wisdom asserts that in assessing any message, "consider the messenger." As regards this Internet resource, CPPL, I'm that messenger, Vincent Frank De Benedetto. Here are four key descriptive characteristics and achievements: As stated, above, I possess the key to both the survival, and actualization, of our human species, including the solution to every human problem and elimination of all human pain: Love, as described at this web site, and more fully in my pending volume LOVE. I'm prescient regarding a solution to the present global pandemic. In fact, I have the solution, available free. This solution, presented as, and contained in, a print document, web site, or article for publication, is obviously an existentially critical document that must be written and released to the public, especially every government on Earth, as soon as possible. Your financial or task-based support, below, are invaluable in permitting me the time and energy to complete this task. In this regard we have zero time to waste, since, remember, as bad as a situation is...it can always get worse. We must move immediately and I have the answer. My original writing on terror (that is, terrorism) was cited-and-quoted by the New York Times. I'm the first to notify the FBI and other relevant United States law enforcement agencies, or publicly call for their notification, through my anti-marijuana-legalization book, that the legalization and even decriminalization of dope (i.e marijuana) poses a distinct national security threat. MORE Attempting to save the world by teaching Love, properly understood, is not my only contribution to this planet and our human family. I also make subsidiary or incidental contributions as warranted. For example, I have the solution to the global Coronavirus pandemic of 2020. Additionally, in 2003 I researched, authored, and widely disseminated a formal 6-page proposal to attempt to thwart the imminent war with Iraq, scheduled to begin in a matter of hours. I received a rather ardent and genuine "Thank You" from Elbert Garcia, Congressional Page at that time in the Washington office of Congressman Charles B. Rangel. I'm also attempting to mount a serious run for the Presidency of the United States in 2024. A comprehensive descriptive summary of my social, political, familial, intellectual, and other roles can be found at my personal website. APPROBATION I engaged in a substantive online conversation in a philosophy chat room on or about Monday, May 17, 2021, with Sophie Grant, 28, resident of Florida, U.S.A., and humanitarian. During our colloquy, she stated, of her value system: "I live by the principles of empathy, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness." During the conversation, she came to recognize the seminal character of the work that I'm doing within the framework of the DE BENEDETTO CENTER, intended to change, and indeed save, the world. Said work underpinned, she indicated, by a discernible sincerity. She further stated, of myself, the founder of the Center: "It feels like there actually is a truly good person in the world." Touche'. ABOUT The principle objective of the CPPL is explicated, above. The CPPL is headquartered in New Jersey, U.S.A. All content at this site, and all my sites, is © 2020 Vincent Frank De Benedetto. Please respect my work. The CPPL is a division of the DE BENEDETTO MUSIC & WRITING STUDIO, itself a division of THE FSD GROUP. The Center also devotes itself selectively to other very large-dimension social issues and problems. For example, I had conceived and proffered the only viable plan to permanently end the Coronavirus pandemic. I've committed the remaining years of my life to saving the world by teaching what I know to be the only thing that can save it--Love, properly understood. Yet concomitantly (i.e. at the same time) I caregive a parent full-time, by myself, thus cannot work, so I survive on a shoestring. My life is difficult and has been so for over 20 years now. I elect for the task of teaching Love not because I want it, but because of a sense of duty to the human family. I have conceived the most powerful knowledge in the world, the most powerful knowledge that one could obtain, or ever be obtained, so I must use and transmit it. Though I do this as a duty, there is little else I could be doing with my years that is more important. I'm doing nothing less than attempting to build a miracle. The miracle that humanity must have. SUPPORT TEAM Ideal candidates would 1.) agree with the mission of the Center: creation of a love-centered world, and 2.) be fans of 1980s-style heavy metal, as central to my roster of projects is a musical project, commercial to earn vast income but of the same thematic, Love, as all my work. Team members required first are Web Designer and Personal Assistant/Operations Manager. The nature of the work, primarily telephone calls and Internet research, can be undertaken anywhere in the world, so place of residence of Team Members is of lesser importance. Nor must Team Members work a minimum number of hours each week: five, three, or even two hours a week would be significant and appreciated. As 1.) my projects are highly commercial, 2.) they are numerous and varied, and 3.) I am considered a unique and talented thinker and writer, as well as musician, inventor, and more, I reasonably anticipate vast earnings. And when I earn big--so will loyal Team Members. CONTACT Contact me, Vincent Frank De Benedetto, and the CPPL by email at onehumanfamily@fastmail.net (request telephone access if you wish it). I presently maintain about twenty web sites, each of which I conceived, researched, wrote, and built, and all of which are explicit or implicit in their advocacy for the creation of a Love-Centered World (LCW), the BROTHERHOOD OF MAN. In fact, a participant in a Philosophy chat room recently complimented me on, as I recall his word, my "immense" body of work. In fact, my efforts to save the world are contained in this multimedia body, all in support of my thesis, explicitly or implicitly, directly or indirectly. My longstanding musical release is one celestial body resident in this universe. YOUR SUPPORT The CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE requires financial, and other assistance. Supporting my work is just about the most important single act of good toward the world, present and future, that you can do, for my work intends to eliminate the force that I term "nonLove" (© 2020 Vincent Frank De Benedetto) that has, and without question will continue to, undermine and thwart every attempt to really improve this world. I've committed the remaining years of my life to saving the world by teaching what I know to be the only thing that can save it--Love, properly understood. Yet concomitantly (i.e. at the same time) I caregive a parent full-time, by myself, thus cannot work, so I survive on a shoestring, and my life has not been easy, nor is it, now. I elect for this task of teaching Love, properly understood, not because I want it, but because of a sense of duty to the human family. I have conceived the most powerful knowledge in the world, the most powerful knowledge that one could obtain, or could ever be obtained, so I must use and transmit it. But I do need your assistance with money, and if possible, tasks. There are very, very few people working, or working seriously, in this area of social science. If you recognize just how unique, powerful, and critical my work is, I will take all the financial--and other--support you wish to give. Please start by donating as much as you can, as often as you can. A substantial recurring donation would be ideal; you'd be a recurring patron. Do your part! Brothers and Sisters, I can assure you that there is no more important contribution you can make to this world. Your children, and theirs, and theirs will be living in this world for a long, long, long time. What kind of world will it be? That's up to you. WHAT WE NEED REQUIRED NEXT EXPENDITURES PLEASE DONATE TO THE CENTER! Any amount donated is helpful and appreciated. All amounts are approximate. New primary computer for the Center: app. $1200 Secondary computer for mobile use. $200-400 Outdoor surveillance system for the Center: $3,000 Lawn sign marking this location as the Center: $200 Glasses, utensils. app. $100
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	LOCAL NEIGHBORS If you are a neighbor residing near me at my New Jersey residence, the new headquarters for the DE BENEDETTO CENTER, note, importantly, that it's unlikely that I can produce the superlative, premier-level scholarship required to save the world, as explicated (i.e. explained methodically, in detail) above, given the pernicious and interminable distractions constantly occurring in this neighborhood. These distractions are principally twofold: A.) the murderous, interminable (i.e. never-ending) din of leafblowers and other lawn equipment, and B.) the insensitivity, general lack of decency and cooperation, and persona non grata treatment that I presently receive from most of you, most of the time. Believe it or not, in 2003 while on the telephone with Washington (yes, that Washington), speaking with Elbert Garcia in the office of Harlem Congressman Charles B. Rangel, in the attempt to advance my formal 6-page white paper intended to prevent the imminent Iraq war, I actually had to contend with the distracting sound of vigorous basketball playing by children directly outside my window, complete with pounding vibration of the ball against asphalt and the shouts of play. Nor do I have unlimited time to complete this work. My life was relatively stress-free prior to moving here. Since then, however, based on the cruel, thoughtless, and narcissistic treatment my family has received in this neighborhood from several quarters, many insults to body and mind over the arc of years, I'd estimate the balance of my lifespan to be no more than 20 years--if that. Through my work I can put this urban town on the map--but not if this neighborhood remains obtuse and morally confused, hostile to the preferences and needs of myself and my family. And need #1 is silence, or near-silence. The key need for silence, or near-silence, intends not just to provide me, an important writer, an environment in which I can work, as critical to the future of humanity as this is, but also because my Mother, whom I caregive, is 91 years old and ill. Caregiving is difficult and the regular din that occurs here makes it even more difficult: it's highly intrusive, often interrupting delicate moments of care, for example. Moreover, when someone is very ill, respect and a proper consideration should be proffered. Constant loud noise is highly inappropriate, and does not comprise, and is indeed opposed to, such a posture of sensitivity. It suggests that the neighborhood is ignorant of, unconcerned with, or not in social and emotional communion with the family in pain. Albert Redux Brothers and Sisters, I often wonder, and consider its answer a key barometer for the future of our species, whether American, or even global culture could ever produce another Einstein. Could a person with an extremely high intellect, and equivalent impulse toward achievement, flourish today? Given the inordinate level of distraction today, including leafblowers and other noise, pornography, smartphones, financial difficulty and economic hardship and want, endless human conflict on every scale, and underpinning it all, the continuing, near-immutable fact of our simple human stupidity (read, for example: climate change, and now coronavirus)? Could the human species ever produce another Einstein, seminal, revolutionary thinker in physical science, or perhaps even his equivalent in the social sciences? It doesn't look good. Einstein Query Update October 04, 2020 I realized that there is a question concerning intellectual excellence related to, and even more fundamental than, that, above. This question and related explication will appear in my book-under-development THE DECLINE OF MIND, of which a second body of study and writing titled GRASS NOT GREENER, also in development, will find inclusion as a chapter or section, or conclude as a discrete (i.e. standalone) work, likely under that title. This latter body argues categorically against the legalization and even decriminalization of the drug marijuana, as said liberalizations would comprise a catastrophic assist in the decline of the human mind, driving the descent of humankind one or more full orders of magnitude toward the complete inactualization of the human mind. Make Your Decision You probably find the required sensitivity, courtesy, and consideration implied here to avoid such conflict, alien. This is not a culture, national or global, based on Love, certainly not Love, properly understood, and neither the Orthodox Judaism of some of you, nor the Christianity of other of you, appears sufficient to the task of generating a meaningful increase in awareness, or elevation of morality. However, it's what is required to meet the dual needs I've just described, as well as to begin to build a world of Love. Orthodox or not, Christian or not, like most people, you're probably using your religion for every reason except the right one. Perhaps some of you are sensitive toward, or do extend courtesies to, persons of your own faith or group. If you so restrict your Love, however, you're missing the point, entirely. Regarding the shifts in behavior and attitude that I'm suggesting, then, you'll have to make a decision. But make it the correct one--the future of myself and my Mother, and our human family, itself, depend on it. In fact, I believe that one day an evolved moral awareness will form the basis for the newest movement for Love, following #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter. We'll call it #LoveThyNeighbor. Remember--you read it here, first. Note: if the level and kind of intellect, and morality, informing all you've been reading on this page strikes you as unique, powerful, and, indeed, vital to retain and build upon for our community, country, and indeed global society, I again urge full cooperation with me in every way, especially the establishment of silence, as well as your all-important financial support.
	AGAPE TRILOGY, DEFINED My AGAPE TRILOGY is, itself, part of a multi-part body of work including prose (i.e. books, articles), poetry, a musical project, a radio program, and real-time in-person outreach such as speeches, interviews, and TED talks. I'm creating and promulgating this body of work in service of establishing the BROTHERHOOD OF MAN, an Actualized society, that is, a quasi-utopia characterized by Moral and Functional near-perfection: MORAL: Love, properly understood, informing all social intercourse and mechanisms of governance. Refers to Brotherly, not Romantic, Love. FUNCTIONAL: Competence and devotion to task by each of us, individually, and our human family, as a group, informing all economic and other social operations and activity, from how well we do our job, to how we treat our spouse. Actualization is a concept in Psychology that refers to being and doing in a manner congruent, or attempting congruence, with, your full capacity. In other words, actually trying at all times, in all spheres of life, literally trying to do your actual best. In the sphere of economics and work, for example, Actualization would call for each of us to get our nose out of our Smart Phone--and focus on our job. AGAPE TRILOGY, SCHEMA (i.e. plan or roadmap) LOVE: PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD, THE MOST POWERFUL SOCIAL FORCE AVAILABLE TO HUMANKIND VOLUME #1 (WHAT WE NEED) Study it, distribute it, but most of all LIVE IT. NEIGHBORS OF DEATH: THE PERNICIOUS FORCE OF NONLOVE THAT PUTS THE DIVISION IN SUBDIVISON (down) VOLUME #2 (WHY WE NEED IT) THE ACTUALIZED SOCIETY: THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN & THE END OF EGO-CAPITALISM VOLUME #3 (HOW TO GET IT)
	MY FURTHER WORK & RESOURCES All of which is informed by Agape. THE AGAPE ORDER People committed in the here and now to the principle and practice of Love. CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE Represented in cyberspace by this website. Physical headquarters for THE AGAPE ORDER, above, and my work in social science. MESSAGE OF HOPE Unique musical project centered on the same thematic as all my work: transition from ego-capitalism to the Brotherhood of Man. Visit the site to listen to a rough draft of what I believe will be a global smash hit: VISION OF A WORLD. OUR BETTER SELVES "Toward Wisdom & Love in Our Global Society" Essays by Vincent Frank De Benedetto. VINCENT'S REVIEWS "REVIEWS OF EVERYTHING & EVERYONE, BY POLITICAL PHILOSOPHER VINCENT FRANK DE BENEDETTO" GRASS NOT GREENER: THE DARK ROAD AHEAD FOR ALL AMERICANS IF DRUGS ARE LEGALIZED Legalization of drugs is a key mistake in that their widespread use, especially marijuana, will erode, then destroy, the trust that any society must have to operate. Drug use also causes a destabilization or other compromise of the human mind inimical to cultivation of the capacity for, and inclination toward, Love, which society must also have to operate, or certainly to actualize, that is, to operate with all latencies and potentialities realized, and even to actualize with regard to non-love-specific spheres of societal function including the technical and economic. KEYS TO GOOD HEALTH The most powerful health analysis available, as it focuses on 1.) physical, 2.) emotional, and 3.) economic health. Wisdom & Insight regarding health, well-conceived, written, and researched. Small but powerful Links sections. NOISE KILLS Research proves it, and you'd better believe it. Noise means physical and psychological stress--and stress kills. Sometimes quickly; oftentimes slowly. Special emphasis on the acoustic weapon euphemized "leaf blower." LEAFBLOWER SURVIVAL GUIDE The common leafblower, a weapon disguised as a gardening implement, is uniquely pernicious to people and planet because of the particular sound it produces, volume of said sound, and particulates and other detritus injurious to human and animal health expelled by its 2-stroke engine, and kicked-up from the ground by its jet-engine like blasts of air. This particular device is deemed so noxious by so many that it is banned in a few communities, and strictly regulated in many others. If in use in your community, your mental and physical health are literally in danger. This volume, hard-won, based on the actual past--and present--experiences of its author with neighborhood landscaping firms using leafblowers, presents about 30 steps to redress this problem, four of which will provide you immediate relief. VINCENT.CARE (down) My biography and work summary page, with master list of just about all my websites.
	- LOVE, IT'S OUR ONLY HOPE - - CENTER FOR THE PRINCIPLE & PRACTICE OF LOVE -