[This is a post from my company, TimefireVR, that is being archived here to join the rest of my writing.]

Thanksgiving, for me is the recognition of people helping those less fortunate so everyone has the chance to enjoy life. Back in 1621, it was through the generosity and collaboration of the Wampanoag indigenous people of the Atlantic Coast that animosity and division did not lead the day. Instead, the sharing of food and skills for the celebration of a great harvest was offered out of kindness.

Fast forward 395 years to 2016, and the pilgrims of a new age are on the digital shore, waiting to land on the frontier of tomorrow known as virtual reality. While these explorers arrive with a wealth of science, social media, and expectations for certain human rights, the empire they are fleeing from is looking less and less friendly to those who may not be sharing the same values.

The 17th-century pilgrim fathers fled their homelands to avoid hostility towards their ideas of freedom. Even today, intolerance plays a significant role in the oppression of people from around the globe. Then there are those who do not conform to the status quo and fear potential threats to their ideas for the expression of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. While the age of one-size-fits-all is winding down, there are those among us who are not evolving but are clinging to some outmoded ideologies that many are afraid will damage humanity and our planet.

With the advent of virtual reality, humankind has been offered a golden opportunity to land on new shores and establish cities that can be created and governed in ways that best support people seeking non-hostile environments. This, then is not only the beginning of a new global form of Thanksgiving, but it is also the day that TimefireVR is asking the globe to help contribute to a Universal Declaration of Digital Independence and a Living Constitution for Virtual Citizens.

This, then is not only the beginning of a new global form of Thanksgiving, but it is also the day that TimefireVR is asking the globe to help contribute to a Universal Declaration of Digital Independence and a Living Constitution for Virtual Citizens.

Virtual reality today is a wild west free-for-all that will see the emergence of some extraordinary environments and experiences. A large part of TimefireVR’s role is the building of the first curated cultural epicenter in the form of the city called Hypatia. How will the governance, rights, freedoms, and evolution of this new space evolve? The answer is found in the participation of the brightest minds in this current reality from around the globe.

We are asking those of a compassionate, altruistic nature to come forward and share their ideas on what they believe should be enshrined in Hypatia’s constitution. Instead of an “End-User License Agreement ­- EULA,” we will carve into a prominent location in Hypatia the documents we hope will be adopted by others in the virtual space to help guide their ideas of rights and freedoms that should be afforded all people. We will not condone hate, violence, intolerance, or other forms of aggression that only act to isolate and marginalize our fellow human beings. Favor and privilege will not be given in consideration of power or wealth; we will allow and encourage all to participate in a conscientious, sharing, and helpful manner. This was a large part of the generosity and collaboration offered by the Wampanoag tribe to the early Pilgrims who landed in North America; it is a tradition worth repeating.