It all started with a conversation over lunch, and this question…
“What would you do with your life, if you never had to worry about money ever again?”
Here’s the story:
The three of us, Joey, Jeremy, and Clint, spent a sweet summer after college traveling through countries that others thought were dangerous. Sounds like a crazy thing to do, huh? Funny thing was that we were continually struck by how warm, friendly, and receptive the people we met were—finding tons of friends that we laughed and bonded with as we traveled.
Over a year later, we were eating lunch and asked each other this question: “If we never had to worry about money again, what would we want to spend our lives doing?”
Several great ideas came, but one especially struck us all as dynamite. We love connecting people—especially with humor and insight. Why don’t we do something good as we travel, helping bring more trust and fun into the world on a larger scale? We thought about how many negative labels people place on each other, each group calling the other group evil, without really even getting to know them. We asked ourselves what evil really is and how we could challenge the perceptions that are so often based in fear or ignorance. And why not start by traveling to and capturing the lives of people in some of “the most dangerous countries in the world”—the ones branded as the “Axis of Evil”?
Wow—we were struck by how much the world needs this now, and is perhaps more open to it than ever before!
Joey noticed that when you turn the word “evil” backwards, it reads “live”—and there came the idea—AXIS LIVE!
We kept talking about how although we are more connected technologically with people around the world than ever before, there is still too much fear, distrust, misunderstanding, and a tendency to label those who are different as evil, bad, wrong, or worse. While chomping down sweet potato fries, we discussed the tangible fear people are experiencing, the real need that exists to highlight the common humanity that unites us, and how even the differences can serve to benefit us all. It became obvious that we were all passionate about it.
A strange thing often happens when you tap into the passionate part of yourself. Especially when your passion meets a real need in the world, the money question often works itself out as you feel compelled to talk about what excites you. All three of us (Joey, Jeremy, and Clint) were amazed when within two weeks we had received significant funding from someone who loved the idea and wanted to make sure it happened, and how support and momentum continued to flood in from sources around the world.
As we prepare for this journey, we want you to join the “LIVE” conversations online, and in theaters, with all the people we laugh and learn with along the way.
We have experience using emerging social media outlets to involve large numbers of people in fun movements and meaningful discussions. AXIS LIVE is continuing to attract an awesome team to help lead the course, the movie, and the movement. And the whole point of this is to involve YOU in the discussions—we want to hear your thoughts and see your videos, and we want to help you travel the world and really connect with people in a different way than ever before.
You might use this moment to consider: What you would do if you never had to worry about money again? We believe in how much power YOU have to face your fears, inspire others and make a difference. Perhaps part of that path involves taking a journey of discovery and contribution of your own—by becoming an AXIS LIVE ALLY, aligning with others like you who want to live each moment of this short life really aLIVE—AXIS LIVE!
For a better world,
Joey Lundgreen
Jeremy Evans
Clint Rogers
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
-Mahatma Ghandi