The Problem
The most under‑realized value in the world today is the potential of ordinary people. Too often, human creativity, community, and enterprise are stifled by systems that overlook the everyday. The Monastery of the Ordinary exists to change that.
We do this by:
- Cultivating AI technologies that unlock human creativity.
- Stewarding platforms that strengthen community.
- Realizing value through entrepreneurial ventures that benefit the wider human family.
Mission
The Monastery of the Ordinary helps communities use AI technologies to cultivate, steward, and realize value that uplifts ordinary people. As a pluralist organization, we are not unified by any particular creed, but to a commitment to non-harm and mutual benefit for every community and individual we serve. What is sacred to the Monastery is the flourishing of ordinary people.
Vision
We envision a future where AI is implemented with care—minimizing harm to persons, property, and the environment—while maximizing mutual benefit for all who engage with it. Our work seeks to ensure that technology serves as a bridge to flourishing, not a barrier.
Values: The Seven Pillars
Our foundations are expressed in seven guideposts for how we build, create, and act.
- Wisdom: Seeing the whole, ensuring individual action amplifies communal good.
- Understanding: Pursuing rigorous inquiry, resisting oversimplification.
- Counsel: Listening deeply, drawing strength from community.
- Courage: Acting boldly yet peacefully to reduce harm and foster flourishing.
- Enlightenment: Cultivating awareness of our interconnectedness and acting from it.
- Devotion: Committing with integrity to ideals and communities we serve.
- Wonder: Honoring the mystery and beauty of existence as the spark of creativity.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER:
Jedidiah Paschall is a systems thinker, entrepreneur, and community builder based in the San Diego area. Raising a large blended family has shaped his conviction that ordinary life holds extraordinary value. His journey spans a lifelong love for the humanities with a soft spot for both theology and philosophy, a career in managing trade services, and a passion for organizational design, informed by both contemplative practice and the hard-won resilience gained through overcoming personal challenges. He founded the Monastery of the Ordinary to create pluralist spaces where technology, community, and creativity serve human flourishing. For him, the work is not abstract—it is about building frameworks that sustain families, communities, and the shared future we all depend on.
MONASTERY OF THE ORDINARY (Beta-Site) 