There is something terribly wrong...

I've immersed myself in alternatives to our currently accepted notions of economy, humanity, and even civilization. The news, both political and economic, along with trends in manufacturing and technology have convinced me that the current economic model is unsustainable. It’s collapse is inevitable. The only real questions are, when and what will follow it? To anyone willing to look at the ugly truth of our world economic systems, the evidence is irrefutable.

So, what can be done? Certainly, austerity and anything like it are just so many nails in the global economic coffin. The current system relies on scarcity and profits from that for a privileged few, while everyone else is subjected to some degree of deprivation, the reason for most crime and social stratification.

One good argument for and example of an alternative economy is described in a book by Jas Garcha, The First Civilization. A short excerpt follows:

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”--R. Buckminster Fuller (1) 

There is a certain model that pervades virtually every aspect of our lives. It affects the way humans behave and interact with each other, determines which humans wear diamonds on their fingers and which ones dig for diamonds in the dirt, and even plays a strong hand in determining who lives and who dies. The model I speak of is human society. Our political, economic, and social systems combine to create a very peculiar model for our global society. In our current model, it's possible for one continent to face an obesity epidemic while another continent faces mass starvation. Resources that could be used to improve human lives and alleviate suffering are instead turned into weapons with which to end human lives and encourage suffering. A highly adaptable and intelligent species, capable of mastering complex technologies and surviving in virtually any environment, has become its own greatest threat to survival. Our global society seems to be a fantastic model for inefficiency, needless destruction, and the complete absence of logic and reason. 

This seems to me to be one of the most reasonable visions of a way forward for humanity. Check it out!

And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.--the character V, in V for Vendetta

People seem to romanticize non-conformists, but after the fact. Even though we are taught Henry David Thoreau’s Discourse on Civil Disobedience in high school, we Americans nevertheless disapprove of most civil disobedience. We are a very conforming society. We look to others for our opinions, from our clergy, politicians, entertainment elites, journalists, talk show hosts, our employers, the one percent, anyone, anything but our own ideas and judgments. And we accept those other judgments without critical thought or evidence of any kind... it’s easier that way. If you didn’t really make the decision yourself, I guess you are relieved of any responsibility for the outcome... Doesn’t that sound familiar? “I was only following orders”... “I’ve only done what anyone else would do in this situation.”

We are going to have to stand up and take responsibility for our own actions (or lack there of) or our whole world human society will devolve into something that will surely end in the extinction of our species.  I think that like minded people need to Occupy the Planet!

All things are subject to interpretation; whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.--Friedrich Nietzsche 

Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies.--Friedrich Nietzsche 

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.--Albert Einstein

Occupy Ashland on Black Friday

It was a warm and pleasant day, in the mid 60s and sunny. We walked the line from a little before noon until about 2:15. We got exceptionally good responses today, with 60-70% approvals and perhaps 30 percent of that, honks and beeps... everyone must be in the holiday spirit. It’s interesting how agreeable people are when they are about to spend a lot of money, but I digress...;-)~ We also met Kate and her family from the Cincinnati Occupation, who were in town visiting family for the holidays. They participated with us for awhile as we talked and compared notes about the divisions within their movement and the ones in ours. They have a strong group of anarchists, who would rather tear down than modify, but who are going along with the Consensus of the rest, as far as strategy and campaigns go. They no longer have an encampment either, but are involved in multiple campaigns and mobilizations. They also have at least fifty picketing and carrying signs around the clock.

Judd Plaza corner, Black Friday, 2:05pm

A couple from New York, in to see family for the holidays, and their mother, also stopped by to talk with us and took some pictures. They’ve been down to the Wall Street site too. They were excited to see our little “Occupy” here in Ashland.

If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; but if you really make them think, they'll hate you.--Don Marquis 

All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.--Aristotle 

The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them.--Albert Einstein