Topic: System building - page 2. (Read 1742 times)

Kudos for practicing what you preach. I wish you and yours the best of luck.

So you're aiming for some kind of robust commune type arrangement?

I definitely agree there's more to life than 'It's the economy, stupid". Specialization has allowed some magnificent things to be accomplished but you are correct in that it's a very fragile system. I've been considering myself ways to mitigate the risk. We are on a very high plateau with a long way to fall. Even without going all the way to a system such as you advocate, there are definitely things that could and should be done to cushion any drastic change in the global economic environment. I try to be a generalist somewhat myself. Who knows what skills might be needed? If all you know is how to rubber-stamp forms in government office, you might be setting yourself up for trouble.

As Heinlein said: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.” I'm a few short on that but I do what I can.

Yes, of course (unless I find out you are working for monsanto). The way I do it is definitely not the only way, just my preferred method.

Suppose an individual does not belong to a similar community but wants to trade. Is that possible?

This is not a theory, this is the way I am living my life. This is not a top down system that is created via revolution, this is a bottom up system which is created one person at a time. By increasing my level of provision at home (and in the future in a network), I decrease my reliance on (and contribution to) governmental structures.

I live in an intentional community where we grow a high % of our own power, food, fodder and fuel on site. The type of food system we use to grow food actually increases biodiversity over the area and over previous uses of the land (permaculture). We share many things that most people require one of each of (cars, hairdryers, dishwashers, etc). We have group process which allows us to be transparent with each other and thereby raise the level of empathy to get through many otherwise unresolvable egoic issues. We hope that in the future we will be able to have a network of similar communities/ farms in our area that will allow us to increase our level of specialization & systemic resilience.

Is this just theory, like Resource Based Economy and the Venus Project, or are you building towards a system like you described?

Can you give an example of what you are doing?

It was requested from another thread that I discuss what I meant when referring to system building. Not the kind that is made out of code, but the kind that creates a system of provision whereby enabling us to live our lives.

Here are some of the properties/symptoms of the cultural OS we currently use:

Provision via rapidly globalizing markets
Massive global inequity
Systemic fragility, many single points of failure
Finite resource capacity approaching max based on capitalist profit seeking extractive model, monocultural dependence
Largest global extinction event since the dinosaurs
Climate change
Psychological and heath issues due to separation from each other and from our sources of provision
high degree of specialization inherent in provision today leading to boredom/ stifling of creativity
etc

I could go on here and I'm sure I'll get some people who flat out disagree with some of the above, but for the purpose of this thread I'd like to avoid discussing whether any of the above is true and stick to discussing what else is possible. The above is simply a rationale for what follows. If you want to discuss the above, make another thread please.

Now that we have considered some of the above issues with our existing system, what can we do to change it?

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

We are all familiar with this model as we are actively participating a new system which is poised to replace the existing, outdated model. What else besides finance is outdated in our culture and in need of a remodel?

Many of the issues mentioned above are tackled by adopting a more connected, communal way of life. By connected, I mean connected to each other and to the earth. Literally getting your hands dirty in the soil, understanding where your sustenance comes from is extremely powerful, but almost unknown to all of us. From being connected to each other, many of us only know a level of connection from family and sometimes friends, but community/ the tribe is nearly nonexistent.

Here are some things that a connected system would look like in comparison to our existing OS:

Provision via local networked markets
Systemic reslience, decentralized/ hyper local forms of energy, fuel, water & other provisional needs
Increasing resource bases due to micro management of land with overyielding polycultures & integrated ecosystemic practices (permaculture)
Climate stabilization
Increased psychological and physical health
Increased amount generalized provisional behavior increasing energy levels and creativity

There is much more to say about each of these topics. It's easier for me to answer than just to spout everything I know.

thanks for reading this far