So this is my task:
- Create a blueprint for a better social and economic system that is achievable.
- One that is not all-or-nothing, in that incremental changes toward the ideal bring incremental improvements.
- One that does not require the entire human race to "wake up" and see things my way.
- One that does not throw the baby out with the bath water.
- One that does not require violent revolution.
This is a tall order. I have some ideas on how to do it, but I need your help.
I'm only one person. I only have two eyes and one brain. In the end, I only know what I want - what I need - where I want the world to go. I need your help to fill in the gaps. To nail down the particulars.
There are stages to this process, and I don't believe they have to be tackled in order. Here's my current list:
- Identify what isn't currently working, and why.
- Identify what is currently working, and why. (and these might be aspects of the same things)
- Identify the pros and cons of various systems proposed over the centuries.
- Determine what the ideal society would be like
- Plan for interim stages
- Determine what individuals can do today to work toward the ideal system, and improve their lives now.
You don't need to be a philosopher or a certified social planner to help. You just need to participate. Post your ideas in the comments. Debate (politely) about them. There is room for everyone here. The most pie in the sky idealist may have ideas that are every bit as helpful as those of the most hardcore pragmatist. There is no way that we can build a better world by excluding people.
Of course, there is an exception. I will delete any comments I find unhelpful. This includes race/religion bashing, political grandstanding, spamming and all around impolite behavior. In a discussion of social and economic systems, it is inevitable that these themes are discussed, but there is a big difference between discussing bad behavior and promoting it. In the end, it's my blog and I'll delete if I want to.
What you will find here, as time goes on, is almost anything that relates to the topic. Wild theorizing, practical suggestions, rants, reviews, manifestos, quotes, haikus... And with any luck, a path to a life worth living.
It is a good idea to have less shiny objects. Do you really need a new car every couple of years? Do you need a bigger house? Ask yourself what really makes you happy.
ReplyDeleteWhat scale of systems are you talking about? The American system? Or the world system?
ReplyDeleteWhy stop there? Why not the Solar System?
DeleteSeriously, I don't know. I'm not a Marx type who can decide for the world. I just want to bring the same kind of thinking to the problem that would be used to fix any broken system.
What scale? I'll aim for humanity, but I'll be happy to just improve my own life. And that's where it has to start, in any case.
I want a life so satisfying and practical that people will wonder why we all didn't do it before.
Have you read about 'sustainable' housing? There is a small community outside of Taos NM made up of Earthships. They are kinda cool and we have a long term goal of building one.
ReplyDeletehttp://earthship.com
The downside to them is there are super labor intensive to build, and they all look like uteruses (uteri?). The upside is they are made mostly out of old tires, dirt, cement, and they are off grid. The solar power set up is spendy, but works well. We have stayed in two and they were very livable.
As far as improving your own life, good luck and let me know what works for you. As much as I love Chicago, I'm starting to look for more rural options. Chicago is sinking due to the weight of its own corruption. It was da city dat works. Now it is works less and grifts more.
I've always liked that kind of stuff. Underground homes, Fuller domes. NM is full of that kind of thing. If you want to see the granddaddy of it all, check out Arcosanti.
DeleteCorruption is one of my big areas of interest. When that clears out, lots of good things just naturally fall into place. I think my real hope is to find ways to quietly route around corruption until it just becomes irrelevant.
Yes, remove the corruption by removing the corrupt. But there will always be more waiting in line to be corrupt since corruption is bread from wrong desires and selfishness. And those are traits that are deeply set in the DNA of many humans. People have to want to do better & be better. And with 7 billion people, there will still be too many that just will go the "bad" route no matter what prize or motivation we offer them.
ReplyDeleteI try not to be a pessimist. I love my life. I work for myself doing what I love; what I'm passionate about and what also makes other people happy. My company is the only one I've seen (and I haven't seen them all, by far) on Angie's List that literally has a 100% satisfaction rate and every review is glowing. That only happens because I have decided to make it happen that way - to make everyone happy with my products & service. I live project to project, but I'm happy & can sleep well at night. In 17 years no other local company has figured out how to get the kind of reviews I get. They just chase checks. It's too bad really because I'm not keeping it a secret.
But beyond that, when I think too deeply about this world and all that is wrong with it, I just find peace in knowing that my life span will inevitably set me free. I hate to be the guy that says I'm just going to leave it with future generations to figure out. But it all seems too big for me. I do what I can by letting my light shine - I treat people right, I try to spread the ever-contagious smile, I try to listen more that I talk. But sadly most people don't catch on. They are too caught up in the shiny stuff. Frankly, the more I see out of this world and the people in it, I keep getting the overwhelming feeling that I'm not from here.
As far as "stages" go, and if we are talking about the world.... I've always though a good start would be to help people in 3rd world countries that can't feed themselves find something better to do than to create more mouths they can't feed. Maybe set them up with a Bingo game or get them hooked on Candy Crush - something besides making more starving people.
Bob Barker started a good thing with his spay & neuter campaign. But my daughter still has to change the channel when the starving/abused puppy commercials come on or she'll be too sad.
As long as we have what they call the "7 Deadly Sins" and Billions of people on the planet, I'm afraid things aren't going to change enough to our liking. I'm trying to keep myself and my wife from being "farmed for our share of resources" by doing whatever it takes to stay self employed in a field that I love. But I keep feeling like there is a plan going on that's beyond my involvement and that to keep my own sanity I should just keep my head down, avoid as many shiny-thing traps as I can, and look forward to the day that I get paroled from this planet.
But until then, If I can be of any help in this task you have laid out, I am more than happy to try!
I think there's a difference between the criminal tendencies that some people will always have, and the systematic corruption that flows from the basic insanity of our culture.
DeleteI'm not sure what to do about it all, but I think we can do better than wait for death.
One thing that I think you nailed, is self employment. We evolved for it, and I think it is a major key to a good life, for individuals and for society as a whole.