[CRNMC] Great Work Being Done...But Something Fundamental is Missing and Time Is of the Essence!

[Linda Jupiter]

Wow, Tammy,
Thanks so much for your great communication below. Very powerful indeed.
I watched the Somewhere in America performance and it blew me away. Everybody, please take a look at this 3 minute performance.

Here's what one youth group, Get Lit, had to say through a performance titled "Somewhere in America"

I’m a co-counselor (www.rc.org) and here’s an email from another co-counselor regarding capitalism that I think you’ll find interesting.

I am preparing a series of RC-classes on what we can do to replace the current capitalistic economy. What do we need to discharge about and what do we need to understand about the current system to think about how to replace it. The oppressive society makes us believe and hold on to certain values that keep the structures of the current society in place. What do we need to work on, to stop supporting these structures. The work we can do within RC is starting with discharging our own confusions and misconceptions and then also actively spread our understanding and insights to inspire others to do the same.

Harvey Jackins wrote in The List (8.044): "Money is a useful human invention. The fact that it can be used oppressively and for oppressive purposes only means that distress can attach to the concept of money and make it difficult for people to think about it. .... ". 

For years I have kept questioning myself, how does it work, what distresses are involved, what should chance? I learned a few things, the quest did not yet come to an end. Biological research has shown that many systems function because of a few basic rules. I believe this is also true for the economic system in our human society. What I have been looking for are those fundamental rules that fuel economic oppression.

Money is the fabric of the financial system. The financial systems are the roads and parking places for money. Just like pipelines and water towers are used to supply drinking water to peoples houses.

The economic system is the infrastructure of society that allows people to create and exchange value. While economists often pretend like economics is like rocket science, in reality is very much a believe system. Economic laws are often misguiding, self-fulfilling prophecies. The current economics misguides us to believe money has value and hides the real economic values for us. Examples of real economic values are in safety, care, sustainability and basic needs like shelter, food, water, etc. The purpose of a well functioning economic system is to support human life (and therefore also take good care of the earth and our environment). Capitalism pretends all these values can be expressed in money and that when you have money you will have unlimited access to the real values. Reality will show that this is only true as long there is a working class that creates the real values. This will remain true even when more and more work gets done by robots and automation.

The very basic rules of the current economic system:
Work to earn money
Interest: the ability to create money with money
Money = Debt
I think that once we can change these rules, chances that we can replace the current system with a better functioning system will multiply. Think about what can happen when people stop believing these basic rules.

Disclaimer: The information I refer to in the texts below do not necessarily reflect my opinions. These sources are not free of confusions resulting from the current system. I am not responsible for any oppressive content. Especially be aware of anti-Jewish or racist or male expressions. Don't let these confusions disconnect you from thinking about the replacement of our current system into the details.

1. Work to earn money

The connection between work and pay is a historical understandable misconception resulting from times when humanity didn't have enough resources to sustain itself. The truth is that there is enough resource now to support the current population of the world. It is only that we currently don't distribute resources in a fair way and that our economic rules encourage enormous waste of resource. The single fact that people need to have a job to earn a living drives invention and production of many unneeded goods and services and also leads to overproduction of useful products.
It is a basic human right to have an income and a right to exist. Being denied access to needed resources if you have a questionable production capacity is the source of exploitation. When we give all people without exceptions a guaranteed basic income that guarantees access to all basic needs no one will allow themselves to be exploited. Women will be independent of men, young people will be independent of parents, etc. Patterns of privilege, dominance, supremacy will loose there usefulness (because the system that supports and needs those distresses will fall apart).
Before you ask where all this money should come, think about this: The crazy thing about the current economic system is that half of the productive people are doing completely useless things or even worse, doing work that is destructing our environment, our economy, our lives, and still it is only a mater of distribution of wealth to stop poverty and famine. It can not be that when we stop doing those jobs that there would not be enough resource to do all the things that are needed to sustain human live (without destroying the earth).

When I first dove into this idea I found that my own fear of poverty and crisis made me cling on to the need to work for pay. The idea of letting this go made me shiver and cry. Now I have almost discharged the glue between my human value and my 'economic' value, it is becoming easier to share and easier to earn. There is no liberation in allowing the current economic system to exploit me.

For some in depth information about Basic Income, please read (and cry): http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-new-approach-to-aid-how-a-basic-income-program-saved-a-namibian-village-a-642310.html

2. Interest: the ability to create money with money

The current financial system allows the lending of money for interest. This mechanism supports the earning of money with money principle. As a result those who have money earn more money. The richest person last year owned 89 billion dollar and gained 9 billion over the last year. It just shows a mechanism that makes the money blow into a corner. (Please see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM).
The accumulation of wealth while depriving other people will only change when we change this rule. The accumulation of wealth won't change by taking money away from the rich or by saying that richness is bad. All we have to do is stop making them richer. Finally, it will only work through a policy change. If you cannot convince your government to implement this you might as well start your own alternate currency (you can start reading about that here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_currency). It is an interesting way to sabotage the effects of the current system.

3. Money = Debt

Everybody should understand how banks create money. You can start learning by watching this simplified explanation of the history of our financial system, "The Goldsmiths Tale": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HdmA3vPbSU or the much longer documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqvKjsIxT_8 (you can search youtube to find a version with subtitles, maybe also in your language).
A major fault in our financial system is that banks are allowed to create money. This function within the financial system should be replaced with real democratic decision making. Unfortunately the biggest economies including rich western countries don't have a democratic system (although it is presented to us, as such). So again on the short run our best option is in alternative currencies. 
Or in influencing investment policies of banks. As long we cannot chance the overall system it does make a huge difference where you put your money (if you have any). Because banks get to invest 12 times your savings, even thinking well about a small savings account can make a huge difference. In my country we have 2 such banks, that don't invest money in weapons, nuclear energy, nor destruction of the environment. A few years ago it was calculated (independently) that transferring my savings account to such bank can be compared with saving a years carbon-production of a car. That's an important difference for that small amount. These small alternative banks are pushing the bigger ones towards more responsible investments.

In the end I guess that all current money will have to be replaced. The amount of money accumulated currently is so high that when released it will destroy human society with unstoppable hyperinflation. The accumulated wealth is a bubble, there is no real value in owning such high amounts of money. Our understanding of alternative currency and barter systems will help our societies to overcome the collapse of the money religion.

There is no real value in money. Once I started to discharge my believes about money I became much more relaxed about our chances to change the current system. 

I hope the above information inspires you to start trying things.

Happy new year.

Linda





On Jan 7, 2015, at 8:38 PM, Tammy Davis <tammy at mcn.org> wrote:

> (If you only select one of the links below, make it the second to last one - a performance titled "Somewhere in America")
> 
> Hello All,
> 
> I have been attempting to communicate something that remains an obstacle for me as a fledgling activist, but doing a poor job of it. Being succinct is not one of my fortes, but I am going to give it another try...
> 
> All of the work being done here in our little corner of Earth is vital. Work coming from Occupy, Transition Towns, CRNMC, Love in Action and MC Hospitality Center, NHUDG, Local Food, and many other groups, is all important. However, the main reason that projects like Opportunity Village Eugene, City Repair out of Portland, Janelle Orsi's SELC in the Bay Area, and CELDF from PA have had such an impact is because they had people in the streets connecting with others through direct action.
> 
> We were successful at passing Measure S and it will be codified into law, but we have a forth-term governor who has just given the green light to fracking companies without waiting for mandated reports on safety...and this is certainly not the first time he has taken action that completely undermines the rights asserted by his constituents.
> 
> There are all kinds of powerful and effective actions taking place, plenty of examples to model from. In addition to current ongoing efforts here on the coast, We the People, need to take it to the streets...
> 
> Plant food gardens in our downtown areas
> 
> Reinvesting money into our communities with local currency (and eliminating retail chain stores as spending money this way makes the rich richer, adds mountains of trash comprised of their disposable plastic merchandise, and robs the poorest nations of what little means they have left to survive)
> 
> Build social capital through mechanisms like Time Banks   and other activities such as community challenges, skill-sharing events and celebrations
> 
> Reclaiming our commons by remodeling central spaces to be more inviting
> 
> Installing systems that provide water and energy in a sustainable and responsible manner
> 
> Offer as many alternatives to compulsory education as possible
> 
> Since young people entering adulthood will be facing a world with obstacles that NO ONE has ever experienced before, with challenges we can only try to imagine, we must do our best to prepare them. I have suggested to Fort Bragg's new Vice Mayor, Lindy Peters, that at least two students from local high schools be allowed to serve on the city council as youth representatives, elected by their peers to serve one year. He was quite receptive to the idea. I am waiting to hear from a representative of the Mendo Free Skool and I have spoken to the Education Director of the Mendocino Outdoor Science School (MOSS) of the Mendocino Woodlands, to begin discussions into possible collaborative efforts in developing educational alternatives to compulsory education for all students of the coast.
> 
> The world's leading scientific experts have made it clear that there is very little time for us to make drastic changes. So, I think that we need to be opening doors for our youth (kicking them down if necessary) and empowering them to take control of their own lives and learn what they need to learn in order to create their own future.  And if/when opposition arises, such as municipal code or regulations, We the People step-up to assure that necessary regulatory or legislative changes are made.  
> 
> Here's what one youth group, Get Lit, had to say through a performance titled "Somewhere in America"
> 
> Earth Charter Intl. Youth Courses (FREE) - Values and Principles to Foster a Sustainable Future
> Attachment: UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Youth Conference of Nov 7, 2014 - YOUTH STATEMENT
> 
> I feel very fortunate to be working with so many wonderful people who are dedicated to healing the planet and humanity, and I am making new connections all the time, thanks to you.
> 
> Oh well, so much for brevity.
> 
> Peace & Loads of Laughter,
> Tammy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> PRIVATE: This is Not A Public Communication. This is a private communication for Entertainment Purposes only. This private email message, and any attachment(s) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. §§ 2510-2521, and is for the sole use of the intended recipient and contains privileged and/or confidential information.  UCC 1-308  All rights reserved. Without Prejudice. Without Recourse.
> <UNESCO ESD Youth Statement - Nov7,2014.pdf>

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