“The memories of a Golden Age ...were genuine expressions of civilization and its discontents. Harking back to societies where women and men were more free with each other; where there was more singing and dancing; where there were no serfs and priest and kings.
“Projected into future time in Christian culture, this dream of the Millennium became the soil of many heresies. It is a dream handed down right to our own time – od ecological balance, classless society, social and economic freedom. It is actually one of the possible futures open to us. To those who stubbornly argue 'it's against human nature,' we can only patiently reply that you must know your own nature before you can say this. Those who have gone into their own natures deeply have, for several thousand years now, been reporting that we have nothing to fear if we are willing to train ourselves, to open up, explore and grow.”
Gary Snyder; Earth House Hold; New Directions Publishing; 1968.
I'm not an economist – in fact, I'm not gifted in hanging onto what little money I have acquired over the years. Hence, some of the OP/threads on the forum about socialism and capitalism are probably beyond my ability to participate in.
Earlier this week, I met with a group of high school students who have asked me to participate in a “mock trial” that their school holds annually, in which a defense industry is tried for the severe damage it did to the local environment. I invested two decades helping the residents of the neighborhood devastated by the 120 + acres toxic waste dump site the industry created. Hence, when I “testify” at the mock trial, the industry loses.
However, in federal court, the industry sued the US EPA and the three communities the toxic dump poisons, and won. The two students that I spoke with on Friday afternoon asked how this could be? Although I am aware that big money was definitely involved, I was at a loss to explain it, other than to suggest they read all the facts, and decide for themselves.
That same hesitant advice would hold true for people studying the current economic system. I view the current system as “the Machine” – a Roman Pentagon Empire that is systematically poisoning everything in the natural world …..the land, the water, the air, the plants, the animals, and people's minds. The inspired thought that brought forth the US Constitution has been lost, and the most corrupt of human beings are ruling the country.
I've read a thread that included discussion of if the Constitution would have to be changed to allow for “socialism.” Again the suggestion: read the Constitution – and there is absolutely nothing to suggest that. Study the past history and current events. We have a mixed economy, which allows for a significant amount of “socialism.” Consider who benefits the most from this. Look at federal court decisions which allow a defense industry to poison three communities, then bill them for the damages.
One of the most important decisions the Supreme Court made granted “personhood” to corporations. While I strongly disagree with that decision, I also believe that the rest of us – the “little people” – should study that Constitution and Constitutional Law (the decisions of the Supreme Court), and recognize the potential powers we can exercise as groups. While the Bill of Rights is largely geared towards individual rights, the entire Constitution does allow for group rights.
It is within this context that I subscribe to the ideology of communalism. Though I was never a hippie, I think that many of their core beliefs were a premonition of how people will need to organize in order to survive the inevitable decay of the Machine. In fact, if people take an objective look at the Machine now, I suspect they will see the process of decay is taking place now.
Just my opinion.