“The Energy-Value-Spirit Connection”
by Michael Rainbow
11/6/2011
Introduction
My Motivation in Writing this Article
I never planned to write this article. I just woke up one morning with the words “energy, value and spirit” in my head, and sensed that I needed to write
about them. After putting down some thoughts about these words, I realized my reason for doing this.
Today we appear to be at a crossroads. Facing unprecedented challenges, the future of humankind and the living planet may be at stake. I’m proposing a model
for a new form of cooperative society, never seen before, and a theoretical basis for why and how the diverse segments of the progressive movement can work
together towards this common vision. If all I do is add to the dialogue around these issues, I’m happy.
Nothing I have to say is actually new. However, there are several different perspectives expressed in this article, which I attempt to weave together. I
believe that each of these perspectives, if taken separately, is necessary but not sufficient. So if you read something that you would normally reject,
please put it aside for now and keep reading. If it still rubs you the wrong way after reading the whole article, then just take what works for you and leave
out the rest.
After working on this article, I eventually realized there’s no good place to stop. So please also add your own wisdom to whatever you take away from reading
it.
Connection and Disconnection
What we Need to Live Includes Connection
Without air, all forms of life can usually be measured in minutes; without water, days or less; without sleep, weeks or less; without food, months or less.
Life also has other material needs such as shelter, and then there is a non-material need: the need for a sense of connection (along with it’s other half:
individuation). It is not known exactly how long life can be sustained without a sense of connection, but we do know that loneliness, depression, sensory
deprivation and boredom (all deficiencies of a sense of connection), can eventually lead to “death of the spirit”, if not physical death.
There are Many Forms of Connection
Connection can take many forms. There is competition with others of the same species for social ranking or breeding rights in a pack. There is cooperation
between members of the same species and between species (for example bees and flowers). There is connection with beauty and nature. There is love, such as
that between parents and children, or between adults, which can take many forms. Then there is a sense of belonging to something bigger than one’s self and
there is a sense of purpose. These are some of the many forms of connection.
It Helps to See Natural Connections
It helps to know that we are all naturally connected. Life is a web, not a collection of cells or isolated and encapsulated individuals. Life requires an
interchange of substances. Every atom that makes up an organism is exchanged with others in the environment, several times in a lifetime, including with
other life forms. All life, at least on the surface of the earth depends on sunlight, and all animals, including humans, depend on plants. It is not possible
to live without connection to the rest of life, to the earth and to the sun. All people alive today depend on other people in one way or another. We depend
on farmers to grow food, we depend on teachers to educate our children, we depend on doctors to help us heal, etc, etc. Every country in the world depends on
other countries to provide things that their countries cannot provide. When we ignore these connections and try to live as if our world is only there for us
to use and throw away, we harm ourselves, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
The Signs of Disconnection Around Us
Despite the de-facto connections we have with everyone and everything around us and despite our need for connection, our present day economy is collapsing,
we are at war with one another, we are spoiling our environment with pollution, depleting its natural resources, pushing thousands of species into
extinction, causing catastrophic climate change, and these are all signs of disconnection. Where have we gone wrong, and what can we do to fix the problems
we have created?
Energy
To Understand the Roots of Disconnection We Need to Understand Energy
Karl Marx, speaking from a background of nineteenth century science, and partly to counteract pro-hierarchical influences from organized religion, started
his explanation of the causes of conflict between humans with the premise that everything in the universe is matter or energy. He felt that a materialist
perspective was a prerequisite for understanding how society works. However, Albert Einstein, in the twentieth century, showed us that matter is just another
form of energy, not the other way around. While one can be converted to the other, and matter always has energy, there are forms of energy that have no
matter. For example, light is a form of energy that has no “rest mass”, the mass it would have if it could ever rest. It moves at the speed of light, a speed
no matter can ever reach. In other words, everything in the universe is energy. We do not need to think of the universe as the workings of a machine made out
of matter, which it is not, we only need to understand the nature of energy.
What We Understand about Energy
Science defines energy as the ability to do work. The first law of thermodynamics tells us that all energy is conserved. It is not created or destroyed.
Energy can take on many different forms, but it is never lost. Much is now known about different forms of energy, how they can be used for human purposes,
and how we can improve our material well being with the use of energy.
The Energy of Life
Yet, for all the science and technology we have developed, we still cannot create life, because it is not a collection of pieces and parts. There is a form
of energy involved in life, which we share with the rest of our biosphere, and which we cannot manipulate as if it could be isolated, to be implanted in
matter, to make it live. Of course we know a good deal about metabolic energy now. For example, we have elaborate maps of how chemical energy is converted to
electrical energy in the body, how light is utilized by plants to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars, etc. Yet we cannot put it all together and
make it function the way we can make a mechanical robot function, and a robot cannot self-heal.
I believe there is a form of energy that is intelligent and ubiquitous and that it is part of what makes the difference between inert matter and a living
organism. The fact that energy is not created or destroyed applies to this energy of life. Life force energy (called chi by the Chinese and ki by the
Japanese) in a living being may be blocked in its flow when the being is sick and returns to the universe when the being dies. We experience life force
energy when we touch another person with focused attention as well as when we observe living cells vibrate under a microscope. That is why healthcare
patients can tell the difference between care that is given with the energy of compassionate attention and touch that can only come from a living being, and
“care” that is administered with efficiency and technical precision alone. Compassionate attention and touch speed up the healing process.
Also, I believe that we have the capability of being conduits for the life force energy that surrounds us in the universe, not just the energy contained in
our own bodies. I call this form of life force energy “universal” or “spiritual” life force energy (Reiki in Japanese). We can supply this form of energy
without depleting our own personal energy. However, it cannot be manipulated for our own purposes. It works for the highest healing good of the recipient,
whether that happens to be for physical, emotional, mental or spiritual healing. This and other forms of energy healing are now widely used as adjunct
treatments to traditional medical and psychological care.
Life Energy, Consciousness and Connection
Danah Zohar, in her book “The Quantum Self” talks about consciousness as a macroscopic quantum phenomenon (like laser light or super-conduction), an energy
pattern superimposed on the vibrations of the cells in our bodies, which extends out from our bodies in all directions. She refers to the research of Dr.
Herbert Frölich, who demonstrated that molecules in the cell walls of every cell of an organism vibrate in a coherent manner, and that cells communicate with
each other through modulations superimposed on these vibrations. In Zohar’s model, the personal self develops in relationship with others, in much the same
way as particles are “defined” by their relationships in quantum physics. Similarly, living heart cells, when placed close to each other in a petri dish,
start out contracting at their own individual pace, but eventually synchronize their contractions. This is part of natural connection. Just as the cells in
our body are connected and must function together for us to live, we cannot live without the connections with the rest of life that sustain the whole of
life.
Worldviews and Societies
The Dominator (“Younger Culture”) versus Cooperator (“Older Culture”) Worldviews
When trying to understand our place in the world, people often turn to spiritual teachings, usually through organized religions. To the detriment of our
connection with the natural world, most organized religions tell us that we (humans) are “above” nature and that nature is there for us to dominate, to use,
to change, and to exploit. Thom Hartman, in his book “The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight” calls those societies that adopted this belief in domination over
nature (starting about seven thousand years ago) “younger cultures”. He points out that it was no great leap for “younger cultures” to act out this way of
thinking toward other human beings as well. The hierarchical model of nature (with God and humans at the top and everything else underneath, inert and just
there to be manipulated) is one of the factors that led us to our current predicament. In contrast, “older cultures” have retained our original beliefs that
all life is sacred, that we are all connected and part of the web of life, that when we harm the web we harm ourselves. They respect other cultures and the
rights of all beings to live and share in life’s bounties.
Domination of Men over Women
The domination of men over women may be as old as the domination of people over nature. “Younger” (dominator) cultures believe that women are inferior to men
and are there for men to use and dominate. Men in these societies make most of the decisions, and women are treated as property of the men. “Older”
(cooperator) cultures hold women in high esteem and they have a strong role in decision-making.
Seeing Consciousness Everywhere
Many of the oldest cultures also believe that all things are alive and imbued with spirit. Indeed, what we now know about other life forms and life in
general, tells us that the behaviors we attribute to consciousness (such as the making of choices, learned behavior and planning) are not purely human
characteristics. All beings, even single cells exhibit some forms of consciousness. In addition, one way to make sense out of the “inherent randomness” in
the behavior of particles in quantum physics, is to assume that even the smallest particles have or are affected by some form of consciousness and make
“choices”.
Not Blaming the Victim
Another abuse of most organized religions, as well as some forms of “New Age” spirituality is the tendency to blame the victims of tragedy, abuse and disease
for their situation. For instance, some people claim that the victim in question must have performed immoral acts in past lives or held negative thoughts in
this life to cause their present problems. Blaming the victim is not helpful. It creates an inter-personal separation, which is destructive. The inter-
personal relationship can be maintained or improved, while protecting one’s own energy, by treating the other with compassion. Also, while studies have shown
that intention affects reality, it does not determine it. For example, depression due to negative thinking can adversely affect one’s health, while
maintaining a positive attitude is one factor necessary in healing. However, there are other factors in the disease process, such as microbes, accidents and
environmental pollution, and other factors needed in healing, such as proper medical care and nutrition.
The Propagation of Violence
Another factor in the development of disconnection in our society is the propagation of violence from dominator societies to cooperative societies. Thom
Hartman describes the dominator culture phenomenon as a “mental illness”, one that spreads from younger culture societies to all whom they come in contact
with. It spreads from a dominator society to a cooperator society when the cooperator society tries to defend itself. In other words, cooperator societies,
when they come into contact with dominator societies, have to make a choice between fighting back (and so imitating the violent nature of dominator
societies), retreating to the ends of the earth, dying off, becoming the slaves or servants of the dominant societies, or nonviolent resistance. While older
culture societies are cooperator societies, they have traditionally been centered on the tribal unit, or sometimes (as with the Iroquois) on a loose
confederacy, whereas dominator societies are typically organized on a larger scale, with a highly armed and dedicated military apparatus. In order for tribal
societies to successfully defend themselves from dominator societies, they may need the solidarity of sectors from within the dominator society as well as
the cooperation of neighboring tribes. Furthermore, violence, control through domination, and other forms of abuse create trauma, and abused and traumatized
individuals are likely to abuse others.
Fear and Persecution
While the perceived danger may not always be rational, fear of others that are different, often based on fear for one’s livelihood or fear of the unknown,
can lead to persecutions. For example, persecution of witches may have resulted, in part, because they are natural healers, and may therefore have been
perceived of as competitors in the field of spiritual healing by religious institutions, and in the field of physical healing by the emerging professions of
physicians and surgeons. Also, in feudal society, the cultivation of land was of prime importance. Therefore, having as many children as possible was
probably perceived of as a good thing. This may have been one of the factors leading to the persecution of gays: perhaps some perceived of gays as never
having children, or even, more irrationally, as influencing others to become gay or not have children. Also, in order for people in dominator societies to
take and keep slaves, they have to commit acts of violence and intimidation. This naturally creates fears of reprisal in all those involved, as well as in
anyone who chooses to condone or feels they have to condone these acts by their relations and acquaintances. Fortunately, others were able to openly resist
the institution of slavery and champion the right of all people to be free. In all dominator societies, including capitalist societies, the wealthiest and
most powerful individuals often exploit such fears of others to divide the lower classes and so maintain power over them.
Dominator Societies Are Not Fitter
Some people justify the extermination of cooperator societies by dominator societies by saying that it is part of evolution (natural selection). However,
history does not corroborate this. According to Thom Hartman, all empires, based as they are on dominator cultures, eventually self-destruct. They first use
the energy (fuel and human energy) that is available in their home territory. When this is exhausted, they steal from their neighbors. That is what war is
mostly about. It is violence and abuse on a grand scale in the name of us versus them. [According to J.M., Dominator societies have even developed what might
be called a three-part “war system”. Corporations that make weapons systems profit from war. Military bases and alliances shore up the interests of the
dominator society’s corporations. Finally, the poorest of the dominator country often depend on military “service” for their economic survival.] For a
relatively short time, empires may acquire more resources and restore their equilibrium at the expense of their neighbors. Eventually, however, all available
resources are depleted and the empires collapse. In contrast, any cooperator societies that manage to remain untouched by dominator societies live within
their means. This is why there are remote, inaccessible areas of the world that have been continuously inhabited by peoples whose cultures have changed
little for millennia. Their societies have co-evolved with the ecosystems of which they are a part.
Society and Energy
Domination, Energy and Work
Domination of each other and nature is related to energy, because it takes energy to do the work needed to get what we need and want. Work we do ourselves
comes from the food we eat, which is produced by plants (and animals that eat plants). When one person cannot do all the work needed, they turn to other
people or animals for help, or try to dominate them, to get the others to do the work for them. All of the energy for this work comes from food, which comes
from recent sunlight. We also use wood as a fuel to do work (to heat a cave or cook food, for instance). The energy stored in the wood of a tree comes from
the sunlight it collected in its lifetime. So, whenever we collect wood at a faster rate than trees grow, we create deserts.
The Energy of Fossil Fuels is from Ancient Sunlight
The energy that we get from oil and coal comes from ancient sunlight. It is the energy from sunlight stored in plants and animals over thousands of years. We
know that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. We cannot create more of it. It comes to us at a rate set by the sun and our distance from
it. When we use this energy, it is not lost. However, when one form of energy (such as chemical energy) is used to perform work, it is transformed into
another form of energy (such as heat, light or sound), and it may never again be available to perform the same kind of work that we want it to.
What Happens to the Energy We Use
This is true of the energy from fossil fuels, such as oil and coal derivatives, nuclear energy, as well as “renewable” forms of energy. For example, the
sunlight energy stored in gasoline as chemical energy is transformed into heat when we burn it. Some of this heat is then transformed into kinetic energy (as
in a car) or electrical energy (as in a generator), and the rest of the heat soon escapes into the environment, where it cannot be recovered to do more work.
Once a car is made to move, it disturbs the air. This, together with friction on the brake pads when we want to slow the car down, and the kinetic energy
quickly converts into heat as well. The same is true of electrical energy, when it is used. Most of the heat we generate by using energy is radiated out into
space, where we can never use it again.
“Non-Renewable” Forms of Energy
What makes the energy from fossil fuels (ancient sunlight) as well as nuclear fuels (ancient stardust) “non-renewable” is the combination of the fact that
we cannot reuse energy once it is radiated out into space, plus the fact that we use these particular forms of energy faster than they are stored. Fossil
fuels are created by the decay and compression of plants and animals that captured sunlight energy over millions of years. Yet the sunlight energy stored in
world oil reserves can be “used up” (dissipated into space) in a few decades. Nuclear energy is “non-renewable” as well. Uranium was created in the cores of
massive stars and was delivered to the earth only once.
“Renewable” Forms of Energy and Conservation
On the other hand, “renewable” energy sources, such as solar, wind and hydroelectric energy are fed by present sunlight. Therefore, when “renewable” energy
is used (and subsequently converted to heat), it is replaced at the rate that sunlight comes to the earth. Unlike “non-renewable” forms of energy, we cannot
use “renewable” forms of energy at a faster rate than the sun delivers them. Therefore, once we use up the “non-renewable” sources of energy, we are limited
in the rate at which we can use energy to the rate at which “renewable” sources are delivered. The gap between the rate at which we use energy and the rate
at which it is delivered by the sun can only be filled by conservation.
Why Global Warming Does Not Help
It is important to note that it is not the heat itself that we produce by burning fuels that is causing global warming. It is the “greenhouse” gases produced
by burning fossil fuels (carbon dioxide and methane) that cause global warming, by slowing down the rate at which heat is radiated out into space. While this
slows the escape of heat from sunlight as well as from human activity, the heat energy in the atmosphere cannot be reused to do work. So we are left with the
environmental damages of global warming and pollution without the ability to reuse the energy we consumed.
Nuclear Fuel is “Non Renewable”, Eternally Poisonous and Energy-Expensive
Some people are calling for a return to greater use of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. However, in addition to being a “non-renewable”
source of energy, uranium starts out radioactive when it is mined, causing cancers in miners, leaves behind radioactive wastes from the refinement process,
and produces wastes from its consumption, including plutonium, which remains radioactive for billions of years.
A tiny spec of plutonium, breathed in, can cause cancer or death. In addition to the poisonous nature and risks involved with using nuclear fuel, it requires
a lot of energy to get energy from nuclear fuel. Considerable energy is required to build the reactors, to mine, transport, refine and store the fuel, to
store the wastes, to operate the reactors, etc. Unused nuclear fuel and spent fuel wastes are perpetually kept under water, in what are supposed to be
earthquake-proof vessels. They would be more safely stored encased in glass, never to be touched again.
Uncontrolled Population Growth Meets Limited Natural Resources
All other natural resources are finite as well. For example, it takes energy to mine and refine metals from ores. Once the metals are returned to the
environment, they oxidize and require additional energy to be recovered. The biggest problem driving the misuse of resources, at least from a purely
practical perspective, is uncontrolled population growth. Unsustainable methods of agriculture, that are using up water resources (for example by diverting
rivers and using up underground aquifers and “slash and burn” deforestation for the creation of cattle ranches), along with the unsustainable use of fossil
fuels, temporarily support larger populations and have allowed world population to grow well beyond a sustainable level. While advances in health measures in
the richer industrialized countries (such as in sanitation and water purification, and the development of antibiotics), have also contributed to population
growth, these richer industrialized countries have lower population growth and smaller average families than countries with less advanced health systems,
despite higher infant mortality. Yet the richer industrialized countries consume many times the quantity of resources and energy that poorer, less developed
countries use, despite their larger populations. The unbalanced relationship between the two types of countries contributes to the population and resource
problem. The richer countries consume most of the raw materials and labor power produced by the poorer countries and sell finished products back to the
poorer countries that they cannot or are not allowed to produce themselves. Also, many experts believe that population growth in the long run can be reduced
or reversed through a package of social and political changes and policies, including women’s empowerment, availability of better health care and improved
education, especially for girls. All possible measures must be taken to humanely limit and reduce population. We fool ourselves if we believe that we just
need to find some more resources or a better source of energy to keep growing.
Value
Living Within Our Means; Valuing What We Have
To conserve enough of the resources that we have, we need to learn to live within our means, to value what we have and not to squander or destroy it. To save
our own lives we need to value our connections with each other and the natural world. To do these things, we need to understand the nature of value itself.
Two Types of Value
In his book “Wages, Price and Profit”, Marx talked about two kinds of value: the value that things have for one’s use, and the value that things have in
exchange for other things or for money (that is, commodities). He demonstrated that the value of commodities is related to the work or labor (read human
energy) that goes into making them, or making them available. Something is more valuable on the market if it requires a lot of work to make or distribute,
and it also useful. If something is useful but is available without any social labor, then it is difficult to sell to someone else. For example if someone
breathes without assistance, they are unlikely to buy air. Since the ability to do work is the definition of energy, the value that something has in exchange
for other things or for money is a form of energy. Material uses for goods and services, such as food, shelter and transportation have clear value from a
materialist perspective. The value of non-material goods and services, such as art, natural beauty, or even education that is not devoted solely to
developing a vocation, are harder to grasp in a materialist framework.
A Third Type of Value
There is another form of value that Marx did not define separately from value for one’s use, but which is different. This is the value we assign to things we
appreciate with or without the intention of using them. For example, if we value natural beauty or the diversity of species or peace, we naturally wish to
preserve these things, whether we actually make use of them or not. This is the most important type of value, one we need to understand in order to survive
as a species and for the survival of all life on this planet. I call this type of value “spiritual value”. Our ability to act out our understanding of this
value, which springs from our love of the world, our desire to preserve its natural beauty and leave it safe and beautiful for future generations, I call
“spiritual energy”.
Society, Economics and Disconnection
Where Profit Comes From
Based on his theory of value, Marx defined exploitation (of the economic kind) by one person of another. He showed that, what Thom Hartman would call
dominator societies, have economic systems that use exploitation to steal value from other people. For example, under feudalism, the lord of the manor
extracts a portion of the food grown by each of his serfs in exchange for “protection” (the mafia kind of “protection”). Under slavery, the slave owner gets
all the value produced by the slave in exchange for the basic necessities to keep the slave alive and working. Under capitalism, the owner of a company, its
investors and lending institutions extract unpaid wages from the workers of the company, in the form of profits. While this form of exploitation is subtler,
it uses the difference between what most workers are paid (generally about what they need to survive and to raise and train more workers with the same
skills) and the value that they add to the goods or services they produce. The profits are used to enrich the owners, investors and bankers and accumulate
capital. Private insurance companies, such as health insurances, pull further profits out of the wealth people earn. They do this by a self-serving system of
gambling. They make insurance more available and affordable for those who will probably need it less than those who will probably need it more. Similarly,
they make insurance more available and affordable for the services that will probably not be needed than the ones that will probably be needed, and for the
replacement costs of things that will probably not break than for the ones that probably will break.
Capitalism Sews the Seeds of Its Own Destruction
Yet capitalism, just as all other forms of dominator society, creates the conditions for its own destruction. It creates an extremely top-heavy society, one
where material wealth becomes concentrated in very few hands. The very people who create that wealth (the vast majority of people) cannot afford to buy most
of the products and services that they themselves produce. This leads to a collapse of the markets, as we are seeing now. It happens despite and because of
the abundance of “cheap” goods. For example, goods produced cheaply in one country (for example China) may be sold cheaply to working people in another
country (for example the U.S.). As long as there are enough relatively “well-paid” workers (such as in the U.S.) who can buy these products (sometimes using
credit), production increases. However, the workers in the poorer country (such as China) aren’t paid enough to buy the more expensive products produced in
the richer country (such as the U.S.). Many countries compete with each other to produce the same kind of products, as long as there is a market somewhere
for those products. When markets get soft (saturated), employers layoff workers to save their profit margins. The unemployed workers in turn have less money
to buy the products of industry, which leads to more layoffs, etc. This is the recession or depression part of the trade cycle, which has been going on since
the first days of capitalism. Also, as automation leads to the reduction of labor costs, profits (which we have shown come from the value added by labor),
decline over time. As this happens, dangerous speculation for short-term gains becomes irresistible, making capitalism more and more unstable.
Disconnection in the Workplace - Alienation
In addition to economic instability, capitalism produces what Marx called “alienation”, which is basically a form of disconnection. The idea is that the
worker making a product is often alienated from the product she or he produces. This is because, once they have made it, it becomes the property of an
employer to be sold. The worker cannot enjoy its benefits directly or witness the benefits enjoyed by an end user (one exception is self-employed people who
serve others directly). Also, the owners and managers usually value productivity above the worker’s needs and input, as they are responsible to investors or
banks, which only see the business in terms of the return on their investment. In addition, because work has become so specialized, most workers can only
feel a very weak connection with what they are producing. They produce one small part of a larger product that could have many uses. While some products have
beneficial uses, many products are used primarily to improve a company’s competitive advantage over others by automating a line of work, thus allowing some
workers to be eliminated, and/or making the work more systematic. Making work more systematic may be more efficient (in a narrow sense), but it also takes
away worker’s control and creates more distance between service workers and the people they serve, making the work more alienating. Some products are just
made to kill other people, alienating the worker who made it from the people killed by it.
Alienation Contributes to Social Chaos
Once a worker becomes alienated from their work, this alienation often spreads into their relationships with family and friends and to themselves, leading to
addictions and other self-destructive behaviors.
Towards a True Alternative
One Vision of an Alternative System
Where class society (in today’s world, capitalism in particular) creates chaos and suffering for the vast majority of people, socialism is supposed to be a
modern day path to the return to classless society, one of cooperation and the sharing of wealth. There have been many models for socialism, and some aspects
of these models are practiced in many countries. The most well known model for socialism as a complete economic system is based on the theories of Marx. In
this model (such as was attempted in the former Soviet Union), all major industries, utilities and farms are owned and operated by the government and are not
for sale, taking them out of the corporate sector and away for the instability of the capitalist system. In addition, the government provides free health
care and education to everyone. It provides adequate retirement and disability benefits for all who need them. It provides adequate support for all
unemployed people, as long as they need it, along with free training and as full employment as possible. It may also provide low cost public transportation
and housing, daycare services in the workplace, and other public services. All of these services are paid for by a graduated income tax.
Sustaining Socialist Programs in a Capitalist World is Very Difficult
Countries following this path have not been able to compete successfully in the world economy, which is driven by low cost goods (made by poorly paid
workers) and enormous military spending. The public wealth sharing programs associated with socialism can only be sustained where the military budget can be
kept to a minimum, and where there are no large corporate or foreign imperial influences on government policy and makeup. Finally, the system itself can only
be sustained where governing power and participation has the broadest possible base in the population itself. If lead by a small group of corrupt or
corruptible individuals, or a narrow political sect, it will fail.
Socialism Imposed by Force is a Dominator Structure and Doomed to Failure
Wherever the Marxist model has been imposed through the use of force (such as in eastern Europe, and in the former Soviet Union under Stalin), it has brought
with it a new form of domination, controlled by a handful of corrupt officials, and a new form of alienation. Many communist countries have had significant
productivity loss due to a lack of work incentives, and have not been able to provide an adequate supply of basic consumer goods. The use of force, along
with dogmatic materialist ideology and highly concentrated institutional power in the hands of a narrow, corrupt and privileged leadership have also lead to
unnecessary restrictions on individual freedoms and the persecution of dissidents. Also, because of a lack of ecological perspective, a focus on growth and a
determination or need to compete with and/or be independent of capitalist countries in industry, some of these countries produced as much or more pollution
as non-communist countries.
“Green Democratic Socialism”
Only where there is full participation of all members of society in decisions about the day-to-day functioning of the economy, where the health of the planet
itself is taken into account, and only if this is carried out on a world-scale, is socialism possible. I call this form of socialism “green democratic
socialism”. I call a society “green” to mean that the society considers itself a society for all creatures and the planet itself, not just for its people. It
makes it constitutional law to live within its energy and resource means, to protect the natural beauty and balance of nature, to preserve the diversity of
species. By “democracy”, I mean true democracy. True democracy does not and cannot coexist with a capitalist economy. In capitalist countries, corporations
run the government. They do this either through a military or fascist dictatorship or via corporate-controlled media and parties and corporate corruption of
elected officials. True democracy requires proportional representation (not “winner take all” elections) and instant runoff elections (where you can pre-
select your first, second and third, etc choices). It should also offer direct voter participation in legislative decisions where possible (especially on
spending priorities and local affairs). It should offer representation to minority as well as majority natural groups (men and women, different ethnic
groups, people with special abilities, people with disabilities, people with different sexual orientations, people in different professions, etc.). Most of
all, it requires freedom from corporate influence over media and voter “education” through high-finance campaigns. Some countries in Western Europe already
have laws in place requiring TV stations to provide equal, free campaign advertising and debate opportunities to all candidates and limits on campaign
spending.
The Evolution of Money
The 2008 financial collapse, followed by widespread unemployment, foreclosures and the bailout of banks and investment firms at public expense, make it very
clear that the nature of finance needs to be addressed. Every venture requires finance. In capitalist societies, finance takes the form of loans, stocks and
other forms of profit-based (predatory) finance. With the deregulation of financial institutions, their owners, CEOs and brokers were allowed to amass great
fortunes, at the expense of people buying homes and unwary investors, including pension funds. The financial games went beyond the usual pyramid schemes and
gambling with other people’s money. Bundles of loans were sold from one financial institution to another like hot potatoes, speculating that the housing
market would keep going up. Investment brokers and rating companies recommended investments that they knew would probably fail, and gambled to that effect
against their own clients. Many of the loans were practically designed to fail, having interest rates that started low and were substantially raised later,
making them unaffordable to borrowers who could barely afford the lower starting rates. The risk insurance company AIG even took bets that the loans they
were insuring would fail. Yet, even after the house of cards fell, the same people who were supposed to regulate the markets got reassigned to posts in the
same or similar departments.
Going back, the most basic form of money was the good will of your tribe. Everyone was expected to help in fulfilling the needs of the tribe and to give away
excess things they accumulated. The next layer was barter – trading one item or service for another. Next came objects of relatively stable value, such as
salt, silver and gold. Coins and paper money followed, initially exchangeable for a fixed amount of silver or gold. Paper changes the nature of money because
an arbitrary amount can be minted. Inflation results when too much money is minted to pay for wars and other unexpected expenses. In other words, the
currency becomes disconnected from the value it is supposed to represent. Electronic funds make money even more abstract, reducing it to record keeping and
numbers.
A new concept that is now being used with some success by people who do not have a lot of money is time banks or time trade circles, where instead of money,
people exchange hours of service (usually recorded in a computer). This could be extended to the exchange of goods as well as services, if the time spent
producing, transporting and presenting the goods is recorded, and if those who produced, transported and presented the goods could be reimbursed in hours of
service, which they could then exchange for other goods or services.
In a “green democratic socialist” society, economic democracy would allow people to decide where their money or hours were to be spent. Those providing
socialized human or environmental services, such as health care, education, public transportation or park maintenance, for example, could be reimbursed in
hours coming from a public pool of hours, similar to taxes, or allotted merely as a number, without debiting anyone else’s account. The need to reimburse
skilled labor at a higher rate of pay than unskilled labor would diminish in such a society, because the cost of the education and training to develop the
necessary skills would already have been paid for by the public instead of being the financial burden of the individual, such as through the repayment of
college loans. Any weighting of hours could then be done to provide incentives for people to study or work in areas where there was the greatest need at a
given time, again decided by the public.
Values
Essential qualities we value in life we call values. These values, such as independence, justice, honesty, safety, comfort, cooperation, harmony, etc, are
forms of energy. Everyone has values they strive to live up to or realize in themselves or the world around them. First, almost everyone wants the same
things for themselves and their families – to be reasonably comfortable, to have enough to eat, enough clean water and peaceful sleep, and to have their
children get an adequate education and opportunities in life. Most also want to leave the world a better place, or at least not any worse, than they found
it.
Challenges
Whether the universe is naturally indifferent to our values and our lives, or cares in some way, we all experience challenges to our ability to live up to or
realize our values. The source of these challenges is the fact of our own mortality, and the destruction, sooner or later of everything we create. These
things are inevitable consequences of the second law of thermodynamics. Roughly stated: “left alone, all systems tend toward maximum entropy (disorder)”.
Life is a localized and temporary reversal of this process. However, nothing can live without dying, and nothing can die unless it has lived. Also, entropy
itself is not always a bad thing, not always a problem to be solved. For example, if it were not for evaporation, paint would never dry. When nature is in
balance, all things and beings live as long as they are useful to that balance. After that, they are recycled into new forms. For example, without
decomposing bacteria, all life would over- grow, use up its food sources, and die. We owe our own food sources – plants and animals that eat plants, to
decomposing bacteria, which recycle dead plant and animal matter and waists into the fertilizer that plants need to grow. Nevertheless, our own mortality and
vulnerability still create challenges, not matter how we look at them.
Challenges may take the form of long work hours to earn a living, disability, disease, the need to devote a good deal of life energy to caring for our
children and elderly relatives, or some other form. Also, personal and collective challenges are both material (in the sense that they affect our ability to
live and function), and spiritual, affecting our spirit. Since we all face these challenges while depending on each other for our material and spiritual
survival, it is not a luxury, but a necessity that we each have and show love and compassion for ourselves and for each other.
Spirit
Spirit has Various Meanings, Requiring Clarification
Based on common dictionary definitions, though the distinctions may be arbitrary, we might break down the terms “spirit” and “spirituality” into six rough
categories of meaning:
q The spirits of feelings, emotions and human qualities, such as courage, self-assertion, vivacity, and personal energy.
q Collective spirits, such as “spirit of the times” or “spirit of a people”.
q The spirit of life, such as “animating or vital principle”.
q Spiritual entities, such as “souls”, “gods” and “goddesses”.
q Spiritual concepts, such as “higher self”, “connection to spirit”, inspiration, and “higher qualities of mind”.
q “Spirit” essences, such as plant oils and extracts.
Spiritual Entities - “Souls”, “Gods” and “Goddesses”
There are different perspectives among the world’s major religions on this subject. For example, in mainstream Christianity, Islam and Judaism there is a
single, all-powerful, all-knowing God, only humans have souls, and we live only once. In Hinduism, there are three main gods and several other deities. In
Buddhism, there are no gods, only enlightened beings. In both Hinduism and Buddhism, the soul reenters another living being (human or animal) after death.
There are also neo-pagan spiritual belief systems. For example, similar to some “older” cultures, I think of the human spirit as being part of the “dynamic
tapestry or network of the universal spirit”, with some parts shared, some parts reflecting individual identity, interwoven though all animals, plants and
minerals. To their credit, each of these religions and spiritual traditions has some charitable and devotional practices, high moral principles, inspiring
prayers, chants, meditations, scriptures, songs, etc. The same can be said of many secular or philosophical traditions.
However, the actions of religious and philosophical institutions and individuals are not always in harmony with their espoused principles. For example, the
Christian moral principle “love your enemy” is incongruous with crusades and inquisitions. Many religious institutions have tried to impose beliefs and
practices on others, have twisted the beliefs and practices of their founders, or have tried to justify the assignment of people to castes. These things are
usually done as a form of social control, and not always for the highest purposes or purest of intentions. For example, many religious institutions have
acquired a good deal of land, which cannot be discounted as a motivating factor for the expansion of their influence. Also, many institutions, religious and
secular, have tried to make all of nature the property of humans, to control and dispose of as they wish.
Often these attempts at influence and control have been done through creating fear (such as fear of punishment in the afterlife), intimidation and ostracism.
I believe that all of these practices are discordant with the ever more interconnected and interdependent nature of our peoples and planet. Whatever our
individual beliefs, it is of the utmost importance for our survival and health as a global community, to respect and not interfere with each other’s beliefs
and practices as long as these practices do not interfere with the rights of other humans or the health of the planet. Furthermore, it is not necessary to
believe everything that I believe to understand or appreciate the rest of what I address below.
“Ego Self” and “Higher Self”
Perhaps the human “self” could be artificially divided into what I call an “ego self” and a “higher self”. The “ego self” is responsible for an individual’s
survival in this physical life. The “higher self” is responsible for the survival of our communities – the community of our species, of all life, of our
living planet. We are each a part of all of these communities. Our living communities, our planet, our sun and our universe are all part of what sustains us
both physically and spiritually.
There is more to know about the “ego self ” and “higher self”. For instance, the “ego self” wants safety; the “higher self” wants peace. The “ego self” is
clever, the “higher self” is wise. The “ego self” wants to be right; the “higher self” wants harmony. The “ego self” wants things; the “higher self” wants to
improve relationships.
Balancing “Ego Self” and “Higher Self”
I believe that our spirits are “energy signatures” that in some way are blended into the universal mix when we die. However, I would be wary of anyone who
claims to “know” exactly what happens after death. In any case, our ability to be healthy, reasonably happy, and to contribute to the good of all depends on
our spirit’s ability to balance the needs and aspirations of the “ego self” and “higher self”. There is no simple formula for where the balance point is
under a given set of circumstances. However, I believe that infants, the sick, disabled, and the frail need the world to “revolve around them” more, whereas
strong and healthy adults are generally more able and called upon to help make the world “revolve”.
From one perspective, our stratified and conflicted class society may be likened to a destructive and confused adolescent, with most of the powers and
knowledge of an adult, but with her/his “ego self” still outweighing their “higher self”, badly in need of listening to its wisdom. From another perspective,
we can say that the most privileged classes took the lead in boosting their “ego selves” and pulled the rest of us more in that direction, facilitating
“divide and conquer” tactics for staying “on top”. For example, the corporate-owned media usually present news and commentary in a manner that lacks
background, instills fear and incites racism and nationalism.
From either perspective, one thing we can do (in addition to raising awareness), to pull things back toward balance, is to nurture our own “higher selves”.
There are many ways to do this, and I will name a few. I call these ways “making peace with work”, “co-counseling”, “balancing the autonomic nervous
system”, “left/right brain balancing”, “receiving energy and inspiration from nature”, and “developing a healthy relationship between our conscious and
subconscious minds”.
Making Peace with Work
I mean this one as a double-entendre: for our work to create peace, not war, and for us to be at peace with the work we do. The Buddhists call this “right
livelihood”. We can’t all have the ideal job of our dreams. However, we can often either find meaningful work or make our work meaningful. Some professions
and vocations offer basic human services such as health care, feeding, clothing, or housing people, recycling wastes or transporting people and goods. Others
provide services for the spirit, such as art, music and entertainment. Many of these services are not well paid in this society, so doing them may be an act
of love. If we can’t do something we consider meaningful, we can make peace with what we have to do to make a living. That work may help to feed our family,
send our kids to school, or help support someone else that we feel is doing more meaningful work than our own.
Co-Counseling
This is a form of personal sharing, in which two or more individuals take turns talking and listening. A block of time is divided equally between the
individuals so that each person gets a chance to talk about issues that have come up for them recently. There are rules and guidelines used to make this form
of sharing safe, such as confidentiality, not talking when it is not your turn, and listening supportively. While this is not a substitute for psychotherapy
or medication when these are needed, reflecting safely about one’s circumstances in a group, we often are able to put our situations into better perspective,
or at least feel heard, often lifting one’s spirits.
Balancing the Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic branch of our nervous system controls how we spend our personal energy. This system is divided into two further branches: the sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous systems. The job of the sympathetic nervous system is to rouse the body into a “fight or flight” response. It diverts our energy away
from the digestive system, immune system and reproductive system to supply this energy to the skeletal muscles, heart, lungs and brain, so that we can run
and hide or fight threats to our lives, such as predators. When this system is overactive for prolonged periods of time (as it often is in our society),
without a chance to release or reduce our stresses, it creates health problems, especially in the systems from which it diverts our energy. The job of the
parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, is to divert energy away from the skeletal muscles, heart, lungs and brain to supply this energy to the
digestive system, immune system and reproductive system, so that we can relax and heal. There are many ways to activate this “relaxation response”. These
include meditation, yoga, gentle forms of exercise, getting relaxing bodywork treatments, etc.
Left/Right Brain Balancing
As neurologist and recovered stroke survivor Jill Bolter Taylor points out in her book “My Stroke of Insight”, we have two brain halves with two different
perspectives on everything. The left side of the brain is a linear thinker, responsible for communication with others via language, analysis of information
and mathematics. It decides where the self ends and something else begins. The right side of the brain is a big picture thinker, responsible for weaving
together visual images and other sensations into a present moment (and storing it for later recall), and for art and intuition. In the present moment of the
right side of the brain, everything and everyone are connected and all people are equal. Our society has pushed left-brain thinking over right brain thinking
for a long time, but we have the capacity to rebalance our brains and with them, our society. For example, there is a very effective form of treatment for
post-traumatic stress called EMDR, based on brain balancing. In it, the individual’s attention is brought to bear alternately on the left and right sides of
the body while processing the trauma, thus integrating the experience in the perspectives of both sides of the brain.
Receiving Energy and Inspiration from Nature
Everything has energy and communicates that energy through vibration. Nature, full of life, communicates energy to life. This includes the energy of
mountains, forests, and the ocean, while each has their own very different “flavors” of energy. All of our senses respond to these vibrations. Colors each
communicate different frequencies of vibration, corresponding to the chemical energy they contain. Our senses of smell and taste also stimulate our chemical
vibration memories. Appropriate and comfortable touch communicates the vibrations of warmth, pressure and the vibration of whole objects. Sound also
communicates the vibration of objects. It’s therefore no wonder that harmonious colors (as in art), smells (as in aroma therapy), tastes (as in enjoyment of
food and beverages), touch (as in massage and bodywork) and sounds (as in music and sound healing) are used in many healing techniques and creative
endeavors.
Developing a Healthy Relationship between Our Conscious and Subconscious Minds
People often feel that they don’t understand their own subconscious actions. The relationship between our conscious and subconscious minds is often
misunderstood. Here’s how hypnotherapy trainings see this relationship: The subconscious mind is the greater part (maybe 80 or 90 percent) of our mind. It’s
responsible for all of our “automatic” actions and thoughts. For example, once we learn how to ride a bicycle or swim, we don’t need to say to ourselves “now
I need to lift this leg and push down on the other leg”, etc. We never need to remember to breathe, although it is helpful when we do.
Also, once we have seen a mountain or grass, we don’t need to say to ourselves “this is shaped and colored like a mountain”. We just recognize it. The
subconscious mind also knows many things that the conscious mind is not aware of, and that by logical thinking, it should not be able to know. When we get in
touch with our subconscious minds via dreams, daydreaming or trance states, the conscious mind can be informed of some of these things by the subconscious
mind, via images and metaphors.
Our conscious mind is responsible for making decisions in new and unique circumstances, for framing new and unique communication, for differentiating between
what is real and what is a just a movie, etc. The biggest role of the conscious mind is creating beliefs and intentions. For example, if we believe that we
can heal, we most likely will. If we believe we will never heal, we probably won’t. If we decide we are going to do something well, we usually do, etc. The
reason for this is twofold: First, our conscious mind is the “captain of our ship”, whereas the subconscious mind is the crew. The captain gives the orders
and the crew makes it happen. Secondly (and this is the part that is most misunderstood), here’s the way the “captain” gives her/his orders: It’s not by
thinking “do this, don’t do that”; It works this way: what the conscious mind believes to be true, is the subconscious mind’s job to make it happen. That’s
why it is so important what we tell ourselves is true, and what we and are, and are not capable of. This helps explain the value and effectiveness of the
arts of making and saying affirmations (positive healing statements) and guided and self-guided visualization.
Responding Appropriately to Fears
Fear is a natural response to perceived danger. However, chronic fear and worry can become a tremendous drain of personal energy, turning personal and
collective energies into a destructive force. Often people don’t acknowledge their fears. For example we often don’t acknowledge our fears of others who are
different, but feel hatred or mistrust toward them. However, underlying hatred and mistrust, is usually fear. Also, many fears have other fears underlying
them, such as fear of the unknown. When the fears underlying hatred and mistrust are acknowledged, and any fears underlying those fears are also
acknowledged, then it is easier to deal with all of these feelings rationally. When we expose fears that seem irrational, we can let them go. When fears may
have a basis in real danger, then we can take measures to protect ourselves, and then let the feelings go. Letting go of hatred, fears and worries frees up
personal and social energies. Becoming aggressive toward others has the opposite effect. Power over others is not real power. It just increases the perceived
need to stay in control. Real power is power within – knowing that love and compassion, in the long run, are more important than survival, and having the
confidence that one can handle whatever comes one’s way with integrity.
Plant Essences
Preparations of plant essences, such as teas, salves, tinctures, oils and flower essences often have fewer side effects as medicines, insecticides or
antibiotic agents, than isolated or artificial ingredients. The chemical energies of plant essences come from several, naturally occurring ingredients, which
have co-evolved within a complete ecosystem for specific functions, such as self-defense for the plant against insects, microbes or fungus, or for the
nutrition of animals that distribute their seeds. Perhaps they are often therefore more in tune with the overall balance of life. Naturopaths, herbalists and
ethno-botanists have a lot to contribute to techniques of pest control and physical and emotional healing. Further research could aid in integrating herbal
treatments into a more balanced health care system.
Changing The Way We Think to Help Heal the World
The abuses of dominator culture have created a world of traumatized individuals. The abuses of domination cannot be overcome by revenge or by reversing
dominator relationships. However, given enough assertiveness, cooperative effort, power sharing, compassion and time, change and healing are possible.
Violence and abuse are not human nature, nor do they have to be a terminal illness for our species. We have the power to bring forth a more balanced,
integrated, and functional mindset needed to bring about a more harmonious, joyful and sustainable world.
“Grass Roots Spirit”
Real positive social change can only come from below, not from the elite, or even from the leaders of social movements. It’s no coincidence that the words
“root’ and “radical” have the same origin. Every social movement has its spirited chants and songs. Anyone who has been to both a spirited and a dispirited
demonstration knows the difference.
Principles
Understanding a ship’s operating principles helps the captain and crew navigate the obstacles and storms of the coasts and seas, without having to know every
detail of how the ship works. An individual’s principles are commitments to that person’s higher self. These principles help the person navigate the
frustrations and disappointments of their life, without having to plan for every possible contingency. In a similar way, a society’s principles help the
society navigate the events of its history, from its conception to its demise, without having to anticipate every possible twist and turn. In this manner,
the principles I propose for “green democratic socialism” are meant as a guide for all who wish to promote it, as I do.
The Principles of “Green Democratic Socialism”
I propose that the principles of “green democratic socialism” shall include, but not be limited to the following principles. Anyone who advocates for and
abides by these principles shall be considered friends of “green democratic socialism”. In each of these statements of principle, the word “We” shall mean
supporters of “green democratic socialism”.
Peace
q We support the strictest possible military restraint and disarmament given the need to defend boarders and the safety of inhabitants.
q We oppose any measures to assure or increase the influence, power or wealth of any one country through interventions in others.
q We oppose all aggressive military actions, including retaliation by any party.
q We oppose the development of any new weapons.
q We support multilateral disarmament.
q We support the conversion of military funds, technology and jobs to civilian, socially beneficial uses.
q We support efforts to resolve ethnic, religious and other conflicts and promote dialogue and mediation.
Human Rights and Social Justice
q We support efforts to implement the best possible human rights and social justice measures as quickly and efficiently as possible, improving or
replacing existing laws, institutions and technology.
q We support the right of all people to the best available free, timely, quality emergency medical and basic health maintenance services.
q We support the right of all people to affordable, timely, quality elective health care and health maintenance services, including professional
natural, complementary and integrative medicine, regardless of ability to pay.
q We support the right of all people to the best available free, quality general education and socially needed specialized training at all levels for
which they are qualified.
q We support the right of all people to affordable specialized training in areas of personal interest, regardless of ability to pay.
q We support the right of all people to the best available free essential foods, beverages, pure water, supplements and nutritional services, adequate
for basic individual health maintenance.
q We support the right of all people to affordable non-essential foods, beverages, supplements and nutritional services, subject to availability.
q We support the right of all parents and guardians to the best available affordable and convenient childcare services.
q We support the right of all elders to the best available additional support they need for a reasonably comfortable period of retirement.
q We support reasonable efforts to ensure the safety of everyone equally.
q We support the right of all adults to well paid, socially beneficial employment.
q We support the right of all working people to collective bargaining or collective ownership.
q We support the use of excess profits for the benefit of all, not the enrichment of a few.
q We support production and services for social benefit, not for profit alone.
q We oppose the use of child labor outside the normal chores of family and home.
q We oppose the use of volunteer labor as a means of reducing a paid workforce.
q We oppose discrimination against those of any given race, gender, age, sexual orientation or creed in most situations (for example in employment or
housing), except for the purposes of membership in organizations or participation in conventions run by and meant to represent these groups, or, in the case
of children, for their protection.
q We support measures to increase access to buildings, useful employment and services for all persons with disabilities.
q We support the freedom of anyone to engage in any religious, spiritual or secular practices, any form of expression, movement or assembly, except
where such practices, forms of expression or assembly interfere with the rights of others.
Protection of the Environment
q We support efforts to implement the best possible environmental protection measures as quickly and efficiently as possible, improving or replacing
existing laws, institutions and technology.
q We oppose the production and use of nuclear energy and any other forms of energy whose production or use creates long-lasting toxic wastes.
q We support the replacement of fossil fuel use with the use of renewable sources of energy.
q We support the replacement of artificial chemicals in agriculture with organic farming.
q We oppose genetic engineering where it is unsafe, where the products are privately owned or patented or where it creates dependant markets.
q We support the protection of biodiversity in nature as well as agriculture.
q We oppose large-scale inhumane and unsanitary methods of raising animals.
q We support educational programs to promote the benefits of vegetarianism for those areas where there is sufficient nutritious locally grown or
affordable transported produce.
q We support humane, democratic methods for the social control of population, including free, safe, effective, voluntary birth control, education and
incentives.
q We support the responsible use of natural resources.
q We support efforts to preserve the natural beauty and health of our planet and all species.
q We support the humane treatment of animals.
Internationalism and Self-Determination
q We support the right of all nations to sovereignty and self-determination.
q We support the development of policies that benefit all nations.
q We respect the rights of all ethnic groups to their own cultures and religious, spiritual and secular beliefs and practices, within existing laws and
except for practices that interfere with the rights of others; and to be free of threats, intimidation or harm because of these cultures, beliefs or
practices.
q We invite cooperation among nations.
q We support the right of any nation to cancel any debt that it cannot pay.
q We support the right of any nation to resist pressure from creditors to change its internal policies.
q We oppose the relocation of production to areas of lower pay, lower taxes or looser regulations.
q We support the right of any nation to set its own higher standards for pay, working conditions and environmental protection, and resist pressures
from other nations and institutions to lower these standards.
q We support fair trade pricing and production standards favoring countries with lower per-capita incomes.
q We support the right of all nations to protect their own producers from lower-cost competition.
True Democracy
q We support efforts to implement the highest possible level of democracy, as quickly and efficiently as possible, improving or replacing existing
laws, institutions and technology.
q We support proportional representation over winner-takes-all elections.
q We support instant run-off elections, where voters can rank their preferences.
q We support media that are independent of both corporate and government influence.
q We support additional representation for natural groups (for example gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation), so that their view of decisions
affecting them can be considered in addition to majority views.
q We support direct voter participation in decisions affecting spending priorities and legislation.
q We support limits on spending for all electoral campaigns.
q We support democracy in the workplace: In other words, we support the right of all employees to participate in the major decisions and policies and
the appointment of management coordinators for the enterprises in which they work, and that these decisions and policies be informed by those employees who
are the most qualified in the relevant areas, not run by a top-down management pyramid appointed by private owners or investors.
Finance, Compensation and Administration
q We support efforts to implement the best possible, democratically run, socially responsible and minimally bureaucratic finance, compensation and
administrative measures as quickly and efficiently as possible, improving or replacing existing laws, institutions and technology.
q We support the accountability of administrative agencies to the public they are meant to serve: to provide easy, simple and prompt access to services
and goods needed with a minimum of paperwork, and to effectively enforce laws that protect the public and the rights of individuals.
q We support efforts to make earned personal funds, such as money or recorded hours of service, personalized and secure.
q We support efforts to stabilize currencies such that the basic denomination approximately represents an hour of service performed.
q We support the use of democratically decided, partial weighting of compensation in favor of services that are more socially needed, and free training
in those areas, to encourage the movement of individuals to those occupations providing the most needed services.
q We support socially funded compensation to all providers of free or affordable services, at the same rate as equivalent privately paid services.
q We support the social equalization of all taxes according to ability to pay.
q We support democratically controlled public finance for all large enterprises, ventures and subsidized services.
q We oppose any large private or corporate finance or ownership of factories, farms, office buildings or homes.
q We oppose the sale and purchase of stocks, bonds or any other monetary instruments of private investment in the ownership of factories, farms, homes,
debts or insurance.
q We oppose privatization of any publicly used utilities, water or any other common resources.
q We support public, democratically controlled financing of health research, including in areas of natural, complementary and integrative medicine,
replacing private, for-profit research and patenting.
Heart Centeredness
q We strive to become ever more loving, supportive, kind, compassionate, understanding and respectful of each other and ourselves.
q When we feel our rights have been violated, we strive to be assertive, not aggressive or passive.
q When it becomes necessary for their own safety, or the safety of others, to restrain someone, we strive to do so with the greatest kindness,
gentleness, compassion and respect we can.
q We strive to give children, youth, the disabled and the elderly any additional support they need, both within our families and as a social
responsibility.
q We strive to give children and youth the guidance they need, both within our families and as a social responsibility
q We strive to examine any feelings we have of hatred, mistrust or fear of others, to look at all underlying fears, and, if there is any basis for
these feelings in real danger, to take measures to protect ourselves and let these feelings go, instead of becoming aggressive toward others or becoming
victims of worry.
Executive Summary
This brief synopsis can be seen as a perspective on the general philosophy of the article. Of course, many important details are left out for brevity.
All things are connected, from particles to the global eco-system. Knowing and feeling connection is part of what we need to survive. However, many aspects
of modern human society have become both interdependent and disconnected. This is a result of dominator culture.
All things are energy. Domination is a nearsighted approach to getting the energies one needs to survive and thrive, taking more than is good for the balance
of nature, over-populating the earth, and exploiting the energy of other humans. Cultures that have endured since early times, despite the presence of
domination, take a long-term approach to survival, more in balance with their environment and each other.
One type of energy is the socially useful value of human actions. Capitalism is one form of dominator system that concentrates this form of wealth in fewer
and fewer hands, making the system inherently unstable and increasing suffering and disconnection in the form of alienation and war.
Previous attempts at creating post-capitalist (socialist) societies have largely failed because of various factors, such as the global nature of the economy
and strategies that have relied on force and a governing elite or bureaucracy, creating new forms of alienation.
A new approach is “green democratic socialism”, which incorporates a global socialist economy with democratic control, responsible and compassionate
treatment of the environment and other beings, and attention to the needs of the human spirit. This approach can be detailed in a set of principles,
including those I have listed. Getting there involves not only advocating for a set of principles, but also treating all human beings as the trauma survivors
of dominator culture, in need of compassion, healing and respect.
The choice is ours. We can either let our dominator society collapse or slide into older forms of society, such as feudalism or hunter-gatherer bands,
beginning with a great loss of life, or we can try to move towards a more sustainable form of world society with peace and cooperation.
