We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

In each other we trust: coining alternatives to capitalism

Click here to access article by Jerome Roos from Reflections on a Revolution.

Wow! I'm a bit overwhelmed by the many insights offered by the article and its abundant links which I've only begun to mine. I used the verb "to mine" deliberately to suggest that this article contains a virtual goldmine of insights on the subject of money. This subject which has been brought into popular consciousness by experiments with alternative currencies, particularly the Bitcoin. The understanding of money has been long obscured by ruling classes which have always benefited by using money to dominate and exploit their subordinate classes.

About four or five years ago I became aware of the importance of money in maintaining class rule, and my readings and study of the subject only deepened my conviction that it was a primary instrument of oppression used by ruling classes. Still the scarcity of current information seemed like a barrier to further understanding. I couldn't understand why so few people on the left engaged in the study of this vital topic.

Apparently, I have been looking in the wrong places, because this article makes clear to me that there has been an explosion of interest in this subject in the past few years. Now there are many people looking into it and discovering new insights which  are being shared with others. Roos was prompted to write this article after attending one such sharing event which he attended last weekend in Amsterdam: the MoneyLab conference organized by the Institute of Network Cultures.