### Preamble We envision communities of around 1000 people where human connection, mutual support, and collective prosperity replace the alienation and inequality of current social structures. This vision isn't utopian—it's practical, building on our natural capacities for cooperation and care when we work at human scale. ### The Problem #### Systematic Alienation - Work has become disconnected from meaning and community - Most people have no say in decisions that shape their lives #important - company moves factory sinking a town economy - city planners remove benches in parks to deter homeless - property developers convert affordable living to luxury units and push residents out - school board bans books - We often don't see the impact of our labor or how it serves others - Many feel like replaceable parts in an incomprehensible machine - Social bonds have been replaced by market transactions #important #### Social Fragmentation - Communities have been replaced by demographic categories - Shared spaces have been privatized - Social life has been commodified - dating apps charge for human connection - Mutual aid has been replaced by commercial services in the market - we pay strangers to deliver food rather than community meal sharing - we pay strangers to drive us rather than asking a relation - Trust between people has been systematically eroded #### Political Disempowerment - People feel powerless to affect meaningful change - Democracy has become abstract and distant - Communities have lost autonomy over their development - Corporate interests dominate decision-making - Local solutions are overlooked in favor of standardized approaches #### Knowledge Hoarding - Expertise is monetized rather than shared - Software companies patenting simple concepts like 1 click purchase - Academic journals charging high fees for access to publicly-funded research - Traditional and practical knowledge is devalued - Education serves credentialing rather than genuine learning #### Artificial Scarcity - Individualism requires each Individual to own more and utilize less - every house owns a ladder that is unused 99.99% of the time - Basic needs are treated as commodities rather than rights - water rights sold to private companies - healthcare access based on employment - housing as an investment - We have the technical capacity to meet everyone's needs, yet don't #important - Resources are hoarded and access is artificially restricted - Pharmaceutical companies extending patents through minor modifications - Artificial diamonds restricted to maintain value of natural diamonds - Software features disabled in lower-tier products despite no additional cost to provide them #### Environmental Destruction - Decision-makers are insulated from the consequences of their choices - CEO bonus after layoffs - Corporate bankruptcy protecting owners while workers lose pensions - Politicians making healthcare decisions while having premium coverage - Executives making environmental decisions affecting communities they don't live in - Environmental costs are externalized to communities and future generations - Plastic manufacturers shifting recycling responsibility to consumers - Oil companies leaving cleanup costs to taxpayers - The scale of production exceeds our ability to understand its impacts - Production prioritizes short-term profit over long-term sustainability - Planned obsolescence creates waste and unnecessary production ### The Solution #### The Foundation of Trust Trust emerges naturally in smaller communities, not through rules or enforcement, but through daily interaction and mutual dependence. When we live and work closely with others, sharing both challenges and achievements, we develop genuine understanding and empathy In these smaller groups: - We can know each other as individuals - Our contributions are visible and valued - Accountability comes through relationship, not regulation #important - Cooperation becomes the rational choice, as we directly experience how our actions affect others #### Beyond Hierarchies Modern hierarchies and class structures arose from managing large-scale industrial society, not from human nature. They're tools that have outlived their usefulness, creating artificial scarcity and unnecessary competition. Our community structure transcends these limitations by: - Distributing expertise rather than concentrating power #important - Recognizing all forms of contribution as equally valuable #doubt - Creating abundance through cooperation rather than scarcity through competition #important - Allowing natural leadership to emerge based on skill and situation, rather than fixed positions of authority. No managerial class #important #### The Individual and the Community We reject the false dichotomy between individual and collective good. In our structure: - Personal growth directly strengthens the community - Community prosperity creates space for individual flourishing #important - Diversity of skills, neurodiversity, experiential and perspective diversity creates resilience - Security comes from relationship rather than accumulation #important - Freedom emerges from mutual support rather than isolation #important #### Collective Resources, Individual Agency Shared ownership of productive resources doesn't diminish personal autonomy—it enhances it. When we remove the artificial scarcity created by private capital: - allows you to own less and have more - Basic needs become guarantees rather than anxieties #important - Innovation serves human flourishing rather than profit - Work becomes an expression of creativity rather than necessity #important - Learning and growth become natural rather than luxuries - higher resource utilization of the community over the individual requires fewer resources - #### Knowledge as a Shared Resource In our community, knowledge transfer isn't a separate function but an integral part of daily life: - Every member is both teacher and learner - Skills are shared through practice over instruction - Innovation emerges from collective problem solving - individual and communal wisdom accumulation #### Production for Use Over Profit Our production system reorients work around human needs and aspirations: - Innovation focuses on reducing effort, not increasing output #important - Quality is defined by durability and utility, not marketability #important - Surplus serves community resilience and external exchange, not accumulation #### Practical Democracy Democracy in our community isn't just voting—it's active participation in shaping our shared life: - Decisions are made by those affected by them - Information is openly shared and clearly communicated #important - Debate focuses on solutions rather than power #important - Consensus emerges from shared understanding rather than compromise #doubt #### Cultural Transformation Our structure naturally cultivates different values and behaviors: - Status anxiety gives way to genuine recognition - Isolation gives way to connection - Competition gives way to cooperation. How? - Accumulation gives way to sharing examples, but this is such a big mental shift I can't perceive it. #doubt ### Conclusion Our goal isn't perfection but continuous evolution toward more human-centered ways of living and working together. We start where we are, with what we have, moving steadily toward what we know is possible. #### The Path Forward This isn't a blueprint—it's a direction. Each community will find its own way to embody these principles based on: - Local conditions and resources - The skills and interests of members - Cultural context and history - Emerging needs and opportunities