Re: Zen of Transformation: new thoughts

2003-12-07

Richard Moore

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From: "Brian" <•••@••.•••>
To: <•••@••.•••>
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 10:41 AM
Subject: Re: Zen of Transformation: new thoughts

Greetings;

Firstly, activism to build a movement:  I often say that the
movement won't happen for you until you do it.  What better way
to activate than with your/our own bodies?  What to be active
about?  Building community is possible in so much of what we do
every day.  I remember the 60s when there was a SPIRIT of
community - we all helped each other and trusted each other. With
theory there must be spirit, and trust/faith might join the two.

A friend is presenting a paper in Germany which in short says
that the rural poor are the greatest resource on earth today
because the restoration of the world's very damaged ecosystems
can only be repaired by the rural poor. Governments/multinational
corporations cannot afford to pay for global life restoration
even if they wanted to, only the poor can afford that.  How?
Restoration/stewardship economics which some of us used to call
bioregional economics.  Now, microfinance/microentrepreneurship
is a quiet revolution. I see small locally owned businesses like
the micro-brew industry in the US and the pot industries as
proto-types for the economy to come which will inherit the
corruption that rules today, but with a new transparency.  Not
that beer and pot will rule, although that may not be a bad idea,
but rather the infrastructure, ethics, qualitative values and
spirit of these industries will rule.  The organics industries
which are said to be growing at 20-25 % a year (I just saw this
recently updated figure) are also good examples, as is the
alternative energy business.

I've just come from Cotacachi, Ecuador which has a vibrantly
healthy, transparent, fully participatory democracy:  The town is
run by an indigenous people.  The mayor who is a medical doc got
his training in Cuba, and Fidel has visited the town, as has the
US ambassador to Ecuador who tried not to notice the big photo in
the mayor's office of the mayor and Fidel.  The mestizos work for
the indigenes who drive SUVs, some still ride horses, and have
computers.  In fact, the whole town's business is on a web site
that anyone in town can and does participate in.  Its financial
structure is modeled after that of Porto Allegro which is the
labour run town in Brazil that has been hosting the global World
Social Forum meetings (it is worth checking out the WSF web).  I
haven't seen the site yet, but as soon as I get out of the jungle
here in Costa Rica where we have been restoring a whole watershed
for a decade and setting up certified sustainable, locally owned
industries (http://www.ecoera.org) , I'll be checking it out.

Here's a little more on activism that I thought of last night
while listening to the river rush by just below one of our
cabins:  The recent successful revolution in Bolivia is a good
example of successful activism. The thwarted US inspired coup in
Venezuela which is well documented on in the film 'The Revolution
will not be televised' is another good example of a people
throwing off the yoke of imperialist oppression.  Argentina and
Ecuador are decent examples of not coming to their knees for US
imperialism, and Brazil has compromised in a workable fashion but
still promises to lead a Latin American free trade movement in
the face of the WTO/WB/IMF and Bush fascists.  But beyond any
question Fidel has been since 1959 the Western Hemisphere's
master of successful activism.

There are over 50 examples of alternative currency systems in the
US which clearly illustrate a movement toward peoples' economies 
The GoldMoney site on the internet is a good example of exempting
the system from peoples' financial affairs.  And
  http://www.greengold-oroverde.org
  http://www.greenkarat.com 
are examples of our attempts making mining compatible with the
environment and local community sustainability.

There's tons of activist stuff to do, but only you can take the
first step.

Brian


> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <•••@••.•••>
> To: <•••@••.•••>; <•••@••.•••>
> Cc: <•••@••.•••>
> Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2003 5:29 PM
> Subject: re-2: Zen of Transformation: new thoughts
>
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