Photograph by Maximiliano Monterrubio CCBY2.0
March 15, 2014
A Declaration of Compassionate
Interdependence
We, the People, in order to form a more holistic union, declare our
Compassionate Interdependence with each other and Nature. We yearn
for the wisdom of our indigenous brothers and sisters. People are
ready to return to a world of abundance from a world of scarcity. We
are ready to change from a world of domination to a world of
cooperation.
Our materialistic society is dysfunctional – We are suffering.
Mother Earth is suffering. At the behest of the elite, corporations
blindly pursue unlimited growth, while governments defend the rights
of corporations to destroy the Planet. We can no longer allow them to
dictate our future. It is time to rally together as Human Beings to
rejuvenate our Living Ecosystem, to foster a partnership between
Humanity and Mother Earth.
For millennia, Indigenous Peoples have been subjugated by
Imperialism, Colonialism, and Corporatism. In order to feed the
system’s need for unlimited growth, this parasitic juggernaut is
devouring the societies it created. Our modern system of free market
capitalism perpetuates this pattern at the expense of All, obligating
Humanity and Mother Earth to serve its needs. In the wake of
undeniable greed, Humanity has been left behind.
ENOUGH!
We must face the uncomfortable truth that we are part of this
nihilistic culture of gluttony that is destroying our world. This is
our opportunity to open our hearts, clear our minds, and gather our
collective wisdom to create a new society. Weaving together our inner
spirits and wealth of knowledge, we fulfill the higher purpose of
saving ourselves from ourselves. As we transform, we embody a new
Social Covenant between People and Nature to create Compassionate
Living Economies.
We are living through the greatest awakening and transformation in
human history. Past protests, revolutions, and movements have
prepared us for this moment. It is our time! We reclaim our right to
be Human Beings by respecting and valuing each other. It is
imperative that our experiences, insight, and knowledge be recorded
and shared as a Sacred Intellectual Commons available to all.
As we move forward, it is essential that we reclaim the sovereign
right of People to protect and use lands, water, infrastructure, and
airwaves as a collective Commons. Corporations and governments are
NOT People!
Using our technological means we can develop collaborative software
tools and create a new, decentralized, resilient Internet.
Collaboration enables People to interconnect Intentional Communities
into a web of Compassionate Living Economies while protecting us from
the predation of corporations and governments.
Intentional Communities are the place where we renew our sense of
Community by sharing and caring for each other in reciprocity as we
create together a new way of living that meet the needs of People
without destroying the Planet.
Together we can change the world in the name of the People and
Nature!
Dear Friends,
i like your declaration very well.
And how we do it? We cooperate globaly. Based on our new Internet, “the Interconnection of local Networks”. The Internet as a connection between local autonomous networks.
We create the net of local indepedency communities with her local economy. our future is the local selfdetermination. The local self-organization.
We help together. We exchange our ideas and knowledge. Free. Knowledge is allways worldheritage. Global thinking, local doing. Thats is our way.
many greetings in love, willi uebelherr
Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
[email protected]
I think this a great manifiesto. But better than great manifiestos are small actions. While FLOK insists on using non-free software and non-free networks no words will echo as loudly as those actions. Less theory more action.
flok insists on using non-free .. ? could you be a bit more specific .. we use open source blog software, open source participatory wiki’s, odt, the open source co-ment software for our policy papers … I’m sure you can find proprietary software as well, but to say we insist on using non-free .. I’m not aware of any such injunction, but rather the contrary, i.e. use free software where we can, without being fanatical about people making some pragmatic choices ..
I appreciate your comments. Yes, we need more practice and less theory. We also need common practice. Working in similarity. We need to work compassionately. I think a lot about mutual aid societies. Stigmergic livelihoods…chew on that for a while. Be it…live it.
In solidarity,
Jeff Sterling
[email protected]
+1 425 299 1969
flok insists on using non-free .. ? could you be a bit more specific .. we use open source blog software, open source participatory wiki’s, odt, the open source co-ment software for our policy papers … I’m sure you can find proprietary software as well, but to say we insist on using non-free .. I’m not aware of any such injunction, but rather the contrary, i.e. use free software where we can, without being fanatical about people making some pragmatic choices ..
Fanaticism is a belief or behavior involving uncritical zeal or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanatical
It is not critical? It is a passtime? Perhaps it is for someone that does not think these issues are important.
The normal way people that do not care about an issue act is doing as much for the issue as they do against it. That has been the position of the Ecuadorian government during the past seven years and of FLOK since it started regarding free software (they use non free software and non free document standards and non free operating systems) and free networks (Skype, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
If we are being pragmatic, what are we doing by proposing a free society? How pragmatic can that be if the proposers themselves do not do what they propose but make a mixture that does not look like a migration but as an implementation. The only way to believe someone’s proposal is if they themselves implement it. The government of Ecuador has already done in practice what FLOK has done. But FLOK proposes much more….Just do it! Then the government and everyone will believe. Propose without doing and everyone will doubt.