In defense of empathy

There is a lot of talk about how we deal with the powerful authoritarian movement that is growing everywhere around the world? How do we push back, how do we defend ourselves, how do we create a better world.

In the past, we tried demonstrations and civil disobedience, it did not work. The second Gulf War saw the largest demonstrations across the planet, it did not change a thing. After the great recession of ‘07, Occupy Wall Street and its many offshoots did great work, but none of the people responsible for the crash got punished and the oligarchy is stronger than ever.

Going further back, we tried strikes and more violent actions. These did give us some results, better pay and protections for the working class, but again, the bastards are still in charge, we still do not own the means of production and the environment is still spiraling.

So, what to do? No one has all the answers and maybe there is no answer that can deal with it all, but I do have an idea: Replace the system. Ignore it, create alternatives for our needs and defend your fellow humans. It will not be easy, embedded power-structures do not give up without a fight. Creating alternative systems that goes beyond the local communities, that span the globe and supersedes religion, ideologies, gender, nations etc will not be easy, but it is necessary, if we are to survive & thrive.

The most important thing to do, I believe, is to not buy into their reality. Do not accept the status quo, do not use their systems. We will not be able to go completely cold turkey from day one, but we can start small and work our way up. So, do not use X, Meta, Alphabet, Amazon etc. Find alternatives or learn to live without. Boycott the big monopolies as much as possible, starve them. Consume less. It does not take much to force the current system into meltdown. If consumption goes down even just a few percent, we go into recession. A few more, depression. Of course, this only works if we have alternatives, at least for our basic needs.

So, start figuring out what your needs are and how to fulfill them outside the system. For the most basic stuff, like food, water and shelter, this should not present too much of a problem. It is mainly an issue of getting out of our default mode of thinking. The bigger problem is figuring out how to cooperate with strangers, which is why I think we need a system of cooperation (see Direct Mandate Democracy). The present system survives because it is easy to navigate, it lulls us into mindless consumption, but this just makes it so much harder to deal, when it breaks. And it will break, even without us adding pressure. It is cruel & unsustainable, as is clear here in the 21^st. Even if we did not have to deal with the added pressure of the rise in authoritarianism, we would still need to find alternatives. So you could view our increasingly depressing present as a good thing, a kick in our collective backsides to actually do something. You could, if it were not for the fact that so many people will suffer and those who will suffer the most are the ones with the least. So maybe use that as your guiding light. The days ahead will be hard & challenging, but imagine a world where people in need are not turned away from the borders of the so-called first world countries. A world that does not rely of child-labor, slave-labor, in order to exist. There is a lot of talk about not giving up hope. If that works for you, fine. I do not rely on hope, I rely on a burning anger at the injustices of the world. We might not win, but we will no longer be complicit (I hope).

Getting off-track, ADHD mind. Let us try bullet-points:

1. Find the others. Probably the hardest thing, something I am struggling with myself. Individualism is one of the worst aspect of sociopathic thinking, but without community, we lose. Affinity is cumulative, synergistic.

2. Determine your needs. What do you & your community need and what can you live without? Keep in mind that not everyone has the strengths & skills that you have. If we cannot create an alternative that can help everyone, regardless of abilities, it is useless.

3. Figure out how to fulfill these needs. Start small and work your way up. Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

4. Starve the system. Limit your participation in the status quo as much as is possible. If you do need to participate, find ways to subvert it.

5. Reach out beyond your local community. We cannot stand alone. The world is too complex, we need to involve everyone.

6. Make plans on how to defend your community. Keep violence as an absolute last resort, but do not disregard it. They want us compliant and if they cannot get that, they will hurt us.

7. Keep building & dreaming of alternatives. We need advanced technologies & systems to sustain 8 billion humans, how do we create & maintain these?

8. Do not give up. There is always choice, till our dying breath. They rely on our despondency to maintain their power. They are few, we are many. As long as you can see the humanity in your fellow humans, we can win.