Loomio
Wed 30 Nov 2016 9:15AM

Is anyone still out there? Bump

JR John Rhoads Public Seen by 386

I see we have a growing list of members but very little activity. Would anyone like to start a conversation? Anyone care to help out with the new Coop Eden website here http://coopeden.zohosites.com/?

SC

Simon Carter Wed 30 Nov 2016 9:24AM

OK. I'm in the UK would you believe, so a question would be what is being done to advance global solidarity on shared purpose?. In fact generally there is a lot of splintered activity. Is there a global network of which I am unaware to pull good ideas together in one place to avoid duplication. Bottom line . . . . where is the cooperation?

J

Joe Wed 30 Nov 2016 1:51PM

Welcome Simon. Great questions. So happy to have others here from around the globe.

Any great solution, IMHO, MUST be all inclusive and welcoming of everyone globally. It has to work for everyone of every nation, language, culture and set of beliefs. It MUST handle great diversity in thinking and believing.

The present world does not work well because of this divisive mentality of us first and you over there, come second or I'm more deserving than you. Any solution to work long-term and to create a sustainable balance must believe at its core that there's plenty for everyone. It's the sufficiency vs. insufficiency debate. Also that everyone can have about the same and create a good life with it - into the indefinite future. And more importantly, that we all (anyone born into the world) have about the same potential to help improve our world with their creativity and our unique special life. Anything short of this sets up unhealthy competition within the global community at large and conflict is always right around the corner.

We all need to start viewing things from the global POV more. We need to see ourselves as just another equal deserving global citizen. Working for the global community vs. just for our national or local community.

The digital era and the Internet have now created virtual communities that have few bounds to access. It's that much easier to tangibly step into communities that have no geographical bounds. (As we are here together now even though we are physically very far away from one another.)

I believe a future sustainable world of improvement will need to include people who can easily hold three primary POVs: 1) time POV - meaning resource continuity across all future generations; 2) global POV; 3) our local physical community POV. And a balance must be struck with all three. When we think and act it should be done with intent for doing what's best for all three in the order of importance I've outlined.

All this from the coop POV means we need to cooperate generationally, globally and locally. Generationally to assure we leave next generations with as healthy a planet and set of healthy ecosystems. Globally to maintain that general sense of equality no matter where we stand. Locally to take care of our physical beings within our physical hive community.

We are all creative beings. Our creativity is one of the things that naturally always maintains that concept of equality - no matter what else surrounds our lives in time or space. Creativity is that common thread that can make us all feel 100% equal. It's key to focus on when considering coop tools/platforms.

The present leadership and democracy models are greatly flawed. They are our present coop platforms. They are built on the core concept that certain individuals should hold more power than others. They infer that an individual is better at making important decisions than the group. The oligarchs created the present model, so that they were always guaranteed to maintain control of power and wealth and especially influence over what is possible and not possible in the world.

In the light of digital tech this very traditional solution approach is archaic and totally unnecessary. Digital tech can make us all equals in important coop decision making for all types of collaboration - governance of society (at all levels from local to global), governance within the work place, governance within the family unit, governance within virtual social media/entertainment/initiative circles, etc.

This type of coop platform is coming. It's being developed right now. Be patient but also be very hopeful. We must believe it's possible. Only then will we co-create it into reality.

JR

John Rhoads Wed 30 Nov 2016 4:56PM

Can you indicate the splintered activity you have observed. I'm interested in finding more resources and like you say in unifying these.

SC

Simon Carter Wed 30 Nov 2016 5:06PM

JR

John Rhoads Wed 30 Nov 2016 7:20PM

Excellent sources. Bauwens is one of my favorites as well along with Nathan Schneider, Trebor Scholz, Douglas Rushkoff, David Bollier and the folks at Enspiral and Loomio to name a few - and of course RD. Wolff and the folks at d@w. . I currently am amassing a unified collection of resources that includes http://commonsstrategies.org/. It will include a website, at the suggestion of one of our threads in our group here, that is ambitiously attempting to be a super-inclusive Library of Alexandria for coops and cooperativism. It resides here http://coopeden.zohosites.com/. I'm hoping to get others to contribute to this site.

BA

Betsy Avila Wed 30 Nov 2016 3:21PM

@simoncarter It would be great to hear more about the cooperative movement in the UK perhaps to introduce it to the US audience! Would be great to start a conversation about how we in the US can best help our allies overseas.

SS

Sally Stevens Wed 30 Nov 2016 8:13PM

FYI
D@W is a part of the Next System Project ( http://thenextsystem.org ) as are many others, such as Project Equity ( http://www.project-equity.org/ ) , which has excellent resources on the conversion model of cooperative development whereby retiring business owners sell to their employees. This is an important model for keeping small businesses in our communities and keeping jobs in communities as well.
I've found The Sustainable Economies Law Center ( http://www.theselc.org )

to be a great source of information. Some of us here in New Orleans have started Cooperation Louisiana. Currently we have a Facebook public discussion page ( https://www.facebook.com/Cooperation-Louisiana-1686706951597462/ ) and on Twitter at @CooperationLA ( https://twitter.com/cooperationla )

and hope to have the website up in early 2017.

Another of my favorites is Grassroots Economic Organizing ( http://www.geo.coop/ )

Also we have started Rhythm Conspiracy Productions ( http://www.RhythmConspiracy.com ) here in New Orleans, a Producer Cooperative owned by artists and workers.

Sally

Sally Stevens

New Orleans Cooperative Development Project ( https://www.facebook.com/NewOrleansCooperativeDevelopmentProject )
Rhythm Conspiracy Productions, Inc. ( http://www.RhythmConspiracy.com ),

An Artist & Worker Owned Cooperative Enterprise
[email protected]

(504) 715-6911

JR

John Rhoads Wed 30 Nov 2016 9:58PM

Wow! Thanks so much for this gold mine of info and will incorporate.