God planted this Garden of Eden, yessirree, every plant, from deadly nightshade and poison ivy, to goldenrod and marijuana...
What became of the Commons in our world? The economy grew when everyone laid claim to the Commons and started selling it to each other. The economy is pure superstition. Call it a god-o-meter and the scientists would attack it with a hairpin to deflate it. But the economy! Those white men with degrees in business suits might as well be Aztec priests, ripping out hearts to keep their superstitions on the upswing.
The Commons gets sacrificed to the gods (the economy in America). What we haven't seemed to realize is that we are sacrificing our habitat (what I would suggest might be our "actual" god) for our superstitious god (the economy). We are in a short-sighted, bum deal. At least that is the (finite) game many are playing.
I've been trying to play a different game, an infinite game, namely that of re-imagining the Commons and freely sharing. The raspberries in "my" yard become my neighbors' starts, and my friends' wine, and the kids' spontaneous afternoon snack (as well as a snack for the help down the street). A yard freely shared with the Commons has yielded not weeds, but food, medicine and mulch. Now if we can re-imagine rain...
Sharing makes a strange economy. It's hard to convert time, things and energy freely given over to dollars and then back again. I think it feels good to take it when it comes, and give it when it's needed. It doesn't take a scientist, a social service agency, or a poll to figure out when someone needs a hand, and to jump in whenever you're handy.
And a blessing from poverty, freely sharing is much more likely. When you are unencumbered by stuff and a job, you're more likely to have the time and energy to engage in what used to be called community. It wasn't a Community Resource Department doling out government dollars, but people who genuinely cared about each other. That's better (self) health care, life insurance, and social security than money can buy.
carey
What became of the Commons in our world? The economy grew when everyone laid claim to the Commons and started selling it to each other. The economy is pure superstition. Call it a god-o-meter and the scientists would attack it with a hairpin to deflate it. But the economy! Those white men with degrees in business suits might as well be Aztec priests, ripping out hearts to keep their superstitions on the upswing.
The Commons gets sacrificed to the gods (the economy in America). What we haven't seemed to realize is that we are sacrificing our habitat (what I would suggest might be our "actual" god) for our superstitious god (the economy). We are in a short-sighted, bum deal. At least that is the (finite) game many are playing.
I've been trying to play a different game, an infinite game, namely that of re-imagining the Commons and freely sharing. The raspberries in "my" yard become my neighbors' starts, and my friends' wine, and the kids' spontaneous afternoon snack (as well as a snack for the help down the street). A yard freely shared with the Commons has yielded not weeds, but food, medicine and mulch. Now if we can re-imagine rain...
Sharing makes a strange economy. It's hard to convert time, things and energy freely given over to dollars and then back again. I think it feels good to take it when it comes, and give it when it's needed. It doesn't take a scientist, a social service agency, or a poll to figure out when someone needs a hand, and to jump in whenever you're handy.
And a blessing from poverty, freely sharing is much more likely. When you are unencumbered by stuff and a job, you're more likely to have the time and energy to engage in what used to be called community. It wasn't a Community Resource Department doling out government dollars, but people who genuinely cared about each other. That's better (self) health care, life insurance, and social security than money can buy.
carey
