I'm starting a new thread so the direction of FirstLight's "Earth Changes" thread doesn't morph beyond the original intent of her OP. :)
Here is what I wrote in that thread, in response to Eilen, which leads into me start THIS thread. :)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=245&topic_id=110774&mesg_id=110897It seems to me, regardless of how we may envision the future playing out, the bottom line is that more compassionate, cooperative communities are needed NOW. That would at least be a move in the right direction. Moving towards pure communal living may or may not be in the near future, but at least moving into that more cooperative, heart-centered, balanced, compassionate way of being has always felt like a necessity to me, even though I'm not of the apocalyptic mindset. Then again, perhaps the word "apocalypse" is subjective: there are indeed apocalyptic events occurring around the world each and every day. :(
And I'm also not a purist; sure, I'm impatient, but I can take things one step at a time, so long as movement in the right direction is occurring. This is a common theme of the frustration and anger in GD, and I completely understand when others demand a huge shift in how everything works NOW, and the feeling that if that doesn't occur, Mother Nature will do that for us. That absolutely may be so. I don't know anything, so I try to do my small part toward shifting things in a more loving direction, even if it seems in minuscule ways by others when we're facing such dire situations.
I've been very, very focused on cooperatives. We're accustomed to utility and garden co-ops, but why not other types of co-ops? Maybe a new type of organization/venture/enterprise altogether is ready to be birthed. We are still in a world where money is involved, where legal structures are often necessary...maybe a hybrid of things is the way to start to shift things.
I've been posting at the small business forum any links I find regarding cooperatives. For those interested, you may want to check it out:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=264x454For those who wanted to explore this subject of moving forward now in creating new ways of being on this Earth, I thought I'd invite discussion in this thread.
:hi: