Just Do It!
This is Powerful and Fast. We are all in dire straits and
there’s no time left for failure or fiddling around.
It's time to begin treating your world like you treat your
toilet. When your toilet is broken, you fix it. You don't pray
to goddess or God to fix it. You don't go to a protest against the
injustice of its brokenness. You don't write a letter to your
congressperson asking for action. You don't give to a charity for
sick toilets. You don't read or write articles or books arguing
that the socialist way to fix toilets is better than the capitalist
way. Your toilet is important, so you don't piddle around. You
just fix it. If fixing the toilet requires more work than you
can do alone, you get help fast. If the break is complicated, you
problem-solve and plan practically and effectively.
Today and every day, 50,000 people die unnecessarily from poverty.
We are quickly destroying our Earth's species, forests, oceans,
rivers, atmosphere and life support systems. Economic inequality is
worsening. Wars rage. But, judging by the evidence of human
actions, it appears that our planet and the life on it are not
as important to us as our toilets.
This is a call to action. Your friends are calling you. We
need a mass movement. We must use our great numbers. The numbers
are on our side, but we must connect and work together.
We'll stay focused on the root causes of problems: We will
not bother putting Band-Aids on cancer. Lots of folks already do
that. This is an overwhelmingly powerful mass movement. It's about
actually effecting lasting change using whatever efficient means
we all consent to. It’s a global evolution.
We'll seek the highest common denominator: We'll act first
in areas which a critical mass already agrees are the root causes
of our most pressing problems. We will probably deal with divisive
problems like abortion only when we’ve got a good start on ensuring
the biosphere is stable and poverty is ending.
Critical mass will vary depending on the task at hand:
Before acting on a specific project we'll build our numbers until
we have enough people organized to complete that project quickly
and efficiently. What’s the use of protesting the war every
Wednesday afternoon? Let’s organize every afternoon until we can do
one giant action and just end the war in a week.
Barn-building is an effective strategy: Quickly and in a
practical sequence, we will combine our energies and act on as many
groups’ projects as we can. We all help Mary build her barn, then your
barn, then mine.
We'll plan: We'll be proactive, not reactive. We lose
battles fought on ground our opponent chooses. By the way, our
opponent is not individual people. People are all doing the best
they can. The opponent is status quo systems of governance and
commerce in our world in which might makes right, and in which the
needs and potential contributions of the many, the weak and the
voiceless are disregarded.
We'll have fun! Most people move in the direction where they
see the possibility of getting joy, hope and pleasure. We'll foster
a culture that meets everyone's need for a rich, enjoyable and
wholesome life.
Everyone's invited and expected to share an equal role: We
assume that everyone on Earth, in their heart of hearts, is in the
circle and ready, or almost ready, to participate in the process of
determining and taking next steps together.
We'll start where we are: We'll build on the relationships
that already exist, connecting individuals and groups who already
care. We'll not force anything on anyone. We'll not steal anyone's
thunder, money or constituencies.
This is simple: We use commonsense ideas that spread
virally. We avoid artifice, single-issue politics and identity
politics. This is non-invasive, natural, organic, smart and
elegant.
The {r}evolution may not be salaried. First Circles may
financially support their representative’s work, travel and time as
needed. Fundraising beyond this may be helpful, but the lack of
funds should not delay the start of a working sociocracy. This is a
{r}evoluton created because people and the biosphere are in serious
trouble. It is not primarily an organization designed to provide
us, or anyone working on it, with jobs. People will get paid if
that seems like the practical way of speeding the {r}evolution.
But, the {r}evoultion may move fastest without the burdens of
fundraising, tax statuses, salaries, etc.