Capitalism, the illusion of freedom and alternate modes of living

9 July 2024

Communes

Class is clearly an issue.

Freedom to the person is tainted because of the lack of time, money and resources we are deprived of, to truthfully do what we want.

Australia. Corporate financial situations.

On the personal level to each one of us, now.

Reflecting on family. Putting that aside. The last two - three years have been about family.

‘Art making’ to sit alongside the concepts that I have. Why do I rely on capitalism? Because the people I know relied on it for their survival.

What do we do from here?

Focus out attention and energy on localised making, localised making, local building. The system of the world domineers the world in large scale modes and so what we are left with are the corridors and pathways that they lay out for us.

What can possibilities within all of this do for us?

My own research.

“Life under capitalism means living under a planned economy while being told you are free” Grace Blakeley, political commentator and economist (2024).

In Rutger Gregman’s book Humankind, the main preface that he states is on the way in which we choose to perceive people. If we make an assumption that all people are inherently evil, selfish and self-conceited, which is what our current cultural economy works under, than that is likely what you will get more out of. In turn, when you actively expect the best or assume that other human beings (as well as all living creatures) are selfless, considerate and kind people, they will very likely treat you the same way back.

This argument is highly relevant because we are currently living in the thick of a social and cultural society and era, and have been for a long time, in which our default position is to assume people to be unworthy and incapable. This is not simply an opinion but it is legitamised and realised in our world system based upon the laws that are in place, the structuring of time, of what we do with our time and how we choose to exist in the world. Our capabilities and capacities are all imbedded on by the structure of how life is constructed.

De-centralise, democratise and localise livelihood.

Grace Blakeley says the same thing.

‘Most people, if you give them power and if you give them the resources that they need to come together and make decisions and act cooperatively, will come up with brilliant ideas, brilliant solutions to problems and with the mechanisms to implement them’ Grace Blakeley (2024).

This argument does not exist in isolation either. Metaphysical and pseudo-science theories point to the same notion at play.