The version I posted here needs formatted. I will edit it eventually, but in the mean time you can go to my blog to find a better version. I also have the original version on my google documents—just ask for it.
This is a work of fiction.Introduction
Our man Tom, driven by his desire to help alleviate the suffering around him—an infliction that was all too common in the early twenty first century—dedicated himself to finding a solution.
You won’t read about him in any school books, nor in the media, and that is intentional—it is not a conspiracy by shadowy figures in some smoky back room, no, it was Tom’s intent that you not know about him (but what he did merits recognition.)
Honestly, it will not hurt his cause to give you a little background.
He was brought up to believe in the potential for goodness in everyone; and when he went through the period of his life where he questioned and then decided what he believed, he kept the belief in the potential for goodness in everyone, but he tempered it with the realization that many are ignorant of their potential.
Now, don’t get too lost in thinking about Tom. He went back to his simple life, and we’ll leave him to it.Instead, what follows is the work he did for all of us.
Tom spent several years creating and spreading agitation propaganda—a sample of which is included.
He then spent some time writing letters to editors—a sample of the relevant ones are included.
And much to his surprise, the culmination of his years of work manifested as a small document—the value of which, you can judge.
Part I
Agit.Prop.
Wake Up!
You are cattle,Happily chewing your cud,Doing what you are told.
Have you consideredwhat the Masters of humanityhave in store for you?
Do you seethe Slaughter house ahead?
Why do the super wealthy not worryabout Climate Change,Pollution,The Suffering of the Masses,and that Thousands DIE every dayof Starvationbecause of theUnequal Distribution of Goods?
Because,You keep workingto enrich them!
Do not seek to punish the elite—it is not a constructive approach,And you are outgunned.
Simply, walk away.Do not support them.Avoid everything corporate.Keep most of your moneyin your local economy(though, trade is not bad.)
Know what you buy,You vote with your money.
Business has no heartit has no blood,though it can spill much blood.
Business does not careabout you,but it is comprised of peoplewho would if they knew.
Those who run businesses,Even the Masters of the worldare Human,they must be liberated too!
Direct Actiongets the goods.
When theGlobal Non-violent RevolutionBegins,JOIN THE STRIKE!
Let us Liberate ALL of Humanity.
There is no “Them,”we are all US.
During a general strike
Lock down the intersections
First row lock arms togetherSecond row lock arms betweenthe first and third rowsContinueuntilthe intersectioniscompletely blocked
Use LOVE todissolve FEAR
Hate is a product of Fear
There is nothing to fear
We are all Human
There is no “Them,”we are all us.
It will not be too difficultit will not be too painfulandit will not take much time
If we all just pitch inand Get ‘er done.
JOIN theGlobalNon-violentRevolution!
REvolutionis theEvolution of revolution
It stands fortheGlobal Non-violent Revolutionto instilla UniversalEgalitarian Constitution
Long Live Liberation!
Part II
Lettersto theEditor
I.
I am writing today to share my vision for the world. In my quest to change the world, to make it a more just place, I was told many times that to bring forth a new world we would need to envision it—and it would need to be accepted by the vast majority of people (it could not be brought about by dictate.) So, after years of testing, here is a partial vision for our shared future.
There must be a balance of liberty and responsibility. There must be rules to protect the weak from exploitation, but there must be as much freedom as can be had for those who are responsible. The state cannot dictate our lives, but there is a valid roll for the state (or some other form of organization) to play.
Perhaps a democratic confederacy of city states with a universal constitution? City states would allow for individuals to live with like-minded people, and a universal constitution would secure basic rights for all. This system would also allow for individuals who want to live outside of the city states but still have protection of law.
II.
What if you were told that you cannot grow, posses, buy or sell garlic? Doesn’t make much sense, does it? If you choose to enjoy garlic, so be it. The same should apply for all plants—save the selling to those who would be harmed by it (think: vampires.) It seems simple enough, prohibit the sale of garlic to vampires rather than banning it for everyone. And require science and reason to prove harm.
III.
What if the whole world shared one army? With no other armies to fight, war would be pointless. Laws could easily be put in place to limit the scope of the army’s influence, and considering the great power we would be entrusting them it would only be prudent to limit the actions they can take to stopping aggression by armed forces. We could make them a force for peace instead of war.
We would probably want some kind of global police force too, but it would need to have severe restrictions because local police forces tend to be hotbeds of corruption and abuse of power.
Maybe the global police could only be called in when the local law keepers have proven to be insufficient or worse. Also, a citizen review board with prosecutorial power would be beneficial.
Basically, none should be above the law. As currently practiced, wealthy, connected, powerful people appear to be—this must change.
IV.
I begrudge no one ethically earned wealth. Although, I do feel there ought to be a cap on the amount an individual can have. Honestly, if you cannot live with a hundred million dollars, then you need help.
I think that the wealthy should be audited, and any ill-gotten gains should be redistributed or used to help everyone.
I would like to see such audits take place every ten years.
V.
What would a global non-violent revolution look like?I imagine it would take the form of a general strike, none working to support our current system, but rather demanding a basic universal egalitarian constitution be implemented before anyone moves forward. No destruction, no punishment.
Amnesty for all but the most dangerous. Rehabilitation before release for prisoners.
Incarceration should be reserved for violent offenders. Expulsion from the community for all other serious offenses. Habitual offenders who continue to return could be imprisoned, but violent and non-violent offenders must be kept apart—so as to not create injustice.
VI.
We should all be educated on critical thinking skills to better understand and defend our own authority.
VII.
Perhaps, we could take stock of all the arable land and divide it evenly to all people, who could then live on the land or lease it to farmers or nature preserves in order to secure their housing, healthcare, food, security, and education.
VIII.
I imagine a world where we are all encouraged to meet our full potential but allowed to do so in any way we choose that does not infringe upon the equal liberty of all.
A world where we have a basic safety net providing housing, healthcare, food, security, education, and vocation if we need it, but where it is not forced on us.
A world where we are free to be who we are, to love how we want, to live how we choose, but a world where we are encouraged to grow, to better ourselves.
A world where truth is valued over comfort, where everyone is equal, where we are judged by our actions, not our affiliations.
A world where we value life but do not take ourselves too seriously.
A world where we are free to live alone, or in communities of like-minded individuals, or in communities of diversity.
A world where war is illegal and intelligence is valued.
The thing is, we do not need another world, we just need to rearrange our own.
Part III
AUniversalEgalitarianConstitution
Preamble to the Constitution for An Egalitarian Order
We, humans, having reason, are born with the inalienable right to live our lives as we see fit. We are the sole owners of our bodies, minds, and labor; and as our histories have proven many times, we need a legal structure to defend our rights from those who seek to exploit us and to enforce our responsibilities in order to prevent us from exploiting each other. The foundation of our legal structures are constitutions; and it being the nature of power to corrupt, we must avoid granting too much power to institutions and organizations of governing, so it is that we are compelled to implement a universal constitution to govern all self-aware beings.
The Constitution for a Universal Egalitarian Order
Total liberty, save the liberty of the rest; shall be the base of all law. No laws can be enforced that do not hold to this base.
The only restrictions on individual liberty are those that are needed to ensure equal liberty for all.
All laws must adhere to the hierarchy of rights and responsibilities; the supreme rights and responsibilities are those of the individual, followed by the rights and responsibilities of the collective—which may manifest as a state, or any other organization that individuals so deem fit—and last in the hierarchy are the rights and responsibilities of business—business being integral to human organization makes it essential to regulate, and the impact on individual liberty makes it essential to limit those regulations.
The Rights and Responsibilities of the Individual:
It is the right of the individual to live life as one sees fit, so long as they do not infringe upon the equal liberty of others; and to aid in the pursuit of one’s life, it is the right of the individual to have housing, healthcare, food, security, education, and vocation—these rights will henceforth be called the six rights of the individual.
It is the right of the individual to engage or refrain from engagement in the market.
It is the responsibility of the individual to make a good faith effort to learn how to conduct one’s life in an ethical manner so as to not infringe upon the equal liberty of others.
It is the responsibility of the individual to actively seek to learn critical thinking skills in order to secure the rights of oneself, and to defend the rights of the collective, and to defend the universal constitution and the order it protects.
The Rights and Responsibilities of The Collective:
It is the right of the collective to be free from the tyranny of any who infringe upon the equal liberty of all.
It is the right of the collective to actively protect the web of life in any way that does not infringe upon the equal liberty of all.
It is the right of the collective to form unions, or any organization(s) to implement and protect the equal liberty of all, so long as it does not infringe upon the liberties of the individual.
It is the right of the collective to do what is necessary to ensure the six rights of the individual, so long as it does not infringe upon the equal liberty of all.
It is the responsibility of the collective to nurture the individual by designing and implementing plans to support the six rights of the individual.
It is the responsibility of the collective to protect the web of life.
It is the responsibility of the collective to ensure the survival of humanity and the biodiversity of life through the responsible and ethical exploration and colonization of space.
The Rights and Responsibilities of Business:
It is the right of business, as operated by either an individual or collective of individuals, to engage in the market.
It is the right of business to reasonably profit from ethical endeavors that are of benefit, so long as such actions do not infringe upon the equal liberty of all.
It is NOT a right of business to be deemed an individual, to engage in usury, to pollute the physical environment nor the socio-cultural environment, to own land, nor to own any steak in other businesses.
It is the responsibility of business to be of benefit to life, and to actively seek good citizenship over profits.
It is the responsibility of business to supportthe six rights of the individual, and at the very least to not impede them in any way.
It is the responsibility of business to have the uncoerced consent of the majority of individuals within the community/ies wherein the business operates.
It is the responsibility of business to create no waste.
Upon ratification by 2/3 of individuals within a community, this constitution becomes law within that community, thereby amending or, when need be, abolishing any laws that do not conform to this constitution.
Upon ratification by 2/3 of humanity, this constitution becomes law for humanity, thereby amending or, when need be, abolishing existing laws.
All laws conforming to this constitution are neither amended nor abolished by this act.
This constitution can be amended by a majority of 4/5 of all individuals.The amendment process is initiated when called for by 3/5 of all individuals.
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