Relational Utopia
There is a popular saying that goes, "it' takes a village to raise a child." There is another interpretation, in Swahili, that follows as "whomsoever is not taught by the mother, shall be taught by the world."
This proverb is important because it reflects on the value that not only your mother provides, but what the members of your community provide to you as well.
When I think of what a relational utopia looks like, I think of traditions many Native Americans had followed. The depth of understanding, and their spiritual connection to the choices they made, allowed them to thrive as a society.
Each action they performed had been followed by a deeper acknowledgement, the seeds they planted into the Earth would provide them with fuel to strengthen their community.
Many members in Native communities had been heavily involved with the expansion of their tribe. When babies were born, every member would arrive with a gift, no matter how big or small. This offering reassured their commitment to contributing to a flourishing society, as well as one's identity with their role in this community.
In our society, this obligation is more enticing when financial compensation is involved. Having lived in a capitalist country, many of these values have faded due to the price we have put on our time and energy. When you ask people to help you with a project, most often the response will be "what's in it for me?" The negatives in living in a money-driven society is that we are unable to enjoy much of much without having a good sum of money.
Gas is 4-5$, driving anywhere costs you
Eating out, even at fast food places, is a minimum of 20$
Thrift stores, donation centers, are a minimum of 5$ for a shirt, $7 for pants.
Department stores are 5$ for a shirt 20$ for pants.
Groceries for a family of 4 average out to about 160$, most families shop every week, when you're living paycheck to paycheck you make everything last as long as you can.
Rent is minimum $2k, not including utilities
Car payments + Insurance are minimum 200$
money money money money money money money money money money money money money
Personally it is hard for me to imagine living in an anti-capitalist society. The opposite of capitalism is communism, which i haven't entirely studied so i don't feel i am informed enough to speak on it's behalf. it is something many have looked down upon for generations. When people think of capitalism, they think of the ability and opportunity to privately own land and their goods.
However, privately owned businesses have formed into a monopoly with collusion of the state. Private equity firms own 10% of apartments in the US. In my city alone, more than half of our residences are owned my private equities. 12 private equities own most of the apartments in the Bay Area. These are companies that are 5x more likely to increase the rent over landlords that are considered "mom and pops" and/or individual citizens. Private equities owning housing is not being looked at as a profit margin as opposed to housing families. Housing discrimination is alive more than ever with companies focusing on this. We are reliving the midst of the housing crises in '08, except rather than offering housing to everyone no questions asked, no one is able to afford living in the hundreds of thousands of apartments they've created. Unhoused situations and apartment vacancies are both high.
So what would a relational utopia look like if everyone just figured it out?
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scumscraper Community Member |
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