Zday 2011 Orange County Long Beach

With about 20 people in attendance at the comfortable and tranquil Avia Hotel in Long Beach, we had plenty of delicious snacks and great discussion.  Thanks go to Mico for securing the venue for us.  I was so pleased that the group felt welcome to participate and share their perspectives.

Originally, I had extracted 25 minutes (in 1 to 3 minute segments) of video from ZMF to use as discussion points.  There are so many research findings shared in the film, but while watching, one doesn't have the time to explore them in more depth.  This was the occasion for that exploration.  In fact, we only made it through 13 minutes of film in nearly three hours!

We took a few moments at the end of the evening to share what we would all do if we weren't forced into wage slavery, and it was great to hear how each person would share his/her individual talents to contribute to society. 

With a nascent movement like this, it is not difficult to find yourself feeling alone in wanting to create the change that is called for in a resource-based economy.  To discuss these topics in more detail with people who already feel compelled to create that change makes for a friendly environment of peers.

Thanks to all those who attended and helped make this event a great one!

Feeding Children, Feeding Ourselves

It's nearly impossible for me to hear a story on news radio that is not about a problem that is created by the monetary system and its engine of scarcity.  People need help, that help is supplied through programs, but programs are under pressure because they never have enough money, which makes providing help so much more limited.  So much money is spent on just getting more money that that money isn't used to actually provide the assistance needed.  The assistance can be from environmental protection groups to education to disaster relief to lighthouses (which apparently no one wants to pay for with their own money).

Heading home Monday evening I heard this brief story about a woman who moved into a trailer park to escape an abusive situation.  She didn't have the help of any welfare programs and she had not enough food to feed her children.  She was desperate and demoralized.   She broke down and finally asked her neighbor for help.  They shared food that night, and that was the beginning of a co-op that emerged to support their whole community.

This story, while heart-breaking, was great in that it serves as a reminder that even though our system is set up to pit each one of us against each other in the battle for the sacred and scarce resource of money, that compassion and sharing can survive in spite of it.  Imagine what could be accomplished if the system actively fostered these qualities?

http://thestory.org/archive/The_Story_010311_Full_Story.mp3/view
(the story I'm referring to appears at around minute 27)