Spreading participatory economics, spreading hope
What's participatory economics, you might ask? And why do I equate it with hope in my post? In short, it has something to do with the next vancity boards of directors election, and a project that could help change the economy as we know it.
I don't know if enough people will choose to vote for the parecon candidates for the vancity board of directors election (Douglas Gook and Gregory Dean). If they do, I still don't know if they will succeed in their project of spreading participatory economics, in an alliance with other cooperatives and socially-minded collectives. It seems like a tough task, this "fleet of coops". Still, we do know that change does happen in societies, and it has to start somewhere... why not here and now?
I know something about the potential of participatory economics (I read a couple of books about it, but I suggest the wikipedia article or the znet webpage if you don't know what I'm talking about). And I know we are in need of new, different economic models, that
suffer neither from the centralism / authoritarian problems of soviet socialism,
nor from the impoverishing insolidarity of current capitalism / corporatism.
And, mainly, I do know that a big problem for change is the TINA (There Is No Alternative) mentality: we will accept anything if, deep inside, we believe there is no alternative. I believe another world is possible. And other economic models are possible, which promote efficiency and mutual help. Let us study these models, let us spread conscience of this fact, and let us do it by example, by shifting Vancity into the parecon direction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parecon
