culture

Alternate Sustainable Lifestyles

Groups: empower thyself

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I'm really into developing community that gets away from the usual lifestyles.  This includes all the corporate dependence that can be trashed.

Working on alternative energy sources is a very good focus, because our basic comfort level and fundamental needs are met by energy.  So that is primary.

Also, development of alternative housing in a rural situation for long term considerations is prime.  This takes a group that works together well.  So forming that group, really a culture.

Culture it turns out has a broader, more intrinsic definition than we think.  We've been led to think that going to the opera (hah) or a party is culture.  No, culture is about needs and purposes.  First order of buisness is determination.

local art

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Tonight some friends and I went to the local (denver) art district to walk the galleries.  The first friday of every month, the galleries on Santa Fe open their doors to the public.  It was a great exchange of culture--there were live bands, dj's,  wine and cheese and other snacks, street performers, and so many different types of art. 

Events like this can be great for gathering inspiration, opening the doors to new art and artists, and can also be a fun way to meet other like minded people in your area.  

I think that communities and strong community ties have become quite underrated by society on the whole.  Festivals like this can be powerful.  If you get a chance, you should experience this sort of thing in your own community.   

next renaissance

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the next period of time when creativity and culture is allowed and encouraged to flourish

We are nearing a time when many of the troubles of the past should be slipping away.

 

The internet connects everyone all at once, allowing the free dissemination of knowledge and ideas, allowing cultures to blend and new cultures to develop, not subject to the former geographical and social boundaries.

 

Our technological skills in growing food, and producing shelter are greater right now than they've been at any point in history. Nobody should be freezing or starving.

 

Our medical knowledge is orders of magnitude further than it's ever been, but people still have needs because of their lack of money.

 

Free tools exist to help unleash peoples' creative energies, but they're too busy or tired or distracted or apathetic to use these tools, to explore their own creative potential.

 

Right now, we should be setting up new systems to end poverty, to drastically increase the potential for education, to ensure everyone gets the medical attention they deserve, and to provide time, freedom, and resources to every person so that they can be free to pursue happiness and contribute to the world.

 

Right now, we should be entering into a New Renaissance, relishing the rich cultures that comprise humanity, pushing our technology to its limits, and enjoying the freedom that our forefathers died for. Right now, we should be doing everything we can to provide future generations with more tools, ideas, and opportunities.

 

We, as an intelligent and thinking community need to all lean together in the direction of freedom. We need to get ordinary citizens to break free from the distractions capturing their attentions and shake loose the shackles of apathy that sap our strength.

 

Society is supposed to be better than anarchy for the freedom it provides us--freedom at a cost, yes, but the point is to provide the greater good to the greater number of people, according to the greater will of the people. We're all in this together because it's better than the alternative.

 

There is a lot of potential, and the internet is providing us with the tools to make it dynamic. It's time we created the next Renaissance.