Communities – My Fellow Travelers

A Community Concept

My wife is having guests over, so I decided to head to the coffee shop to get some writing done.

It got me to thinking.

The shop in question is comfortable. There are places to sit and read, write, or whatever. It’s got a comfortable living room type atmosphere, with nooks where various types of people tend to gravitate to do their thing (whatever that thing is).

The coffee is not bad and costs about half as much as a certain other well known chain.

It also reminds me a lot of the Manga/Internet cafes that are common in Japan. I’ll go into more detail shortly.

It’s comfortable, but it’s not free. There is the expectation that you will be spending money while you are there.

Now, how this ties into Manga/Internet Cafes:

All over Japan, and especially in larger cities, there are places that are variably called Internet Cafes, Manga Cafes, Net Clubs, and various other names.

The details and level of comfort vary but the default pattern is like this.

You have a place, often a membership club but non-members are ok for a few hundred yen extra. You are basically paying by the hour to use the facility, and most places have an overnight pack for as little as 900 to 1400 yen a night. You just have to check in after 2000 or so.

You have a booth with a computer that will generally have a comfortable chair, a sofa, or just tatami or foam mats. The booth is usually the size of an office cubicle.

While you are there, you have access to the internet, restrooms, and an extensive library of manga and sometimes other more useful books.

It’s kept at a comfortable temperature, and the lighting is kept low in the area with the cubicles.

It is entirely understood that those using the overnight pack will likely be sleeping at least six of their eight to twelve-hour stay.

And on top of all that, these places usually have diner type food available, WiFi, and for 100 yen, you can use the showers.

Needless to say, if I am traveling alone in Japan, I have no need for a hotel. If I’m with my family, of course, it’s a different story.

In addition to what is described above, many also have common areas where you are allowed to talk more and make more noise. This is often where you will find a handful of higher-end computers specifically made for gaming.

So, as all this information was rolling around in my head, a thought occurred to me.

Why could we not do something like this in the US?

A group of people or an organization could come together to buy a building in the city and build just such an establishment. The establishment can then be used to help homeless and at-risk people in its community.

Membership cards can be used as a tool to help eliminate the stigma associated with seeking help. After all, if you tie payment options to a single card (i.e. the account could have a credit/ debit card or PayPal account on file) then no one has to know if the guy who just swiped their card and left had to pay or not.

The addition of a mail room could also allow designated members to have a mailing address for all the purposes or society makes them necessary.

Homelessness is a major issue in our cities. This is not because of some inherent problem with cities, but rather its easier for most people to survive there than in rural environments. Especially come wintertime.

Imagine the impact that would be made if a place was available where people could have access to a community, education (the library), and a hot shower. Imagine being able to list an address on a job application, or knowing that if you can’t scrounge enough for a decent meal you’ll have access to something at least better than microwave ramen.

I like what Japan has done with their Manga Cafes, but I think that if you weren’t worried about making a profit, and wanted to build a community, it could be taken further.

The basic blueprint is already there. We just have to build on that.

The main concerns people are likely to present are funding, security, and privacy.

I’m not going to say these are actually easy hurdles, but I’m going to at least address each of them here.

I list funding first because, in any endeavor, that is the elephant in the room.

Even if what we are discussing helps to subvert the Capitalist system, we are still stuck working in that framework.

Incorporation is going to be a must. Non-profit status may be desirable. Either way, we need to keep its funding separate from our own, except as far as salaries are concerned. An organization also provides continuity.

Funding would have to rely heavily on paying members, donations, and other profitable endeavors that the organization may undertake.

I know this is an incomplete answer, but I think this deserves a conversation of its own rather than just one person saying “this is how it will/should work.”

Security is, perhaps, a little easier to address. We on the left have had a few hundred years at least to think on that one.

First of all, if a facility is operational twenty-four hours a day, it should also be continually staffed.

The people we bring into the fold as staff should all be trained in how to deal with most likely security situations. Flat up, we should police our own. The most important security concern is simply a matter of being present. Being present will minimize theft as well as preventing most other issues from escalating.

For things beyond that, training.

I don’t want to create a place of safety and comfort for societies most abused just to invite their most likely abusers in the moment things get stressful.

While we should not be antagonistic to law enforcement, we should not invite them in for any situation that the law does not specifically require it.

If that makes me sound a bit like a mob boss, fuck it. Another thing my time in Japan helped me to learn was an odd degree of respect for properly organized organized crime.

Now, privacy:

Our society attaches stigma to fucking everything, especially anything related to poverty.

Once established, we should make our presence known and facilitate those who need our services. We should also take measures to eliminate the separation between those who are paying customers and those who are not.

Membership cards make this sort of thing a lot easier than may have been in the past. No one has to know what status is associated with a card. No one has to know if the person in line ahead of them is a regular customer, or if they basically live there.

And for those approaching us for the first time, again, that is where training comes in.

Those who such an organization employs must share the organization’s values as much as possible. They need to understand discretion and compassion. They need to be the sort that is willing to say “fuck it,” and write off a meal as a loss in the ledger rather than let someone go hungry. And those in charge have to give them the authority to do so.

So, in summary:

I would love to see something similar in structure to the Manga/Internet cafe in Japan taken to another level and leveraged towards fighting poverty.

I think it could work, but it would have to be an intentional effort, and the initial resources would be a heavy lift.

I’ve been trying to find a way to express these ideas for a while. I’m surprised I didn’t think of this sooner.

Feel free to comment on this post. Going forward we have to communicate and share ideas.

Going forward, we need to work together to find solutions to local and global problems.

Neurons and Synapses

The brain (be it human, or that of another creature) is made up of millions and billions of tiny cells called neurons. These neurons are separate from one another, but also connected.

The real power of the brain lies not in the neurons themselves, but within the connections.

We call these connections synapses. A synapse is the space between two neurons, where information is passed back and forth. Little bursts of energy go from one to the other. This allows billions of individuals, that independently can only do so much, to work together to do the massive work of making the Human brain function.

Humans are like this as well. We always have been, but modern technology makes the comparison even more apt.

The Human species functions like a massive brain. Each of us are independent neurons, going about our business and doing what we can on our own. It is, however, the connections that we make with other beings that really make the world go round.

It is our connection to other Human beings that allows us to be who and what we are.

It is our connection to other Human beings that allows us access to a vast pool of knowledge and resources that one person alone could never hope to amass.

It is also through these connections that we experience each other, and develop emotions, understanding, empathy, and compassion.

Compassion is perhaps the most important of these traits. It is compassion that leads us to do what is right for our species as a whole rather than just ourselves. It is compassion that helps us to understand that the path to true happiness and comfort for one, is the path to true happiness and comfort for all.

We as Humans are all interconnected.

As individuals, we can only do so much, know so much, experience so much. As an interconnected species, however, we have gathered the knowledge of the ages, and our collected experiences go well beyond what any of us could dream.

We should remember this in our dealings with other people. You cannot touch one, without touching the whole. Taking care of one, is taking care of the whole.

Word of the Day: Solidarity

noun: unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group.

Solidarity is one of the most important concepts when you are working for social change. It is a vital concept when you are working to build communities. It means finding your common ground, and supporting each other in those areas where you can agree. It does not always mean that you agree with each other one hundred percent, but that you agree sufficiently to work together and support each other.

Solidarity is standing together for a cause. Sometimes it is a common cause. Sometimes it is an ally’s cause. Sometimes it is your cause.

Sometimes it means opening your mouth when someone is abusive or oppressive.

Sometimes it means standing in the soaking rain outside some politician’s house because you want them to know what you think of their voting record.

Sometimes it means standing beside your allies, through thick or thin, even if you think their cause is insane. It might not be your cause, but it is theirs.

Sometimes it means being the only Liberal or leftist in the room, standing beside a Republican who is talking sense, when everyone else is turning him out because he is a Republican (or the other way around).

Sometimes it means ignoring faction lines all together and standing by your fellow man. When a house is being raised, or you have twelve hours to get the harvest in before a storm, who stops to ask if the person beside them is in the same political party?

Sometimes it just means setting your issues aside for a bit to see what someone else needs help getting done.

Building a Strong Foundation

I was looking to verify something else, when I stumbled upon this link:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/secede.asp

It is important to remember, in political discourse, that we all have a right to voice our opinion even if that opinion is unpopular, or even a little fringe.

As with the petitions that this link talks about however, it is also important to remember that while 100,000 people may seem like a lot of people (the largest number of signatures any of the petitions got was a little over 100,000), they still represent less than 1% of the population of any of the states involved.

The secessionists have a right to speak, but the rest of us need to remember that we as a nation are still relatively unified and should continue to be as we move forward as a nation.

We need to put aside all the petty bickering, and look at the real issues. We need to ignore the media for a few days and look at what is going on in our cities and towns and neighborhoods.

We need to get together as neighbors and move forward to repair our nation’s economy and to create strong communities, regardless of political affiliations.

The community, especially the neighborhood, and even more closely our households and families, are the most basic unit of society. If you look around, you will see that most likely your neighbor has the same wants, needs, and worries as you do. This is true even if you are a Democrat and he or she is a Republican (or some other combination of politician ideologies). At the community level we can work together to make our neighborhoods healthier and stronger.

By building up our communities and making them cleaner, safer, and more self-sufficient, we are creating a solid foundation. After all, communities are the building blocks of larger communities. They are the building blocks of a nation. If the foundation is more firm, then the nation will be stronger.

The first step is to address how you look at your neighbor. Do not look at them and think they are White, or Black, or Asian, or Arab. Do not look at them and think they are Catholic, or Muslim, or Baptist, or Atheist, or Jew. Do not look at them and think they are wealthy or poor. Look at them and think “They are my neighbor, my brother, my sister, a part of my community.”

Really, truly, everything else flows from this one little change. This one little detail in the way that you look at the world is the basis for everything else that needs to be done to repair the world that we live in.
From there, start a dialogue. It may not be easy at first, but be patient. The first step is just to communicate. Talk. Discuss whatever you want. This may sound pointless, but it is not. It helps to establish a consistent language between you and them.

We live in a world that has been divided consistently by the media and by the people who run the political parties. This division has lasted long enough that two people who follow two different political ideologies quite likely speak two different languages that sound so similar that when they collide it is explosive. Two people can use the exact same words and mean two totally different things. This is part of the healing process. This is part of the damage that must be undone.

As you continue to communicate, look to the community and see what is needed. Are the streets dirty? Are the street lights damaged? Is anyone in your neighborhood going to bed hungry at night? Is there anyone that does not have a bed? Even if they have no house, they are still a part of the community and should be lifted up and cared for.

As a member of the community, you will know better than any bureaucrat what the needs of your community are. And what you don’t know, others will. Dialogue will still be important at this point. It will still be important all along, and for the rest of eternity. Never let the dialogue end. It is what strengthens the bond of the community and makes it an extended family.

If there are people who are hungry, then decide how to help them. Are there the resources to feed them? Are there any empty lots that could be made into gardens? Depending on the time of year, and the annual weather patterns, a community garden can go a long way towards eliminating hunger. If you eliminate hunger, and homelessness, then you effectively eliminate poverty. Those are the two things that will hold an individual back the most. If you must fight to survive, then you have little energy for other things. If you have food and comfort, then you can survive most other things.

If the street lights are broken, then they can be repaired. If the city refuses to repair them, then the people must. There is a group in Detroit that is doing just that. They are not only repairing the streetlights, they are upgrading them to run on solar power.

If the streets are dirty, then the people can work together to clean them.

Every little bit helps. Every hour that you spend improving your neighborhood and improving your community is an investment in the future. Every bond of friendship that you make, regardless of differences in ideology, is an investment in the future of Humanity as a whole. Every garden you plant is an investment in food security. Every house you build or repair is an improvement in someone’s life.

Our world has some problems. Our nation has some problems. We all know this. We can work together though to help each other and to make our own little individual parts of the world better.

No contribution is too small. If you are afraid that you lack what it takes to start, then you must put those ideas aside. Every last one of us should do what we can, even if we do not see immediate results. If we stand together, and move together, then others will slowly start to follow.

Now is the time for people to stand up, and stand together, and take control of the future of their communities. Don’t ask your neighbor “Are you a Republican,” or “Are you a Democrat,” or “Are you a Christian,” or “Are you a Buddhist.” Ask only “Do you want to make this community better?”

When it comes to ideologies and beliefs, that is the only question worth asking, and the only one that makes a difference. We are all human. We all know what it means to make our community better. When we stop looking at the horse and pony show that is national politics, and start looking at our home, we all see the same thing.