In 2012 Enlightenment Theory: A World of Abundance and Self-Governance, I covered various topics that I believe will come together to create a new culture and civilization in which we, as human beings and communities, are able to produce the food, tools and machines needed to maintain society.
The basis of this Theory is the by the end of 2012 (or by the Winter Solstice) enough people will have acknowledged these concepts, and their potential, that their collective work will be enough to produce the society alluded to by the year 2020. Already there are communities emerging around the world that take a lot of these concepts into practice, referred to generically as an “ecovillage“:
However these communities are only beginning to tap into the potential of the concepts that are covered by 2012 Enlightenment Theory. In this article I will attempt to better articulate what this culture will look like, and how it will function.
A Non-Hierarchical Society
Possibly the ideal of Anarchist philosophy, 2012 Enlightenment Theory suggests that we as people have within ourselves the capability to transcend industry, markets, governments and the need for a top-down social structure. This is not communism, as communism is simply the hierarchy attempting to take complete control of all industry. This is a bottom up society, a level playing field. This is each man and woman taking responsibility for themselves, their family, their community and their environment. It is mankind using the systems of nature to create a permanent, abundant, food supply. It is each individual having access to technology that alleviates all need of excess labor. It is our computers powered by free software, update by volunteer programmers.
If your food is grown locally in backyards and rooftops, if water is conserved and harvest from rain and wells, if software is free, if tools can be printed from natural fibers grown in fields, if all of mankind’s needs can be taken care of through locally organized collaborative efforts, then there is no need for money, for markets and industries, and thus no need for governments and corporations. There is no need for competition when cooperation is more productive.
The Omega Male and a Non-Hierarchical Society
The Day in the Life of a Techno-Farmer
The Techno-Farmer wakes up with the Sun. Taking their time they head out to care for the animals, collect some eggs, pick a few leafy greens, some vegetables and fruit from the gardens, food forests and orchards. They look around their land, around their community, and take care of what needs to be taken care of. There land has been prepared for the last few years to require the least amount of labor to care for. The majority of their “work” is done well before noon. The sun brightening their day, fresh air filling their lungs, friends and family waking up on their own schedule to come help make the Techno-Farmer’s morning even easier.
Before or after breakfast, the Techno-Farmer, with or without the rest of their community, takes some time to stretch, meditate, do some yoga, go for a run, swim, hike, walk. It is still not yet midday and the Techno-Farmers has the food they need for the day. Their body is limber, their mind awake. Their soul calm and collected.
Sitting down to eat with friends and family, the Techno-Farmer makes tentative plans for the day. What is there to do? Are there tools and machines that need to be built? Printed? Is their music to play? Stories to write? Art to be produced? Are there still those in their community who go without the necessities of a good life? Perhaps there is no more work for the day. Perhaps the Techno-Farmers decides to watch a movie, read a book, or lay out on the lawn and relax.
How Did the Techno-Farmer Create this “Paradise”?
Sometime during the year 2012 an individual, knowing that the direction that the leaders of society were taking the world was not the direction we needed to go, began looking into different concepts and talking to others in their community and around the world over the Internet.
First the individual discovered Permaculture. Having only a small amount of space to garden, the individual grew what they could, some tomatoes, herbs, and leafy greens. Knowing a few people with more land, the individual shared Permaculture with them and offered to help them in their free time. In beginning to produce a foundation of food for their community, the individual forgot all about the means they previously spent their free time doing and found a greater fulfillment. They recognized that if they spent the next few years working with friends to create as many food forests, gardens and orchards as possible, that they would have even more free time in the future to catch up on all the movies, shows, books and games that they were putting off for the time being. The individual was now able to see and plan for the future, rather than succumbing to immediate escapism. The individual had less need to escape, as now they have begun to see that reality can, in fact, be greater than fiction.
Farmers Develop Agricultural Method to Rid World’s Food, Water and Energy Problems
As the individual started to become a farmer, and began to free themselves from the labor required to earn the money needed to buy the food essential for life, they became curious as to what else was out there to free themselves from the need of money. As it stood, there were still bills That needed to be paid; rent, electricity, water, entertainment, fuel, clothes, etc.
First, they noticed that by taking advantage of Permaculture techniques, they needed less and less water for their gardens. They began digging swales to collect rainwater from ground run off. Watching some videos on the Internet, the farmer decided to build a roof-top rainwater run-off system. They also started looking into gray-water systems. Finally, to fully relieve themselves from the need of city water, they built a well, or put up some more water collection drums around their property, and even found some clean rivers up in the hills and mountains that they could collect water from and store at their house. They began helping their friends do the same thing with their property. A few years into the process and the individual farmer, working with friends and family in their free time, have created a means of acquiring food and water locally and independently, free from city infrastructure, markets and industry. As they studied others working on the same thing, they noticed that while others may have had to do more work, perhaps creating larger community water collection systems, building more wells, they were still able to work with their community to create an system of food and water that was independent of government and industry. Those that were involved did not need money to eat and drink.
The Rainwater Harvesting Community
Some of the farmer’s friends decided to use this new freedom to reduce their work load, as they no longer needed as much money, others decided to continue to work and use their access funds to bring even more luxury and technology into the community. As time and resources become more abundant, the individual and their community began looking into what else they could harness to free themselves from labor. At the same time, their new vision of the future allowed them to see government and politics in a new light. The farmer started to see much of what the government did as a hurdle for them to grow and produce their own resources. Taxes strained their limited funds, and now they knew they very likely would never need government health-care, or subsidies to farms.
With access to a diverse nutritional food source, they noticed their health improving. They were happier. They began looking into herbalism, meditation, yoga and the martial arts to further improve their health and alleviate the need for drugs and medical attention. However, there were still tools and machines that they need to maintain this culture and community, for these things they still needed money and production industries to mine resource and produce goods. From the same sources they discovered Permaculture from, they began finding about other concepts and technologies.
First they discovered Linux. The farmer himself was not incredibly computer literate, but was able to find enough free help on forums and social networks to get his computer running on free software. Games were limited, but they could surf the Internet, make spread sheets, edit video, music and images, and all without ever needing to pay for, or pirate, software. The Farmer showed their friends, and even found someone in their community who was well versed in Linux and open-source software. Not only did they now need less money to maintain their life style, but they saw that companies like Microsoft and Apple were quite irrelevant. However, they still needed hardware, tools and energy. For this they still needed money.
Introduction to Linux: Free and Green
At this point, the emerging Techno-Farmer began looking into money itself. They studied the information they could find on the Federal Reserve, on fractional banking, and fiat currency. The limited money the Farmer had was constantly devalued by the very monetary system that created it. After a couple crashes in the stock-market, after seeing their 401K hit one-too-many times, the Techno-Farmer decided to start investing their savings into Gold, Silver and Copper. The individual noticed that while other people’s saving and retirement were getting them less and less, the value of their Gold and Silver were able to get them more and more. They shared this information with their community, and even found a few vendors who would barter goods for Gold and Silver. That wealth was retained within the community, those coins and metals stayed locally and protected those who invested in them from inflation. But the Techno-Farmer still needed cash to pay electricity bills, rent (or mortage and property taxes) and to buy a lot of the tools and machines they used to maintain their way of life.
The 4 Types of Coins You Will Need to Know to Participate in the Sound Economy
In addition to food and water, Permaculture had also begun reducing the need of electricity and energy for the Techno-Farmer. They needed to drive less to the store, they had raw food that needed less cooking (however they still liked to cook). A lot of other Permaculture practitioners had invested in do-it-yourself solar panels, made bio-fuels from their yard waste, and even made some windmills and water power in streams and rivers that ran through their properties. The Techno-Farmer decided to see what they could buy and build. After a little work and investment, they had free energy. They could cancel their electricity bill. They bought batteries and tanks to store bio-fuel, and planned ahead for winter to make sure they had their energy needs met. But the Techno-Farmer still needed money and industry to create those goods and still had rent and other luxuries that they needed money for.
Well, as the Techno-Farmer developed their land, and helped their friends and family develop theirs, as well, the community around them began to follow suit. Amongst that community were artist, musicians, massusses, teachers, lawyers, and all sorts of talent people, who now free from much of their previous need of money, yet still passionate about their crafts, began offering their services for barter and for free. The Techno-Farmer could go help the artist build the garden, and in exchange the artist continued to produce art for the community. The Techno-Farmer helped the massuese build solar-panels, and got free massages from it. A brew-master down the street, simply amazed at what the Techno-Farmer had brought to the community, dropped a keg of beer off at the Farmer’s house as a sign of good will.
Life was becoming easier and easier. The community was growing closer, working together rather than competing. Nutritious food, clean water, the lack of labor, the sharing of resources, had alleviated much of the stress, tension and anxiety that the Techno-Farmer, and his neighbors had suffered from for so long. Life was good. But there was still need for money to get tools, machines and pay the government to function. Taxes were still taken out, but now the Techno-Farmer began questioning that.
Without the need for much of what society had become reliant on government for gone, the Techno-Farmer was less fearful of Libertarian philosophy, for the most part it actually started making since.
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They still had compassion in their heart, and knew that what his community had been able to accomplish wasn’t available to all, but the need for big government was gone, and the fear of “the other side” destroyed the “lesser-of-two evils” tactic that had kept the farmer voting Democrat, and the businessman voting Republican. Now, the Green Party and the Libertarian movement not only seems reasonable, but incredibly relevant. The Techno-Farmer no longer fell for propaganda, they were now free to vote their conscious and heart. They no longer felt weird voting for a Libertarian Republican, and no longer felt they were wasting their vote by voting Green. Instead they realized that by voting for the establishment Democrats and Republicans, they’d been wasting their vote their entire life. Instead of giving into regret, they decided to let go and move forward.
“Green Party for Congress 2012″ and Why the Green Party is the Third Party in American Politics
As Green and Libertarians became their representatives, the Techno-Farmer became free from the burden of taxes and regulations, and yet at the same time, were able to rest comfortably knowing that those in need were still taken care of and provided for. With they saved in Taxes the Techno-Farmer contributed to non-profits that were helping spread the concepts that helped free their community to those aronud the country, and around the world, who needed this freedom even more them they. The World was becoming a better place. Poverty was being alleviated, and with it, the scarcity that created tension, and justified authoritarian regimes and endless War, ceased. With it, the need for Defense reduced, from a single backyard garden, the world was becoming a better place. But there was still need for money in order to buy tools and machines.
This led the Techno-Farmer back to the Internet. There must be a solution to this last problem. On the same forums that they found about Permaculture, Libertarianism, and Meditiation from, another concept had begun to emerge: Open-Source Hardware. First they found groups of people who were created do-it-yourself plans for many machines that their community needed. Instead of being industry produced machines, the Techno-Farmer could now find refuse materials and buy a few other pieces to build anything from a tractor, car or bread oven. Others got involved. Not only was money saved, and industry unused, but the dumps were being cleaned up, and the Techno-Farmer decided to build some machines to help recycle the materials in near by land fills. They looked into robots and machines that may be able to do a lot of the “dirty-work” for them. They were getting close to the Vision of freedom that was first inspired by that patch of lettuce planted six or seven years back. But there was still a limit to refuse material. There were still things they could not make on their own; computers, phones, small-technical parts to machines. For this they still needed money. They still needed industry.
Then the Techno-Farmer discovered a new technology; 3D Printing. At the point of discovery the technology was still young. But even at its infant stage, amazing things were being produced. So using some saved funds, and pooling together with friends and family, the Techno-Farmer bought the best 3D Printer they could. They still needed money for the material need to print stuff. So, the Techno-Farmer, now growing Hemp that was legalized by the Libertarian and Green Party representatives that they voted into office, created a nature fiber extracting machine. With this, they were able to take their hemp crop, along with a few other plants, and print out a majority of their tools from that. They even printed 3D Printers for their friends and family, who did the same. For metals they started using the materials that they recycled from land fills, built robots to mine what they could find, and continued working on more and more natural fibers that could replace many metal needs. The Gold, Silver and Copper, that previous freed the community from the need of Paper (Fiat) Money, could now be used to build computers and other machines and tools.
The Man and His Machine: A Preview of Our Technological Independence
Food was free, water was free, electricity was free, tools and machines were free, the World was at relative peace, there was no little-to-no need for money, economies, market, industries, corporations and governments. They gradual transition, along with political activism, prevented any Police State type backlash that was predicted once those in power began to loose that power. The rich realized that they were still going to be rich in the new society. Some people resisted, became violent, lost their minds, but over-all it did little to dismayed the individual, their friends, family, community and the rest of the world from moving forward. The new found confidence of society made dealing with violent individuals easier. While murder and rape were still horrific, they did not feel the need to over react once the crime was stopped, prevent, or the individual criminal apprehended. Prisons became small and less needed. Theft was for the most part eradicated, because everything an individual needed was free to produce. There were still those who stole out jealously or some unhealthy impulse, but that didn’t scar anyone, they dealt with it with compassion. The World was actually becoming a better place, and it didn’t take a debate, no convincing others, no arguing, no fighting, no war, no government take over. What it took was a single individual, recognizing their personal responsibility to make their lives better and to better their community and environment, to do the work that they could do, and to stay focused on the good, rather than becoming overwhelmed with the bad. All it took was a Vision and Focus.
How To Stay Focused
If you want to you can consume yourself with the horrible facts of life. You can see the war, the poverty, the corruption. You can decide to distract yourself with the “image” escaping into entertainment. Or you can fill your day with good. You can surround yourself with positive individuals, or let negative individuals direct your life. It is up to you.
My first decision was to turn off the television. I don’t watch the news. I check a few websites for headlines on a occasion, so I can stay up to date, but I know what I want to do. I read about Permaculture, listen to Ron Paul interviews to keep me positive, I play music with friend,s help them build gardens, I work at increasing my practice of Yoga and the Martial Arts. I talk to people about these concepts.
Instead of debating, instead of convincing others, simply express yourself. Find those that agree, and find ways to work with them. Try to motivate other awakened souls. Share with them the concept, sciences and technologies that they have not yet became privy to. The basic tenet of Permaculture is to reduce labor and work, to use existing systems and resources. In this mindset, why argue? Why debate? Why try to convince or “sell”? An individual can only change themselves, trying to change others is actually what prevents the individual from bettering themselves. Why fight when there are enough people who agree with you to fill everyday of your life working with? Why waste your time and energy?
If there is nothing productive coming from a conscious conversation, it is more productive to talk about sports and celebrities. If you aren’t working enjoy yourself. Those that you think are asleep are still great people and have a lot to contribute, perhaps not as productive as you think they should be, but what they should be is not up to you. Let go. Be yourself, be productive when you work and enjoy yourself when you are not working. Don’t judge others, don’t put them down, don’t project your insecurity onto the rest of the world. Be confident in the work you can do. Work on the good so that you can relax when you are around those who just want to escape. They aren’t bad people, you were once asleep, once in the “Cave” or “Matrix.” They will wake up once they notice that waking up has made you a happier person, and if not, your work will create enough abundance that you can care for them while the sleep.
The Laughing Soul: Said the Sun Seeker to the Cave Dweller
A New Calendar for a New Age
More of an added bonus, and extra thought, than a necessary proposal, is the concept of a new Calendar, beginning when the current Mayan Age ends on December 21, 2012. The year would start at the Solstice, the shortest day of the year, and have 13 even months, of 4 weeks, or 28 days, each. The New Month I have dubbed “Jaktober” as a tribute to both my sense of humor and my contribution to the articulation of this concept. I personally have no attachment to this name, I instead wanted to create an alternative to the unaccessible “New Age” names being given to it by the Internet community and forums, which either rename all the months, or call the 13th month “Sol.”
Jaktober and the 13 Month Calendar
Jack Wagner is the Editor of The Free Independent-Sun. Born in Sonoma, California and currently residing in San Francisco, Jack set up The Free Independent-Sun on July 4th, 2009, after sleeping in and not making his usual trip up north for his hometown festivities. He figured he'd do something revolutionary to make up for it. In the Summer of 2010 Jack registered Seraf Media with the City and County of San Francisco as a Sole-Proprietorship. He is dedicated to articulating the finer points of the Revolution in order to bring about a Global Renaissance and Abundant World Economy. He also isn't afraid to get his hands dirty transplanting succulents. 
