The following is part of a work in continuous progress. It is what I call a “cut and paste” document, composed in this case of a series of ideas, thoughts, revelations and words, some of which are my own and others are from various other sources. It is a simple collection of information which is of great importance to me and which gives my life some meaning and purpose. It is not a manifesto or any type of final document claiming to contain the Ultimate Truth. It has grown and changed numerous times since its first words were typed. Based on this I feel that it will continue to grow and change as I, myself have and will continue to do. Following the advice of my Inner Voice, I have decided to share it for reasons that may or may not be obvious.
“All wisdom is plagiarism, only stupidity is original”
_____________________________________________________________
part 1
Mutual Aid Society:
El que a buen arbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija.
Whenever I hear the old bomba song that goes... "estoy buscando un arbol que me de sombra...," 'I'm seeking a tree which will give me shade,’ I always think of this saying my father has repeated to me countless times. When the sun is really hot out and my father sees us just standing out in the open, getting burned, he says: "los bueyes son mas brutos y buscan la sombra,” 'oxen are dumber than you and they seek the shade.' We are all out in the sun, and there are only a few good trees around. And as the old saying tells us, if you approach a good tree, you will find good shade.
If we study the history of Humanity, it becomes evident to us, that in this world, in this society we are a part of, most individuals only demand and pursue their own individual benefit and happiness (individualism).
society
so.ci.e.ty n., pl, -ties, adj. -n. 1. a network of relationships by blood and marriage. 2. an organized group of persons associated together for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes. 3. a body of individuals living as members of a community. 4. human beings collectively, associated or viewed as members of a community. 5. a structured system of human organization for collective community living that furnishes protection, continuity, security, and national identity. 6. the condition of those living in companionship with others or in a community, rather than in isolation. 7. a community. 8. Ecol. a closely integrated group of social organisms of the same species held together by mutual dependence and exhibiting division of labor. Syn. 1. association, fraternity (brotherhood/sisterhood).
A happy and prosperous life is generally, one with a true objective and without misdeed and aberration. A life possessing a good and praiseworthy demeanor, performing good deeds and having a confident, strong, and peaceful heart in this turbulent world we live in.
happiness
hap.pi.ness, n. 1. the quality or state of being happy. 2. good fortune; pleasure contentment; joy. 3. aptness or felicity, as of expression. 4. contentedness, delight, enjoyment, satisfaction. HAPPINESS, BLISS, CONTENTMENT, FELICITY; implies an active or passive state of pleasure or pleasurable satisfaction. HAPPINESS results from the possession or attainment of what one considers good. BLISS is unalloyed happiness or supreme delight. CONTENTMENT is peaceful kind of happiness in which one rests without desires. FELICITY is a formal word for happiness of an especially fortunate or intense kind. 5. welfare and prosperity.
In this World happiness is not possible without the total provision of all means of existence, all the things we need to stay alive. Through knowledge and understanding, we come to realize that we could never perform and prepare all our deeds on our own. So realizing that we cannot solve the problems of life and reach perfection by ourselves and in order to provide the means of our ideal happiness (welfare and prosperity), we necessarily submit ourselves to a social life (society) which supplies our needs. We come to understand that cooperation is the most practical means of achieving our goal, happiness (welfare and prosperity).
By natural law, we are all entitled to certain basic "unalienable rights.” We all have the right to a private identity of our own: a body, a family, a clan, a tribe, a nation, etc. The right to inhabit our own private physical space; a room, a house, a village, a country... that will act as our protective shell, and in which we can remain as an uncompromised and absolute personality. We all have the right to basic privileges such as food, clothing and shelter.
family
fam.i.ly, n. 1. parents and their children, whether living together or not. 2. any group of persons closely related by blood. 3. a group of persons who form a household under one head. 4. a group of related people. 5. a unit operating in one area under a local leader. 6. subdivision of an order in classification.
clan
clan. n. 1. a group of families or households, the heads of which claim descent from a common ancestor. 2. a group of people of common descent; family. 3. a group of people, as a clique, set, or society, united by some common trait or interest. 4. Antropol. the principal kinship unit of tribal organization based on unilateral descent.
tribe
tribe. n. 1. any aggregate of people united by ties of descent from a common ancestor, community of customs and traditions, adherence to the same leaders, etc. 2. a local division of aboriginal people. 3. a company, group or number of persons. 4. a class or set of persons. 5. a social group that has a strong sense of identity and may have a family arrangement as its core.
nation
na•tion, n. 1. a body of people, associated with a particular territory, that is sufficiently conscious of its unity to seek or to process a government peculiarly its own. 2. the territory or country itself. 3. an aggregation of persons of the same ethnic family, often speaking the same language or cognate languages
community
com.mu.ni.ty. n. 1. a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and have a common cultural and historical heritage. 2. a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests. 3. Ecol. a population of organisms occupying a given area. 4. joint possession, enjoyment, liability, etc.: community of property. 5. similar character; agreement: community of interests. 6. the community, the public; society.
Social orientation and the protection of others is essential in preserving these privileges. Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality are vital attributes of mutual aid, and without any of these, there is no security, no rest, no play, no reward for one’s efforts. All efforts in human contact have the primary goals of Fellowship/Love, Reproduction, and Freedom.
This is what makes humans social beings. The need to acquire the means of their livelihood collectively. It is in this way, that they can work hand in hand with other members of their society to ensure their own welfare and prosperity. They all work for one another and pile up the outcomes of their activities. That is to say, each person works to provide some of the means and makes them available for all. Then all individuals gather the outcome of their activities in proportion with their activity and social status, in accordance with their positions and the extent of their endeavor. All the members of the society take a share of the means and use it to manage their own personal lives.
My father often uses another popular saying: "Cumple con tus deberes y disfrutaras de tus derechos". 'Comply with your duties, and you will enjoy your privileges' (Hostos). In a productive society Humans acquire the means of their livelihood collectively. A productive society is an organization, a structured system, or closely integrated group of human beings living in companionship with each other within a community. This community provides them with protection, continuity, security, and collective identity. It is held together by mutual dependence and exhibits division of tasks. In a simpler term, we can identify this type of network as a Mutual Aid Society (MAS).
Mutual-Aid is a feature of the greatest importance for the maintenance of life, the preservation of a group, and its further evolution. Mutual Aid (which leads to mutual confidence, the first condition for courage) and individual initiative (the first condition for intellectual progress) are two factors infinitely more important than mutual struggle.
There is obvious strength in mutual support and mutual confidence. Life in societies is the most powerful weapon in the struggle for life, taken in its widest sense, it enables us to resist, or to protect ourselves from, the most terrible enemies; it permits longevity; it enables the group to grow and prosper with the least waste of energy.
Let us take the examples of ants and bees; an isolated living organism could hardly survive, yet, owing to their practice of mutual aid, they obtain the wide extension, which we know, and the intelligence we admire. By working in common, they multiply their individual forces. By resorting to a temporary division of labor combined with the capacity of each bee to perform every kind of work when required, they attain such a degree of well-being and safety as no isolated animal can ever expect to achieve however strong it may be. In their combinations they are often more successful than humans, when we neglect to take advantage of well-planned mutual assistance.
Association is found in the animal world at all degrees of evolution. In the case of humans, it becomes a voluntary deviation from habitual moods of life or instinct. The combination tends to appear in two or more degrees - the family first, then the group, and finally the association of groups, habitually scattered, but uniting in case of need.
association
as.so.ci.a.tion. n. 1. an organization of people with a common purpose. 2. act of associating. 3. the state of being associated. 4. friendship; companionship. 5. connection or combination. 6. the connection or relation of ideas, feelings, sensations, etc. 7. an idea, image, feeling, etc., suggested by or connected with something other than itself; an accompanying thought, emotion, or the like; an overtone of connotation. 8. Ecol. a group of organisms of one or more species living together under uniform environmental conditions and having a uniform and distinctive aspect. -Syn. 1. alliance, society, company, fellowship.
Community also takes higher forms, guaranteeing more independence to the individual without depriving it of the benefits of social life; where the individual has its own dwelling, to which it can retire to when it prefers being left alone; but the dwellings are laid out in villages and cities, so as to guarantee to all inhabitants the benefits and joys of social life. It is not imposed, as is the case with ants and bees, by the very physiological structure of the individuals; it is cultivated for the benefits of Mutual Aid, or for the sake of its pleasures, (happiness: welfare and prosperity).
Throughout history, Mutual Aid Societies emerged from humanity’s struggle for survival, but as a social and even biological reflection of a universal pattern of organization. Endless variations of the Mutual Aid Society have existed through time. Social groups such as tribes, clans, congregations, fraternities, guilds, nations, etc. have existed from the beginning of our presence on this Earth.
Our ancestors of African and Taino/Carib descent lived in this manner and during colonial times, organized in hermandades (brotherhoods), cofradías (confraternities), asociaciones (associations), etc. These societies were a common feature of Caribbean/Criollo society during the European colonial times of slavery. There were Criollo reinterpretations of the cofradías or guilds of Europe and the Mediterranean within a foundation of ancient African and Indigenous traditions.
These societies of colonial times served as mutual aid and burial societies for the disenfranchised. They were characterized by stratified social structures, which provide authority for members of a social sector excluded from leadership roles in the larger society. It was also through these types of associations that our oppressed ancestors were able to maintain a certain level of authority in their own lives and keep an independent sense of identity. These societies ensured, not just the physical survival of its members, but it also provided spiritual health. It was because of these organizations that many of our cultural legacies survived until today.
The Mutual Aid Society is a tribe, a clan, an community, a nation, etc… which provides protection, continuity, security, and collective identity to its members. It is held together by mutual dependence and it exhibits delegation of labor or tasks. It is a beneficial association (at least to its members) in which human beings prosper collectively. At the same time, it organizes and gives meaning to the life of the each individual member. It is the natural state and highest level of human social interaction. A Mutual Aid Society is a collective identity, which can provide stability, and meaning even within the context of a fragmented culture that has lost its sense of community.
The difference between modern society and others is community or lack there of. Industrialization, globalization and consumerism have utterly destroyed the natural tribal environment and have isolated modern humans. Humans often attach themselves inappropriately to others or submit to oppressive institutions in response to the emptiness created by our lack of tribal fellowship. Within a society of isolation, like the one we live in, people are especially vulnerable to separation anxiety. Consequently, humans suffer from all sorts of neuroses and depressions. in the absence of a practical social network, we particularly fear being alone.
In a true community, every elder is your father or mother, every peer is your brother or sister, and every child is your son or daughter.
Modern societies have turned away from the effective processes of initiation, from the importance family, tribe and nation. We are an uprooted population without home, land or fellowship. Without a functional collective identity, our relationships to family and community have become disposable in the pursuit of a materialistic so called “higher standard of living”.
In ancient times this collective identity was often also associated with a Supreme Creator. In these cases, collective identity becomes Religion. This collective identity could also be a particular Nationality or Ethnicity, but always having to do with a common origin or Lowest Common Denominator among its members. This central figure becomes the nucleus or Universal Source, the "spring-well from which everything emanates" and towards which everything is oriented.
The nature of the collective identity determines its functions, how it affects and maintains its members, its growth and its survival. The nucleus is the central part or group around which others are grouped; core. It is the organizing center, which designs the matrix that gives the society its form. It is what serves to bond it, what keeps it together.
This nucleus is governed by a specific driving force, Religion, Nationalism, Patriotism, etc… or any combination of these. It is this driving force, or any combination of these, which determines its true nature. This basic structure has been the foundation of power for every "ruling class". Exclusive Mutual Aid Societies are the concentrations of power and authority, which manipulate the current social system to their own advantage.
A Mutual Aid Society becomes a larger living organism, and its members are its vital parts or organs. The Mutual Aid Society is like the human body or that of any other higher animal, all its cells, organs, and all of its members make up the whole. The brain is like the central nucleus, and the Ego or particular identity is the driving force.
The physiological system by which a biological body maintains its internal stability is called homeostasis. This is the coordinated response of its parts to any disruptive situation or stimulus. A Mutual Aid Society functions in the same way. It has an internal organizing force which organizes or coordinates its collective existence based on a common goal, the ultimate of these being survival and happiness (welfare and prosperity).
This governing or driving force defines and governs the nature of the society. This can also be described as the Collective Self, Super Ego or Transpersonal Other of which One (the individual) is a part of. For the body to grow and survive, all of its organs or members must function properly. They must act collectively and harmoniously. This relation can also be called a symbiotic existence: a convenient or mutually beneficial coexistence or association of living organisms, a productive codependency.
As mentioned earlier, humans are social beings, it is in their human nature to coexist socially. It is an inherent drive or characteristic of human beings in their natural state of existence. When was the last time you observed humans in their natural state of existence? Could you even if you wanted to?
Any organism, which is obligated to exist outside of its natural state, it is in captivity. It is either in a state of bondage, servitude, imprisonment, or incarceration. And being in any of these situations it certainly cannot experience happiness (welfare and prosperity). These things also imply a forced isolation from other organisms. Isolation is not just being alone, it means being separated from others. The more isolated you are, the less power you have, and the more captive you become. Mutual Aid Societies promote unity, they bring individuals together, Individualism serves the opposite function.
In numberless animal societies, the struggle between separate individuals for the means of existence disappears, struggle is replaced by co-operation, and that substitution results in the development of intellectual and moral faculties, which secure to the species the best conditions for survival. The fittest are not the physically strongest, nor the smartest, but those who learn to combine to mutually support each other, strong and weak alike, for the welfare of the community. Those communities which include the greatest number of the most sympathetic members flourish best, and rear the greatest number of offspring.
solidarity
sol.i.dar.i.ty, n. 1. union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests, as between members of a group.
Mutual Aid is the result of solidarity for the needs of fellow community members, cooperation and mutual support to overcome mutual obstacles, defend against mutual adversaries and create a society in which all who cooperate mutually benefit. Mutual Aid is the basis of the village community, the labor syndicate (union), cooperative and collective businesses, mutualist credit unions, mutual insurance and various other Mutual Aid Societies.
The idea that human evolution was shaped by unlimited selfishness and the desire to dominate and exploit others is a modern Capitalist invention. Modern Anthropology has disproved myths like this one and the one that primitive people were chiefly “macho” hunters: the truth is that people were originally scavengers who mostly gathered plants for food and had to rely on their wits and each other to survive.
Natural human social behavior is evident in tribal groups where weak people are usually supported; sick people are very well attended to; they are never abandoned or killed. Within the tribe, the rule of “one for all, and all for one” is the highest value because it is essential to their society.
This value is reflected in the village society, which was the predominant form of human social organization up through the Middle Ages. Modern Mutual Aid groups have their origin in the traditional village community where people with mutual interests grouped together to provide for their collective needs without imposing on the individual or family and provided for their mutual defense, support and justice.
Villages were democratically run by a process where decisions were made collectively by all the members of the community. The village dwellers worked together to grow food on land that was used by all but owned by none. They stood together to defend their village against human or animal predators and any quarrel among them was considered as a community affair.
cooperation
co.op.er.a.tion, n. 1. an act or instance of working or acting together willingly for a common purpose. 2. demonstrating a willingness to cooperate. 3. pertaining to economic cooperation. 4. a jointly owned means of production or distribution of goods or services operated by the consumers.
Cooperation, not competition, has been the driving force of human development and improvements in our quality of life. Most inventions throughout history have been the product of work by many people who shared their ideas and not the lone genius of Capitalist mythology. Even in the Middle Ages when scientists and doctors were burned by the Church for heresy and witchcraft, secret societies were formed to exchange and pass along knowledge.
A group which is willing to work together on a project and make the successful completion or operation of the project a priority over personal differences with other members of the group is more effective than any bureaucracy provided that it is democratic and everyone shares the benefits of the work they do.
harmony
har.mo.ny, n., 1. agreement; accord; harmonious relations. 2. a consistent, orderly, or pleasing arrangement of parts; congruity. -Syn. 1. concord, unity, peace, amity, friendship. 2. consonance, conformity, correspondence, consistency.
In any society, as in all of life, the activities of individuals are linked with those of others. Since everyone wants to benefit from the results of these activities, violence, inconvenience and conflict of interests are inevitable elements of this complex relationship of constant contact and interaction. It is needles to say, that material benefits are normally the source of all kinds of differences, animosities, and loss of sincerity and respect. In order to maintain harmony among people, a society requires a series of regulations, the observance of which prevents disturbance and chaos.
Throughout Human history, cities grew where there was trade and groups of craftspeople formed labor associations often known as guilds through which to trade knowledge, improve their products/skills and train new apprentices so they could become craftspeople. These organizations were formed around every skilled profession from metalworking to shipping. These organizations traded with others for food and other necessities and every member shared the benefits of what the organization produced. These organizations established funds to pay for the loss of a home by their members, care for the ill or to take care of the family of a guild member who died.
Within these organizations, all persons are equals in their mutual relations who agreed to aid each other and settle their disputes through "judges” elected by all of them. Organizations in the same cities cooperated with each other to provide for the mutual defense of the city and each organization often had its own militia, which was a unit in the city's defense force.
The Renaissance and the explosion of knowledge, invention and creative arts which characterized it was a product of the Mutual Aid Society system inherited from the most ancient philosophies, where workers owned and managed their own work places and cooperated with each other.
unity
u.ni.ty, n. 1. the state of being one single being; oneness. 2. the state of being combined with others to form a greater whole. 3. the state of being a complete or harmonious combination of elements. 4. complete accord among persons regarding attitudes, opinions, intentions, etc. 7. harmony among the parts or elements, producing a single major effect.
Unity is the most important element of a Mutual Aid Society. It is not difficult to realize that if we disagree to submit a part of our freedom by abiding to regulations for the sake of the protection our society and its order, a chaos would result that would annihilate all of our freedom and peace. Therefore, in order to maintain some freedom for ourselves, we must dispense with part of our individual freedom and inevitably respect social regulations.
Every society has the need for a series of common traditions and regulations, which are at least respected and understood by most of its members. In the history of Humanity, never has a society evolved without possessing common rites, traditions and regulations. It is self-evident that if no laws and regulations for the management of the society exist, there will be a chaos in which no human society can survive even for a single day. Certainly, these rules vary from one society to another based on the extent of knowledge and understanding of their members and their leaders.
A Mutual Aid Society must also serve as a “school” in which the elders instruct the new members in the ways of their community. The process of initiation into the society must be presided by elders and will function to psychologically transform the initiate into a full pledged member of the community or society. After proper initiation, the new members will be capable of assuming their new social responsibilities within the community.
elder
el.der, adj. 1. of greater age; older. 2. higher ranked; senior. 3. a person who is older or higher in rank than oneself. 4. one of the older or more influential members of a tribe or community, often a figure of authority.
Ceremonies of initiation must include an oath loyalty to the society, it ascribes special obligations to its members, and assents to penalties for violation of the oath. After the candidate has passed the through the process of initiation, the knowledge of the society is gradually transmitted to the new member. Rites of initiation provide workable blue prints for achieving full pledge membership within the community. Members are initiated into the wisdom and fellowship of the wider community. Essentially, the process of initiation removes the individual Ego from the center of the universe, replacing it with the group, and maintains a periodic social forum for considering the nature of membership as defined by the community. These rituals provide a structure within which social values can be recalled and reconsidered.
The Mutual Aid Society must also organize periodic community gatherings for its members, which serve as “learning circles.” These gatherings provide a framework where members gather to learn how to be contributing members of the community. Such events tend to reduce social strata, promote unguarded interaction, and inspire respect and joy. In these “learning circles” the problems of the community, neighbors, and families are examined and solved collectively by the members gathering together and expressing ideas, releasing feelings, and co-creating solutions. This creates and re-enforces unity.
Common history, traditions and regulations are the boundaries, which define a society. They are the common denominators or the particular culture of a society, its collective identity or consciousness. The various expressions of these are the indicators by which members of a society are identified. They are the bonds that hold the society together within a culture.
Tato
Luz y Progreso
Amor y Caridad
Paz y Justicia
