We have a tendency to look to the past for guidance, which can work when things are changing slowly. But we now experience rapid, and fundamental changes, which means tomorrow is unlikely to be like yesterday. Our world is shaped by story, and our current story is inadequate, no longer able to serve. Winter Solstice is coming, with Christmas a few days later. These are times of renewal and hope, time to look forward, setting our intentions. Time to consider new stories.
I have often mentioned that the world is whole, but we live in a cultural/economic illusion of absolute separation. Endless consumption and the corporate competitive economic model dominate our current story, shaping everything to fit that limited paradigm. The result is overpopulation, social inequity, wide spread pollution, resource depletion, and the climate crisis. This has all the wisdom and insight of biological yeast, which grows until it exhausts all resources and then dies in its own toxic wastes.
But what would a new story look like? Life offers an example in our own body.
A healthy human body is a collective of trillions of unique, wildly differentiated cells, all working in harmony, which endures much longer than the life of any individual cell. There are fundamental structures of this successful model that could be applied to human civilization.
Every cell has core needs for survival: shelter, energy, nourishment, waste disposal, communications, and purpose. If any part of the body lacks any of these essentials for very long, that part begins to die, and if left unaddressed, eventually the entire body dies. Consequently, the structure of the body is organized to satisfy those fundamental needs. This is biological socialism: to each according to its needs, from each according to its abilities.
Blood circulation includes every cell, with few exceptions, delivering energy and nutrients, while removing waste, all for free. One system covers the entire body, a blood monopoly. But the "profit" from this system takes the form of continued existence, not some fictional fiscal concept. Some cells get more blood and energy, if their purpose requires it, but not because of any inherited entitlement, or class distinction.
However, the system is not minimalist, having multiple redundancies for operational resilience and damage control. In addition, the lymph system is a parallel waste disposal system, servicing the entire body, adding further redundancy to this important function.
Most cells are connected into the communications of the nervous system. This allows the entire body to be aware of information from each part, and coordinates wholistic responses. This is also a monopoly, offered free to all cells, unhindered by competitive rivalry which causes unnecessary delays, confusion of information, communication deserts, or deficient service capacity.
Every cell has a purpose within the larger body. Some cells perform their function every minute, while others have a purpose that is only needed on occasion, but are kept healthy, even when not "working".
The overall organization is designed to be sustainable. While the first years of life involve relatively rapid accumulation and growth from new born baby to adult, growth then stops. Once mature, the system focuses on maintenance and repairs for the rest of life. Unlimited growth within such a system is the definition of cancer, and generally leads to death of the body. Even the slower accumulation, described as obesity, adds stress and strain to the body, producing a generally shorter life span.
If our society operated from the same inclusive holism the drives our body's organization, all human lives would be nourished, without regard for "earning" the right to live. The wealth of the society would prioritize distribution to insure every person has adequate housing, food, energy, communication, education, and health care, recognizing that when some part suffers, the whole system is threatened.
This same consideration would be extended to the larger biological community, recognizing the fundamental connection of all life forms. When the planet thrives, everything living on the planet thrives as well. Instead, we are now experiencing that as more and more of the life of the planet is sacrificed for the short-term financial gain of a small portion of humanity, the entire planet suffers, threatening the viability of even the supposed "ruling class".
Such a reorganization might seem impossible, but life has figured out how to make it work, our bodies are living proof. The real question is: are humans wise enough to survive?
Crispin B. Hollinshead lives in Ukiah. This and previous articles can be found at cbhollinshead.blogspot.com.
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