Commune or Die - a gift from Banned in Braille magazine

About ten years ago I got interested in co-ops and nearly ended up living in one. It seemed an obvious way of putting my ideals into action. The word 'commune' was out of fashion, but that was essentially what I was looking for, as a green anarchist-leftie seeking more independence from the capitalist and state system. A commune / co-op can create a space outside of the official economy, fostering a certain amount of self sufficiency, mutual aid and security. Resources and work can be shared between people who trust each other, and land and ‘businesses’ can be owned collectively without the usual financial risk or commitments.

TOTW: Conflicto-bolo

In the non-utopic utopia of bolo’bolo, no ibu (person more or less) can be expelled from a bolo (an autonomous, autarkic collection of 300-500 ibu). Within that imagined world of interdependence, where the 300-500 people in your immediate vicinity rely on you and you them for daily survival, there is of course disagreement, hurt feelings, violence and conflict.

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