CHAPTER  4   GROUPS,  TRIBES,  OR  TEAMS PEACEFUL  REVOLUTION  NEEDED You can be part of a peaceful revolution.  We need one,  and we need it quickly.  It can start with you and other individuals making small,  incremental,  and volun- tary changes in themselves.  Eventually,  others will fol- low your examples.   Start small.  Evaluate your beliefs,  thoughts,  be- haviors, and things.  If one of them is taking you where you want to go,  keep it.  If it's not,  find or create an alternative.   Then keep an open mind,  and build,  grow,  and change from there. But start now.  If you wait for someone to give you permission,  you probably won't get it.  You'll get arguments,  opposition,  and reason why your way is no good.  So evaluate,  then act to get where you yourself really want to go. Remember,  the best thinking of society and civiliza- tion got us in our present corner.  Almost anything you come up with will be better than that. Get in touch with your Higher Powers through prayer and meditation,  and ask for guidance. One of the main things I learned at Ft. Sill,  Oklahoma is,  "Do something,  even if it's wrong!"  In that case,  it meant,  do something,  or you and your men will probably get shot.  In this case,  it means,  find a new way for people to live,  orall of life on earth will end. Living like your neighbors and in conformity with the status quo is probably the worst way to live.  Living differently from your neighbors and other ex- perimenters MAY,  and I emphasize MAY be a better way to live. Survival may depend on diversity. live. NOT  ALL  "US"  VS.  "THEM" Getting beyond our present civilization is not a case of "Us" versus "Them,"  of David versus Goliath,  of de- feating anyone or of any system in open combat.  Some aspects of civilization,  technology,  and hierarchy are definitely good.  Someone has to run the store.  But you and I can drop out of their system to whatever degree we want.  We can decide not to play their game any more than we choose.   If the system crumbles because of this or something else,  we'll have various options to sustain human and other life on earth. We may drop out and find alternatives to unemployment, homelessness,  and/or welfare.  But we will have to have some form of livelihood, whether itis scavenging or being a banker.  We will have to find or invent our own game,  our own alternatives. ALT  CIV  OR  ALTERNATIVES  GROUPS A logical place to start is with support groups.  These should be small,  local,  and independent.  They can be or- ganized about alternatives in general or about one particu- larly striking alternative that the members have in common.  For example,  one group might be vegetarian,  another for peace,  another for unconventional warfare and survival.  Similarities in tolerating ideas that are different from the mainstream,  of pursuing better ways as each person and group sees it must be more important than individual or group differences. The structure and philosopy are modeled on those of Al- coholics Anonymous.  Individual groups in an area join in printing a "Where and When" directory that lists  the different meetings in the area,  by day of the week,  type of meeting,  and address.  Often a contact phone number is provided for an Intergroup Office or representative.  AA members from any group,  anywhere,  are welcome at any meet- ing.  Interested non-members are welcome at open meetings. AA regional and national organizations handle such things as conventions,  publishing,  and the receipt of surplus funds.  Except for a very few professionals,  all positions are held on a rotating basis by volunteers. The AA Twelve Traditions are on the Internet at: www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.  We would do well to follow them,  except that we can use promotion as well as attraction. SPREADING  THE  WORD   Spreading the word and starting groups can be an ex- cellent form of amends for individual and group harms done to others.  An excellent way to do this is just to set an example of a happy alternative life that harms no one or no thing.  If this brings you a chance to tell someone your story - what your life was like,  what happened,  and what your life is like now, by all means do so. If you want to present an introductory course,  you and your students can download free material from this Web site. (And,  if anyone asks, I will accept donations!) Alternative opportunities to interest new people include telling selecte people you know or meet,  using the Internet, using e-mail,  etc.  We can all immitate  Daniel Quninn's  THE  STORY  OF  B. Hopefully,  our stories will have  happier endings. LIVELIHOOD  TRIBES If you are currently unemployed,  your Higher Power may have put you in a great position to start your own "beyond civilization tribe."  Since much of this tribal approach is attitude,  you can even start as a tribe of one person and then grow as new members are attracted to you and you to them.  You can start with a business such as boat repair,  lawn mowing,  other small business where you can work by the hour or preferably on a contract or by-the-job basis.  This latter offers more freedom from supervision,  and thus you may prefer it. An obvious option if you are not working is salvaging and recycling stuff like aluminum cans and other metals or materials.  In BEYOND CIVILIZATION,  Quinn suggests the unemployed and/or homeless would find an ideal livelihood in recycling construction materials from derelict build- ings or buildings that are being torn down.  Right now where we live in southwest Florida,  there is a building boom,  and home-made dumpsters at construction sites are full of good stuff. A cleaning and recycling operation should lend itself to the varieties of strengths and skills to be found among a tribal group of men, women,  and children. Here is Southwest Florida,  Habitat for Humanity is opening a recycling facility to receive donations from suppliers,  contractors,  etc.  They will receive broken lots of whatever or anything useable and in return give a receipt that can be used for a tax deduction.  A repre- sentative of a livelihood tribe could call on Habitat for ideas. OPEN  TRIBES Quinn sees the old fashioned circus as a good model of tribal organization.  He says many people,  for example teenagers,  are seeking such an open tribe.  An open tribe is one that welcomes anyone who can help the tribe meet its goals and survive.  The usually modest financial needs of the tribe must be met.   TRIBE-TO-TRIBE  BUSINESSES An entirely different approach is for tribes to be both the providers of some services and the consumers of other goods and/or services.  In such a system,  there would probably be an over-lap between providers and con- sumers. Some examples may help. The Tribe-to-Tribe Trans- portation Service wouldacquire old automobiles (or what- ever),  repair them,  and then provide them to customers.  T-to-T Transport would be responsible for fuel,  oil,  maintenance,  insurance,  etc.  and would be paid accord- ing to the miles driven. The amount and form of payment would be negotiable. For example,  the Heating and Cooling Tribe  would attempt to keep a home or business within certain tempera- ture limits.  To do this,  it might double-glaze windows (with glass,  plastic film such as Visqueen) or better in- sulate outside walls.  It might provide alternate sources of energy (solar,  wind, or water) and apply the savings to heating oil costs. Or it might provide heating equipment and fuel in an entirely different way. Another option would be to have an Energy Tribe to provide appropriate types of energy and also make recommen- dations for lifestyle changes that would conserve energy.  (Last summer my wife and I toured a "solar Home" in south- west Florida.  The home,  appliances,  and lifestyle were thought out to be energy-efficient;the owners had not just stuck some solar panels on the roof.) TRIBES  COMPARED  TO  TEAMS There is no difference in these two concepts,  except that the word  TEAM  is more acceptable to modern ears than the word  TRIBE. For people who want to work with the present Taker society,  calling themselves teams,  rather than tribes,  should have public relations advatages. TEAMS  AND NON-PROFITS Practical advantages would come from being organized into non-profit corporations or working under the umbrellas of existing non-profits.  Teams would be able to receive tax-deductable donations,  and they would be able to enter into legal contracts for work.  Agreements with indivi- dual members could also be put into a legally-binding form, should recourse to Taker courts be necessary. Team members should be aware of possible negative issues of control.  They might not want this status in the first place,  or they might want to drop out under given condi- tions. A  GOAL  OF  LENES  Lenes,  a combination of genes and laws,  have already been discussed.  Suffice it to say here that lenes are less designed to punish  "bad" actions as to reward "good" ones.  Lenes are pro-active,  they reinforce desired behaviors as much as or more than they punish undeired behaviors.  They are modifiable,  and they can stay relevant to changes social and physical environments. Running tribes or teams internally by lenes rather than by rules would be a valid goal. INTER-TRIBAL  ORGANIZATION Again,  the organization of Alcoholics Anonymous.  Although individual recovery is based on group support and the Twelve Seps,  each AA group operates according to the same Twelve Traditions.  The Traditions say the groups are independent,  should avoid material things like property or more than minimal money for rent,  etc.  The leaders are seen as servants of the members and changed often.  Personal anonymity is stressed.  Governance is by the will of a Higher Power as expressed through group con- sensus. The Traditions are uncivilized in the best sense of the word.  The rotating sharing of authority and power is the opposite of civilization's hierarchies and power struc- tures.  Although monies are collected,  any excess over monthly or semi-monthly expenses is passed on,  so there is no struggle to acquire or control it.  Them emphasis is on helping the newcomer,  on spiritual rather than financial growth. REGIONAL  TRIBAL  LODGES Within the above contexts,  it would be desireable to have regional lodges with several functions.  First would be the emotional and physical support of newcomers who needed such assistance.  Second would be orientation,  training,  and education.  Third would be regional handling of business, public relations,  legal matters, etc. as they related to the interaction of the Leaver and Taker worlds.  Finally, lodges would provide positive,  pro-active reinforcement for the ideas of this book and such future ideas as worked for the betterment of life beyond civilization. FLEXIBLILTY The above is speculation.  As much as you may see fit to use these ideas,  I urge you to stay flexible.  As CWG says,  become who you really are,  and get guidance directly from your Higher Power.  As Daniel Quinn says,  there's no one right way to live. <<<