Bärensuppe: Alicia (Kommune Niederkaufungen) and Bilbo Calvez - English subtitles
"How would a non-monetary society come into being? The rich wouldn’t be ready to part with their money, after all!"
This is a justifiable objection. But a rather more interesting question is: "Will YOU be ready, to move away from YOUR money?"
In a commune near the city of Kassel, I met Alicia. Whoever wants to be a part of this commune has to give his/her entire assets to it.
This commune works without money internally. When I say without money, it’s not about "one good deed deserves another", but about an unconditional togetherness. There is no comparison or counting. Everybody brings in what they can and uses what they need.
Doesn’t that sound completely utopian? Yes, initially it does. Especially when it’s supposed to be universal. How would it function, when not just 50 particularly "intelligent" and empathetic humans, but millions of "ordinary“ ones are involved?
When it concerns a commune, where everyone knows each other, one can eventually imagine such a thing. Problems arising keep offering a clear view and can be solved directly, face to face.
A single commune however, can never be absolutely self-sufficient. For more complex needs and demanding endeavours, further networks have to be webbed. Just like cells forming an organ. Several organs create an organism and several organisms make up a society.
Yet, these communes have to handle money somehow; because the world around them still functions in a monetary way. I am deeply convinced, that the way to a non-monetary society does not have to come top-down, but rather has to come bottom-up. That you organize in a way you don’t need money from the rich anymore, nor just take it. Therefore becoming self-sustaining as a whole; independent from the power and influence of the corporations, governments and banks.
I was quite a while searching the internet for such a commune. I found this one near the city of Kassel, which I felt to be exceptional. Exceptional, because their guidelines are radical and at the same time very undogmatic. Above all, they function without hierarchy, according instead to consensus. It’s basically anarchy practised in a small size. Anarchy, a word, which sadly fell into disrepute; even though it merely means that there is no boss.
In this commune I met Alicia and I tried to figure out how it is to live in such an enterprise. After the interview we had, I got even more enthusiastic than before! Let yourself get inspired!
- Bilbo Calvez
The interview was recorded on Mai 2nd, 2015 in Niederkaufungen.
English Translation of the interview by Marinkel Moon
English translation of the info text: Al Gevatter
Subtitles: Kas Arts
≈ ≈ ≈
„ ‚Wie soll eine Gesellschaft ohne Geld entstehen? Die Reichen wären schließlich nicht bereit, sich von ihrem Gel
...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyQ459zHvi0