IPPS Strategy & Vision Q&A

Members of The International Project for a Participatory Society (IPPS) were asked to respond to a short list of questions relating to a future participatory society and how to get there. Although broadly formulated, the questions are aimed at extrapolating IPPS member thoughts and experiences on matters of strategy and vision. Here is Chris Spannos' responce:

(1) Biko ị nwere ike mata ihe ị chere bụ isi ihe na-akọwapụta atụmatụ na ụlọ ọrụ ọha dị mkpa ka a gbanwee ya bụ akụ na ụba, ndọrọ ndọrọ ọchịchị, omenaala, okike / mmekọahụ, gburugburu ebe obibi, wdg.

Maka ụlọ ọrụ nke akụ na ụba, echere m na a ga-ewepụ ikike nkeonwe nke ihe onwunwe na-arụpụta ihe, ahịa, nkewa ọrụ na ụgwọ ọrụ. Maka ndọrọ ndọrọ ọchịchị, usoro na usoro dị ugbu a nke ịmepụta iwu obodo, mpaghara, mba na mba ụwa, amụma ọha na eze na ikpe ya chọkwara nlebara anya. Maka ezinaụlọ na usoro ezinaụlọ nke ịzụ ụmụaka, inye nlekọta na mmekọrịta, anyị nwere ike irite uru na mgbanwe dị egwu. Maka isi obodo na ụlọ ọrụ nke omenala na obodo anyị, mgbanwe na mmekọrịta mmadụ na ibe ya na ihe onwunwe n'ime na n'etiti okpukpe, ọnọdụ ime mmụọ, agbụrụ, na agbụrụ dị mkpa ka a na-ahụ anya. Na n'ikpeazụ, gbasara mgbanwe gburugburu ebe obibi, ọtụtụ n'ozuzu, anyị kwesịrị ịgbanwe ụlọ ọrụ ndị na-eme ihe dị ka ihe mgbochi na nkwado nke na-eyi ụwa egwu.

(2) Olee ihe mgbaru ọsọ gị maka mgbanwe a, ị̀ na-achọ imezigharị ha, ọ bụrụ otú ahụ, olee mgbanwe ndị dị aṅaa? Ị na-achọ iji ụfọdụ ndị ọzọ dochie ụlọ ọrụ ndị a n'ụzọ bụ isi? Ọ bụrụ otú ahụ gịnị ka ihe owuwu ndị nọchiri anya dị, kedu ihe njirimara nkọwa ha, n'ezie na nkenke?

For the economy, I advocate Albert and Hahnel's Parecon with its balanced job complex, remuneration for effort and sacrifice, and decentralized participatory planning. For politics, I'm inclined to think that Stephen Shalom's "Parpolity" vision with its nested council structure is worthy of much more exploration. For gender, sexuality and kinship, it's still very unclear for me, other than some basic initial thoughts like diversity of family arrangements and a sharing of parental roles among male, female, queer parents, communities and/or "co-parents" so as to have divers sets of familial socializing influences and outcomes for children. More discussion and debate is needed but I think the work done by Cynthia Peters is on the right track. For culture, I like the concept of "intercommunalism", which over simplified here, proposes to remove the material and social conditions which create hostile competition between communities. Rather, communities are guaranteed the resources necessary for their reproduction -- interacting among and with each other creating a rich diversity of cultures, ethnicities and religions. Individuals within these communities choose the religions, cultures and communities they themselves identify most with. For ecological vision, we could imagine ways in which societal institutions could affect our consciousness toward our built environment and enable Just, judicious and sustainable interactions between people, our built environment and our planets ecological foundation.

(3) Kedu onye i chere na ndị na-eme ihe n'usoro na-enweta ihe mgbaru ọsọ ndị a ya bụ otu ndọrọ ndọrọ ọchịchị, ndị ọrụ, ụmụ nwanyị, ndị na-agba ọsọ, ndị mbata, mba ma ọ bụ mpaghara, wdg?

Echere m na ndị mmadụ n'onwe ha bụ ndị na-eme ihe nkiri, mana ọ bụ ụlọ ọrụ ọha na eze na ọrụ ndị mmadụ na-arụ n'ime ha na-ekpebikarị ndị ha na ha na-akpa na ụdị mgba ha na-agba iji gbanwee ọha mmadụ. N'ihi nke a ọ bụ ihe ezi uche dị na ya na e nwere ọdịiche dị iche iche nke ndị na-eme ihe nkiri n'ihi na, ọ bụ ezie na m nwere ike iche banyere gburugburu ebe obibi, okpomọkụ zuru ụwa ọnụ na nsogbu ndị ọzọ dị oké njọ dị ka njedebe nke nna ochie, m na-echekwa maka ịkwụsị agha, na-arụ ọrụ mgbasa ozi ọzọ na ịkwado ihe ọzọ. ka capitalism. Ọ bụ ihe dị mma na e nwere ndị na-arụ ọrụ na ihe ndị anyị na-apụghị, nanị maka enweghị oge na ndụ anyị ma ọ bụ ọnọdụ anyị nwere ike na-na. strategic arọ n'azụ otu ma ọ bụ abụọ mmegharị, na-ekwu na ndị ọrụ na ndị kwabatara, ma ọ bụ ndị inyom na ndọrọ ndọrọ ọchịchị ọzọ, anyị na-eme nke ahụ, ma ọ bụghị onye ọ bụla nwere, ma ọ bụ na ha kwesịrị. N'ikpeazụ, ọganihu na-adịgide adịgide a na-eme na nke ọ bụla n'ime akụkụ ndị a na-adabere na ọganihu na-adịgide adịgide emere n'akụkụ ndị a niile.

(4) Kedu ụzọ ị na-ahụ ka a na-ejikarị eme ihe n'ime mgbanwe ndị a ya bụ ịtụ vootu, ime ihe kpọmkwem, omume mgbasa ozi, iku ọkụ, ihe ngosi, wdg?

Echere m na nhazi nke atụmatụ ndị a niile dịka akụkụ nke atụmatụ sara mbara bụ ihe ga-eme ka ịga n'ihu n'ọkwa dị ukwuu. Mana nsogbu bụ na ọ nweghị òkè ọhụụ nke ebe anyị chọrọ ịga. Dịka ọmụmaatụ, anyị niile nwere ike ikweta na ọ dị mkpa ka a gbanwee usoro akụ na ụba zuru ụwa ọnụ ka azụmahịa dị n'etiti na n'etiti mba dị iche iche na-akwụ ụgwọ. Enweela ihe ịga nke ọma n'ụzọ a. Mana anyị nwere ike ịdị irè karị ma ọ bụrụ na enwere mmekọrịta dị mma na ibe ya yana ebumnuche ebumnuche, ihe a chọrọ na usoro iheomume na-eji ngosipụta, ntigbu, omume ozugbo, ọgụ, mgbasa ozi na otu ndọrọ ndọrọ ọchịchị. Enwere ike ime ya n'ụzọ na-akpali anyị n'ihu n'ihu na nghazi inye ndị mmadụ ikike ịchịkwa akụ na ụba, na ndị ọzọ, mkpebi ndị na-emetụta ndụ ha. Ma n'ihu, mmegharị nke a chịkọtara nwere ike kerịta ọhụụ gbasara ụdị akụ na ụba mba na mba ụwa, yana ụlọ ọrụ, usoro na usoro ime mkpebi na ụkpụrụ anyị ga-achọ.

(5) Kedu ka echiche ndị ọzọ, nke nwere echiche dị iche iche gbasara mgbanwe obodo, si daba na atụmatụ gị na ọhụụ gị?

In addition to developing and refining a shared orientation towards strategy and vision we should also be seeking to interact precisely with those people that we do not agree with and who disagree with us. We should be able to listen and learn from others and we should also be able to convincingly, confidently, rationally and passionately argue our points. People, who do not believe that societies defining institutions can be transformed, who do not believe in the capacity of people to self-manage their own lives, who do not believe in the potential to achieve equity and classlessness, need to be carefully listened to so that we can respond to their disbelief or explore their ambivalence in such a way so as to eventually bring them into our movement. And we need to do this until our movement grows to such a size that by having shared and coordinated strategy, tactics and vision, we can win. Now, of course it's true that people may have a better proposal for the kinds of strategy, tactics and vision we seek, and so we should concede that they are right, and then join the struggle to organize along their newly proposed lines. Just as, if we are right, they should join our proposed way. As long as we're all seeking institutional arrangements and outcomes that best facilitate and explore human potential, development and liberation then being right or wrong is simply the maze taken towards a common goal. Sure some will remain resistant because their wealth, power and privilege is an outcome of the current institutional arrangement, and so they are invested in it; or they are simply stubborn or sectarian, and so will remain in the wrong. But, if we are persistent, patient and persuasive in our efforts, I think most people will eventually come around to a hopeful and rational vision and strategy. So those left disagreeing will be those who defend the current inequities, who will be in the wrong, and will be a minority. And how we unseat them from their power is another question.