Step 1: Redirecting Energy - Cashflow & Spending

One of the major ways we can make an impact to the system, influence it's direction, is to direct our spending wisely.

Ask the questions:

• Where does the money I spend flow to?
• Is the product or service I am buying local?
• What is the impact on me, the environment and the community by my purchase of this product / service?

If we ask these questions we get a very easy to follow method (provided the information we have access to is accurate) of where to buy, what to buy and what not to buy.

The information of course isn't always fourthcoming and our choices may often be limited to unethical options.

Here are a few pointers:

• Check the product labelling:

• Is the product organic?
• Are there additives? What are they?
• Is it Fair Trade Certified? (although w can't be sure if this actually mean anything, it's better to support such a cause than forgo it altogether).
• Are the ingredients locally sourced?
• Can I avoid buying genetically modified products or ingredients in the products?
• Is the service outsourced? How much of it is outsourced?

• Ring the product supplier an ask if you can visit their site to see what their operation is like. Say you have an interest in knowing about their operation for research purposes and want to promote them among the community if they can show you what their advantages are. A shady company will be less transparent, where smaller companies with a drive to real do what it is they say will let you visit.
• Buy fresh, unprocessed food. This means you avoid GST. No GST means you're not paying your dollars to the government.
• Stop buying products that are taxed. For example alcohol and tobacco are heavily taxed. Opt for alternatives such as make your own spirits and beer from kits or switch to electronic ciggerettes. By avoiding these products you no longer support the system in many ways. You already pay income tax and tax on your savings too, why pay more in a system you're not wholely in support of? Use that money wisely and support what you do beleive in yourself.
• Find alternatives to the way you do things as much as you can that are self supportive, sustainable and not dependant on large organsations - be creative.
• Support small business and stop buying that large chain stores and franchises.
• Stop label bashing - wearing brand names may make you look like a millionaire, but the real millionaires are the ones who sold you the item. Buy based on a personalised look, fit and style from local artisans who need the support. Sure, you may end up looking a bit artsy fartsy - but the way of the future is a confident expressive individual that breaks the mould - not conformists. Be brave.

Challenges:

• Finding products which meet criteria can be difficult. It's time consuming to read into detail every time you shop. Find a good brand and then keep your eye out for new players. Write down your favourites. Post them here for others.
• Avoiding suppliers that drive out competition unfairly such as large supermarket chains can be tough as smaller grocers don't have the variety you desire.
• Finding the time to visit places where our products are produced can be an expnsive an time consuming venture, but if w wait for someone else to do it and all of u continue to do just that, we will remain as we are, with no change and no real clarity or trust in the product.
• You can't avoid GST altogether, but reducing it majorly is possible. eat raw, eat fresh.
• Avoiding buying alcohol and cigerettes is tough if you socialise regularly. However, instead of going clubbing, organise house parties, get guests to bring the food and you supply all the alcohol, home brewed. Specialise in it to an extent where what you make is superior to the liquor store. you'll not only be a proud producer of fine liquor, but you're also fairly within legal boundaries by producing for 'personal' use.
• Wearing alternative unique clothes to the yuppy club will get you a few strange looks - but the yuppies are desperate types anyway - try not to worry too much, you'll get hit on at some point as long as you have good taste. Besides, do you really want to be going out with the ignorant schmuck who will constantly annoy you with their careless attitude? Hold out for the worthy, you'll be glad for it.

Links:
http://www.shiawaseno.net/

There is a video which is in English on the above page which will give you a lot to understand about localisation vs Globalisation and the impacts.

Another point I want to address is the distance between the producer and consumer of goods that has created a rift between actions that are harmful and the people carrying them out. I may have mentioned this in passing, but this article actually talks about it exactly how I feel. People are out of touch with the consequences of their spend and actions.

http://www.trueactivist.com/the-man-who-lives-without-money/

Step 0: Realisation

I realise (and hope) that by creating this blog many eyes including yours will be on this blog.

Primarily, this is because there are people in this world who desperately want to keep the status quo, the balance of power tipped their way. They know that the less you know about how to contribute as little to their system, the less you know about how to become empowered to take that power and turn it in the right direction, the more successful and sustainable they will be, no matter what their aims.

They're are also aware of the impending change driven by individuals such as yourself. And they have, and will continue to work to thwart progress. Everyone, including you, when faced with the peril of losing their status, livelihood, lifestyle will hang onto it, doing whatever is possible to keep things from changing.

There are types of these people:

1. The people who control the power supply (capital and resources in all it's forms)
2. The people who work directly for the above resource controllers, managing their resources, finances, investing it and directly benefitting from the resulting achievements that benefit those they work for
3. Those who work for the organisations formed by the above managers and receive incomes or resources indirectly through value chains for producing goods and services for consumption by all types

And you fall into either one of these three or if living completely independently (near impossible) are all three. Either way, you're chained in and the changes you make will hurt you and those around you somewhat (which is why this is difficult - and why the group 1's have held most of the power).

There's nothing wrong with the group ones. they're great people and some of them include people who want real change to happen, but they are also interdependent on others. So everyone can only move ever so slightly from their conformity.

But there is always room to move. With a little discomfort, for a better world, it can be done.

Even if you don't believe in Darwin's theory of evolution, which is as popularly believed "Survival of the fittest" but is a common mistake, it's also common sense that “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” Source: Ivy Business Journal - Adapt or Die

And change is slowly happening. Change is driven buy the ever impending realisation that our status quo is not functional. Those who jump in the river and swim fearlessly will survive and thrive, those who hang onto it's shores will surely experience a lot of suffering - and not caused by the others, but their own clinging to what they define as best. Either way there will be a lot of pain and struggle all around.

Moving beyond that, I want to be clear that unlike my other blog, this will not be a discussion of philosophy, theory or ideology. This is strictly a discussion of how to - simple practical examples.

This blog is a guide for those who want to put their money where their mouth is, stand up and do their best to make effective decentralised change happen.

So to begin I will discuss what I mean by effective decentralised change: It means you are the person making the changes. There is no group, there is no benevolent leader, there is no organisation. There is no one to blame but yourself, and there is no one that can be rewarded and praised, more than yourself.

The changes themselves are at a grass roots level. If you have family, friends, colleagues, it does not matter what they think, or do. Stop worrying about influencing them. Start with you. be an unshakable example.

Everyone has choices they make, every day. Our reality is perceived or realised through those decisions.

Be warned that making these choices has consequences:

• Your indentity will come under scrutiny - and you'll need to learn to wear that, you will be the one weirdo that people think is radical
• Your journey will not be an easy one, it really is a challenge - because you refuse to conform, you go out of your way to achieve your objectives, based on your values
• You will have already have tried and failed multiple times to make the right choice and failed - either due to monetary limitations, attachments to style and taste - but despite this whenever you can, make the effort and results will come

And you're here, reading this because you believe in yourself. You believe that the choices you make are relevant.

This is not a community thing, it's a personal thing. Make the changes in your life and slowly others will follow. This is decentralised change. Change, happening one person at a time, one decision at a time. And no matter how small or insignificant you are, be confident that your choices will lead to a somewhat better world.

The reason I have chosen to propose decentralised change is that when there is centraisation, a group formed, another group can attack it, it can be disbanded and members can be used as examples and turned into martyrs. When you go it alone, no one knows exactly why you do the things you do. They don't have to. But if many do it alone, change happens.

The suggestions I will make in the rest of this blog should be scrutinised. So please question them. I don't have ALL the answers - all I am doing is trying to find them, for me and for you. I am not a leader, you are the leaders, every one of you reading.

Lets avoid being labelled a clandestine group, by working as individuals within the boundaries of the system. There will be ways we are aware of that foil the system - I will not condone them, but see for yourself where it is a right or wrong decision an why - make the call, put your balls on the line.

We live in a social, political system today where voting only makes a change of leadership from bearable to the worst - so we vote for the most bearable. We depend so much on our leaders to deliver on promises, that they hardly ever do.

So it's clear that we cannot depend on the system, or it's leaders. People who are paid to do something, will always do what they believe is worth that money. Let's not forget that the politicians, the government and the police are paid people. They may or may not have interest in our benefit. They, just like you are doing their job and they are paid most by the Type 1's who's agenda they will push.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/AgeOfInformation

If we make choices to disempower such irrelevant and useless systems, to make way for ones that will work, we make it possible for new ways of living and being to arise by letting go of old ways.

We cannot do that illegally, or we get singled out and contained. We cannot assemble as groups, the rallies will be disbanded. We cannot make noise, or we will be silenced. The time of violent protest is gone.

Let's face it, that is the system we live in. That's what we collectively created and perpetuate and there is no way back. The days of independant press, free speech and ability to make real change as cooperative groups are pretty much over. This doesn't mean we can sit back and get on with our jobs and entertainment. This means a call to decision and action. A call to look for better ways.

So let's find strategies to enable new systems to appear.

Ones that reflect who and how we are.

Starting decentralised change - with you.