Get a gun for self defense and go to the range at least once a month. Organize community watches and mutual aid networks with your neighbors. Start creating relationships which pull away from the central supply chain, form community networks to supply needs and services locally and mutually: tool library, seed library, multiple large community gardens (no I’m not naive enough to think this will replace a grocery store), and any other services that are needed.
If you have the means, buy another gun, preferably a rifle or shotgun. Train with that. Start encouraging others in your community to arm themselves for self defense. Form a well organized militia.
Distribute organizing to others so you don’t burn out. Help others start their journey of community action. Then they start book clubs to read theory and praxis, then they can teach foraging techniques. Eventually, others in your community are learning skills which you didn’t have time for or didn’t interest you. That’s the point of community, not everyone has to be good at everything. Now you have people who can set up a local intranet with copper wires and servers to maintain crucial information offline, in case the internet goes down or is shut off by the government. You have those who can knit faster than you’ve ever seen and are providing socks and hats for everyone.
The Utopian and end goal of all this is to form resilient and thriving communities not dependent on the state and corporations for their needs. And yes, that would take a long time to get there. But for me, my admittedly Herculean dream is eventually those community gardens would become vertical farms and inspire other communities to practice the same. The construction crews in your area would become coops and with their needs provided would slowly start doing community projects, that the doctors and teachers would separate themselves from the state apparatus and serve their neighbors in mutual methods, bringing their passion and skills into the community.
But even if we don’t get to that end stage, or if that doesn’t appeal to you, mutual aid is still wonderful and any bit of it is beneficial and forms networks of trust. I’m not saying don’t vote, but know that the state and powerful are counting on you to place your trust in that one action and nothing else. Don’t give them that satisfaction.
Get a gun for self defense and go to the range at least once a month. Organize community watches and mutual aid networks with your neighbors. Start creating relationships which pull away from the central supply chain, form community networks to supply needs and services locally and mutually: tool library, seed library, multiple large community gardens (no I’m not naive enough to think this will replace a grocery store), and any other services that are needed.
If you have the means, buy another gun, preferably a rifle or shotgun. Train with that. Start encouraging others in your community to arm themselves for self defense. Form a well organized militia.
Distribute organizing to others so you don’t burn out. Help others start their journey of community action. Then they start book clubs to read theory and praxis, then they can teach foraging techniques. Eventually, others in your community are learning skills which you didn’t have time for or didn’t interest you. That’s the point of community, not everyone has to be good at everything. Now you have people who can set up a local intranet with copper wires and servers to maintain crucial information offline, in case the internet goes down or is shut off by the government. You have those who can knit faster than you’ve ever seen and are providing socks and hats for everyone.
The Utopian and end goal of all this is to form resilient and thriving communities not dependent on the state and corporations for their needs. And yes, that would take a long time to get there. But for me, my admittedly Herculean dream is eventually those community gardens would become vertical farms and inspire other communities to practice the same. The construction crews in your area would become coops and with their needs provided would slowly start doing community projects, that the doctors and teachers would separate themselves from the state apparatus and serve their neighbors in mutual methods, bringing their passion and skills into the community.
But even if we don’t get to that end stage, or if that doesn’t appeal to you, mutual aid is still wonderful and any bit of it is beneficial and forms networks of trust. I’m not saying don’t vote, but know that the state and powerful are counting on you to place your trust in that one action and nothing else. Don’t give them that satisfaction.