Ways to Live in Direct Opposition to Capitalism
I am by no means an expert in any of these things Iβm gonna talk about, so keep that in mind! I am just making a compilation of things I know of that we can do to lessen the stranglehold the capitalist lifestyle has on us while enriching our lives, our surroundings, and the lives of others. Please add anything I miss or correct anything I may be getting wrong! Anyway here goes!
Use what you have, fix whatβs you can, make what you can, accept from others, thrift what you can, and finally purchase as a last resort.
This is advice I have seen float around here a couple of times that can apply to a lot of things including clothing, furniture, food, and more besides. Itβs meant to be done roughly in that order as it applies to what youβre wanting/needing/doing. Itβs about preventing waste, promoting self-capability, having a heightened reliance on your community, and consciously rejecting the ingrained habit many of us have to just purchase things or services.
Hereβs where you can read about growing an indoor garden!
Hereβs where you can read about sewing things yourself!
Hereβs an online site for giving and receiving items for free!
Here is where you can find a local Mutual Aid to get things from, learn skills from, give do, volunteer for, etc. (in the U.S.)
Be politically active! (from a U.S. perspective)
Vote for every election. Know your representatives and those who will be competing in the next election. Vote without ignorance and without falling for unfounded claims. While operating within the system that actively oppresses us will not bring about the future we want, it can serve as damage control (preventing worse candidates from taking office) and it can potentially create a national atmosphere more open to change.
Hereβs a good article about getting more involved in the U.S. political process.
Hereβs a site that will show you how to register to vote, when and where elections are held, and more!
Hereβs good advice on finding protests in your city!
Hereβs some readings on unionizing! Itβs your legal right to unionize!
Hereβs a more user friendly site for learning about unions!
Be active within your community!
Developing strong, motivated, capable, knowledgeable, and inclusive communities is the ultimate way to combat the relentless and bleak present and future. When youβve worked on the things above and have gotten good at it (or even if you havenβt gotten good at it yet), start spreading what you know and what you can do with others!
Give your neighbors, coworkers, and friends some of the vegetables youβve grown.
Invite your community members to volunteer events.
Talk to folks about how to vote, when youβre doing it, etc.
Take part in Mutual Aids to teach what youβve learned or whatever you may be an expert in! Invite neighbors, friends, and coworkers when you take part in the Mutual Aid!
Accept your community. Take them for who and what they are. Discrimination is the enemy of cooperation. You have much more in common with everyone in your community than a single billionaire or corporation. Weβre all passengers on this spaceship earth.
Do it one step at a time!
Obviously we canβt do all of these things at once. Do what you can when you can, and youβll start to notice real change in your life!
Our online communities where we talk about our visions and hopes are fantastic, but they have little impact if we donβt actually get up and do the real work that change requires.
Want to be better, and keep hope for the future!
Harbor and nourish that desire to be a better person and to be the change you want to see in the world. You need to be hungry for a better future if you plan to make it through the rough times when everything feels pointless and without hope. Reach out to others when youβre down, and be someone others can lean on when their lives get hard.
Thatβs it! Please interact with this, spread it to others, and add your own thoughts and ideas! Itβs important that we do the real work to get the change we crave!
