Some would argue that it's not working ...yet. But the sheer size of the movement is a success in and of itself. Something the states have never seen before. In fact, something the entire world is taking notice of as hundreds of millions of protesters network and coordinate across the country of India.

This unprecedented uprising of approx. 250 million people which encapsulates the working class, from namely farmers to transit workers, even bankers, is the response of a nation under the threat of having their primary means of income privatized.

For farmers in India, state-controlled markets ensure there will be some degree of subsidies, a minimum rate of pay for their produce and the right to judicial recourse should nefarious business take place.
But the new laws put into place in September of this year are designed to deregulate vital sanctions that sustain the farmer's livelihoods. These changes seemed to come abruptly amid consistent petitioning for more government support of the country's agricultural industry-related needs. India's PM, Modi, claims no ill intentions have motivated this sudden turn of events in which the government has chosen to restructure the previously existing laws around farming and marketing, which were many but have now been consolidated into three primary Acts.

Farmers have been waiting on reform that would improve their market as well as cultivation efforts, but their government went in the opposite direction by handing over India's largest industry to private investors, a.k.a. Big Corp. As one protester put it, their “government has become slaves to corporations." (Singh Sabhra, Inside Story, Aljazeera.com, December 1st, 2020)

As a result, farmers from all over the region were infuriated by the prospect of their goods loosing government backing, which for some is the only guaranteed income they possess. As another farmer put it, " ...some farmers already don't have access to state subsidies or state run markets" (NYTimes, Indian Farmers’ Protests Spread, in Challenge to Modi, Dec. 4, 2020),

 implying the general consensus which is farmers have agreed on the fact there needs to be changes in regulations, but the changes put into place most recently are in direct contrast to what the farmers had in mind. This man drove 600 miles to protest in the New Delhi demonstration.

India's working class has united and risen up in the face of multiple adversaries such as the Covid-19 Pandemic, record setting air pollution, the cold of the winter and the repercussions of orchestrating a halt to their own economy, not to mention the fortified forces of authority, all in motion of preventing the sell out of their livelihoods that for most, are a matter of life and death. Out of the 1.3 billion inhabitants of India, roughly 60% depend on agricultural income.

According to some statistics, a sobering number of 20, 000 India farmers have committed suicide in just one year's time, due to a potion of elements working against them, only to be exacerbated by the pandemic. When the workers and peasants got fed up, they, like most any nation, took to the streets. The difference - the demonstration is more than a show of presence. It's a call to /inaction/. A call to remove the most valuable asset the ruling class possess - farmers and their crops. Hence, a Workforce Strike. The movement seems to be comprised mostly of the elderly farm owners and overall, unarmed individuals who intend simply to stand their ground in the name of democracy whilst halting production, since these new Acts came about suspiciously without representation from the multiple communities that will be affected. Yet excessive force such as water cannons and tear gas bombs have been deployed against the crowds of protesters.

Currently, the movement is holding strong by occupying stretches of road that spans for miles leading into the nation's Capital, Delhi. But Delhi itself has been trenched off by authorities who seek to ensure the protesters cannot occupy the town's streets or even access the people in charge of making the decisions that are affecting everyone.

Disgusted by the disloyalty of the Indian government to its people, some of the nation's Olympic medal winners as well as other award winners have declared they will physically throw their medals back at the faces of their leaders who've disappointed them with a terrible display of poor leadership. (Democracy Now, Interview with P. Sainath, Dec. 3, 2020) Even Delhi’s own bar association has written to PM Modi expressing their concerns about the new Acts which removes the farmer's right to any judicial recourse related to the farming industry.

Nuances of the protest are many, though concentrated on anti-privatization. Other points of concern include the country's record high 27% unemployment rate, which if you do the numbers and realize India possess the second highest concentrated population in the world, the result is staggering. As well as surmounting tension over the seasonal burning of fields which is said to increase the effects of their already dire affairs regarding air pollution which in turn exaggerates the effects of the pandemic. Burning off field waste is a conventional way of preparing the soil for the next crop, but frowned upon by the government, whose imposed fines and prison time on its farmers for choosing this practice. Nonetheless, some of the farmers have chosen this method as a form of protest saying, "If they impose on us, we will burn [it]." referring to the privatization Acts. (NY Times)


With all these disparaging odds against the citizens of India, it makes sense that a public outcry for justice would be the result. But how /did/ they effectively pull off such a large scale movement? Such an occurrence couldn't be more foreign to the people of a nation like America in which polarization of its people seems as unconquerable as the forces working against its people.
Notable aspects of India's protest to be considered include the fact that rich and poor farmers alike, have joined forces. Workers from other sectors of service have joined in. Even some bankers throughout the country are showing their support of the farmer's outcry. There's free kitchens set up throughout the protest camps. People are taking care of each other, because they know in order to hold out, the entire body of the protest must be strong. As a result, there is a uniting of otherwise stratified sectors of society.
But here's the kicker - the people of India are still relatively new to the concept of living under the thumb of Big Corp. The notion is laughable to them who've witnessed what other countries suffer as the result of selling out. Like a body that's contracted a particular virus for the first time, the body's anti-bodies are alarmed and aware that something is off and so they show up in great numbers determined to defeat whatever's threatening the health of their overall system.
Unlike the United States which possess a built up tolerance to the virus, meaning there's no resistance because there's no alarm - just business as usual.

And that fact is precisely what makes it down right unfathomable to believe such a movement could take place in America.
America where racism, classism, police brutality, poverty and corrupt business have reached all-time highs while the unification of its people have plummeted to all-time lows. The issues we face here in the States differ in stages from those of the farmers in India, but the principals are the same - save the working class from the hands of its corrupt government.

As seen in India, the most effective approach is to rob the ruling class of its most valuable resource - the working class. For the means of production actually lies in the hands of those laboring away in the many fields of service. To refuse to produce that which fetches a profit for the ruling class is to all together cripple the very premise of the economy.
In laymen terms- if you don't report to work ...if no one reports to work, the ruling class has no one to produce the goods that make them rich, thus dismantling their place in power.
So, in essence the effect is profound and immediate, but the organization of such an impact is ....tricky, to say the least.
Besides the usual dividers such as racism and classism, other constructs have to be looked over in order to effectively execute a movement comparable to India's.

Those other obstacles include hurdles such as piety - the belief that servitude is a moral obligation and the rent one pays to be allowed to access resources needed for survival, such as food and shelter. In other words, some people, actually a huge percentage of the state's population which is made up of the ‘boomer’ generations, reports to work for no other reason than the belief system of 'it's the right thing to do'.
India's approach? To prioritize the overall wellness of its people over the need for individual validation. Plain and simple.

Secondly, fear of destitution. If no one’s reporting to work, how are the bill's getting paid? Where's the food on the table coming from? How will grandma get her insulin?
India set the tone for this answer as well.
Communal support that breaches the boundaries of social acceptance. In other words, those with access to goods provide to those in need. For free. Which is perhaps an act of defiance second only to the actual labor strike. How is doing so justified? The people of India realize that the goods they've produced are theirs by means of production and it's no shame on them to utilize those goods for the purpose of caring for their people. (Think food distribution, sharing among neighbors, etc.)

Lastly and perhaps the most daunting challenge - ground zero.
For India, like most protests, ground zero consists of the streets that lead up to the offices of those in power.
Because their infrastructure varies greatly from that of America's, taking to the streets whilst refusing to perform labor, is more than effective.
For us here in the states, the volatile results of the George Floyd protests in which more lives were tragically lost in the name of anti-police brutality, was a hard lesson learned.
Going down the list of options, we have movements like Occupy Wall Street which resulted in concentrated efforts to physically occupy structures such as banks, big businesses and foreclosed homes. The error in that movement lies in the fact that the protesters were technically breaking the law by means of trespassing, which gives the ruling class an inch of justification for policing, which they stretch into a mile of justification for brutality as well as the dismissal of the movement's credibility.
So, the most sensible option becomes ...to protest in place. Ok, hear me out.
It's like ..shelter in place, but purposeful.
Imagine your home town. The streets are empty, quiet. No herds of ranting activists. No militia groups patrolling the street corners or thirsty proud boys searching for an opportunity to draw blood. No property damage or looting. No violence. No police retaliation. No curfews. No nothing. Because by law, most of us aren't doing anything illegal by simply not reporting to work.
Plus, our homes are actually the safest haven we have because
A. We were told by our government to stay at home.
B. We can't be policed for simply not leaving our house.
C. The government can't wage war against its own people in their own homes, neighborhoods, churches, etc., lest the country's leaders risk being abruptly unsupported by its allies and the U.N., not to mention be made a spectacle of to the rest of the developed world.

While India is planning on today's strike being an indefinite one, (which is impressive on so many levels), here in America, a matter of mere days is all it would take to make a dent in the pockets of those in power due to the fact that our economy is no more stable than a house of cards.
Just a few days of boycotting labor, even just a few sectors of the service industry not reporting to work, would have devastating effects on the bottom line of 'the rich man's yacht money', whilst making an inarguable statement - that WE THE PEOPLE ARE NOT THE PRODUCT. We are a nation united under the premise of liberty and the right to pursue happiness. Both of which have been held hostage by those in power, restricting our movement and our accessibility to resources.
The process of effecting a National Workforce Strike in America would look something like this -

*Coordination of essential workers such as hospital staff and gas station attendants, would be needed in order to minimize negative effects on citizens while optimizing the effect of the movement.

*Unification of otherwise polarized communities would be required.

*The ability to hold out long enough to impose the citizen’s agenda would be a must and only possible if we dedicate to the cause, meaning everyone for each other, not for their selves.

*The structure of demands to be proposed to the government would need to be drawn up concisely and presented as a general consensus of the whole protesting body. In other words, we must all agree on who our enemy is and it’s not each other. It’s those in power whom possess a ridiculous amount of influence and ownership. It’s them, the ruling class that we must apply our every bit of dissatisfaction.

In a week or two's time, the ruling class will
be eating out of the palm of our hand, scrambling to meet our demands in exchange for our return to the factories, the stores, the restaurants, to churn their profits for them.
At this point, the gap between the rich and the poor in this country could hardly grow any wider. We're all privy to how much wealthier kingpins like Bezos, Musk and Gates have become due to our vulnerability during the pandemic.
This point in time is the most advantageous for our cause since we haven't much else to loose and everything to gain. We can employ the structure of the lockdown to OUR ADVANTAGE!! 

India is setting a new standard for what it is to stand up to corruption. Let's fall in step and start a chain reaction that sweeps the world clean of injustices like income inequalities and all the subsequent issues of an imbalanced economy.
You can do it. From the comfort and protection of your home.
Don't return to work. #NationwideWorkforceStrikeNow

DemocracyNow Coverage

NYTimes Coverage

IndiaTimes Coverage

I'm going to make a feeble attempt at summing up the basis for a moneyless society. Hang on, we're going to traverse the entire spectrum of the 'moneyless society' concept. This statement won't be brief and you may want to open a separate tab for googling. But please don't be intimidated. Knowledge /is/ power. And no, all this background isn't /necessary/ for /supporting/ the moneyless society movement. But for those of us who have a hard time understanding how such a movement is possible, let alone viable, the following information should suffice.

Man did not evolve from the dollar bill, so why is it thought of as natural to live and die at the hands of currency?

Because of belief systems which are the product of an alternative response to a (previously) misunderstood environment. An environment which [we've] cultivated over time to cater to one thing - satisfaction.

The definition of which hasn't always been synonymous with gluttony, as it is today.

For example, take a look at pre-currency cultures. (which includes bartering)

According to the earliest recorded anthropic history, a natural order of hierarchy has always been present. This evidence is found in the hunter- gather societies which are seen as primitive, though actually performed quite efficiently when you consider the fact that their kind thrived by assigning relevant tasks to the tribe members (*scout, hunter, farmer, child care, textile making, hut building, etc). By 'relevant', I'm referring to tasks that sustain the lives of that society. (Not 'gender specific' or status related)

Additionally, since everyone participated in those relevant tasks, resources were considered the common wealth of the people.

And there's the kicker - abuse of those resources wasn't an issue since, at that point in time, the excessive pursuit of acquisition was not present.

'Satisfaction' was synonymous with 'sustainability'. Not status.

(Marshall Sahlin, Anthropologist)

Now let's tackle the belief systems I mentioned and how hierarchy played/plays a part in how society justifies the need for currency.

In the same societies mentioned above, we can observe the emergence of belief systems through symbolism and soon to follow - language.

These religious practices were no more than responses to the physical environment which the peoples of that time had no scientific understanding of, resulting in irrational assumptions which lead to fear-based practices that were meant to ensure survival.

To be specific, the simple example of relying on seasonal crops provides a more than sufficient basis for [this] theory. (Theory in the scientific sense, not the social context.)

Imagine the food supply for your village is running low. You and your fellow farmers, hunters have harvested all the nearby resources (to the best of your known ability) and have no idea how to replenish supplies before the approaching winter sets in.

Naturally, you're going to start looking everywhere for answers. You may ask your elders or look up at the stars or even talk to the trees. At this point in time, there doesn't exist a scientific basis for reaching a rational solution.

The result is validation by happenstance. That is to say, whomever made the correct guess or which ever star in the sky shone the brightest at the same time a solution was discovered, became the literal saviour of life, thus highly regarded. And thus was born an unnatural hierarchy.

As a result, specific persons were granted 'leadership' roles and regarded as sacred, even worshipped, believing doing so would sustain life.

Examples of this behavior evolved into elaborate belief systems that can be found in every culture and religion from the '3rd world' tribes of Kenya to the pagan observances of the Europeans and to this day, within the most widely practiced religion - Christianity.

Which brings us to the next key term - 'divinity'. (John Calvin, Calvinism)

It's no secret that in today's society good fortune is synonymous with the concept of being 'worthy', or 'chosen' . (i.e. religious leaders, political leaders, community leaders and status quo according to material wealth)

This is the direct result of what we just discussed - the belief in an unnatural hierarchy that supposedly wields the power to sustain life, which is warranted by a given individual's acquisition of wealth. This is where the line between sustainability and satisfaction begins to blur as well as the ability to discern a 'successful' living from an

excess - ful living, if you will.

The other 'S' word comes into play, as well. Survial. To survive a harsh winter or a wide spread illness was to have access to adequate/relevant resources. (Sounds familiar, eh? *cue personal helicopter) By [then], only those who comprised the (man made) hierarchy possessed such means, thanks to centuries of propagation and supposed 'prophecy' which led to what we now call 'classicism', or class division. A.k.a. The ever expanding gap between the impoverished and the *ruling class, (*remember this key term) with a tier or two in the middle (working class, upper- middle class) which are seen as the bridge of validation between poverty and wealth.

Sound far fetched? Consider this.

Whatever means [we] determine will sustain life, let alone a prosperous, fulfilling existence, we tend to give precedent over /every/ aspect of our lives. So its actually not far fetched in the least to make connections between the economy and belief systems (a.k.a. faith, deities, divine hierarchies)

And so, with the advent of coin and paper currency came the most significant belief system known to man - money. A piece of paper with a symbol (s) drawn on it, used to represent a petition for goods. Goods that /sustain life/.

Fast forward to today and we make a full circle. Money 'sustains' life and those with the most call the shots. In actuality, nothing, not one sector of society nor aspect of our culture is being governed, but rather dictated. Dictated by the belief system of the almighty dollar and the *ruling class which came to be and still sit securely in their position due to our prevalent fear-based practices which have spawned into numerous ugly heads such politics, religion, patriotism, racism, fascism and all kinds of 'isms ' which sustain nothing more than traditions. Not life in the least, contrary to popular belief.

And so, by understanding how we arrived [here], we discover indisputable evidence of three things -

1. "We are a product of our environment."

- Jacque Fresco, The Venus Project

2. Epigenetics are real. - Science (Google it. I'm running out of wind, here.)

3. Human kind faces an inevitable transition and we DO have the ability to charter that course. - Sincerely, Mother Nature

Tell me, do you eat a green paper salad when you're hungry? Do you drink a cold glass of coins when you're thirsty? Do you prop a dollar bill upon your head when it rains?

Right. Of course not. Because money was never meant to be a resource on which life hinges.

Ok, we're almost finished now. Let's revisit the hunter-gather society, again. In fact, we're just going to borrow one thing and head 'back to the future'.

Now imagine that winter is setting in and you're relaxing by the fire, your family is healthy and happy, going about their tasks and that which fulfills them. There's no impending sense of doom. Your neighbors aren't plotting against you. No one's foreseeable future is uncertain.

Why? Because in /this/ socioeconomical model, sustainability is reunited with success and satisfaction.

Waste and excess are eliminated thus alleviating environmental stress and resource scarcity.

Equality is the 'belief system' since classism no longer serves a purpose.

How?

The scientific understanding of our environment - (something we didn't have all those thousands of years ago, which resulted in the archaic belief systems of today) - is applied to the governance of society.

The decisions on /how/ to feed the hungry, house the homeless, save the planet, no longer lie in the hands of 'moraly' and financially influenced 'leaders' but instead are resolved by applying tangible, proven solutions that we /already/ posses. (Which are currently being inhibited by competition and 'profitability'. )

To answer questions you're bound to have at this point, look up these additional key terms which will help form a more comprehensive understanding of the basis for a moneyless society.

-Technical communication  and the usefulness of non biased language - learning the difference between contextual and associative meanings of words.

Authorities on the subject include

Jacque Fresco (technical communication), Alfred Korzybski (general semantics), Richard Feynman (quantum physics ....but also extremely insightful regarding the realm of communications)

- Automation. Not the enemy of the people but a segway into freedom from the owner/laborer exploitation of today's capitalist society. (Peter Joseph, The Zeitgeist Movement, Interflections)

- Cyber engineering, AI. (You'll be hard pressed to find a benevolent example in today's world, so look for it in examples of the next term.)

- Resourced Based Economy (RBE)

Please look farther than Google's or wiki's definition. The Venus Project (TVP) provides the most complete example, but other similar movements shouldn't be discounted. Such as 'Moneyless Society', Zeitgeist Movement (TZM)

At this point, I'm compelled to insert an ominous warning of a disparaging future that will result from your negligence of the information we've discussed. But, the reality is ....we're already /there/.

How will you proceed?

P.S. Entrepreneurship is a purely money/status-driven action.

Innovation is an authentic example of meeting a need/want. (Which gets absorbed into the realm of entrepreneurship since everything must be marketed and sold in order to get into the hands of people.)

Progress within the fields of everything from entertainment to medicine (*especially medicine) is being nefariously dictated by the monetary system which seeks not to provide solutions but to exploit our needs. (ex - vaccine research isn't halted by a lack of interest, adequate technology or able minds, but a lack of funding or the presence of biased funding,  (a.k.a lobbying)

L.R. 

'Take Control', Digital,  2018

I don't know if you realize it or not, but we're all just talking to ourselves on [here]. Like with any other facet of society, the loudest voices, the minorities, the women, the less than profitable are still silenced to this day, despite the supposed far and wide reach of the world wide web. The culprit? Big Tech, which moves stealthy behind the scenes, unbeknownst to us who've been convinced that social media is the friend of social justice. We ourselves are the gullible perpetrators of mass hysteria. Of a new, never seen before era of mental illness that stems from an upmost, thoroughgoing illusion. Imagine you're on a stage and the venue is full. Wall to wall packed. The impact of your event looks promising. As you begin to speak, the curtain closes right in front of you. You're too blinded by the prospect of 'reach', your intent or simply the 'magic' of it all, to even notice. You carry on. The audience remains still. Next, your mic is cut. This is when you open your eyes, only to find your message is being blocked by the very same sponsor who agreed to spread it thickly and evenly among the masses, or at the very least, among your 'Friends'. A man in black carrying a briefcase approaches you from the stage exit. He never looks up at you whilst holding up his briefcase and opening it to reveal a plethora of products. His wares. You must partake in this exchange if you want to partake in this platform. And the contents of his case /are/ appealing ...why in fact, everything you've been wanting, been searching for, is in his little black box. All you have to do is click a button and its yours! You glance back at the stage. Then again to the case of wonders. Suddenly the stage, the curtain, it all begins to evaporate and you find yourself in a place full of light and ...stuff. Stuff everywhere for you to choose from, to 'Share ' with your 'Friends'. Before you know it, you're on that stage again, except this time the curtain is wide open, you resemble a showcase girl on a game show. And your audience is engaged ... You're getting attention ... Success! Success for Big Tech and consumerism. Not for the voice you were trying to make heard. Not for your 'cause', your dream, your talent, not for your fundraiser or your achievements. Just. For. (*cue ominous music) Them. Yet you go on with the show, a big cheesy grin plastered across your face. Though secretly in your thoughts, you can't deny the disparaging feelings, the confusion or the sense that something isn't quite right. But you do. it. anyway. Maybe you have moments of lucidity in which you return to the original agenda and begin your campaign again. You think, "Everyone reacted to my post about getting a new car. Maybe they'll see this post about the dangers of Big Oil ..." [*Enter in - man wearing black with briefcase*]

 Several points could be made based on the above analogy, but the one that should strike you the deepest is the fact that [we] posses the technology and skills to effectively control the masses. It’s happening everyday. All day. Effortlessly, without so much as a hiccup. Which is actually great news because that means we already posses the technology and skills to apply sustainable values and resources to the masses. But just as with any other valuable resource, the hands and minds of the corrupt have commandeered its utility with [their] buying power in order to secure their financial status among the elite, the ruling class. Again, money wins. Money can silence you. Showcase you. Shame you. Uplift you. Money controls you and every. single. aspect. OF YOUR LIFE. Even the one you thought you had the most control over - your social media experience. While social media does to some small degree, facilitate a platform for expression and awareness, the only successful campaigns, the ones with thousands of followers, the ones that actually effect change, are the ones which started with feet on the ground. Supporters in communities. Networks that we're organically built and migrated to the www, gaining more supporters due to a strong start. Point in case, share what you like, but as much as some of us (me included) may dread the reality, real, person-to-person connections are the only way to build a strong community of change-makers. Can you imagine the older generations trying to build the America we know now, solely online??? Roads wouldn't be paved, telephone lines wouldn't be strung, skyscrapers wouldn't be standing, if they had all depended on the perpetual, eventual participation of each other. If all those ideals had rested upon mere, intangible internet 'friendships' and the prospect of 'reach', no progress would have ever been made. Not unlike what we see today - the stark halting of progress due to a false sense of participation brought to you by none other than social media - the place you /thought/ your voice would be granted power. The internet isn't going to save us. If we're going to save anything, let alone the world, we must wield technology to our own agenda -that of the people. Not products. But how do we loosen the grip of corruption? By removing the source of corruption - money. Put life changing, history making technology where it belongs - in the hands of the benevolent, the relevantly educated. Those focused on sustainability of the human race and the planet we live on. It's all possible. Ridiculously possible, if only we can agree to do away with that which holds us ALL back. If only we step up and fill the shoes of those who came before us, becoming pioneers of a /new/ frontier - a moneyless society. If you /really/ want to show respect for the people who 'built this country', you'll help save what's left of it from those who wish to put a price on it and sell it to the highest bidder. Look up Resourced Based Economy to learn more about humanity's options and to see how you can help to create a future worth looking forward to.

 Resourced Based Economy

 The Venus Project

The Zeitgeist Movement

Moneyless Society