Difference between revisions of "What The Zeitgeist Movement is NOT"

Latest revision as of 19:50, 15 September 2012

[edit] The Zeitgeist Movement...

[edit] ...is NOT utopian

Utopia (From the Greek for "what does not happen or does not exist") can be defined as a seemingly unattainable ideal society at the time of its formulation. In this sense, a utopia has an important ideal component that makes a happy existence possible because peace and justice realm in it.

Thereby and antonomasia (par excellence), though inadequate, is associated with the impossible utopia or unattainable (especially becasue of those popular and unscientific false sayings "Man has always been bad by nature").

The Zeitgeist Movement (ZM) is not Utopian, it advocates for an update of society through education, awareness and introduction of the knowledge accumulated by humanity and use of science as a tool for society to successfully implement a realistic and sustainable system called Resource- Based Economy (RBE).

At first glance designs such as the Venus Project (VP) may seem utopian. So we must remember that certain technological advances and way of thinking in our past history were branded as impossible, or at least wrong, by the same institutions that today would if they could: religious, political and business (eg, the earth was certainly flat and, of course, occupied the center of the cosmos). All that has been considered impossible, has become viable at a time. To assume the impossibility of something a priori is a lack of creativity. We have the knowledge, resources and initiative to redesign a new integrated architecture that can create a world where we can flourish as a civilization. This is not a utopia, much less an opinion, is a verifiable fact, tangible and demonstrable through the use of the scientific method as a tool to approach and argue. History shows us as the "establishment" of the past always oppose a paradigm shift in both the institutions that shape them are violated in their pretense of being absolute and permanent, which is absurd in the natural order becasue planet earth and the universe are always constantly changing and evolving.

Moreover, the notion of utopia is also associated with an idealized goal or objective to be achieved: societies are always in transition, so there is no final destination but the road, which is built all the time.

[edit] ...is NOT a for-profit organization

The ZM aims to overcome the prospect of profit as an incentive for people. Although the ZM acknowledges that monetary reward somehow motivates it also recognizes that the monetary incentive generates an absolute crisis of values: a culture based on individualism, scarcity, mistrust, violence and competition (understood as unhealthy competitiveness and pathological where anything goes for money).

The dominant mentality of looking at any price the greatest benefit at the lowest cost has proven to be an unhealthy attitude that is threatening our survival as a species. The ends never justified the means (not anything goes!). The profit interest overrides the interest of human and social welfare, thus society is not motivated to contribute to itself in a meaningful way but simply personal enrichment at the expense of itself in any way possible. That's a dementia.

That's why not only the ZM is a nonprofit organization but it also advocates for the absolute abolition of the monetary system because it encourages indecent attitudes, which are retrograde and lascivious in individual growth as well as in social development.

[edit] ...is NOT a dogmatic movement

A dogma is a particular doctrine, prefixed and sustained by a centralized hierarchical institution. Such doctrines don't allow room for doubt or criticism, they would be censored by consensus and are respected by its members and followers supporters without question (or a low level of questioning). Dogmatic attitudes impede understanding, destroy or limit communication, and therefore evolution. A dogma as a belief is by definition the antithesis of scientific thinking because, even if shared by an overwhelming majority is never subjected to any test of truth.

The ZM is open to environmental influences and supports criticism of their understandings. This non-dogmatic way comes from the recognition of the emergent nature of knowledge, in other words, we accept the reality (nature) always changes and emerges into something different with each change.

Consistent with this, we see no superiority of one belief system over another, in this sense the ZM is practical and simply seeks to apply the most efficient techniques to facilitate the development of human life and the use of the best that is known or can do to date.

IT'S NOT an organization to create a NWO or "New World Order" The proposal for a RBE is not related to the political agendas of the financial elite, corporate and government that advocate for the creation of a world government.

The RBE could only take place if the whole planet cease competing with each other and collaborate to serve a single objective, sustainability on a finite planet. Then it would be possible to declare the planet's natural resources as common heritage of mankind. Although this is expressed as a new way of organizing society, it has nothing to do with the politicized NWO and other organizations or initiatives that propose that a few hold the power over most of humanity and the planet at any cost.

[edit] ...is NOT a political party

The ZM is not a political party but a social movement. As such it is an informal grouping (not institutionalized) of individuals dedicated to social, economic and technological development aimed at updating and social evolution.

The ZM is not seeking to take power, that is, their interest is not to govern. One of the main objectives is to generate a critical mass of people that call for change on a global scale, just so the other institutions will be forced to acquiesce.

It also aims to help individuals or entire communities to depend in a minimum way on the monetary system and the financial system, therefore depend as little as possible of money. This is achieved through the promotion, development and implementation of projects and initiatives that advocate and achieve the stated objective. (eg, implementation of renewable energy, permaculture, environmental pedagogy...)

Unlike political organizations, the ZM is organized in a absolutely decentralized and horizontal structure, with no political affiliations, much less partisan<ref name="tzmarg_om"/>.

The ZM does not need the homogeneity that is enjoyed by political parties, on the contrary, its strength lies in pluralism, diversity and its members, while they share the same basic concepts, have the autonomy to exercise critical thinking, differentiate into any level and not lose its identity and individuality. The freedom to question is not only alibi, but encouraged and sought at all times for it is an expression of the use of scientific method as a tool for development and construction.

[edit] ...is NOT communism

Communism exists within a monetary system, and therefore has banks, police and social inequality. A RBE does not (will not) have any of this because it has been overcome by not contemplating it.

However, in the term commonly referred to the ideal of Karl Marx, we see that he did not design a model or a technical method to maintain a classless society. A RBE provides a methodological approach to produce abundance by the best possible management of resources and the least human labor possible until it's eventually eliminated, while offering all the comforts to the people in a prosperous society. In a RBE decisions are reached through the scientific method, where the construction processes, production and distribution are managed and operated by computerized systems.

[edit] ...is NOT a technocrat movement

Technocracy literally means government technicians. In our proposal technicians do not govern, in fact no one governs. At the beginning of a RBE, during the transition from monetarism, society should be clearly technically organized by qualified people stating social needs and available resources. The government will be a set of automated operations based on the scientific method to provide greater efficiency in its operations: production and distribution of goods, education, health, etc ...

The criteria used for any decision is always the greatest benefit and social prosperity.

For this, we use technology to take all possible information and reach decisions. A decision is reached, no one will take them. Computers have the advantage to be able to process much more data than people and are not subject to whims and cultural prejudices to those that humans are exposed, which skews our judgement ability. We rely on technology because it is capable of operating like a human expert. The role of people, among others, will be to monitor these systems.

[edit] ...is NOT a centralized organization

The ZM is a decentralized structure. That is, it doesn't have leaders who order what to do or what not to do, becasue all the information (power) is distributed among all members involved in a horizontal manner. Each member learns to make decisions by himself guided by their understandings on how to contribute to a whole and unlearning to use individualistic criteria associated with one's own subjectivity (taste, pleasure or personal convenience). It maintains a horizontal and circular structure, because it recognizes the symbiotic nature: we are all connected to everyone.

To recognize the emerging nature of reality allows us to be open and flexible to the changing environment. This regenerative approach is useful and practical to grow and adapt. Renew or perish, right? ;)

[edit] ...is NOT a secret or occult organization

The ZM is completely public and transparent, it has no secrets and no leaders. It is based on sharing and extending its nature, not hiding it.

[edit] ...is NOT a sect or select group, closed or elitist

We list some characteristics of sects to demonstrate that the ZM has nothing to do with these kids of organizations.

Definition of a sect: It's a group of people who share a form of destructive thinking with devotion to an idol or leader and with a strong paternalistic attachment towards it. It uses mental and behavioral manipulation techniques to control and persuade their followers and to secure the objectives of the group leader or organization. They restrict freedom of education, expression and the movement of its members. They maintain cults, practices and rituals. Their members are induced to economic exploitation, sexual or general abuse of people. There are more features, anyone interested can include them later. . . In contrast to these features, the ZM is open to all without distinction or conditions of any kind, since it considers these divisions illusory, false, immobilizing, outdated and artificially created by the groups in power to divide and separate mankind.

[edit] ...is NOT a charitable society

While we welcome any act of charity, our aim is to solve the cause of the problems in our society from the root.

Solidarity is fine as an attitude, but the ZM aspires to equality, which is unrelated to lose (something like individuality), but to gain.

[edit] ...is NOT an esoteric movement or New Age

Although we seek a change of mentality that allows the receptivity of new knowledge and the questioning of the current values of society, we argue that this change alone will not create the conditions necessary for the survival of life on Earth. The ZM is not based on faith or belief that reality will change in the way that it proposes itself, but in real possibilities of changing reality. For example, a hungry child will not be fed by the fact of humanity meditating, prayers or performs rituals on the need to be fed.

[edit] ...is NOT a left-wing movement

Neither centrist nor right-wing. In fact, the understanding of the ZM overcomes the horizontal immobility of the bipolar policy. Demanding equality for humankind could be considered nowadays as coming from the left of the political spectrum. In a monetary system, money equals power, so in that context of the struggle to obtain equality, this by definition is denied when the law of the strongest reigns.

We are apolitical and rational, very rational!

[edit] ...is NOT an anti-system movement

We do not fight against the current system: we create a new system. In this sense we are an alternative to the system (alter-system) or builders of a new one (pro-system). Another way to understand it is seeing the movement as one who is pro RBE (Pro Resource-Based Economy).

[edit] References

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[edit] Sources

• zeitgeistcolombia.com/equipos/difusion/node/154 (in Spanish)
• zeitgeistlatino.org/informate/que-no-somos (in Spanish)
• www.chapters.zeitgeistaustralia.org/master_group/node/820 (translation of Spanish sources)