Do-It-Yourself Community

One of the assumptions that keeps people working together in any group larger than ones immediate family is that there is some benefit to doing so.  If people feel that they do not have a stake in the community, or if society fails them in profoundly irritating ways, then it’s hardly surprising when they decide not to abide by that society’s rules or even work against the interests of that society.

This is one of the dangers we face as a nation with millions of disenfranchised workers, not to mention their families and friends who might judge how well our society functions by what happens to those around them, even if they escape the brunt of those negative effects themselves.  Sometimes this leads to riots, anarchy, crime, etc., but in other cases you get something different and positive.

One of the more interesting responses to our economic nightmare is the rise of “common security clubs.”  No, this is not a emphamism for forming local militias, although in the long run it’s probably a better idea.  These are groups of people who form their own community for mutual support, sharing information, and working to effect change.  There are a lot of sites out there with tons of information about how find or form common security clubs.

One site, http://commonsecurityclub.org/, has an entire curriculum for people interested in learning more.  Personally, I find this one of the more positive developments to come out of this crisis. It is a reminder to those both at the top and at the bottom that when the government or business or the market or whatever fails to fulfill their proper function in a healthy way, they leave a vacuum that will be filled by something else.

What goes on at these clubs?  Mutual encouragement, sharing skills and knowledge.  Members pool their resources and experience to start small businesses.  Doctors, lawyers, and other professionals sometimes offer their services for free to club members.  Other clubs hold fairs for helping people find jobs, or work with members to find ways to reduce their overhead.  Best of all, however, they are working to create a new way of living that reduces the ties that bind people to the forces that wreck economies, business, jobs, families and lives.

I invite anyone who has more direct experience with common security clubs to please chime in with a comment or two.  This strikes me as an insanely good idea.