Time for Gandhi Economics
February 1, 2010 by admin
Filed under Uncategorized
To my mind, Fascism (what we have in the US now), Socialism and Communism are “all the same”.
When I make such statements, some over-educated tight-ass always wants to debate the intricate economic fine points of each system and why they are totally different.
But these systems are more similar than different and they all have the same aim: the concentration of power and control in the hands of a few. They are all about hierarchy and authority and control. They are all designed to turn most people into wage-slave worker bees… to the benefit of the few owners/bosses (governmental, corporate, and/or both).
The choice between “Free Market Capitalism” (actually Fascism) and “Socialism” is a false choice… as false as the “Conservative” vs. “Liberal” propaganda the media constantly presents.
Luckily, there are much better economic models of freedom, and one of them was presented by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was no fan of socialism and disliked the socialist direction the independent Indian government took. He also despised Corporate Capitalism (Fascism) and fought it tooth and nail.
Gandhi believed that the key to economic self-reliance for Indians (and all world citizens) was an economy of “cottage industries”. In other words, Gandhi promoted a system based on millions of independent (and interdependent) micro-entrepreneurs. Each household a business and an industry…. free from bosses, independent but connected… dignified and prosperous.
No big corporate bosses. No time-clocks.
I find Gandhi’s economic vision to be one of the most dignified, humane and uplifting I’ve encountered. And it’s a vision that is possible… especially with the many opportunities now available on the internet. Already there are thousands (millions?) of people doing this kind of “work”– people who run a small business out of their home, who are the bosses of their own lives, who are free and flexible. These are people who don’t bow down to a boss, who don’t obey a boss’ schedule, who don’t need to beg for a vacation, who don’t need to ask for “permission” to rest when they feel tired or ill.
On an individual level, Thoreau practiced exactly the same kind of economics. He lived extremely simply… grew his own food… and did simple freelance “work” (surveying, writing…).
The sad truth is that most people talk a lot about “freedom” but very very few pause to think about what it means. Most who claim to be free are not even close.
Here’s a few clues that you are not, in fact, free:
* You must ask permission (like a child) to rest for a day or two.
* You must ask permission (like a child) to take a vacation for a month.
* You must ask permission to start working late, or finish early.
* You must come to an office or building for a certain number of hours every day/week… whether or not you actually have work to do.
* You feel must follow rules and procedures to placate your boss, at the expense of your own principles.
* Your “work” drains you of passion, energy and life.
* A boss decides what you are paid, and whether or not you can make more.
* Your “work” is monotonous, boring and mindless… yet you “must” do it anyway.
* You fear being “downsized”, “laid off” or fired… and this fear keeps you obedient to your bosses.
* You work for a company that pollutes the environment, exploits people, works with oppressive government or otherwise harms people, animals and the planet.
Can you really claim to be “free” when 40+ hours of your week are spent in service to the above?
Do you really want to live your entire life as a child…. obeying pseudo parents? (bosses, the government, etc..)?
Isn’t it time to break free? Isn’t it time to stop pretending?
The only way to create a dignified economics is through a system in which people are self-reliant and free.
Gandhi was on the right track…. build your own “cottage industry”. Build your own small business or micro-vocation.
Stop looking to bosses and the government to take care of you.
It is time for us all to grow up 
Your latest series of posts are dead-on…..I returned to this blog just as you started actively posting again, and it must be some kind of weird synchronicity! I’m starting to feel my job is making me dumber, by draining away any energy I once had for serious reading, music, etc. Almost starting to feel like I’m entering a spiral, in which life becomes grayer and grayer as time goes on.
Anyone else feel this way? Keep up the great posts.
Hey Hobo Poet.
Ever since I was 17, I read “The Underground History of the American Education” by John Gatto Taylor and I knew high school was just brain washing — a baby sitting center for teens.
I didn’t know back then that public education was just a small way for the controlling elites to brain wash the mass, especially making them go to college so they can get into debt before they finish school.
So I dropped out of high school 1 credit shy of graduating, had a couple of jobs, and now that I’m in my early 20s, I had my micro business for a couple years and haven’t had a job in 3 years!
w00t.
Keep updating this blog once a month, I love your blog post. Also been reading your blog ever since it was hosted on blogspot.
Dear Skald,
Hope you get this message. As soon as I came across your hobopoet blogspot, I knew I had found a kindred spirit. When I saw your links, I thought I was looking at my own bookmarks folder.
Just wanted to say a big thanks for the inspiration – I think what you’ve done with your life and your microbusiness is just awesome!
I’m on a similar path myself – and it helps a ton to see the example of an ‘older brother’ who has already walked it and walked it well.
Keep up the excellent work.
- Ian
Hi Skald
Just to say I enjoy reading your blog and often share your views.
A small remark,
In my opinion, most of the technology today would never have existed, if not for the large groups of people who worked together in complex environments – far more complex than “cottage industry” can ever be.
considering a few products you might use in running your “cottage industry”:
- Intel processors in your netbook
- most of modern medicines
- internet
- aeroplanes
- the chip in your video camera
the list could really go on…
yes, we have these things which make some “cottage industry” feasible today but it is unrealistic (in my very own opinion) to think that progress of humanity (or even sustenance) can be achieved only through “cottage industries”.
Exactly how “cottage industry” can solve problems in or even serve: air-ravel, modern computing (google servers in huts?), scientific research, technology…?
A way of looking at things is: well, we have enought of “stuff” already, right?
Why we need to make more?
But let’s not forgett that there is a lot we haven’t yet worked out, e.g. how to stop global warming.
Let’s take solution to global warming as a working example.
Let assume that the only realistic and feasible solution to lowering CO2 emissions to a safe level by 2050 is, the idea Bill Gates presented at TED.com recently, namely building nuclear reactors that burn over 99% of uranium with very little leftovers.
For the moment assume that this is the only solution that will save the plant.
How is your idea of “cottage industry” going to create a string of such reactors?
extract and deliver fuel, run the reacton, handle by-products, delivery of power to the consumers?
I’m struggling to imagine any of it using “cottage industry” model.
Or let’s say a couple wants to go on holiday to Thailand. How are they going to get there using “cottage industry” model.
Yes, there are jobs that can be very, very effectively done using this model. But that’s becoming rare in this ever more complex society, right?
Hope I’m not ranting too much..
I think where you personally seem to be coming from is: “to want less”.
That’s noble and conscientious and makes you, an unusual yet (in my opinion again) remarkabe human being.
Quite unlike the rest of the world.
The current working system in common use MUST be maintained so that the few can skim the wealth of the many.
Attempt to alter that system at your peril.
People have disappeared for less.
The world would grind to a halt if we ( and I would love to)
all left the corprate world and started our own little business
Wow, haven’t checked back since you declared the lights being turned off and just recently googled you as a series of thoughts crossed my mind. Glad you (attempted) to start back up!
I realize that this post was months ago, however please give us an update on how things are going…back in SF? Kinda weird, I was there for the first time in January for about a week exploring the city, sleeping in my car (hatchback
), just taking it all in….took off down to Socal because I didn’t want to deal w/ the rain/cold lol. If so many other things weren’t on my mind, I should have tried to look you up…heh, of course, I’m not sure how you’d react to some random guy on the ‘net popping up in your city and giving you props. You were one of the main inspirations for me to successfully live out of two different vehicles for an extended period of time in multiple cites throughout the southwest/west coast over the last few years — your old blogspot posts where invaluable….ok I’m rambling haha.
Anyway, hope all is well man. I know this blog doesn’t have near the pageview stats that your for-profit sites do, but please continue this on the love love.
Best,
CJ
Hello A.G. Hoge,
It was very interesting to read. In my opinion Gandhi has been on the right track by fighting tooth and nail those political manipulations but isn’t this theory endangered of becoming Utopian? The reason I think that way is because you have your own life even if you work for a boss… truly you are dependable in some ways which make you feel like a child. But people are dependable creatures anyway! Furthermore, people are individuals are they can also choose how to carry on their life. We have to eat so we have to work no matter where, when, how much and etc. because we get salary for our labour… I’ve been talking mostly for European countries because here in EU or other developed countries the ropes around the workers are not so tightened. There is definitely a difference between exploitation and working while getting your salary at the end of your month! SO there are actually individual examples and I don’t want to give them and analyse them. So the economic states of Asia and Europe are different imo!
One day I asked my English teacher to recommend me a book. I asked him for an easier one and he gave me “Animal Farm” by George Orwell or his real name Eric Blair. Anyway, this book appealed to me so much in the beginning so I read it at one breath as far as a foreign language book could be read. So I learnt a lot from this book for the socialism and the tendency of becoming exploited as citizen or worker by the “pigs” who have the power over a whole farm and even over the farmer! Because I think it is crucial to read this book before taking such deductions into consideration over the internet I want to know have you read it? If you have read it how did it change you thinking? Can a free-minded person work for the pleasure of others or this is just a paradox of it’s own? I am very interested to hear your opinion as more skilled and well-educated than me.
So I am very happy having the chance to post here and even start a discussion. Be ready because the “random” group of people which is not formed by your friends is getting bigger. Add one person more!
gandhian economics works.its true
Pizu,… I have no complaints if you or others choose to work for nuclear power companies or mega-corporations.
.. but there are other choices for those who wish to be free.
I like your idea on economic issue.