Jon as Commons

I have been very nervous about posting this. I worried that it wouldn’t make sense or I would look foolish and naive, but hey, so what! (The following is not a final draft but then, what is?) I have recently lost my job due to the person I was supporting at work being made redundant. I was employed as a Communication Support Worker for a Maths Expert who is deaf. So I am now unemployed, I should be out searching for a job (apparently) but I came across an idea the other day and it got me thinking. It was a talk about Economics & Violence at the Peace News Summer Camp by Derek Wall . More on the theory another day but here are a few links to get you thinking reclaiming the commons and Derek Wall's Prosperity without growth, economics after capitalism, I was thinking about how this was related to my personal experience. I have found that a job is often demeaning and stultifying , claiming benefits is soul destroying, running a business for personal profit is to turn myself into a commodity and exploit people. None of these options appeal any more. I want to do good in the World. I have skills and experience I would like to use for the betterment of all. I have no desire to make a lot of money. I do have some financial costs that I cannot (easily) escape. I have rent to pay, food to eat, power to pay for. I suppose I could go off somewhere an live in a utopia, well whatever. I feel indigenous to where I live. I care about the people around me. I like London. I have few needs and offer all I have.

The idea I had was to declare my self a Commons- under the democratic control of the community. OK, a Commons- under the democratic control of the community, what does that mean?

Commons are a shared resource but they are neither Public nor Private. Traditionally they were common land or other resources, but you could also include Open Source Software. Modern life has removed the distinction between public and private. I see myself as a Commons, a resource available to the community, providing many different things; goods and services, yes, but also intangible benefits, like a smile or tea served from a teapot with home-made cake when you are down, or a timely piece of advice.

Under Democratic control. I am unsure of the best way forward. I don’t know whether I do the right thing or waste my time. Some advice and guidance would help me. Also, we need to start working together to build a new world for us all to share, why not start with myself?

Be the change you want to see in the world or Model the behaviour you want to see used. I want more people to join me. I want the Commons to be regained, defended and extended. I can’t ask you to share you life with others if I don’t do it by example.

You might think of this as a piece of Conceptual Art if you like. It isn't but you can think of it that way if it helps. I want to promote dialogue; The World it is a’changing! We need to start talking to each other about how we are going to organise things. The people who have been telling us that they are in charge have been shown to be self-serving, corrupt fools who have lost legitimacy. The demand for Growth, more goods, higher pay, business as usual cannot continue, and by trying this experiment I am hoping to put forward a different way of living.

We all want to do good. Jobs prevent us from being all we could be. Fear stops us giving ourselves freely.

We are more than a commodity. A job turns you into a commodity. I am closer to a forest. I have Multiple “fringe" benefits rather than one product. I have many different experiences to offer.

Trust. I want to trust in those around me, and be trusted by them.

Transitional Position. I don’t have all the answers but I am willing to experiment. To test ideas in the laboratory of my life.

Consume Less. Share More, Enjoy Life. We have to work together for this to work.


How I envisage it working
I (will) have a website. Projects that, I and you, want me to work on. My calendar, It will show my budget needs and have a way of coming to consensus or majority decision, and a chance for you to donate some cash eg rent or other resource eg food to help make it happen. You will get to decide what and how I do it through democratic community control. The commons is not public. To vote will cost you £1 per week of something in kind.


Things I will do
Essentially whatever the community decides.
Maybe you need someone to cover the office for a day.

Maybe you need help at the party.

Maybe you need someone to visit the chemist once a week.

Or whatever you decide

and you will be saying who else I should help and in what way. I will be an agent of the local civil society. I have a few ideas of my own so it may be best to work with what we have got.

• Community. I have worked on community events, etc but I want to do more. I think we have to start talking and working with our local community. Ideas I would like to develop include: Weekly meals for all, public astronomy, litter picking blitz, residents associations, green spaces forums.
• Theatre & Arts. I trained as a dancer and actor from a young age. I have performed in many productions. I also worked for 10years as a theatre dogsbody before specialising in Box Office and Marketing.
• Food. I like to cook. I would be happy to cook for you.
• Permaculture. Transition. Sustainable future. Going off Grid. Giving away your surplus. I have a piece of paper that says I was interested enough to pay and study Permaculture. Everything is about design. The more publicly held and understood the better for the commons.
• Education. I have worked in education and training for many years; In-house theatre training, video production, I have also been a support worker for Deaf and disabled people in secondary and 16+ education. I like to learn and share what I learn.
• Co-op. One of the long-term goals is to set up a workers co-op that will focus on Transition in peoples lives, their work and the wider world.
• Graphic Novels. I have made a few. I want to make more. I have some ideas.
• Volunteering. I want to work with established groups and help them flourish. Peace News, Unlibrary
• Foraging. I want to explore the Common foods, make a urban forage map. Pick fruit in peoples gardens, turn some into jars of jam to give away.
• Research. Collate information and disseminate it.
• Communication support. I know British Sign Language. I have a 1st class Hons. degree in Deaf Studies, seems a shame not to do something with it.
• Video. I have edited and made a few films in my time. I can help.
• Life. Everything else.

I will have a calendar showing my appointments. Every appointment is a project that is open to democratic oversight; but you don’t have to vote on everything. Focus on what is important to you. You can propose a new project or amend one in existence. If you have chosen to pay £52 you will have a day dedicated to you; it will be up to you what I do.


What you get for your money
I am cheap. You can just give me £1 when you feel like it and receive 1 week of voting rights and be able to make 1 project proposal (which could, for example, involve me cooking/painting/gardening for you for a day) or go all the way and give me £52= £1 per week. I will even take payment in kind. For that donation to paying my rent (equal to one weeks rent) you get-

• At least, 1 day of my total attention doing whatever you require. If the community thinks I should do more for you then that is what I will do but for £52 you will have 1 day dedicated to you to decide.
• The chance to have a meal. Let me know and I will cook a bit extra, or I could cook at yours.
• Stuff I make & do. You will get a bit of it. Puppets, Posters, Pickles, Planetariums, plants, poems, all the stuff I “own" am happy to share. Books, music, films, games.
• Democratic control over Me. So you get to decide what I do everyday.
• Feeling special. I don’t need lot’s of money. Just enough to pay the essentials, so I don’t want lots of people giving me money. I just need a few, as many as I could properly serve without breaking one of the rules of the commons; that it should be improved or in a better state of health after use.
• You will be creating a new world model. We all know this way isn’t working, and will probably only get worse, never better. Unless we, that means you and me, start to do things differently. We need to start treating living things / reclaiming and defending the commons.

I am asking you to think beyond your personal gain (a bit) and manage a beautiful resource (me).
I am not really trying to offer you a commodity I am trying to work out a way to live as neither slave nor master. I am not selling myself; I am no one special. I am not asking you to buy something off me; I am offering it freely. I just need to pay the rent, and to feel that I am doing good in the World, and I need a bit of help and guidance. I think the Commons need reclaiming and defending; I am trying to set an example.

Things I think I need on website
Spectrum tool; where does everyone stand on a project? Agree <-----> Disagree
Voting by majority but option to go consensus if needed.
Project page in a format that allows votes to be cast, and time to be allocated.
Calendar: What am I spending my time doing?
Budget Visualiser: What am I spending money on?
Blog; I say something.
Forum; Community to discuss, all can view.
Twitter feed; all can comment, only the community decide in forum.
Way of donating Cash, in kind and keeping track of who does what.

Maybe I should just start “free” with Blogger etc? But I think I may have to spend more time maintaining the “free” option rather than paying some cash to get it integrated.

All will be open. I will publish weekly (or monthly, you decide) accounts.
Basically I need-
£52 per week at least for the rent which in total is £109:42 per week.
£25 for food (I plan to forage and grow more but would like to feed people communally)
£25 per week on other bills.

About £102 per week, and I would be very comfortable and secure.
£408 per month or £4896 per year.

If you have any queries or questions please feel free to ask. If you think I am unclear or you think I should expand or edit this post let me know.

Consume Less. Share More, Enjoy Life.