Communication

It is beyond me why today’s homes do not come equipped standard with a global, national and local communications screen, for free.

Communication is becoming a lynchpin in today’s society, we rely on it to propose business ideas, relate news and talk to friends. Yet we pay money to a set of commercial giants for this privilege. Why?

Talking to friends, partners, family or associates should be free and should be delivered in a much better package.

In a Zen Anarchy society every home, or singles residence, will include a screen on a main wall, with an uplink directly to a local, national and global mainframe. This link will have video feed from and to the Sender/Receiver (Optional). These screens allow direct access to any global or national free news source (discussed later).

In the communications mainframe (directly in the city center) news reports are delivered to either a global, national or local database dependant on that news’ relevancy to those residents in those particular areas. These mainframes also immediately deliver any impending disaster information direct to home communication screens, giving immediate warning to all residents in a danger area. These messages will have the ability to turn on a Communications Screen if it is in Standby or Silent mode, activating an audible warning to Evacuate via the Emergency Transport networks.  They will not have the ability to turn on a Sound or Audio Receiver in the individuals location as this would be a breach of privacy.

This kind of immediate, relevant and safety communication would enable the world to choose their communication based on relevancy, it would allow the residents of the world to avoid impending disasters, and it would allow instant communication, free, anywhere in the world.

This allows the improvement of Emergency Assistance, improves crime reduction, assists in resident happiness by the individual not having to filter through communications that bear absolutely no relevance and allow constant communication with friends and family free of charge.

This system will also allow for an immediate poll of all residents in a particular area on a particular topic. For example, when rotational council is made, questions on all applicable topics to an area are delivered to residents with priority. Those residents answer these questions (all directly relevant to their area/their city/their nation) and the information is passed to the rotational council via the feed response constructed by the Communication Mainframe.

This system will increase safety, ensure that all decisions made are made with the consensus of the entire population not simply (and irresponsibly) via one or two people in a position of power.

If a definite conclusion cannot be reached (more than 10% towards either decision/direction/action), the decision is postponed and more information on the topic is delivered to the people via the Communications Screen.

These Home Communication Screens also link directly to individuals via a series of wires and connections similar to a mobile phone, attached to the individuals arm in the form of a glove. This glove allows communications to be displayed on the individuals forearm or via a contact lens inserted onto the retina. These communications will cease to transmit under the condition that the individual is travelling more than 0.5 km/h (when standing-thus walking) or more than 50km/h (while seated-thus driving). However the communications will function when travelling over 130 km/h (while seated or standing) thus on a mass transport device or automated personal vehicles.

This will ensure that communication while driving or walking is cancelled and thus ensures safety of all citizens.

Every citizen is listed in a global address book. However personal details (Name, sex, age, location, appearance) are all kept private and are not listed at all.

Due to Zen Anarchy being a resource based economy, not a monetary based economy- Spam messages and advertising have no need to exist and thus residents are delivered only the most applicable communications.

Libraries

In ZA tomorrow, as well as in the Residential Living section, libraries are discussed. At first one might be mistaken for believing that I am talking about literal libraries, with books. However the libraries of tomorrow would contain not just books, but ideally thousands of items.

These massive warehouse like multi-level structures contain clothes, books, appliances, tools, implements, accessories, computers, hardware etc. The items contained in these warehouses are free. Yes, free.

These items can be taken by any man, woman or child. These items are mass-produced and stocked inside these warehouses so people can come and take what they need, when they need it. The name of the individual and the item/s taken are scanned and registered on a globally visible database (except personal/sexual/private items that individuals obviously do not wish displayed to the world).

Ideally, in a resource based economy clothing, household items etc. are all produced on a needs basis, not a sales basis. Clothing manufacturers, for example, source material from locally grown crops or product where possible, or from the major recycling plants on the outskirts of every city. This assists in speeding up the mass production facilities of each city, providing needs based clothing. Warehouses are stocked to capacity and re-filled when stock runs low.

Individuals who need, say, a jacket, come and take a jacket, placing their old, worn out jacket in the recycling facility closest to their location, which is then transported back to the major recycling plant to be re-made into more clothing.

The same applies to all consumer goods, mass communication is sent to every house via electronic means (eliminating the need for post drops and paper wastage) about what is recyclable and what needs to be disposed of by other means. However, wherever possible, all products will be made from green base products.

These warehouses provide clothing for everyone., not just those who can afford the purchase. This ensures that every human being on the earth is sufficiently clothed.

These libraries are not guarded, the doors are open to all, the item’s bar code is scanned into the global database upon exit. These libraries do not need guarding. In a Zen Anarchy society there is no money, thus no need to steal. All human beings are working towards a better future, not to better themselves. What need do you have to steal if everything provided for you is free?

Smaller versions of these libraries are located in the single being housing facilities, to ensure maximum productivity, lack of need to clog transportation to travel to the library warehouses, and to ensure that everything- when needed- is accessible.

I envision these libraries as a mass hub where anyone is welcome, free to take what they need and help assist in making their family unit the least stressful, and most productive it can be.

Without poverty, parents can be assured that all their attention can be focused on educating their children, working to better humanity, and not be stressed about finances or clothing their family.

These libraries would effectively be free of all regulation. I don’t feel that putting one person, or one company, or one group in control of what everyone should, or should not have, is a sensible decision.

Minimalism

You can’t help but feel they’ve got it right.

In today’s society minimalist individuals live cheaply, cleanly and productively. By forcing consumerism out of their life, they have focused their

work flow, improved the balance and beauty in their home life and created a positive, clean environment. They do not spend thousands of dollars on clothes, furniture or unnecessary apparel. Advertising is ineffective and they are claiming back their independence from the grasp of a consumer society.

Whilst they have had to cleanse themselves of decades of brain washing via numerous mediums, they now function with the most minimal of house hold items, clothing and personal objects. They have abandoned the method of “want” and travelled to the “need” realm.

In tomorrow’s society Minimalism will be key to not only the avoidance of being recaptured by a society focused purely on advertising and purchasing, but also in creating beautiful, slimline, flowing and functional home environments.  You will not need to fill your home with the latest Nike shoes, the latest TV model, the latest Designer kitchen ware.

There are no Nike shoes, all TV models are standardised, large, long-lasting, hard to break and free and in tomorrows society there is no such thing as “Designer”. Designer is a term coined by elitists for profit, to further separate the socioeconomic barriers that a mass advertising and consumer campaign driven world has embraced.

We spend thousands every year (those of us that can) on meaningless object filled lives.

But when you think about it…. What do you really need? If you had to throw out everything that you did not require to function, what would you keep?

I narrowed it down to:

• A bed
• A toilet
• A shower
• Two changes of clothes
• Two pairs of underwear
• Two pairs of socks
• A writing implement be it computer or pen and paper
• A chair to sit comfortably in
• Art of some form to decorate my minimalist space
• Books on aiding and assisting others

I could cut it down further if I had a better memory, discarding of the reference books on Psychology/Coaching/Aiding others.

If I was being really thorough I could reduce the art work- Though it would leave me less pleased with my surroundings.

Think about the children, adults, grandparents in the world with one change of clothing- Rags. Think about those with no food on their plate in comparison to how much food you threw out last night.

Eat smaller portions, choose less over more, buy things you need, not things you want.

I envision Zen Anarchy being a pure, stream lined, beautifully simple society wherein both tasks and possessions are simple, functional and still attractive. Where people can obtain clothing and necessary objects from massive warehouses or “Libraries”, where residences are built as needed not en massè. When we focus less on the financial costs of mass producing consumer goods, we are able to better focus our attentions to clothing the naked, feeding the starving and housing the homeless.

Minimalism is not just a lifestyle, it is one of the primary tools of ensuring everyone is entitled to the same comfort and enjoyment of life.

Rising cost of house ownership

Following this story in the age, I fail to comprehend how we, as a society, accept this kind of treatment. We are told regularly that another two hundred a month here, one hundred a month there, will be tapped on to our already incredibly expensive mortgage.

How is it that we have accepted this so easily? Not only are house prices rising, but also rates on the interest of the loans for those houses. Yet we lie down and take it….Why? Because we lose the “Australian/American/English/European Dream” of owning a house if we do not.

The cost is a sub par existence scraping by on not-high-enough-to-cope incomes, cheap food- thus lower quality food and schools that cost almost as much as a house to ensure good education.

As nations we make it harder everyday for a human to exist within each countries border. We raise the price of living, the price of fuel, the price of food, the price of health. We? Yes….We. We lay down and take each consecutive kick to the stomach from a bank with fat cats and fatter wallets who really couldn’t care that Jenny now has to take a second job to fund the mortgage.

In a Zen Anarchist society your house is free. Housing is built on an as needed basis, the design modelled off the most functional, modern, habitable blue print ensuring space, comfort, light and heating are maximised. These houses are built and assembled in a mass produce factory, split into two layers (The based and attachments, the ceiling and heating/cooling implements) and then constructed on site.

At the sacrifice of self design, housing is provided for every man woman and child the planet over. Houses are constructed of rapidly renewable resources such as Bamboo, dimension stone, recycled metal, compressed earth blocks, cork, concrete (high and ultra-high performance roman self-healing concrete) and Polyurethane blocks (which are high-speed, low-cost and environmentally friendly.)

This provides a sustainable method for constructing houses, especially in the format discussed on the Residential Living page. These houses are designed to maximise use of land, space and surrounds to ensure adequate housing for an ever-increasing population.

Whilst our current government has attempted to solve the space problem and the housing problem via “Commission Flats”, these buildings are often just a convergence place for drugs, crime and violence of the poorer members of society forced to live in a small box. This is a “Brush it under the carpet” approach to housing.

When commercialism and useless industry don’t occupy half the city, more space will be created for Residential accommodation. It may take years, but eventually it will be seen that there’s no point providing shops for people who have no money or house to buy the items to place.

Unemployment and homelessness are on the rise- The government spends more on military funding. Why aren’t we focused on feeding and housing our people instead of creating better methods of killing people?