What a beautiful post!
This is not just informative, it’s literary. And I sometimes wonder if you don’t need the beauty for the information to hit home.
As I read about the volunteers life in The Jungle, I am brought back to an impression I have had all through this opencare project. The impression is this: “the economy”, “society”, the world we know is only paper thin. Behind the surface of carbonated drinks and targeted advertising and employment figures and pre-election rallies, I glimpse self-organisation reaching out for ways to cater to our needs. It seems like it percolates through the crack of society, colonizing immediately any area that “the economy” retreats from. This could be why there are so many great stories from Greece coming through; Helliniko and @OrangeHouse , @Aravella_Salonikidou and her strange “not some social space”, @MAZI , @Tree_of_Life , @To-Steki , @Jenny_Gkiougki , @Noesi … Greece has suffered more than most countries, and yet there is so much resilience.
Mayble another world is not just possible, it’s inevitable. Maybe these communities are humanity’s default configuration, and we are only held in place in large hierarchical system by massive dissipation, and even then just about.
Volunteers in The Jungle are sad, broken, exhausted. Why don’t they go home? “We feel responsible”, says Alex. Not good enough. Why do you feel responsible? Humans seem to be naturally building mutual help communities. Why? What are we missing?