A solution to the current world economic crisis
could be called an “Open Source Economy”.
To explain what an open source economy is and could be,
Lets compare it to the “Free Market Capitalist Economy”.
Open Source is essentially
the opposite of Capitalism.
In a the Capitalist system intellectual property,
inventions, designs, ideas,
engineering methods, schematics, etc
are patented, copy righted , trademarked
and the information is withheld buy groups and individuals
so only they are able to maximise profit from them.
This way they gain an advantage over others
by not allowing anyone without the legal rights
to see any of their now private information.
Open Source on the other hand is exactly the opposite.
The words Open Source mean the Source
of the product, the technology, or whatever we are talking about
is Open for everyone
to see, to use, to change, to expand on, to improve etc.
So it benefits the inventor AND everyone else at the same time.
It promotes a equal, sharing, collaborative culture for everyone.
And there are very simple open source licences
that will keep the work and open source products, open source.
There already exists an open source culture in the world today.
Many people use open source software like Ubuntu
and we are now starting to see this trend spread into “hardware”.
Open Source Hardware and Technology is a growing culture
and it is and will continue to facilitate free access
to how to create a lifestyle of your own design.
Slowly leading towards less reliance
on the Free Market Capitalist system,
allowing us to unplug
and move in a sustainable and resilient direction.
Sustainable because it allows us to be self-sufficient in communities,
a trend that with time will allow individuals to be self-sufficient
when the technology becomes advanced enough.
Resilient because by learning how the technology works
and how to repair and improve it,
you can change and adapt it to meet your particular needs
wherever you may be in the world.
Owning the knowledge
of how the technology you use works
affords you autonomy.
This also opens up a new educational path.
In life we get two educations,
one is given to us
and the other we give to ourselves.
The open source direction provides us
with open access to information
to educate ourselves and others if we wish to.
The possibilities from open sourcing information
on how technology works
are endless when you start to think about it.
Imagine what we could create locally and globally
by open sourcing the information
behind energy production technology,
food production technology
and construction technology.
We would truly be working towards a freer society.
If you want to get involved and find out more
please visit “opensourceeconomy.org”
where you will find links to people and communities
that already exist and that are forming.
Actions speak louder than words.
Let's collaborate.