[p2p-research] conditions for successfull resilience

[Samuel Rose]

I am going to comment here while fresh in my mind, and then I will
post and rework it into P2P blog

Robb is right that there is not a 1:1 historical precedent for
creating resilient communities centered around p2p networks (unless
you consider the last 15 years and what people have established on the
Internet, and are now transferring to general existence to be
"history". Arguably there is a recent historical precedent in this
form.)

It's great to have theoretical models talking about community
resilience and building p2p networks. I enjoy reading Robb for this
reason. He covers this perspective really well, and challenges people
to think about the dynamic nature of systems they are a part of. I am
now of the opinion that what are asking for the most, in addition to
these theoretical underpinnings, is practical guidance, in their
communities, day to day, for building and sustaining actual resiliency
and actual p2p network-based ways of operating in their own context
right now, today. The fastest way to seeing this happen, in my
opinion,  is by actually working with people in communities. There are
varying degrees of people being ready to solve problems in this way.
Most people generally lack a core understanding for surviving and
thriving in an ecology that is network/systems-perspective, and
P2P-political based. Yet, it is my experience in the last 2-3 years
that people who are "on the fence" can be walked over to understanding
this in steps and phases, driven by their own usually gradual
acceptance of the core assumptions inherent in many-to-many systems.

The illusion that some have operated under is that the industrial age
paradigms can be somehow force-fit into these emerging systems. The
reality is that industrial-age paradigms are fundamentally different
than many-to-many systems.  John Robb understands and acknowledges
this. So this paragraph is not about his writing, but about what I am
adding to the discussion. The industrial paradigm is fundamentally
about "control". The emerging p2p paradigm is fundamentally about
distribution of control. I think a huge amount of people in
communities realize this now. But, they look for guidance in
succeeding in operating in participatory ecologies. Not controlling
guidance, but guiding guidance. Guidance that offers clear paths to
meeting basic fundamental survival needs while distributing control.
For decades, following the commercial consolidation and decline of
Agronomy-based communities in the US, we've all outsourced, and
mortgaged our basic survival needs to industrial and commercial
systems that tend to control in non-distributed ways. Those industrial
systems benefited from us "users" having a narrow focus, guided by
one-way mediums, and funneling resources away from our control as an
"exchange" for food, energy, physical goods, culture "products", and
access. The emerging system massively empowers the individual and
people in their communities. But, having lived and worked in a
previous and arguably collapsing system, so completely different from
what is emerging, there is little available in the environment that
helps many people understand how to operate in this new environment.
Imagine getting into the seat of a Formula One race car, having never
driven one before, and being expected to pull out into a track with
cars wizzing past you at over 200kph, and you can have an idea of what
this emerging environment is like for the majority of people.

How do we help people learn to drive in this new race-car that,
without them getting knocked off the track, or worse?  I think that
those of us who build theory have an opportunity to also synthesize it
into learning, and engage communities around the world that are ready
to empower themselves to actually become resilient communities right
now. Those of us who build tools also have an opportunity to help
people learn how to use them to their full potential. In turn, those
who benefit from the learning have an obligation to make sure that
people who help foster and steward their path to resiliency are
reciprocated back to fairly. I know, Michel, that you have realized
this, and are working to create physical space in Thailand where you
can do exactly what is described here, and likely more that I have not
even fathomed. We are moving into a time of action, now that it is
clear that the theory we have been building is sound in many ways
(thanks to all of you who have dedicated yourselves to forging it). I
think John Robb and many others are right, that if we do not act soon
to make good on the promise of P2P systems, that we are headed towards
a human evolutionary turn that many would likely deem undesirable.


On Sun, Feb 7, 2010 at 6:44 AM, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Sam,
>
> if you have time, this might be something to comment on:
>
> http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2010/02/journal-driving-resilience-by-building-networks.html
>
> --
> Work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University - Think thank:
> http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI
>
> P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
>
> Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss:
> http://listcultures.org/mailman/listinfo/p2presearch_listcultures.org
>
> Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens;
> http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
>
>
>
>
>



-- 
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Sam Rose
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Social Synergy
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"The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human
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