Why a commune?

One of our members recently raised the question: why use the word commune, doesn’t that stand for groups who share all of their possessions? Isn’t a Free Commune a contradiction in terms? To some extend yes I have chosen those two words to indicate that we are a group willing to integrate our lives and form a real community, yet without giving up our rights and freedoms as individuals. Seen that way it is a play on words.

Yet when you consider the further implications of what we are about to endeavor on, and what we are leaving behind, the word ‘commune’ is not so out of place at all.

Look at our present system: we all own properties, but are we the sole owner of our house, our car, the money we make? Not quite. With everything we do, the government demands a hefty fee. Services such as (social) security and a legal framework are offered in return, but they are controlled by those in power, and we have very little recourse as individuals. Refusal to pay the government results in having your property seized and you being put in a cage.

In fact, right now you and I are living in a big commune where our possessions are not really our own. During elections we only have 0.0000001% influence on the decisions that are made (add one or two zeros when you live in a bigger country).

We can do better than that

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, we all agree there needs to be some sort of legal framework for conflict resolution. Classical libertarians and old-school conservatives believe in limited government, while anarcho-capitalists prefer conflict resolution provided by the free market. Our Free Commune follows the agorist approach: resolving conflict at the smallest level, within the community.

How does that relate to private property? Unlike big government, our Free Commune Foundation cannot lay claim to nor tax any private property. That is the free part. However, when conflict arises involving property, for example failure to pay rent or an agreed upon salary, and our members are unable to resolve it by themselves, they submit their case to the Arbitration Council to have it resolved. That is the commune part.

Naturally there are checks and balances to assure the neutrality of the council and to prevent any abuse of power. Members are invited to read the draft for a Social Contract I have written, and can contribute and improve where necessary.

Keep in mind that there is no such thing as the perfect society just as there is no such thing as the perfect husband or wife. But whatever we do, we can make a vast improvement when we leave our current abusive partner called government!