Summary
Avoid lending assistance to those who act in malice.
Actions
- To the greatest possible extent, get your goods and services from locally-owned sources. In particular avoid Amazon, Disney, Google, Wal-Mart, Target, and other large companies that everyone has heard of and that are famous for abusing customers and employees alike. It may be impossible to completely shut them out, but do your best to minimize your reliance on them.
- In support of the above goal, participate in the economic blackout. There’s no entirely reliable organizing group for this, so simply keep an eye and ear open for sources about collective boycotting actions. This will magnify the impact of your denial especially against companies that you can’t afford to completely abstain from.
- Join your local Buy Nothing group. This will allow you to find items that you need for free. It’s not a guaranteed source, but it can ease an economic burden.
- Avoid giving personal information to anyone online.
- Use a VPN while online. Ensure that the company running it does not take logs of your activity.
- Promote a healthy economic attitude that promotes longevity and opposes planned obsolescence. Openly take pride in reusing goods and materials, in buying used goods. Shame those who buy new goods unnecessarily, as wasteful and childish. Complain openly about products that have little longevity, and be vocal with the companies that make them that you expect them to do better.
Principles
The world is replete with systems of organization that have harmful intentions. These include corporations, governments, and religions. None of these types of organizations are inherently evil, but because of apathy and inaction in the recent past, many of them have been subverted and corrupted by greedy individuals to serve their own ends.
While there may be some merit to helping those organizations that are not currently completely tainted, consolidation of power will make them more prone to corruption over time. This is the downside of the principle that all human activity is collective action: if power (economic, political, or otherwise) is concentrated in a few hands, it magnifies the likelihood of mistakes being made, and it creates an opportunity for bad actors to put themselves into roles where they can do more harm.
The solution is decentralization. Localized groups, working within their communities and vicinities, empowered to do what is necessary but not able to step beyond their purpose. Sharing of resources and information ensures they can thrive in the face of unforeseen challenges, and reduces inequalities between groups. It is unnecessary and unwise to allow a single, centralized authority, be it a group or an individual. This approach works for organizations of economic, religious, and political natures.
On another matter, it is important to remember, for the sake of a healthy economy, that profit is not in itself a point of pride. If an individual or company profits, and does not use its profit effectively, it is wasting money. Companies, like governments, should be judged not on how much money they make, but on how effectively they improve their societies.
How to Save the World 