What Comes Next?
Imagine a society that has peeled away the rusted scaffolding of white supremacist capitalism. In its place, we plant communal networks—mycelial webs of resource-sharing, reminiscent of how trees exchange nutrients beneath the soil.
We might see neighborhoods reorganized into small, interdependent enclaves where skill sets are freely exchanged—some folks adept at healing arts, others weaving technology for communal benefit, still others tending regenerative gardens. Instead of hierarchical governance, councils form that respond to the needs of each local ecosystem. Travel is collaborative, via cooperatives that emphasize relationship to land and minimal ecological harm. Art becomes currency, shared widely through festivals of expression where painting, dance, and yes, even TikTok, become mediums of liberation rather than commodification.
Education emerges as an inter-generational flow: elders guiding the younger ones in ancestry, in medicine ways, in how to harness digital tools for communal storytelling. The younger ones, in turn, offer fresh eyes and innovative leaps, crossing boundaries with playful curiosity. Everyone learns from everyone, braided by a radical ethic of care.
At the macro level, the old borders—both literal and conceptual—are dissolved, replaced by porous community alliances. Resource extraction is replaced with stewardship. Big corporations cede to local cooperatives, each attuned to the land’s capacity and inhabitants’ needs. Freed from constant survival stress, individuals can invest time in spiritual exploration, creativity, childcare, mutual aid—those labors of love that capitalism undervalues.
Does this mean utopia? Not exactly. Conflicts still arise, but they’re held within frameworks of restorative justice, guided by midwives of transformation. Ancestral guides, land spirits, and communal circles coalesce around healing, ensuring no soul is cast aside. In this realm, intersectionality isn’t an academic buzzword—it’s the lifeblood of policy and daily living.
We can carry these seeds of imagination back into our present. Each small step—building emotional resilience, crafting spells of reciprocal care, forging online platforms for communal learning—serves as a fractal of the society you envision. Bit by bit, we rewire our relationships, harnessing the sacred vow that trees model for us: I thrive because you thrive.
By: Caryl@astroallies.com