Working premises for this exploration:
-The global financial system has become not a means to an end (a better standard of living, a more fulfilling life) but the end in itself, the fundamental basis of society, the focal point of an enormous proportion of human activity.
-Finance, and by extension society, are predicated on an assumption of unlimited growth.
-We live on a planet and in a universe in which there are finite resources.
-Therefore, call it a downshift, call it a collapse, but call it something, because the basis of society cannot be sustained, and it's going to happen on global scale, and arguably it's already happening, and certainly it's already happening/happened in some communities both around the world and close to home.

What can we do in the face of the reality that our society cannot last much longer in anything resembling its current (fully globalized) form? Should we keep on keeping on, and hope for the best? Or should we begin to build foundations of something more resilient?

To many, the answer to that question is straightforward, but the implementation is far from it. The hows/wheres/with whoms.... But certainly, we are stronger together, and that will be the basis for positive futures, so let's start the work, now, together.

Sessions will be every other Tuesday going forward.

Readings will include selections from The Five Stages of Collapse, by Dmitri Orlov, and The Localization Reader, edited by Raymond De Young and Thomas Princen, and other readings/films/etc as suggested by the group.

Of course all are welcome - if you disagree with our premises, let's talk about it!

Please email info@rhizomedc.org if you plan to participate - perhaps a preliminary reading will be 'assigned' over email before the first meeting.