Until there are truly righteous alternatives, give people a break

I do understand why the Fifth Estate collective doesn’t like “organization building.”

Of course they don’t like the organizations (institutions) of The System. But they also don’t like it when movement folks get “preoccupied” with building movement-oriented organizations. The reason is because organizations very much tend to get self-serving: building the organization, funding the organization, recruiting new blood, petty machinations of vying for leadership within the self-absorbed world of The Organization . . . Yuck.

They disdain organizations: the Party, the Club, the Nonprofit, the Benevolent Association. The sustenance becomes an end in itself. They see it as a drain on the energy that could go into building the new world within the shell of the old.

“We have our sacred Institute for Social Ecology. There’s so much work to be done crafting the Vision and Mission statements; obtaining ongoing Funding; developing next year’s Program; getting Publicity and cultivating Public Relations.” Etc.

But the Fifth Estate folks are too hard on their movement comrades. People have to get by … in this world the way it is right now. If I can’t make money building the new world and I don’t want to have to work within The System . . . if I can do somewhat well while doing some good . . . give me a break.

* * * *

Real and full right livelihood is the sustenance of life together with family, friends, and neighbors; work for each other doing what really actually needs to be done.

Organization-building work is tangential; energy and resources to an institution, 90% of which is self-interested.

But it’s very hard under the circumstances to leap to real and full right livelihood. Kudos to you if you can do it. Meanwhile have more compassion for all the half-steps, half-measures, half-full (or even half-baked) endeavors that might just be the best we can do for right now.