In order to start writing My Tumblemind Utopia posts on meaty subject matters, it is necessary to provide the grounding of some things I believe. To some, these beliefs may seem shallow or idealistic, but I believe that sometimes simple ideas can help solve complex issues. At the very least they will provide fodder for discussion. By you reading and reflecting on my beliefs, I hope you will understand why I see things the way I do.

A few years ago I read the book, “The Four Agreements,” by Don Miguel Ruiz. The stories and insights in that book helped me understand people and instilled in me a different way of looking at life. Buried within the book’s rich detail, I found one concept that drives these writings – the proposal that each of us lives our lives by a story in our head.

Every person’s story is part of the story of the society we grew up in. Our entire life we’ve been domesticated by parents, teachers, preachers, and all manner of media in order to ensure we can be successful participants in our society’s story. Realizing that everyone trundles about mostly blindly living out their stories, helps me to interact with the world because I am aware of the nature of all our storied lives. Knowing I live a story, I choose to write the parts of the story of my life that I can control and in a way that allows me to be at peace with myself and the world.  

In a weird way, that makes my Tumblemind Utopia writings kind of moot. I mean really, who cares about my story? But I feel the story in my head is enhanced by telling stories and sharing ideas of how everyone’s story could be improved. I have no expectations that these stories and solutions I proffer will ever happen, but I place my ideas out there anyway and hope my story intersects with someone else’s story in a positive way.

The first Tumblemind premise is that I believe that the vast majority of people want simply to live a life that brings them peace, joy, fulfillment, and a sense of belonging, whether in a family or in a like-minded community. When everyone is able to participate in this type of life without feeling enslaved by circumstances, captured by fears, real and imagined, or mashed down by lack of opportunity, then they will be able to live productive and joyful lives. In living their story they must also strive not to harm others.  All of humanity would be improved if we all lived by the premise that all life is valuable, and everyone should be able to live a meaningful life. 

In my Tumblemind vision, I see a world in which each person is enabled to live their life without interference, especially government and religious interference. As long as the life my family agrees to live doesn’t cause harm, then your government has no business poking noses into my business. Your definition of “harm” based on some religious edict doesn’t affect me because I do not share your religious beliefs. You cannot impose your beliefs on me. My story of life is mine, and my family’s alone and none of your damned business. What I define as a family is my business, not yours. 

The ability to earn a living that allows one to attain peace, joy, and fulfillment is fundamental to my Tumblemind Utopia. Labor must be rewarded commiserate to the productivity and profit generated for the business for whom a person works.

Leadership also has value and rewarding leaders is appropriate, but in the current environment, rewarding leadership and business owners far exceeds the value workers provide to enterprises. Workers are undervalued because the priority of business is always profits and shareholders. I will explain why this might not be the best priority scheme to allow everyone to profit in a capitalist society. I believe in capitalism, but one in which the fiduciary duty is to society as a whole, not to just shareholders.

Finally, to be able to achieve a Tumblemind Utopia, true, functional democracy is the only government by which everyone can live their life’s story to fulfillment. Every manifestation of government in which a select group of people dictates your life’s circumstances is bound to create conflicts with the freedom to live your and your family’s story.

Over the coming weeks, I will provide a multitude of stories of how impoverished lives can be when controlled by those that don’t value your freedom to live. In addition, true functional democracy requires that citizens be informed and a future article will describe what I hope are ideas that address the current malaise in all U.S. news media today.

I welcome you to join me in my journey to describe a Tumblemind Utopia as I see it. Please feel free to comment, being aware that I moderate comments to only include those that provide a polite, clear, cogent, relevant argument related to the article at hand.

Image by Valentin from Pixabay