By Andy Douglas I’ve been helping to start a new Prout-inspired project in my hometown of Iowa City, Iowa, in the US. By sharing about it, I hope to demonstrate that many opportunities exist for implementing Prout in practical ways around each of us. This project began with the understanding that American society has an …
By Andy Douglas Ever wonder why our political systems seem to change so little, although the leaders we elect may vary? Perhaps it’s a systemic problem. I’m not saying there is no difference between the policies and programs of the various political parties. I am saying that it seems to be in the interest of …
By Shriraksha Mohan In the long history of human civilization, humanity has witnessed an evolution in the ways our societies and economies have? been organized over time. Early humans, who lived in close-knit tribes and clans for their survival and protection against the elements of nature, depended on their collective physical labor to procure food, …
By Miguel Pacheco Ever since we climbed out of the trees, we humans have lived in closely knit, self-governing communities, deeply dependent on one another. These communities provided a sense of belonging, identity, and purpose. However, in the modern era, an increasing sense of alienation pervades our lives, creating a society where genuine happiness seems …
By Shriraksha Mohan, Andy Douglas, and Howard Nemon In most political democracies, elections have become a mere formality of choosing a leader who appears to be the lesser of two or more evils. In a two-party democracy like the USA, voters have been choosing between the “immoral” and the “less immoral”, the “incompetent” and the …
By Howard Nemon Capitalism boasts of its ability to motivate people to produce more wealth which, in turn, benefits everyone. While the latter part of this equation seems doubtful given the persistent concentration of wealth over the last 200 years[1] [2], the motivational aspect of capitalism may be worth discussing. We cannot deny that there …
By Andy Douglas Nobody knows for sure what the future holds. But we can conjure glimpses. In his new book, The End of the World is Just the Beginning, geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan foresees a rough road ahead. He writes about how the current global political order – the United States securing global trade security …
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By Dada Jitendrananda The propounder of Prout, Shrii P R Sarkar, first became known in India in the 1950s as a spiritual teacher. His rational explanations of yoga and practical prescriptions were well received and he developed a growing following. In the early ‘60s, he derived progressive economic principles from Yoga philosophy. In doing so, …
On the Internet we have seen that many people want to drink smoothies as nourishment. Grinding hard kale leaves with a blender is an excellent idea. There have also been visions that the future might be based on concentrated pills and similar manufactured products and not so much on the organic potatoes one needs to …
By Andy Douglas An anthropology professor of mine once opined that socialism has not yet gotten a chance to show what it can do. We haven’t seen socialism working properly yet. Perhaps that’s right. In a recent blog post, I wrote about the mixed messages attached to the idea of socialism: how socialism has a …
By Roar Bjonnes In the pursuit of global harmony and social progress, the concept of humanism and internationalism emerges as a beacon of progressive hope. Yet, upon closer examination, the ideology of humanism reveals inherent flaws and limitations. P.R. Sarkar, in his seminal works delves into the complexities of humanism, dissecting its various manifestations and …
By Dada Jitendrananda Most people share values of fairness and justice. We want everyone to be able to lead a happy and fulfilling life. The reality for much of the world is that people struggle hard just to make ends meet. Even in advanced economies, stress greatly affects the quality of life. While we have …
By Andy Douglas Audio Version: Is Prout a form of socialism? Socialism with a spiritual face? Or is it something completely different? Anyone who critiques the excesses of capitalism and posits an alternative might be, fairly or unfairly, labeled ‘socialist’, but in truth the question is much more complex. When you hear the word socialism, …
By Dada Jitendrananda This reflection on history was prompted by the vexed debate on the teaching of history that flares up from time to time in the US. In one such eruption, Donald Trump, then US President, referred to the work of the late American historian, Howard Zinn, as propaganda. Zinn is best known for …
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By Roar Bjonnes As many as 70 countries are due to go to elections in 2024. In many of these countries, the choice is simple and twofold — voting for more of the same or a right-wing autocrat who denigrates “the others” and promises better wages and a newly revamped, often religious, nationalism. Just think …
By Dada Jitendrananda I arrived in Japan in 1984 at the height of Japan’s booming economy. Japan’s post-war project had been reconstruction, and development of a world-class economy. By the mid-‘80s, Japan was the manufacturing hub of the world. The gravy train of this economy was such that a street performer working for two months …
A company from Dubai, UAE, called Blue Carbon is buying control over vast areas of land in Africa. Why? On the surface it looks like they want to conserve forests, avoid logging them, but why? It is plain business: Once they own the land and declare it to bind carbon to prevent the climate change, …
By Andy Douglas Off a winding northeastern Missouri county road in the middle of the US, a patchwork expanse of houses, fields and community buildings rises. Outside one of the main buildings, a sign: “Ring bell. If no one answers, pull weeds.” Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is one of the more durable intentional communities in …
Cooperatives and Sustainability: A Way of Life at Dancing Rabbit Read More »