Rewards: To understand the rewards of the proposed structure it needs to be put in context of traditional structures
1. WORK vs ACTIVITY. Let’s suppose that in any given job the value that you produce is 100% If you are in an unusually high pay bracket, you would get paid about 25% of that value, and if you are an average worker, you get something from 10-20%. The rest of the produced value goes to your employer and its shareholders. What if you work for yourself, for your extended family, for your community? If all the value that is produced is yours? If you have the freedom to produce more, if you want extra value beyond what you need to survive, or you can choose to work less because the minimum is enough for you. Your work does not need to finance some stranger’s yachts, private jets and vacation homes. More about this concept here.
2. TAXES. Whatever form your income comes to you it is subject to government taxation. The average rate in the US is about 28%. Before you can spend one penny of your income you will have to pay those taxes. Then you can pay rent, bills, car loans, insurance, groceries etc. But what if you don’t have to pay rent, because the community you are part of owns the land you live on? What if you have no bills because all your electricity comes from the sun, and all your water comes from the ground and all the sewage you produce is returned to the ground to fertilize the next generation of plants that will provide free healthy food for you an your family? And if the community provides all that, your personal income is only the part that you and your community members have decided to be, and you will pay taxes only after that. Of course, this is a bit simplified with the complex taxation system in place but you get the idea.
3. ACCESS vs OWNERSHIP. The most expensive things we own are used about 1-5% of their lifetime. Have you ever thought about how many hours you are driving a car and how many hours it is just sitting by the curb or in your garage? Or how many hours in total you are using your kitchen or laundry appliances? You would not believe it! Therefore, as long as you have access to all those modern conveniences when you need them, ownership becomes obsolete. And that is what a cohabitating community can do best. Share. Not only out of kindness of our heart but also because it makes perfect sense to share all these amenities to reduce cost and increase efficiency of the use of the money spent on these items. More about this concept here.
4. SOCIAL SECURITY. In this context we are using the word in a wider meaning and in its actual literal meaning. What happens when in the mainstream you lose your job you get sick or have to care for your child? Tough luck! The corporations you work for would not care about it. They are by law mandated to maximize profit, so as soon as you can not provide the 20/80 ratio of wages to gain, you are gone. The pandemic was a very good wake up call to this fact. The word “community” comes from the latin “co” prefix meaning together and “munis” meaning service. Common service and that is exactly what a community does. The members serving the members. Working together assures that on occasion when a person can not participate in the work, he/she will not fall through the cracks but will be provided by the community. There is no higher level of social security than this. More about this concept here.
5. COOPERATION vs. COMPETITION Can you imagine an environment where you can do your work relaxed, without any particular worry about your job security, because no one is after your position or the money that you are making? Where making a mistake is not a punishable offense that can ruin your life but a learning opportunity? Where you don’ have to destroy your competitors daily just to maintain your job? Yeah, it is hard to imagine. But that is one of the greatest attribute to a group of people working for the same common goal. Cooperation. Where asking for help is a sign of wisdom not a sign of weakness.
6. COMMUNALITY and PRIVACY with all the benefits of living in a community we all need our privacy equally. That is why at Tranqvillium both the structural design and the financial structure set up in a way so that members can balance these two seemingly contradictory needs. Maintaining this balance is one of the most important pillar of a successful community.
Tranqvillium, a Social Experiment in the Mojave Season 1. 4/1/2023-3/31/2024 