Project Nayarit: The New Beginning!

I’ve always been one who looks for a better way and earlier this year I found myself confronted with something that I know will change the world. I was introduced to it via an interview on Jeff Berwick’s Anarchast and subsequently met the gentleman who helped originate it at this past year’s Anarchapulco. The gentleman’s name is Bob Podolsky and the method is something from 30 years of research with his friend John David Garcia. At the root of it is something called an Octologue. I’m not going to go into the details, but the simple version is a horizontal management structure of eight people who decide to work together on a purpose understanding ethical constraints. It's the 'what to do' to the Non-Aggression Principle's 'what not to do'. I think this alternative to hierarchical organization is brilliant and so I initiated one here in Acapulco.

Others have seen the value and created something of an offshoot called ‘Freedom cells’. Recently James Corbett interviewed Derrick Broze and he discussed the potential and described a website he has created for people around the world to collaborate on this idea. So I figured I’d sign up as well to represent the group in Acapulco.

It wasn’t long before I discovered the only other person in Mexico who, had just signed up after watching the Corbett interview as well. Robert was 500 miles North of Acapulco and presented a rather interesting opportunity. He stated he has thousands of acres of land and water and wants to start a sustainable community to help the indigenous people he’s been living with. They are very poor and need expertise in many areas. In exchange for people’s expertise and effort, he is offering land to live on in the beautiful a lush Mexican state of Nayarit.

I was able to connect with Robert and would later learn that he has a nickname “Rattlesnake” which he obtained while he worked for the US government as a special operations soldier. This, by the way, may be a very interesting story we’ll have to tell in the future. In any case, Robert laid out an idea of how people with expertise could help these impoverished natives. Robert has been involved with the Huichols for over 20 years, his wife Maria is one of them and together they have tried to help them in many ways over the years. However Robert is currently suffering from the effects of Agent Orange and is restricted to a wheelchair. The Huichols also have quite a history. Several things that caught my attention were that they’ve remained true to their pre-Columbian traditions (they haven’t altered them in thousands of years). Despite government and missionaries attempts, they’ve held onto their land and their traditions and have always remained peaceful. Because of the efforts of government and corporations, they’ve remained extremely poor and as a result many work in tobacco fields where they’re frequently exposed to deadly chemicals. This was documented in a film.

Suffice to say, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime! Imagine a circumstance where Anarchists could rewrite the history of the last 500 years. Instead of a conquest of the New World, a mutually beneficial relationship… with one of the few peoples who still practice their ways as they did when Columbus was still alive!!! These very well could be the beginnings of a new era!

So with this inspiration, I posted a synopsis of the story on the Anarchapulco facebook page. It wasn’t long until we had a number of folks interested. Including experts in numerous fields like, communication, farming, construction, etc… even a helicopter pilot! ...the list continues to grow.

The current plan is to organize a trip or two to visit and establish an in person rapport. The Anarchapuco Octologue group has about a 15 hour drive, but there are a few interested folks in Puerto Vallarta who may organize a trip sooner. When that happens, one of the first measures will be establishing viable internet service. From there, a plan and possibly even starting several Octologues to establish and facilitate projects, resources, crowd-sourcing campaigns, documentaries, etc...

There’s much more to this story, but it’s clear that this is going to be the adventure of a lifetime for a number of people. Including Robert and his adopted people. Government isn’t a necessity and were out to prove it with people who could really use our help. We know the NAP's what not to do, here is the opportunity of a lifetime to do what has needed to be done for 500+ years and the method to do it.

I'll end with an unedited message from Robert sent just a few days after I first contacted him:

Good Morning Michael, an update, I passed all info to Maria, she has been in contact with the Gobonadores del Pueblo Wixaritari and as when you opened up to your network for alot of intrested parties..well, every one here in Huichol is waiting to meet the teachers that desire to help them transform their farming methods in 100´s of farm sites and for Ryan, the 100s of thousands of Huicholes in the high mountian communities in the 4 state area of Nayarit, Jalisco, Durango and Zacatecas...Like I said, I have been preparing the first tier here for 20 years..the HGuichol willwelcome MANY Oct.s to form here...and in the (cooler) high mountain areas..(snow in winter..)..Huichol traditionally would migrate annually to grow food...way back when...this will soon return I suspect...as properity returns...after over 500 years of oppression the Huicholes are even MORE motivated than we are---Have a Great Day...Try to come sooner than later ;)