Category Archives: Human Relations

Co-op Wars: Lessons for the Future from the Past

Posted on November 9, 2020 by John McNamara

During the 1970s, I was a child and missed most of the craziness of that era. I only received driver’s license after the election of Ronald Reagan in the fall of 1980 which largely marks the end of the “’60s”. … Continue reading →

Posted in American Dream, Education, Governance, Human Relations, Management | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Friedman Doctrine 50 Years On: A Total Disaster

Posted on September 13, 2020 by John McNamara

On September 13, 1970, Milton Friedman penned and Op-Ed for the New York Times that was essentially the opening shot of the economic civil war between the rival economic ideas of John Maynard Keynes and F. W. Hayek. Friedman, a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2040, Human Relations, Imagine2012, Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Do We Sense Make Of It All

Posted on July 13, 2020 by John McNamara

Several years ago, in the aftermath of the protests in Wisconsin supporting labor unions, I wrote about sensemaking and how resilient cooperatives can be in adjusting to the changes in the economy and providing an antidote to the Shock Doctrine. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2040, Co-op Blueprint, Human Relations, Pensimientos, Society, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Abolish The City

Posted on June 22, 2020 by John McNamara

A couple of weeks ago, I discussed how the co-op model might change policing in the immediate wake of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police. Since then, the US has seen over four weeks of consecutive protests, calls to de-fund … Continue reading →

Posted in American Dream, Human Relations | Leave a comment

How Do We Change the Police?

Posted on June 1, 2020 by John McNamara

The above image comes from NPR’s Codeswitch and a show entitled “A Decade of Watching Black People Die“. A similar report from The Guardian based on 2016 numbers also notes that people of color are generally significantly more likely to … Continue reading →

Posted in American Dream, Conversion, Human Relations, Management, Pensimientos, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Solidarity: We Don’t Need to be Perfect

Posted on May 18, 2020 by John McNamara

Is there anything in the world of work that at this moment that is required more than unity? And is it possible to consider unity rather than trying identify ourselves with the values that are already universal? José María Arizmendiarrieta, … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Human Relations, Pensimientos | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Becoming Human Through Cooperation

Posted on April 19, 2020 by John McNamara

“Work is, before anything else, both as a service to the community and as a path towards personal development.”-José María Arizmendiarrieta (reflection 263 from Pensamientos) As a member of a worker cooperative and as a co-op developer, there are few … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Pensimientos | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Resilience Doctrine

Posted on April 13, 2020 by John McNamara

My good friend, Dr. Zoltán Grossman, just posted these videos from his contribution the “Pandemic Academy”. If you share, please give him credit. . . The Resilience Doctrine: Disaster Cooperativism in the Climate & Pandemic Crises (Part I: Individualism & … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Movement | Tagged | Leave a comment

Human Dignity

Posted on April 1, 2020 by John McNamara

“We should begin by considering all humans as citizens of equal dignity and destiny.” “The destiny of each one of us is linked to that of others” –Don José María Arizmendiarrieta No man is an island entire of itself; every … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Pensimientos, worker co-ops | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Government Will Not Save Us

Posted on February 3, 2020 by John McNamara

Regardless of the outcome of the Iowa Caucus tonight, our salvation as a community (however you define it) and as a species will not come from politicians. It will will only come from our collective efforts to build a better … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Movement | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment