DAY 35, MEETINGS & A PARTY

Thanks to Rohana, Alice had presents for Davie and Henry, a voucher for a new dot.overall for Henry, and for Davie a pair of rubber boots and an overall he could wear when he would visit Jack at the building site. Davie, now nine, was over the moon. And he had a gift for Alice: a small roaring lion crafted by Roger, the head of Crafts. ‘Dad bought it months ago. But he said I can have it so I can give it to you. It can protect you. I just wish I could help more. But we’re talking about the town in class next week. And me and some friends, we’ll set up Q & As to get more kids on board.’ Alice smiled. ‘I’m not a hugger, but can I hug you?’ Happily Davie swung himself into Alice’s arms — and Alice carried his hug with her as she hurried back to her flat, through her dreams and way into the

(35) next day  when the Campaigns & Negotiations Team met the newly appointed heads of the seven campaign teams, on the seventh floor of the Central Building. The seven new heads introduced themselves and the main goals of their campaigns. Afterwards several people remarked that the names of the heads were rather fitting for each campaign. LONGEVITY CAMPAIGN, head of campaign: Elio, the sun. Goal: Illustrate that the future town will improve longevity by design. YOUR POWERS CAMPAIGN, head of campaign: Geraldine, the ruler with the spear. Goal: Inspiring actions which allow people to experience how much power they have without resorting to violence. NARRATIVES CAMPAIGN, head of campaign: Penelope, the weaver. Goal: Demonstrate that new narratives can shape the world positively. TRUE POWER IS IN CREATION CAMPAIGN, head of campaign: Itzel, the rainbow lady. Goal: Make the power of creation palpable. CONNECTIONS CAMPAIGN, head of campaign: Zoilo, life. Goal: Revealing the benefits of seeking and nurturing connections with ourselves, with each other and with our planet. BENEFITS OF EMPOWERMENT CAMPAIGN, head of campaign: Yahir, he will enlighten. Goal: Visualise the benefits of empowerment, globally and through the ages. PRESS PAUSE, head of campaign: Quintessa, the essence. Goal: Inspire people to demand time to think and to become part of the reshaping process our planet and our societies need. The plan was to launch the campaigns on seven consecutive days. On day eight the campaigns would take the day off. And after that, all campaigns would run for the next seven days. Another break. Repeat. While the Campaigns & Negotiations Team and the heads of the campaigns discussed the scripts and the timing for each campaign, other project teams were busy elsewhere. Devery, the co-head of the Hub coordination team, and some of his team, arrived in Marble Town, a town in the Jellybridge region. THE had identified it as an ideal place for a Hub Station. Devery and his team talked to neighbours, viewed potential sites for the Hub Station and drafted plans for the talks they hoped to have with the local mayor in two days. At the Jellybridge Estate, Daria and Noel, both with the Programming Team, were inspecting the old train station, discussing with Jason (head architect) and Beatrice (head admin) the pros and cons of an analogue train station. ‘We’d save resources if we don’t use monitors or sliding doors,’ Jason remarked. ‘Repair costs, too,’ Beatrice added. Noel nodded. ‘Easy. We’ll look at the best modern train stations we can find, strip them down to the minimum tech which travellers shouldn’t miss, and take our findings to this station. Piece of cake. You know, I’d love to volunteer as a ticket seller, sometimes. Or as one of the people who welcome guests to our town.’ ‘Not sure that’s a good idea,’ Daria teased. ‘They might jump right back into the train when they see your pink suit.’ ‘Pah! I love my pink suit!’ At Jellybridge House, Betsy, the head cook, and Leo (head coordinator) discussed whether or not to install several more kitchens in the house, or whether to use outdoor kitchen tents for the construction phase. ‘To be honest with you, my dear,’ Betsy said, ‘I must see one of those kitchen tents to make up my mind. It’s a funny idea to turn the ground floor here into one big kitchen. But maybe you’re right and the space is better used for people — if the tents can weather the weather. If you know what I mean.’ At the prospective site for the town, Megan, some of her Agriculture Team, and Light, co-head of the building site simulations, were testing three floating garden rafts on the lake while sitting in five rowing boats. ‘Looks good to me,’ Megan remarked. ‘I’m just a bit worried about the lake’s health if we cover it with rafts.’ Light, whose boat was floating next to Megan’s, nodded. ‘I’ll get an expert on lakes. And I’ll build a simulation to determine how many rafts we might need for the site’s plants during building phase, and how much cover a lake like this can stomach.’ Megan nodded. ‘Maybe it can be done if we keep the rafts in motion, or move them occasionally. This might imitate cloud cover.’ ‘That would mean random movements,’ Light returned, frowning. ‘I can test that in the simulation. I just need more input on what a lake needs.’ Megan nudged two rafts apart. ‘I can give you some contacts. We might also need something that keeps the rafts from bumping into each other.’ ‘We can add some kind of poles,’ Mic, one of Megan’s people, called from boat two. ‘Maybe with a kind of impact rebound.’ ‘That’s good,’ Megan returned. ‘That would create random movements.’ A bit later at Jellybridge House, in the one-storey tower, the only fourth floor of the building, Seth, business liaison for the Business Expansion Team, the Alert Team, and the Building Site Team, was taking calls from businesspeople who offered pretty much everything from toilet paper to prefabricated houses. After ending another call, this time with a big corporation who sold every kind of plastic item a construction site might need, from tarpaulins to plastic spoons, Seth leaned back in his chair with a long sigh. Why, he thought, not for the first time this day, why can’t people take no for an answer? No, we won’t use plastic. Yes, we really won’t. Yes, I’m serious. Yes, we have figured out which alternatives to use. No, our equipment won’t get wet. Yes, we know that timber originates in forests. Yes, there is no endless supply of timber. Yes, we need to let forests regrow. Rewilding, very important. No, we still won’t use plastic or fossil fuels. Yes, we figured out how to build our town without any of it. No, we don’t need another backup plan. Yes, I’ll take your details and contact you should we change our mind. Thank you for your call. Seth shook his head and looked out of the windows on the left, letting his eyes soak in the perfect view of the Young Forest and the hint of the prospective building site beyond it. Then he finally answered his flashing phone again. Around the same time, part of the ripples news team met in the Jellybridge ballroom and discussed the media’s reactions to yesterday’s press conference. After the extent of wild speculations prior to the press conference, the coverage of the conference was mostly minimalistic, except for those bits that could be twisted into some criticism. It seemed as if most of the media was undecided whether to attack the project, or whether to ignore it and with that silence the project’s case for the town. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Glen, the co-head of ripples news, said. ‘We’ll pop up everywhere with or without the mainstream media. And no matter what they try, they cannot silence us. They could, however, choose to make themselves useful for the future of the planet.’ Back in London, on the seventh floor of the Central Building, Jack (film) left his office after a short break. It struck him again how much the seventh floor had changed. This used to be the Arts & Crafts floor, the Arts Team occupying one half with easels and drawing tables, and the Crafts Team the other with workbenches and desks. Jack reached the skylight which was part of the first third of the floor, and stopped to look down, shaking his head. The Central Building really had changed, on every floor, all the way down to the atrium. But Jack felt a kind of triumph that the town team had reclaimed two floors from the Business Expansion Team, the seventh and the sixth. Triumph, because it was a reminder that against all odds, the town project was back in the game. When Jack walked on, he noticed Alice, laughing with Andy (campaign simulations). He twitched the corner of his mouth, and let his eyes wander across the large open area which accounted for the other two thirds of the floor. At the centre was a wide circular area with sofas, armchairs, hammocks, gymnastic balls, squat stools, and two bars, left an right of it. Beyond the circle were the Campaigns & Negotiations Team’s desks, where most of the team worked, though some had also offices. There were eight simulation workstations now, one for each campaign and one for the town, all along the walls. While two offices had been turned into nap and meditation rooms, it was good that they kept studio 2 as a retreat, recharge and workout place, and that they could use the conference rooms on the third floor. For today’s meeting the teams had chosen the casual setting of the circular area, and when Jack reached the armchair where he had left his notes, he hesitated, noticing that the seat next to Alice was free. But no. At tonight’s party, they might get a chance to talk a little. ‘Jack?’ ‘Um?’ ‘Have you ever done comedy?’ Penelope, the head of the Narratives Campaign, asked, sitting down on the sofa next to him. ‘Um, I think Critique is the only of my movies that counts as comedy,’ Jack replied a bit taken aback. ‘Never heard of it. What’s it about?’ ‘Oh, it’s about a group of young philosophers who want to end self-incurred immaturity. They insist on people thinking for themselves.’ ‘Kant?’ ‘Yes.’ Jack chuckled. ‘Their motto was: Calling on the grey cells to take arms and rise.’ Penelope laughed. ‘Alice must love that. Did she see the movie?’ ‘I don’t know. Why did you ask about comedy?’ ‘I’m thinking that comedy is a great way to demonstrate sanity.’ ‘You’re absolutely right!’ Skye (care) said, sitting down next to Jack. ‘Comedy is the ultimate test whether or not you’re a thinking person who gets a few things right, otherwise no one would laugh.’ Robin (education) nodded and took the seat next to Penelope. ‘We could use comedy to expose silly narratives and stories.’ ‘Did I hear expose silly narratives?’ Alice called, coming closer. Penelope smiled. ‘Yes. With comedy. You know, Alice, a highlight would be if you did a stand-up gig.’ Alice raised her eyebrows. ‘Are you asking me how far I’m willing to go for our project?’ ‘I guess, I am. That’s how we win hearts and minds. Making people laugh wins their hearts. A sharp conclusion wins their minds. All of this achieved by someone who has never done stand-up and who happens to be the head of the town project, that could have an impact.’ Alice grimaced. ‘You know, I’m sort of ready to do whatever it takes. But I wouldn’t mind sitting this one out and leave it to comedians who know what they’re doing.’ ‘OK. Just a thought. I’ll ask around. But you’d agree to using comedy?’ ‘Absolutely!’ Alice replied, and, noticing that everyone was back, she returned to her seat to reopen the session. ‘For starters,’ she said, ‘I’d like us to take a decision on whether or not we want to do the millionaires boot camp.’ ‘It’s a good idea, I’m thinking,’ said Itzel, head of the True Power is in Creation Campaign. ‘Like it might be worth a try.’ ‘I second that,’ Raiden (town simulation) said. Skye (care) nodded. ‘We absolutely should. Did you hear about that millionaire who wants to build a second Titanic?’ ‘Yes,’ several people replied. ‘That’s how bored they are!’ Skye said. ‘They have no imagination! They just copy what already exists.’ ‘And make it bigger,’ Troy (illustrations) chipped in. Itzel clapped. ‘We can use that! All we need are superlatives that are actually good for something.’ ‘Such as?’ John (business) asked. Itzel smiled. ‘True power is in creation! We can show them how to become creators, how to become part of something much bigger, more creative, fabulously unique and truly more amazing than stupid speculations, skimming, extorting, lying, bragging.’ ‘Such as?’ John (business) repeated. ‘Building a lunch tree?’ Constance (crafts) suggested. Alice laughed. ‘That’s great. But once we have stimulated the billionaire’s imaginations and broadened their receptiveness, we could water their mouths with our eighty-plus town ideas.’ Itzel clapped again. ‘Perfect! We’ll tell them: Imagine you had the money to build, or rebuild, a town and transform it into a place that has a focus, a purpose, something to aim for, a town or a city where people have everything they need to live an empowered, healthy and inspired life, a place where people restore the ecosystems and find a way to become part of it. That’s one of the greatest things anyone could ever achieve.’ Skye (care) laughed. ‘And then we say: Oh, hang on. You have that sort of money. Let’s get started!’ The others chuckled. ‘Love it!’ Dennie (security) said. ‘The millionaires boot camp has passed my sanity check. It’s mightily insane, in a good-trouble kind of way. It has my vote.’ Navarro (society) nodded. ‘Mine, too. Let’s try to inspire millionaires and nudge them away from their destructive narratives, which drain them as much as everything they touch.’ Dennie (security) grinned. ‘We might need to provide brooms so they can sweep out those narratives and maybe feathers so they can tickle themselves free of those superiority complexes.’ The team chuckled and Jack nodded. ‘I’ve met plenty millionaires. They are bored and empty, and keep seeking ever more ridiculous, dangerous and damaging thrills to drown their emptiness.’ Andy (campaign simulations) snorted dismissively. ‘Jack, you’re talking as if you weren’t a bleeding millionaire yourself.’ ‘And famous, too,’ Raiden (town simulation) added. Several people moved to comment, but Itzel, head of the True Power is in Creation Campaign, got ahead of them all. ‘I had forgotten about that,’ she said, smiling at Jack, who knew well enough why Andy would attack him, but why Raiden, too? Besides— ‘Jack, would you help us with this campaign? Your insights will be invaluable.’ Jack didn’t like this. Any of it. Yes, he was a bleeding millionaire. But why did that still matter? Wasn’t he here? Every day doing his bit? Don’t look at Alice! She doesn’t mind. She’s not that biased, and she— ‘Jack?’ ‘Erm. Yes. Of course. We could get some other sympathetic millionaires involved, too.’ ‘Good point,’ Geraldine, head of Your Powers, said. ‘And since we’ve been thinking about making use of overlaps between the campaigns, I’d say the millionaires boot camp could get a boost from the Your Powers campaign, too.’ Raiden (town simulation) nodded. ‘Good idea. The common narrative is that a so-called average person had little power and that there’s a lot they can’t control. Millionaires are often in a similar situation if they want to play with the other money bros.’ Skye (care) laughed. ‘Money Bros! You’re right Raiden. They aren’t free either. They need to stay cool, stay ahead of the game, get their yacht, their vineyard and their car collection, or else they’re out. Boy, that must be exhausting.’ Troy (illustrations) nodded. ‘Jack, would you say millionaires are afraid of deviating from the Money Bro Codes?’ Jack shrugged, unwilling to get on slippery ground again. Raiden answered instead. ‘Some millionaires complain that they are unjustly targeted because without them there wouldn’t be a functioning economy.’ Alice nodded thoughtfully. ‘That’s the thing about narratives. If you believe you do the right thing, then every attack will simply bounce off, or worse it will confirm that others don’t understand what it takes to run a successful business.’ John (business) nodded. ‘Most rich people believe in the current economic systems, and millionaires are a natural result of these systems. The boot camp will have to debunk the underlying economic narratives.’ Alice frowned. ‘The one-day boot camp we have in mind won’t be enough for that. I wonder whether it’s necessary to talk much economics, or whether a focus on freeing the imagination, encouraging playfulness, watering their mouths for discovery and tickling them into being alive couldn’t be the seeds they need to start rethinking their believes, attitudes, actions, and their strange fantasies.’ ‘I’m always in on the tickling,’ Dennie (security) remarked. ‘And I like your thinking. What about you, Jack, the grumpy millionaire, who’d rather not be reminded of his fortunes? What’s your take?’ Jack couldn’t help a half-smile. Dennie was right. Jack was feeling rejected. Like any other millionaire, he enjoyed every bit of privilege that came with his fortune. But he hated the reminder that he was just another of those bleeding millionaires. Putting his head to the side, Jack said: ‘It sucks being a millionaire unless you’re with other millionaires. Then it can suck, too, but—’ Jack grimaced. ‘I don’t know what could bring a millionaire back to planet Earth. I know that being on this project has reawakened a lot in me. I love being here. I love that my money allows me the freedom to be part of this project. I think, the boot camp should see the humans in the participants and have some believe that somewhere beneath all that money, bravado, bragging, superiority complex, there is still a human who wants to live, love and laugh. If Alice hadn’t challenged me to find my playfulness again, when we first met, I might not have given the project another thought.’ ‘Wow, Jack,’ Skye (care) said. ‘Honestly, thank you for sharing. And just so you know, I never thought you were as much of an idiot as most millionaires and probably all billionaires.’ Jack grimaced with a half-smile in the mix. ‘Thanks, Skye.’ ‘My pleasure.’ Navarro frowned. ‘Here’s another argument for the boot camp. We can use it to find out what the millionaire needs to choose creating over gutting. Maybe we can even find out what makes them so sick that they choose to destroy rather than to nurture.’ Several people nodded, and Skye (care) said: ‘We should include body work. Get them sweating, like Hayley said, so they can “sweat out their unimaginative narratives.” Several people smiled. ‘Good,’ Isabel (head of campaigns) said. ‘I’d say that settles it? We’ll have a boot camp?’ Everyone nodded, Itzel, head of the Power is in Creation Campaign, beamed and Elio remarked: ‘We haven’t decided on the foci for week four, yet.’ Alice opened her notebook and said: ‘I have a plan for week four. Part of me hopes that we’ll have completed our negotiations long before then. But just in case, we need to fight all the way to the deadline, on the thirty-first, I’d like to suggest the following for our final week: a build up for our final pushes to get the government on board. I want to start that week with a Body and Sexuality Day to emphasise that change starts with every single one of us, and connecting to ourselves is the strongest basis for connecting to each other and to nature. Day two, we dive straight from the individual into the community. What makes a community, what does it need to be alive, kicking and dancing? If we still don’t have any assurances by then, I’d like us to challenge both the political and the economic system in the UK.’ ‘You want to attack?’ Andy (campaign simulations) asked surprised. Alice nodded. ‘Up to that point we’ll have tried nice, inspiring, encouraging, providing heaps of potential solutions and vibrant visions. If that doesn’t move the people we need to move, then I won’t shy away from a full frontal attack. Strip away their shiny suits, their stuffy words, their condescension and superiority complexes, and leave no one in doubt that our economic systems and our political systems ruin us all. And we won’t sugarcoat that governments apparently have no intention to be of service to anyone but the few morons at the top and some of the minions who enable them.’ Alice inhaled. ‘I am always for building, always for making visions palpable, always for creating alternatives that prove what is possible and beneficial. But since I decided to take up this fight, I will pull out all stops if I have to — in the final week.’ There was some grim applause, and Skye (care) said: ‘I will drink to that! As many bottles as I can stomach!’ ‘I’ll join you!’ Dennie (security) said, and Raiden (town simulation) asked Alice: ‘What do you have in mind for days three, two and one?’ Alice smiled a little. ‘Day three: rewilding.’ Elio, Longevity Campaign, punched the air. ‘YES! And you won’t just make it about landscapes, oceans, forests, peatlands, mountains!’ Alice smiled. ‘Nope. Though I’d like to include all nature rewilding projects here in the UK, and all ideas for rewilding projects.’ Dana nodded. ‘Megan already gave me a list of contacts.’ ‘Good,’ Alice said. ‘And yes, let’s also include rewilding our societies, our arts, our towns, our families, our minds — everything! A few dominant narratives have buried so much of who we are and who we can be. We’ve allowed so much sameness and control into our world that we are stifled at best. Let’s create a campaign which inspires all of us to embrace and unearth the worlds that are in us and in our fellow humans. Let’s find ways to embrace the unexpected. Let’s learn to be curious explorers in what appears to be chaos, fluidity, the unfixed. Let’s celebrate diversity in all it’s form. Let’s rediscover playfulness. Let’s allow self-seeding in our minds, in our stories, in our days. Let’s allow the world to touch and expand who we are.’ The team applauded, and Zoila, Connections Campaign, said: ‘And as we rewild, we discover that everything is connected.’ Alice smiled broadly. ‘And that’s why day two will highlight all the connections we unearthed and created during the rewilding day.’ ‘Wow,’ Dennie (security) said. ‘Then what’s left for day one?’ Alice’s expression darkened. ‘We will ask, loud and clearly: Do you want a future?’ There was a moment of grim silence. Then Emine (lawyer) remarked: ‘I love your ideas. I love all our campaign ideas. I think the events will be fantastic. But I’m worried. It won’t be enough to reach a few hundred people. It won’t be enough to reach a few thousand people. We need millions to prick their ears and find an incentive to engage with our project. So the big question is: How do we get people involved? How do we make sure millions know about the events? How do we make it easy for millions to participate? We have the Hub Campaigns Square, but social media is not enough. TV ads? Not enough. Posters. Not enough. Demonstrations. Not enough. All of it? Not enough. We need to make our town project the talk of the town. What am I saying? The talk of the city, of the country and beyond.’ Geraldine, head of the Your Powers Campaign, smacked her lips. ‘I can create a bunch of campaigns with snowball-effects. People can use their power just by talking about our project, by making it the talk of the city. We can use gossip games and challenges. And we might reach more people with a large amount of smaller event than with just one big one.’ There were nods and Hayley said: ‘Flashmob. Organised online we can have thousands at the same time.’ Alice frowned. ‘Good. — Emine is right. We need to develop strategies which reach millions. And Jack was right in our first meeting, we need to communicate that there is something for everyone to contribute. What will it be?’ Not much later, Alice, Raiden (town simulation) and John (business) left the meeting for an appointment with some interested politicians in a conference location in Central London. Alice gave a little speech and concluded it with: ‘You know how people tend to say: “But who will pay for this?” I thought about it, and came to the conclusion that from now on my response will be: “So long as you find the money for power plays, wars, state receptions, prestige projects, the entertainment industry, dubious subsidies, misguided housing developments, speculations, fossil fuel extractions, bribes for political and economical gain, and for all the other ambiguous expenses, I will not think about this question again.” There is enough money to reshape the world several times over. I might add: If our town project does a good job, many government expenses won’t be necessary any more — which some corrupt beneficiaries of government contracts might regret, but my business is not with them. My business is with the people, the planet, with balanced economic activities and continuous ripple effects.”’ Later an MP confided in John: ‘I agree, it’s not money we lack. It’s the lack of vision.’ Another politician said to Alice: ‘You cannot exempt businesses from your town. That’s illegal and unrealistic.’ ‘No and no. Part of our experiment is to see whether there is something like an ideal business mix for the town. So, yes, we can determine the parameters of our experiment. It’s what it’s for.’ The politician shook her head. ‘I hear you. But your chances of getting your project approved would increase if you let others get a piece of the pie.’ ‘I guess so. But it would also render the experiment impotent.’ ‘But you let farmers in,’ another politician remarked who joined them at the bar table. ‘Some organic farmers who don’t use slaves or plastic, yes.’ ‘If you can’t let any businesses in, then we can’t agree to have any of your products get out.’ ‘I see your point. But we want to test how many products the town will have to export to make production in town viable. The results of these experiments will give us and every other town and city an indication what kind of business composition might be most promising to create economic balances and ripple effects regionally and globally. So while we would benefit to some extent from keeping other businesses out, and exporting some of our products, everyone will benefit from our findings.’ Next, Alice and John (business) met with someinvestors and repeated that investments would not be possible in town because that would interfere with the experiment. ‘That explains why you don’t want shareholders in town, but your project businesses are in your hands, too. What’s your excuse there?’ Alice smiled. ‘Right now, our excuse is that we’re young and in a process that requires the freedom to experiment with how we run our businesses and our networks. A divided ownership might get in the way of our work.’ ‘You could still use your skyrocketing cashflows and your considerable fortunes to strengthen the markets, give the market impulses.’ John (business) smiled. ‘A year ago, I would have agreed. Today, I’d invite you on a tour of the inner workings of our project-wide financial framework and cycles. I can also recommend a closer look at our discussions about what we expect money to achieve. It’s a whole new world. And it doesn’t just work. It creates tangible and lasting value far beyond numbers, and that without speculations and without dubious schemes. The financial system we are developing is as clear, transparent, versatile and in constant motion as the waters from a mountain river — one that is far removed from games for game’s sake.’ In the car, on the way back to the Compound, Alice remarked: ‘A mountain river. That was a nice imagery.’ John smiled a little. ‘Tom used it when he was still on board.’ Alice swallowed, and they both fell silent, looking out of the window as the car approached Piccadilly Circus. ‘Have you heard from Tom?’ John asked quietly. ‘No. Nothing.’ John nodded and looked out of the window again. Alice twitched the corner of her mouth. ‘John, you’ve known Tom for years. How bad can it get for us when he decides to take measures against us?’ John looked at Alice and shrugged. ‘Before Christmas Tom said to me: “You and Seth used to work for me. You used to be reliable, intelligent workers who could fix anything on the business side of my companies. You’ve changed. Both of you. You have become creators yourselves. Not in a big way. But you no longer operate in a clearly defined space. Instead, you allow the town project to prod you just enough to step out of your bubble and cautiously explore what else the world has to offer, and what else you might contribute.” And Tom added: “I’m very proud of you.”’ Alice shook her head and said: ‘This reminds me, in October or November, last year, I had an argument with Tom about empowerment. I insisted that empowerment has the greater benefits and offers more control because much less control is needed when people have responsibilities and can use their talents. He said to me: “I could comprehend the truth of this if I allowed my brain to stomach these thoughts.” I remember that he paused, lost in thoughts, and when he looked at me again, he said: “It is true, the people who used to work for me are a lot more independent, stronger, more involved — and more productive, here at the town project. They hardly need any control because they have made this project their own. But this has a disquieting effect on me.” A week later, Noel told me that Tom had asked him to build a simulation, on the quiet, so that Tom could play around with empowerment parameters. And at the beginning of December, Tom said to me that the results always pointed to empowerment as the better option. “But,” Tom added, “the simulation doesn’t take into account that I am more comfortable if people stay in their dedicated spaces, and do what they are told. Ignoring employees is a lot more pleasant than constantly being faced with people who have something to say.” I laughed and returned: “But that’s natural. You’re used to dull, faceless, predictable employees. Once you get used to the empowered workers, you’ll be just as fine. And probably better.”’ John chuckled, echoing: ‘And probably better. I think you’re right. And maybe he experienced that in those last days before the winter break. He said something appreciating to Beatrice and Seth, too. It was as if he was making an effort, we all thought.’ Alice grimaced. ‘I hate that Tom turned against us. He was always the old-fashioned capitalist and the self-congratulating programmer genius, but on top of that, he was also curious.’ John nodded, frowning, and Alice asked: ‘Are you worried what Tom might do?’ John grimaced. ‘Yes. Yes, I am. Tom is a rational person. But he has talked himself into rejecting our town project, and he has made his arguments sound rational. That’s the most dangerous kind of madness: to be convinced to be right, and to be angry that no one else sees just how wrong they all are. At worst he will develop an obsession with what he now sees as an affront to his convictions and rights. The more obsessed the more likely that he’ll move heaven and earth to put an end to our projects and do so as publicly as possible to punish us for not seeing the errors of our ways.’ ‘Fanaticism,’ Alice mumbled. ‘Yes.’ John looked at Alice. ‘You said, you were a fanatic in your religious time.’ ‘I was. And every attack on my believe strengthened my belief. That’s maybe the most perverse aspect of fanaticism. It is fuelled by the attacks and dismissals of what the fanatic believes to be right. I’ve never met anyone who understood that a believe is a believe, and that attacks make it stronger not weaker. It’s like trying to stop a fire by throwing dry timber at it.’ ‘Then how does one extinguish the fire?’ John asked. ‘In Tom’s case, I think the only thing we can do is hold him off, build our town, and hope that by the time our towners have moved in, he will not be too bitter to take a look at the result. Seeing could heal him, I think.’ ‘Hm.’ Alice leaned back in her seat, briefly closing her eyes. ‘What worries me more, right now, is the question of how we, individually and as a project, make sure that we keep every sliver of fanaticism out of our minds and our project.’ ‘You’re worried?’ Alice grimaced. ‘I am. We are about to launch massive campaigns with big teams, thousands strong, to engage the population of a country, few of us have ever called home, in conversations about fundamental questions that are relevant for the future of our town and through that for the future of our planet. What kind of megalomaniac has the audacity to do something like that? And how can we know that we haven’t and won’t turn into fanatics?’ John smiled, a soft smile Alice had never seen on him, and he said: ‘Because we have each other. Because we have questions. Because we want to unearth not control or patronise. Because we are afraid of being wrong. Because we will stay in motion and don’t get stuck. Because we have learned to listen and we have learned to think together.’ Alice grimaced. ‘I like your thoughts. But a fanatic would likely say the same about their bubble. How can we—’ A smile appeared on Alice’s face. ‘Maybe tests can keep us safe. We will never make anything about believing. We’ll always test our ideas.’ In the evening Alice, Jack (film), Raiden (town simulation), Andy (campaigns simulations), Dana (ecology), Hayley (tech), Marita (economics), Rohana (coordination), plus some members of the project businesses: Hachiro for dot. Gary for soap opera, Ef for toys around the world, and Adeola from the Building Site Team (business liaison) were at a business party in a conference hotel in Central London. Standing next to an abstract oil painting, Alice and Jack chuckled, and Alice said to the friendly businessman, grey suit, no tie: ‘Oh, absolutely. Humans have the potential to be clever. And I don’t mean anything as advanced as cunning. Just very basic cleverness, like: do we have hundreds of planets? No. Hm. It’s just one. Do we have an endless supply of resources? Hm. Actually not. Do we have clean air? Well, not so much these days. Is treating people like assets a good idea? OK, I’ll withdraw that question. You need to be a bit more advanced for this one.’ The businessman shook his head. ‘I must say, it’s interesting to meet you, Alice Adler. I admit, I expected a bitter, aggressive person. But you are—’ ‘—quite remarkable,’ Jack said, smiling at Alice. The businessperson nodded. ‘Remarkable. And pleasantly easy-going.’ Alice smiled. ‘I admit, I’m having a good moment. I hope, you won’t be too disappointed when you see me angry.’ The businessperson shook their head. ‘No. Having met you, I might cheer you on. Honestly, make your case as loudly and clearly as you can.’ ‘Thank you. Much appreciated.’ At the smaller of the three bars, Dana’s face hardened as she listened to a casually dressed trader, and eventually she countered sharply: ‘We know that the way we farm is destroying the very basis of farming: healthy soil, clean water, water access, pollination, biodiversity, shade. So why do we keep finding excuses to postpone the necessary transformations?’ At a table near the medium-sized bar, Raiden (town simulation), Hayley (tech) and Ef (toys around the world) were in a conversation with five businesspeople. Hayley put down her wineglass, saying: ‘Our highFLY phones are developed by inventors from around the globe. That’s possible because we use a modular system, and the customer can combine phone modules by different designers.’ A grey-haired businesswoman frowned. ‘I heard the phones only work half a day?’ Raiden smiled. ‘Our aim is to fine-tune our operations system to the extent that the phone only works when it’s needed.’ ‘Isn’t a phone always needed?’ a black businessman asked. ‘It’s rarely needed,’ Ef returned. ‘We’ve just turned phones into something that is constantly in our hands and on our minds. highFLY experiments with developing phones and phone practices that benefit us.’ At the large bar, Andy (campaigns simulations) and Rohana (coordination) spoke with two giggly businesswoman, one of them flirting with Andy, the other with Rohana, both refilling their wineglasses at a disquieting pace. ‘I agree, you know,’ the brown-haired businesswoman in a dark-green suit said to Andy. ‘It’s our decision what we use, how we produce, how we work. No one forces us to make the human obsolete. But—’ here she giggled again. ‘But humans are such a nuisances, except you, of course,’ she said, smiling at him. Andy swallowed and Rohana nudged him, saying: ‘It’s true that humans are peculiar. But we decided to work with people, haven’t we Andy?’ ‘Yes. We build tech that serves us without frustrating, patronising or dulling us.’ The red-haired woman pursed her lips and chanted with a hint of mockery: ‘This is our world. This is our world. We are its masters.’ Rohana moved a little closer, smiled sweetly and returned: ‘Exactly! This is our world! And we are done having tech and money mess with our lives and with our planet. Tech is fascinating but literally not human. In fact, a lot of what tech does goes right against human instincts. If a human behaved like our clever machines, we would make fun of them. It’s time we become the masters of our world — and this time in concert with nature.’ ‘I can get us a room and you can say that over and over and over again.’ Back at the table, the conversation had taken a similar direction, and Ef said: ‘As a former doctor, I can appreciate some of what has become possible thanks to machine learning, but I’m glad that the town project takes the view that human welfare, human work and human curiosity are more important than having some sort of results in a few seconds. No one will be motivated to do anything if there is a machine who is perceived as being better at everything.’ Hayley nodded. ‘Exactly. Besides, it’s short-sighted to make the human redundant, and it makes no sense to flood the world with more products faster.’ Raiden nodded. ‘Neither does it make sense to fill the internet with endless repetitions of the same fear-mongering and attention-seeking emptiness.’ Ef nodded. ‘It also makes no sense to give everything a price tag. No one can do an excellent job if they have to reach monetary goals. Everything that is important needs time, freedom, room for tests, mistakes, new tests. In medicine the focus on making profits literally kills people, every day. I killed my family because I had to work a double shift. I killed other people, because I didn’t have the time to give them the attention their cases needed.’ The black businessman frowned. ‘Will your project give the very concept of money, profiteering and fortunes a rethink?’ Raiden nodded. ‘There’s nothing we won’t question, nothing where we won’t test alternatives in our town’s microcosm.’ At the large bar, Hachiro said to a good-looking businesswoman: ‘dot. means creative diversity and power. No more useless clothes, no landfills. More happy and empowered customers. We have a scope that is unchallenged and will remain so because the only way anyone could offer what dot. offers is by copying us. And that would be both fantastic and a waste. Fantastic because the more companies get away from flooding the markets with products no one needs or wants — unless you spend billions in telling people what they should want — so, the fewer companies follow that stupid and unsustainable practice the better. It would be a waste because dot. already has all the infrastructure needed, and more people could simply join us. And if you allow me, I’d be happy to design something for you which isn’t just a piece by a great designer but which is a perfect reflection of who you are or, if you like, of who you want to be.’ Further along the bar, Marita (economics) had joined Andy, Rohana and three businesswomen, and had accepted the invitation to a Bloody Mary. After taking a sip, Marita said: ‘Today’s competitions are won by those who have the most money and find the most effective methods of exploiting humans, data and nature. That’s neither a gain in quality nor any sort of progress.’ ‘Sweetheart,’ one of the flirty businesswomen said, ‘if you put it like that— I mean international tournaments. It’s all about who has the most money. It’s not a nation’s achievement we see. All we find out at a world cup is who has the biggest purse.’ Rohana nodded, a drunken smile on her face. ‘True, true. It’s the nations who pump the most money into sports. They win. Nothing to do with the nation.’ Marita stirred her Bloody Mary, saying to the sceptical looking redhead: ‘If you think that competition is needed to drive humans to excellence and progress, then I invite you to visit our project businesses and later our town. All the data we’ve collected so far on this project indicate that cooperation is more effective on every count.’ The third businesswoman, an Indonesian, shook her head. ‘We can only grow if we outperform our competition.’ ‘Growth,’ Rohana groaned, slurring her words just a little. ‘Who came ever up with that? Oh, I know: a marketing genius. Growth is such a great imagery. But why do we believe that an economy gets eternal life and endless growth? Who would want to grow forever? I mean where would our arms and legs go? And we’d be tired all the time. Growing needs a lot of energy. See, the whole growing imagery makes no sense as soon as you take a proper look at it. A cycle on the other hand, that could get us talking for real.’ Meanwhile Alice had been moving from group to group, chipping in here and there. On her way to another group, a man her age, stopped her and stated: ‘You hate men!’ Alice frowned. ‘What for? In my experience hate is self-harm and doesn’t achieve anything. Besides, I’d not waste any emotions on the vague and generalised idea of manhood.’ The shook his head and stumbled away. Alice frowned. What was that about? Near a staircase, a young reporter said to Hayley (tech): ‘So everything falls down?’ ‘No. Everything grows in all sorts of directions. Air and water flow and sometimes blow. Birds fly and lions roar.’ The reporter laughed. Some feet away, Dana chuckled about a white businessman’s remark and returned: ’You’re telling me that the flap of a butterfly’s wing in India can cause a hurricane in Uruguay, right?’ ‘That’s the case.’ ‘OK. So what happens if millions upon millions of insects don’t flap their wings any more because they’re all dead? What if all leaf-flapping trees are replaced with dead facades? What if there is no flapping any more. Won’t that have an affect on the weather?’ At the medium-sized bar, Andy and Adeola had a moment of just chatting, and Adeola said: ‘There’re quite a few beautiful sparrows at Jellybridge, and I thought, why do sparrows in cities look so dishevelled?’ ‘Enlighten me,’ Andy returned, raising his bottle of beer in a toast. ‘It’s because city-sparrows eat what we eat. And what does that tell you?’ ‘That I might have a water after this beer?’ At a bar table, Alice and Marita were in a discussion with a boss and her assistant, talking economics. Alice declined another drink and remarked: ‘The present economic systems make our world boring. A few ideas and brands dominate in most countries. It’s like, why travel at all, everything has become the same.’ The boss shook her head, doubtfully. ‘I hear you. But what if everything was fine on our planet? Wouldn’t that be boring?’ ‘No,’ Alice returned with sudden sparkles in her eyes. ‘Excitement comes from exploring. And there is so much to explore on our planet. We don’t need any commerce thrown at us. We can simply become explorers and discover the world, on foot, on bicycles, on trains, on sailing boats. Quite frankly, I think, right now we waste our time with screwing each other instead of enjoying life.’ ‘Aren’t you promising a bit much with your project?’ the assistant ask with a sideways glance at her boss as if to assure herself that the question was acceptable. The boss nodded approvingly. The assistant looked relieved, and Alice replied: ‘My promise is to be always curious and to test every promising idea, and probably some pet-ideas, too. The only thing I can offer is to always explain my decisions, to be transparent and to frequently question whether my decisions still hold or should be revised.’ ‘Do you really think the world can be fixed?’ the boss asked. Marita (economics) shook her head. ‘The world was never whole or perfect or OK, not since humans spread across the planet. So there’s nothing to fix. But we can rethink everything that harms us.’ Alice nodded. ‘That’s the great thing about our brains. Our brains are incredibly capable if we make use of them.’ ‘How can this rethinking happen?’ the boss wondered aloud and Alice said: ‘We need something we, as the people of this planet, consider worthwhile building together. Some kind of planet-wide effort. We try to do something like that with our businesses and our supply networks. But maybe the planet needs something simpler, something we can all relate to.’ ‘And you need the money for change,’ the assistant chipped in and got a dismissive glance from her boss. Alice shook her head, both about this duo and ‘It’s not the money we lack. It’s imagination, willpower and vision.’ Marita nodded. ‘And we keep making things difficult for us by holding on to the systems which brought us to our crises — in our societies and in the natural world.’ Near the dance floor, Gary and Jack were talking to a gay and to a straight businessmen, and Gary sighed: ‘Beauty is essential for the healing process. For everything.’ ‘Nonsense!’ the straight businessman retorted. Gary put on his most charming smile and returned: ‘I didn’t come up with this. It’s just us humans. We react to beauty. And I agree, humans are peculiar.’ There were many more such encounters, some shorter, others longer, and in between most team members relaxed. Quite a few danced with the other guests. In particular Rohana, Marita and Adeola increasingly used the dance floor to chat with interested people. Alice wasn’t in the mood to dance and joined Ef (toys around the world) just when he got dragged into a discussion about homelessness by an elegant businesswoman in the white suit. Alice felt her temper rising, and was just about to lash out when Hayley rolled in to the rescue and said: ‘Madam, Ef is one of the most courageous people I know. He lost his wife and children in an accident he caused, and he not only survived to this day, he also found some new hope in our project. I’m in a wheelchair, and I cannot imagine the pain he went through and still feels. I have nothing but respect for him.’ Ef’s tears were rolling and his shaking hand found Hayley’s shoulder. The businesswoman nodded and returned quietly: ‘I thank you. I doubt I ever saw a human in a homeless person. Thank you for making me see. And please, excuse me, I need a drink. Would you join me, Alice Adler?’ Alice hesitated, looking at Ef, wondering whether she should— ‘You go, Alice! I’ll be okay.’ Alice nodded and followed the elegant businesswoman. At the bar, their eyes met, and Alice couldn’t help asking: ‘Did you really mean what you just said?’ ‘Yes. Yes, I did. But I doubt it will last. I fear, in my world there are very few humans, and all of them are rich. It’s a strange, soulless world. You’re a millionaire, too. But you haven’t been infected by the soullessness, yet. I can’t make you out. Is it because you used to be poor?’ Alice smiled and accepted an invitation to a gin tonic. ‘For a long time,’ Alice said, ‘I was more a mind than anything else. And sometimes I still am.’ ‘I don’t follow.’ ‘I had hardly any connection to my body or to other people. I spend my days thinking, calculating, shaping. It is only through this project that I am discovering my body, that I work out, that I enjoy a stick fight, that I have become aware of what I wear—’ ‘—I thought your designer, this Japanese guy over there, dresses you.’ Alice smiled, probably thanks to the alcohol or maybe because Adeola did some funny dance moves. ‘You’re right, I’m spoiled. But most of what I wear is a kind of co-creation. I tell Hachiro what I’d like to wear and he designs it to perfection.’ ‘OK. But what are you telling me?’ ‘I guess making and having a lot of money comes with so much stress that there is an acute lack of connection to the body and to other people. But we need those connections to sense ourselves and be a human, and to sense other humans. I’m glad that I don’t ever have to worry about money again. I’m grateful that I have so much money that I can set up teams for the most fringe questions my mind throws up. I love that. But other than that, other than making things possible, I have no interest in riches, and hoarding makes no sense to me.’ ‘You people really are like aliens. Can’t you take your spaceship and go back to where you’re from?’ Alice took a sip of her gin tonic. ‘Maybe after the town experiment. This is too exciting a chance. Space travel is incredibly boring by comparison. A bit impressive but not half as exciting.’ The woman shook her head. ‘I like you. Say, will there really be no cars in your town?’ ‘Yes. There will be underground parking spaces outside of the town. But there won’t be cars in town.’ ‘But I saw you arrive in a car, today.’ ‘Our Security Team has electric cars and drives us to our appointments.’ The businessperson shook her head. ‘I couldn’t live without driving. Sometimes I just sit in the car and drive for hours on end. It relaxes me.’ Alice smiled. ‘We’re considering to build a car simulation in our underground town.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yeah, you can sink into the best leather seats, turn your favourite music full volume and choose from hundreds of landscapes. There is even talk of adding some smells and wind, provided you choose to drive a cabriolet.’ The elegant woman laughed. ‘You people really are crazy. But I tell you what: If you get your town, I will visit and test your car simulator.’

© Charlie Alice Raya, book 4, building, 2025