Introduction: What kind of world do you want?

Namaskar (this is a Sanskrit greeting which means “I greet the divinity in you with charms of my mind and the love of my heart”).

When I arrived in Europe in June 2003, Pranava from Hannover, Germany, generously lent me a small red 1990 Ford Escort. Two years later, Tilakapash in Lisbon donated a 1994 Fiat Punto S. I’ve been continually traveling, usually by car but sometimes by bus or plane, to Portugal, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, England, Wales, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Austria, Hungary and Poland. When people ask me where I’m based, I reply the global office of Proutist Universal is in Copenhagen, Denmark, but the truth is I visit there only occasionally.

I’ve been wonderfully charmed by the beautifully diverse cultures, history, languages and people in each country. In each country I’ve given talks about my book, “After Capitalism: Prout’s Vision for a New World” with preface by Noam Chomsky. This has been published so far in Portuguese, Spanish, and Hungarian, and will soon be published in Italian, German, and Japanese.

In my opinion, the most significant page of my book is one that most readers skip – the acknowledgements. More than 70 individuals and a few organizations are listed there, and there are still others who asked to remain anonymous. The names include economists, environmentalists, agricultural experts, activists, cooperative consultants, senior Proutists and others, from six continents. The value of the book lies in their contributions.

Everywhere I go, friends and strangers continually help me. They organize lectures, debates and workshops; arrange interviews with the media; cook vegetarian meals for me and offer a place to spend the night; hand me a badly-needed donation.

In every presentation, I bring up the powerful theme of the World Social Forum, “Another world is possible.” I ask the audience “What kind of world do you want?” Invariably the responses are nearly always the same: a world without war, hunger, poverty, or exploitation; with more economic equality, ecological protection, community and cooperation; with a better quality of life. I believe there is tremendous power in this common dream, because together, nothing is impossible.

How do we make that dream a reality? I think about this a lot. If you have some ideas, I’d love to hear them.