0:02:15.684,0:02:18.902 My name is Andrej, I come from Slovakia 0:02:18.902,0:02:26.463 presently, I am the national coordinator of TZM Slovakia and a European TZM coordinator 0:02:26.463,0:02:32.930 I am a 24-year old student of law and political science 0:02:32.930,0:02:37.304 I've been part of the Zeitgeist movement since the very beginning 0:02:37.304,0:02:44.846 when the movie Zeitgeist Addendum came out after which the movement was created 0:02:44.846,0:02:52.139 I contacted Peter Joseph, the movie director, and offered him my cooperation and assistance 0:02:52.139,0:02:56.847 in a sense that I would like to translate some materials into Slovak language and 0:02:56.847,0:03:02.461 if needed to kick-start activities in Slovakia. 0:03:02.461,0:03:06.222 This basically means that we were one of the first chapters worldwide 0:03:06.222,0:03:13.680 and immediately in that year, in March 2010, we organized the first Z-day in Bratislava 0:03:13.680,0:03:21.430 which enjoyed participation of many people, so we were very pleased to have it organized in such a short period of time 0:03:21.430,0:03:30.661 I met there some very interesting people from Slovakia who joined TZM and helped me personally 0:03:30.661,0:03:37.097 as well as the other TZM members to get the movement off the ground and shape it in the current form 0:03:37.097,0:03:44.542 presently, the structure of TZM Slovakia was developed during the last years 0:03:44.542,0:03:52.421 it is what we focused on from the very beginning, right when we started to brainstorm about TZM 0:03:52.421,0:03:55.623 and its organizational structure and how it should work in Slovakia 0:03:55.623,0:04:00.147 we realized all the drawbacks of international organizations 0:04:00.147,0:04:09.222 and we wanted to contribute with something new, we wanted to structure the entire movement 0:04:09.222,0:04:18.424 so that there would be decision making processes that would reflect expert approaches 0:04:18.441,0:04:26.597 scientific approaches and would highlight the tenets on which the movement was created and which fascinated me. 0:04:27.826,0:04:35.381 The reasons I joined TZM and establish a chapter in Slovakia were diverse 0:04:35.381,0:04:41.622 many people I talked to said that the Zeitgeist movie series opened their eyes 0:04:41.622,0:04:47.144 That was not exactly my case. My eyes had been open for some time already 0:04:47.144,0:04:57.582 I'd been interested in alternative systems and had been watching documentaries and reading so 0:04:57.582,0:05:02.623 by that time I'd been quite aware even after I watched the movies 0:05:02.623,0:05:06.705 For me the first movie was an interesting way of documenting 0:05:06.705,0:05:12.544 it is a very captivating documentary which, however, only brought up the issues 0:05:12.544,0:05:17.343 although it was done in a very interesting form but it did not offer any solutions 0:05:17.343,0:05:32.843 After watching Zeitgeist the movie I created my own blog where I published translated news items from alternative media 0:05:32.889,0:05:39.263 After watching Zeitgeist Addendum which presents the idea of Resource Based Economy 0:05:39.263,0:05:44.929 as well as it presents the issues of our current system, I immediately knew 0:05:44.929,0:05:53.209 that this was something different from all the other information on the internet 0:05:55.517,0:06:02.745 Basically, what was discussed in the movie, the tenets, values and ideas that underlie the resource based economy 0:06:02.745,0:06:17.383 reflected exactly what I was long convinced of and that is that society should be organized in this way, instead of the current way of organization. 0:06:29.382,0:06:43.675 ...what should be said next... 0:06:43.675,0:06:58.183 0:07:06.027,0:07:12.263 Similarly to other countries, we had many people who joined our chapter. 0:07:12.263,0:07:26.794 In February 2010 we had a large nationwide meeting and we were very surprised those who started the chapter 0:07:29.778,0:07:36.823 that there was so much interest among people. Many of them came to Bratislava from far away just to participate, 0:07:36.823,0:07:41.462 to find out what was the movement about and to find ways they could contribute. 0:07:42.538,0:07:51.929 Similarly to other countries, and we found out about this only after some time, these people wanted to help 0:07:51.929,0:08:00.223 but as they, after a few months or even weeks, figured that it takes time to change the world 0:08:00.223,0:08:13.253 and that it requires a lot of work and effort and of course all this takes away spare time when people have to invest energy 0:08:13.622,0:08:24.543 and as they suddenly found out that this is not a game or a hobby but it is a mission that one really has to take on 0:08:24.543,0:08:31.903 once they realized that they had to add their own responsibility and be accountable for their own actions 0:08:31.903,0:08:35.542 then they got their hands off. 0:08:35.542,0:08:43.180 Later on, I found out that this was the case in many European countries and surely in many chapters across the world 0:08:44.087,0:08:51.096 but I take it as it comes. People come and go. Everyone has their own opinions, values and the 0:08:51.787,0:09:06.225 alternative spectrum is very wide. In the entire alternative sphere with all the alternatives to be put in place instead of the current system 0:09:06.286,0:09:14.845 they are very distinct. So it is perfectly natural that people come and think that TZM is what expresses them 0:09:14.845,0:09:19.763 but after a while they simply realize that it is not exactly what they thought. 0:09:19.763,0:09:30.845 This is mainly because people are not informed enough about the tenets and values of TZM and as a result they leave. 0:09:30.845,0:09:36.184 It is not a tragedy for us. We are very happy and appreciate every single member who joins 0:09:36.353,0:09:47.012 and we value their inputs regardless whether they stay for a week or three years. 0:09:50.688,0:09:59.929 As far as the history of TZM Slovakia, as I alluded to prior, after the first Z-Day in 2009 we decided, 0:09:59.929,0:10:11.928 also in the light of many people leaving the movement without stating concrete reasons, we decided to develop organizational structure. 0:10:12.604,0:10:23.250 We were convinced that the movement can only function efficiently there is a need for clear rules 0:10:24.081,0:10:31.261 and clear levels of responsibility and people have to have roles as much as it is in every other organization. 0:10:31.261,0:10:36.302 TZM is no different. I know that especially within this movement there are many people who think 0:10:36.302,0:10:46.374 that everything should be solved loosely, that people should do what they want and when do they want it 0:10:47.066,0:10:53.845 I understand this position but if we want to achieve anything, we have to conform to certain common rules 0:10:53.845,0:10:57.723 which we will agree upon collectively. 0:10:59.031,0:11:14.223 Organizational structure of TZM Slovakia as it exists represents the exact values TZM stands upon 0:11:14.223,0:11:18.012 or based on which TZM should work according to our beliefs. 0:11:18.012,0:11:25.845 We defined several basic pillars that should support the movement and the organizational structure of TZM Slovakia 0:11:25.845,0:11:35.179 these include holistic approach, which recognizes the world as a single organism 0:11:35.179,0:11:42.421 and my actions in one part of the world affects other places 0:11:42.421,0:11:51.624 I cannot simply expect that my actions won't have effect on something else 0:11:51.624,0:11:56.143 therefore, every action must be realized as something influencing many other factors 0:11:56.143,0:12:03.615 and I have to work with the feedback, which I get back and further to implement this feedback in the future solutions 0:12:03.615,0:12:12.682 Next pillar is humanism. Solutions that TZM is offering should be focused on human beings 0:12:13.912,0:12:24.928 Humanism is a very large concept which we tried to define so that people would have a clear picture of our understanding of humanism 0:12:24.928,0:12:31.141 Essential component of TZM is the scientific method and its application. 0:12:31.141,0:12:37.063 This is perfectly self-evident also in the movies and the teachings of Jacque Fresco and Peter Joseph 0:12:37.063,0:12:51.929 and in general in the nature of RBE. The scientific method does not proclaim itself to be the one with the best solutions 0:12:51.929,0:12:56.089 The scientific method offers solutions based on the current understanding. 0:12:56.504,0:13:09.452 The solutions do not have to be right or wrong because the most interesting property of the scientific method 0:13:09.561,0:13:15.512 and at the same time what makes it proportionally different from other methods is 0:13:15.512,0:13:18.506 its fallibility. 0:13:18.891,0:13:23.748 The scientific method acknowledges that because when we speak about the scientific method 0:13:23.764,0:13:29.621 we speak about the system, the processes and mechanisms of discovering unknown. 0:13:29.913,0:13:35.755 When I speak about science and the scientific method I speak about the people. And people who apply this method 0:13:35.816,0:13:41.846 to acquire understanding of some phenomenon or become able to explain it are and have to be 0:13:41.846,0:13:53.223 aware of their discoveries being changeable because science is about probability. 0:14:29.820,0:14:36.304 To the contrary of other methods, the scientific method is able to self-correct itself 0:14:36.304,0:14:43.012 this means when someone new comes along with a new discovery or a new theory which is accepted 0:14:43.012,0:14:47.096 it does not mean that this theory will be accepted dogmatically. 0:14:47.096,0:14:51.544 It is the current state of affairs but that does not mean that someone in the future cannot 0:14:51.636,0:14:58.845 question the established, prove his/her own truth, come up with new discoveries, new facts 0:14:58.845,0:15:03.544 and simply explain the matter better than the previous person 0:15:03.544,0:15:10.457 and that is, according to me, the most important aspect differentiating the scientific method from other methods. 0:15:32.691,0:15:38.980 A lot of people, and this is something a lot of people experience on a daily basis, discover that when I 0:15:38.980,0:15:45.421 argue with someone about something or when I am having a discussion and that person 0:15:45.421,0:15:51.824 in the majority of cases perceives the discourse as something negative 0:15:51.824,0:15:58.146 especially when I try to persuade him/her about something which he or she thinks it's the truth. 0:15:58.207,0:16:05.541 When I try to derail his or her worldview, it is perceived as personal attack. 0:16:05.541,0:16:14.764 This is a mindset that should be changed because the fact that I am convinced of something does not mean it's the truth. 0:16:14.764,0:16:21.012 Likewise, we have learn how to respect and be open to the opinions of the other people. 0:16:21.012,0:16:27.679 Because if I allow my worldview to block my own acceptance of any other worldviews 0:16:27.679,0:16:31.423 then from the epistemic standpoint I am simply finished. 0:16:31.684,0:16:41.096 I cannot go on, I cannot further develop myself when every time someone questions my opinions 0:16:41.096,0:16:44.181 I begin to think I am being attacked. 0:17:19.178,0:17:27.381 A "loss" in a discussion should not be understood as a failure or a personal attack 0:17:27.381,0:17:34.422 when someone persuades me about something it does not imply I am stupid 0:17:34.422,0:17:43.179 it is not about trying to prove I was the stupid one who believed in something because I had limited amount of information 0:17:43.179,0:17:47.262 when I am persuaded by someone about something I should perceive it positively 0:17:47.262,0:17:51.677 it is about broadening the horizon and acquiring new information 0:17:51.677,0:17:58.019 the more information once receives, the more open one is, the more of human he or she becomes 0:17:58.512,0:18:03.993 on the other hand it is important to remark that it is not needed to be fully open to anything 0:18:04.439,0:18:08.383 we should always find the balance. This is something I always underline. 0:18:08.383,0:18:16.177 Everything requires a balanced approach. So when I say it's important to be open to new ideas 0:18:16.177,0:18:25.664 I also mean it is necessary to question the current structures and the contemporary truth that is accepted almost universally 0:18:25.664,0:18:30.904 and that is also one of the tenets of the scientific method according to my interpretation 0:18:30.904,0:18:37.342 Critical thinking is the only thing that can move us forward 0:18:37.342,0:18:48.323 because when people stop questioning and start to believe the current society is the best there will ever be 0:18:48.631,0:18:55.762 then, at that moment, it is as if we stopped the evolutionary process of the society 0:18:55.762,0:19:02.846 Society evolves through evolution just like there is biological evolution, there is societal evolution, which must always continue 0:19:02.846,0:19:07.720 we cannot live in an illusion of reaching a peak. 0:19:08.382,0:19:16.928 And when we speak about the RBE, as an alternative to the current model, we do not speak about RBE 0:19:16.928,0:19:28.607 as the final stage which will bring salvation. No, RBE is simply better than what we have now that is something to be stressed 0:19:28.607,0:19:45.561 it is not about pushing RBE as the final global system, it is about RBE offering a better life for all the people. 0:19:45.746,0:19:50.784 You can cut this out if you think it's not good enough :))) 0:19:51.030,0:20:06.321 Questions?... 0:20:07.136,0:20:10.901 How does the socio-political-economic situation look like in Slovakia? 0:20:25.012,0:20:35.422 The current socio-political-economic situation in Slovakia is not very different from other countries in Europe or Western world 0:20:35.422,0:20:39.303 We have the same problems in Slovakia as they have in other countries. 0:20:39.303,0:20:45.348 Many people like to blame the politicians that the do not govern the society well 0:20:45.348,0:20:55.566 Tomas: This sentence was not finished, I did not translate it. 0:21:28.568,0:21:34.342 My opinion is that the basis of any society are three pillars 0:21:34.342,0:21:36.342 1) politics 0:21:36.342,0:21:37.901 2) economy 0:21:37.946,0:21:39.893 3) culture 0:21:39.955,0:21:47.725 These three pillars can be found in different form in every social system. 0:21:48.217,0:21:58.035 In the current political establishment, economy has a prevailing position 0:21:58.079,0:22:03.429 the political and cultural systems are derived from the economic system 0:22:03.429,0:22:27.530 the current economic system in any of the countries is based on egoism, exploitation of other people and on greed 0:22:27.530,0:22:37.595 these principles of the economic system to some extent penetrate the political and cultural systems 0:22:37.595,0:22:48.175 if we have a system that incites greed, egoism and competitiveness at the expense of 0:22:48.175,0:22:58.928 cooperation, creativity and symbiosis how can we expect that people living in that very system will behave differently? 0:22:58.928,0:23:02.060 or how should they change the system? 0:23:21.688,0:23:24.302 It is basically a vicious circle. 0:25:00.086,0:25:23.993 Tomas: I am not translating this...he's going to rephrase it... 0:25:24.730,0:25:33.904 In Slovakia, we were able, coincidentally, to get together a bunch of people from the same city who lived close to each other 0:25:33.904,0:25:41.822 and therefore had an opportunity to meet regularly and better organize the movement 0:25:41.822,0:25:50.704 ...it's not my best day today... 0:25:50.704,0:26:28.735 Tomas the Translator: Don't worry Andrej, you're doing great! 0:26:53.662,0:27:00.383 When we speak about RBE, we could spend hours discussing how the future will look like 0:27:00.383,0:27:05.762 how different things will be compared to the current system 0:27:05.762,0:27:13.383 but when we stop talking about this, the first question asked is: "How to get there?" 0:27:13.383,0:27:30.740 We believe that TZM does not have a concrete blueprint for the transition period 0:27:31.171,0:27:38.742 this means how to get from point A to point B, from the current monetary system to RBE 0:27:38.742,0:27:45.621 that is why we've concentrated on this question from the very beginning 0:27:45.621,0:28:04.142 we wanted to offer to TZM Global, a certain step-by-step methodology of transitioning by means of evolution, not revolution 0:28:04.142,0:28:06.290 into RBE 0:28:21.259,0:29:19.609 Tomas is taking a break here... 0:29:20.286,0:29:24.627 One of the rudimentary problems we encountered in Slovakia was 0:29:24.627,0:29:30.903 that despite the willingness of many people to contribute and participate in the projects 0:29:30.903,0:29:41.144 they simply do not have time. The current system has them by the balls and coerces them to work to survive 0:29:41.144,0:29:51.064 and they can only be activists in their spare time and of course we cannot expect from everyone 0:29:51.156,0:29:54.983 that they will invest 90% of their time in TZM 0:29:54.983,0:29:59.024 of course it would be great if we found more people who put their hearts in it 0:29:59.132,0:30:06.934 who are convinced enough and who are willing to invest the majority of their spare time in TZM 0:30:06.934,0:30:12.462 but that not how the reality looks like. Many are dependent on the system 0:30:12.462,0:30:24.463 and are not willing, or sometimes are willing but cannot be active at the expense of their jobs 0:30:24.463,0:30:32.633 when a person should make a decision between going to work to earn living, pay mortgage, and have the basic human needs met 0:30:32.633,0:30:37.623 or to come to us to talk about some projects and to attempt to change the world 0:30:37.623,0:30:45.303 then the decision is always to make ends meet 0:30:45.303,0:30:50.344 so when we speak about the transition period, we've been thinking as follows - 0:30:56.837,0:31:07.823 we are now elaborating a concept which would allow the members and supporters to become active 0:31:07.823,0:31:17.393 and invest all the time and creativity in the projects, which would lay a groundwork for a transition into RBE 0:31:20.424,0:31:25.761 a tentative title of the concept is an Organization of a new type 0:31:25.807,0:31:35.545 such an organization should provide TZM members a possibility to get a job, be active in what they know the best 0:31:35.545,0:31:39.763 simply do what they have expertise in because when people work in a field they know well 0:31:39.855,0:31:43.046 they like the job and produce high-quality outcomes 0:31:43.107,0:31:45.940 and that is what the foundations should be 0:31:51.985,0:31:57.384 What the movement can do is derived from the knowledge of its members 0:31:57.384,0:32:02.465 this means individual competencies, skills, knowledge of its members 0:32:02.465,0:32:06.903 the movement should capitalize on this to the largest extent possible 0:32:06.903,0:32:11.163 and by doing so try to lay the groundwork for RBE. 0:32:17.379,0:33:29.196 brainstorming.... 0:33:41.194,0:33:43.301 My message to the people of the world 0:33:43.378,0:33:51.301 first of all, people should realize their own responsibility and not to rely on 0:33:51.301,0:33:59.622 someone else solving the world's problems whether it is a supernatural entity, a guru or an organization 0:33:59.622,0:34:06.680 which offers salvation. It is always about people and every single one has to feel this individual responsibility 0:34:06.680,0:34:12.689 and do the maximum for the change to be achieved 0:34:12.689,0:34:19.946 change will not come by if we wait around and meditate for things to change miraculously 0:34:19.946,0:34:26.930 we have to put in all our efforts based on our own skills, potential and capabilities 0:34:26.930,0:34:34.531 it is also about humility, we should not perceive ourselves as the best there is... 0:35:02.319,0:35:11.159 I would suggest you cut this out and replace me because I cannot simply organize my thoughts right now 0:35:14.727,0:35:21.742 replace this part with someone else, OK? I haven't done enough of preparation for this.