They build bunkers but what about us?
[Versión español]- A month ago, I was in Finland, where well-being seems to envelop everything. There are dreamy libraries, “just in time” transportation, a rich offering of both private and public cultural events with high attendance, and picturesque landscapes everywhere. I felt that in this country, discomfort could even be uncomfortable. I didn’t expect what their buildings concealed. It was -27 °C.
I know nothing is perfect. Finland isn’t either. From what I’ve read, I’m also aware of the problems caused by prolonged confinement due to the cold and darkness, loneliness, vitamin D deficiency, and other issues that are sometimes hidden. Things not seen in 10 days.
Among the hidden, I was told something not so profound but common, historical, and for many people, nonsensical.
Anticipating my look of perplexity, and in the midst of a beer conversation, a new friend asked me:
Do you know that there are bunkers in buildings in Finland?
I didn’t know
Indeed. Buildings are constructed with bunkers for any threat that may require their use. They call them väestönsuoja. Until 2022, there were 50,000 väestönsuoja, with a capacity for 4.8 million people; 85% are private and located in the basements of buildings.
What the heck? — I thought — Bunkers to protect from what?
Later I remembered they have Russia as a neighbor, and it all made a bit more sense. But that’s another conversation.
Yes, but I’m not here to talk about Finnish bunkers. I want to talk about other bunkers. Those more familiar to me. Those built or bought by people like Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg. Those not related to history or the past, but rather to the catastrophic future foreseen due to the wild capitalism we live in.
I think of the United States. Yes. I think of its wealthy people. Yes. I know there are more people involved, but who else can I think of if not some of the wealthy Americans and their apocalyptic bunkers?
Why buy or build a bunker?
I tell you, without much evidence but with fewer doubts: those who buy or build nuclear bunkers don’t know how to build them themselves. They pay experts to build them. They buy them. And if they had to do it themselves, with their hands, what would they be like? — I wonder.
I think of myself. I study Social and Solidarity Economy, and it’s not in my plans to buy or build a bunker. First, I don’t have the means to do it. I’m over 30 and still can’t afford a house. Second, I’m an enthusiast. I believe those bunkers may not be necessary. Third, I’m clearly part of the 99% who, in the face of a nuclear war or a climate apocalypse, will die as a common human being, with happiness, sadness, few achievements, and debts. Come on, why a bunker!
Despite my negativity, I can’t stop wondering why they, the wealthy Americans, think they need one and we don’t. Don’t we need to protect ourselves against those fears and the same threats?
What about global warming, armed conflicts, the war between terrorist groups and States, genocidal States, or gender-based violence and all those other horrific things that can take or steal our lives? What bunker do we have for our present and future needs, fears, and threats?
The reality. We all protect ourselves as best as we can. I have no doubts. Most of us work to earn money, shelter, and affection doing the best we can; often under any circumstances. Conditions are better than others depending on where we are, what gender we are, what color the skin that covers us is, and where we come from. Of that majority, many of us do it alone and sometimes very alone.
Is it possible to face these challenges on our own? Can it be done without thinking of the rest? Of course! And in many ways!
We have, for example, the way of “el que no tranza no avanza” as they say in Mexico. On this path, you need nothing more than your cunning and ability to take advantage of the rest to get ahead. It would be the equivalent of “el que no es vivo, no surge” in other Latin American countries.
Another path is that of the trading gurus. This one offers you to rise through financial speculation, building your own Ponzi scheme, or sitting in front of a computer buying and selling stocks on the New York Stock Exchange.
Some paths are riskier or safer than others. Some have more or fewer personal burdens. Many are traveled individually. All, absolutely all, are walkable alone. And all promise us the ability to build, along the way, our own bunker.
I don’t like these. And the good news is that there are other types of bunkers and there are experts who know how to build them.
The Bunkers of the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE)
The Social and Solidarity Economy knows about the bunkers I’m talking about, and many people don’t.
A few weeks ago, I was having beers on a Thursday with a group of people I didn’t know. Younger than me. They were between 20 and 25 years old. My friend, their friend too, asked each one if they knew what the social and solidarity economy was. All responded that they had no idea. I don’t know, I wasn’t even surprised. I had no idea a few months back either.
But that’s how many of us are, unknowing. And normal, because it’s difficult to define what SSE is, even for those in the know. In fact, a professor jokingly told us in an informal talk that when asked about his field of study, he responds that he studies “cooperatives”. Checkmate. It’s accurate and to the point. Though not entirely everything.
I haven’t asked him, but it seems to me such an answer gives little room for follow-up questions. It becomes complicated to delve deeper. It’s like when someone studying something as complex as the influence of meteorological phenomena on ecosystems says they study the weather. I imagine responding with a round “OK” with some misunderstanding. Truthfully, I’ve used his method a couple of times, but I’ve never been satisfied. I don’t do it anymore.
For you, a summary. The Social and Solidarity Economy is an alternative way of organizing the Economy. It’s a practice. It follows cooperative principles, has values, and puts life at the center — not profits. It seeks to transform reality by creating prosperous and solidary spaces; ecosystems that allow us to cope with the catastrophic future of capitalism we live in. Yes, we build bunkers, but not like Elon Musk’s.
Unicorns to dream and utopias to walk
I see that with SSE, we are in the midst of “emprendizaje”. The conditions are sometimes very harsh and sometimes not. It’s even intriguing. You don’t have to know, but it’s very difficult (not in terms of money) for an SSE idea to be economically viable. You also don’t have to know, but there are cooperatives that distribute between 20,000 and 40,000 euros a year to each partner — in addition to their salary and other benefits — and invoice billions.
How come some ideas struggle to be economically viable when you include democracy, decent work, participation, autonomy, co-ownership, within a company, and others don’t?
How compatible is the practice of these values/principles with/in the generation of wealth as we know it?
I still don’t have rounded answers to these questions. But I do have historical references that can be seen as successful, especially by large international cooperatives. They are very few, but they exist. I see them as aged unicorns.
For me, these unicorns are like a mix between myths and utopias. They turned out very well but not entirely well. They are beautiful and admirable, but they were more so in another era. We must learn from their mistakes, because there are many. But nothing can take away their journey.
Personally, when I come out of those broad questions and return to reality, I tell myself: “unicorns to dream and utopias to walk.” And I think of Galeano. And I return to what is real. Something we have to build.
Of the beautiful, the most
Those of us who study, want to practice, and do practice SSE are a kind of engineers of the economy trying to innovate it: (re)studying what exists, trying to (re)do it, and trusting it can be (re)done better. I know, it sounds pretentious, but that’s what innovation is about.
We’re like architects. Those who like or dislike a building a lot, who are fascinated or hate it, and always believe it could have been done better, more beautifully. Or like those passionate about cooking or are chefs. Okay, maybe I’m stereotyping a bit, but with all the love to my architect and chef friends, they do it frequently. So we are, each one mounted on one unicorn. Though we share what’s essential.
There are environments and tools of the SSE that seem to me and are fascinating. They are our sickle and hammer: time banks, ethical banking, care rounds, decent work, life at the center, feminisms, social markets, housing cooperatives, shared work, nature protection, etc., etc., etc. How little is known about their existence!
From my side, I think of Bunkers that are not bunkers. Bunkers that are not cold or made of flat metal, with fresh food and without canned goods. Bunkers with views of rivers, lakes, the sea, living nature. Bunkers with fair exchanges, fair breaks, uncomfortable talks. Bunkers with intimacy. Bunkers with community. Bunkers with enjoyment, pleasure, privacy. Wow! If the others are unicorns, these, mine, are a kind of pegasi.
But that’s what we are doing, aren’t we? Overflowing dreams, designing practices, riding to utopia.
There are few bunkers for us. I know. But they exist, are under construction, or are hidden. I also know that most of you will not know much about this or have little asked yourselves. So, this is an invitation to ask yourself how would you like to build your own.
I would like to know what you think. If you disagree. If you know of any Social and Solidarity Economy experience that you would like to be your bunker or if it seems nonsensical to you. I would like to read your comments.
And finally, to make the exchange fair, I leave you with a video that accompanied me while I wrote this story.
