Three-year Collaborative Living Course

Listed below are the four scenarios, based on what is in Free, Equal & Living Together and The Fourth Scenario is described:

The four scenarios

1. The capitalist scenario (First Scenario).

   • Characteristics: Exchange and allocation of land, labor and capital are dominated by the market. Economic interest prevails and freedom is seen as the freedom of ownership and competition.
   • Criticism: Capitalism ignores equality and cohesion. It leads to inequality, exploitation and ecological destruction.
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2. The socialist scenario (Second Scenario).

   • Characteristics: Here the state becomes the dominant actor in society. Land, labor and capital are allocated through central planning and bureaucracy.
   • Criticism: Socialism denies freedom through its emphasis on state control. This often leads to alienation and inefficiency in the economy.
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3. The mixed scenario (Third Scenario).

   • Characteristics: A combination of market and state, mixing elements of capitalism and socialism. Often referred to as the Rhineland model, where economic decisions are influenced by both political elites and market participants.
   • Criticism: This scenario often combines the disadvantages of both capitalism and socialism, such as concentration of power with an elite and lack of true freedom and equality.
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4. The free scenario (Fourth Scenario)

   • Characteristics: The means of production are managed and allocated outside the market and state, through proper mutual consultation between stakeholders. Land, labor and capital are directed toward fulfilling common and individual needs, with respect for people and Earth.
   • Objective: Freedom, equality and cohesion are realized in an integrated way. The emphasis is on cooperation, local ownership and regeneration of natural and social systems.
   • Vision: This scenario offers a fundamental transformation of social structures and sees humans as the creators of a humane society.
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With these four scenarios, The Fourth Scenario a clear contrast between existing social systems and a forward-looking, regenerative approach.

Here is a brief explanation of the six keys from Free, Equal & Living Together By Damaris Matthijsen:

The six keys to a humane and Earth-worthy society

1. I am – Living from your essence

   • This is about self-knowledge and authenticity. Who are you really? What is your unique contribution to the world?
   • Only when you know yourself and are true to your inner motives can you participate in society in a free and conscious way.
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2. Value – Value creation independent of financial compulsion

   • Value is about what you contribute to the world and how that becomes visible.
   • In a healthy society, value is not determined by money, but by how much it contributes to people and Earth.
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3. Property – Land, labor and capital at the service of the whole

   • Property is not a personal possession, but something to be handled responsibly.
   • In a free, equal and coexisting system, productive resources are managed in accordance with the community and the greater good.
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4. Organization – Cooperation based on equality

   • Decision-making and organization should take place in a way that does justice to everyone's voice and contribution.
   • Power is not concentrated, but distributed through natural authority and aligned structures.
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5. Relationship – Connection based on trust and openness

   • Healthy relationships in society are based on respect, listening and seeing the other as an equal fellow human being.
   • Relationships transcend ego interest and are focused on cooperation and mutual alignment.
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6. Earth – Cooperation with nature instead of exploitation

   • The Earth is not seen as a source of resources to be depleted, but as a living entity with which we must live in harmony.
   • A healthy economy and society respect ecological limits and regenerate rather than destroy.
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Together, these six keys form a framework for building a just, sustainable and humane society. They help both individuals and communities live consciously and in harmony with themselves, others and the Earth.

Shadow keys: When the six keys lose their power

When the six keys are not applied consciously and in connection, the following occurs shadow keys. These can be divided into two main patterns:

1. The warning triangle - Fear, hatred and doubt keep man trapped in powerlessness and destructive interactions.
2. The three false strategies - False surrender, false power and false hope disfigure our relationship to Earth, relationship and organization.

1. The danger triangle: fear, hate and doubt

1. Fear (Shadow of ‘I am’)

   • Fear undermines the true Self and stifles inner freedom.
   • Instead of living from one's own essence, fear paralyzes the individual and makes them dependent on external affirmation or control.
   • Fear leads to conformism and avoidance of responsibility, making authentic action impossible.
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2. Hatred (Shadow of ‘Value’)

   • Hatred arises when the value of Self or other is not recognized and is hurt.
   • Instead of creating and recognizing real value, a desire for destruction arises: one wants to undermine oneself or others.
   • This leads to competition, envy and the belief that one can only prove oneself by beating another.
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3. Doubt (Shadow of ‘Property’)

   • Doubt destroys the ability to take ownership and responsibility.
   • Instead of consciously dealing with possession and responsibility, people get stuck in indecision, causing systems and structures to collapse or crash.
   • This leads to fear of loss, a sense of insecurity and an obsession with control.
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Dynamics:

• Fear paralyzes the Self and makes people dependent.
• Hatred focuses outward, on the other, and creates division and conflict.
• Doubt causes a failure to take responsibility, thus preventing real change.
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2. The three false strategies: False surrender, false power and false hope

When fear, hatred and doubt control human beings too much, it creates three false strategies as ways of dealing with them. These shadows disfigure our relationship to Earth, relationship and organization.

4. False surrender (Shadow of ‘Earth’)

   • Instead of truly cooperating with the Earth and life, a form of surrender arises that amounts to passivity and indifference.
   • This leads to an attitude of “it doesn't matter anyway,” spiritual detachment or even destructive nihilism.
   • The connection to the greater whole is not felt or acknowledged, thus preventing regeneration and care for life.
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5. False power (Shadow of ‘Relationship’)

   • Instead of building relationships based on trust and equality, power is used as a control mechanism.
   • This leads to manipulation, dependency relationships and hierarchical structures in which the other is not seen as equal.
   • True connection is replaced by dominance or submission.
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6. False hope (Shadow of ‘Organization’)

   • Instead of organizing clearly and taking responsibility for realistic change, a misplaced hope of external salvation or utopia arises.
   • This leads to the pursuit of illusions, unfounded ideals or blind faith in systems that do not work.
   • As a result, organization becomes chaotic, irrational or based on false certainties.

How do you free yourself from the shadow keys?

The key to transformation lies in awareness and taking responsibility:

• Stepping out of the warning triangle means turning fear into trust, transforming hate into loving creation and replacing doubt with conscious ownership.
• Breaking the false strategies means truly connecting with Earth, building relationships from equality and creating organizational structures that actually work and are supported by the community.

By applying the six keys consciously and in connection, a human- and Earth-worthy society can emerge.

General development intentions

The Living Together course guides you on a profound journey of discovery into how you as a human being, with your unique qualities and inner strength, can contribute to a human and Earth-worthy society. This requires not only developing the six keys, but also seeing through and transforming the shadow keys that can keep you from doing so.

Through these six keys you will learn:

1. I am → From fear to inner freedom

• Target: Discovering your personal essence and unique motivations and giving direction to your life from intuition and creativity. You will learn to live your own star and fulfill your potential.
• Challenge: Fear can paralyze you, plunge you into doubt about who you are and make you dependent on external affirmation.
• Question: How do you learn to trust your deepest being and make choices from inner certainty, instead of being guided by fear?

2. Value → From hatred to true creative power

• Target: To understand what you have to give and how your abilities contribute to meeting real needs, both for yourself and others. You develop a healthy balance between giving and taking.
• Challenge: Hatred and jealousy can arise when you do not recognize your value or when you perceive others' as threatening.
• Question: How can you truly embrace your unique value and put it to work for the greater good without undermining yourself or others?

3. Ownership → From doubt to responsibility

• Target: Taking ownership of your experiences, insights and choices. You explore how you deal with land, labor and capital and how to manage them in connection with people and Earth.
• Challenge: Doubt can keep you from taking responsibility, leaving you stuck in indecision or powerlessness.
• Question: How do you learn to perceive clearly and take responsibility confidently for what your task and role in the world is?

4. Organization → From false hope to true creativity

• Target: Organize collaborations equally and naturally. You will learn how to shape power, control and decision-making from trust and equality.
• Challenge: False hope can tempt you to continue to believe in systems and structures that don't work, or to wait for an outside solution.
• Question: How do you build real, functioning structures in which trust and equality are the basis, rather than continuing to hope for external change?

5. Relationship → From false power to authentic connection

• Target: Build responsible and authentic relationships, both with yourself and others and with the world. You develop communication that strengthens trust and deepens connection.
• Challenge: False power can disrupt relationships through control, manipulation or dependency dynamics.
• Question: How do you create relationships that center on freedom, equality and genuine connection, without dominating the other person or making yourself small?

6. Earth → From false surrender to true cooperation with life

• Target: Aligning your actions with the Earth's natural cycles and boundaries. You learn to live and work in harmony with the reality of nature and contribute to a sustainable and inclusive world.
• Challenge: False surrender can lead to fatalism, passivity or spiritual detachment, causing you to stop facing reality and not actively contributing.
• Question: How do you truly connect with the Earth and life without giving away your responsibility or falling into cynicism?

The Transformation to Living Together

The Collaborative Living Art Course helps you not only understand the six keys, but also live them, by actively working to see through and transform the shadows that can block them.

You grow into a Collaborative Life Artist: someone who from love and trust embodies and realizes not only personal but also social innovation.