Self-Organization is Resistance
Building the Future Without Asking for Permission
Powerful systems—governments, corporations, and oligarchs—rely on centralization. They grow stronger by consolidating control, restricting alternatives, and ensuring that people remain dependent on their structures. But the systems that truly last don’t operate this way. They self-organize. They evolve. They adapt.
In Thinking in Systems, Donella Meadows describes self-organization as the ability of a system to develop and change its own structure. It’s how biological ecosystems form, how cultures shift, and how innovations emerge. But more importantly, it’s also how people push back against centralized power—not through direct confrontation, but by building parallel systems that make the old ones obsolete.
The Strength of Self-Organization
When people think about resistance, they often imagine protests, political movements, or legal battles. And while those have their place, the most effective resistance isn’t always about fighting existing systems. It’s about making them irrelevant. It’s about creating structures that operate on a different set of principles—ones that are decentralized, adaptable, and self-sustaining.
This is how natural systems thrive. No one designs traffic patterns for a flock of birds in flight, yet they move in perfect coordination. No single ant controls the colony, yet they build complex structures, find food, and adapt to changes seamlessly. These behaviors emerge from simple rules—follow your nearest neighbor, take the shortest path, respond to local cues.
Human systems work the same way. Cities don’t function because a central planner dictates every movement; they thrive because millions of independent decisions—where to walk, where to shop, who to talk to—create organic patterns of life. Wikipedia became the world’s largest encyclopedia not because experts dictated its content, but because thousands of contributors followed a few simple rules of collaboration. The most effective systems aren’t rigid hierarchies—they are flexible networks where small actions accumulate into large-scale impact.
Building Alternatives, Not Just Protests
When we talk about resistance, we should ask: Do we trust billionaires, oligarchs, and those who benefit from their wealth to create the next centralized authority? Will the systems they build serve the best interests of humanity, or will they continue the pattern of wealth extraction, funneling all value to the top? History suggests the answer. Every major institution—finance, media, technology—has followed the same trajectory: consolidation, exploitation, and control. If we don’t create alternatives, we will be left with whatever system benefits them most. The real question is, what are we building? What structures can we create that don’t just replace the current system but outgrow it entirely, shifting power away from those who seek to hoard it?
It doesn’t matter if your political views are left, right, abstain, or something else entirely. If alternatives aren’t offered, we will be left with whatever those at the top dictate. No matter how you look at it, change is coming to how we manage ourselves as a people. Personally, I’m excited about this opportunity. Though this isn’t the way I would have done it—Trump, Musk, DOGE, and the chaotic, meme-fueled dismantling of institutions—it’s happening. And in that chaos, there is room. Room for improvement, for reinvention, for systems that actually serve people rather than exploit them. But we have to move now. If we wait for the dust to settle, we’ll be left with decisions made for us. If we act, we have a chance to shape something better—something that reflects a vision we hold for the future.
Here are a few ways self-organization manifests as resistance:
Decentralized networks: Instead of relying on corporate social media platforms that manipulate information, people turn to federated, open-source communication tools that operate outside of Big Tech’s control.
Community gardens and local food networks: Industrial agriculture and grocery supply chains are vulnerable to disruption and price manipulation. When neighborhoods organize to grow and distribute their own food, they create independence from fragile corporate systems.
Knowledge-sharing and open education: Gatekeeping institutions profit from restricting access to information. Decentralized learning networks, peer-led courses, and open-access research dismantle that control.
Tool libraries and makerspaces: Consumer culture thrives on planned obsolescence and individual ownership of rarely used tools. Community-based lending systems and shared workspaces reduce dependency on corporate supply chains.
Local energy solutions: As utility companies consolidate power and raise prices, decentralized solar, wind, and microgrid technologies create opportunities for energy independence.
Each of these examples isn’t just a convenience or an alternative way of doing things. It’s a form of resistance. When enough of these systems take root, they shift power.
This is exactly what I want to explore and build with Resilient Tomorrow—a place where practical ideas for self-sufficiency, decentralized systems, and community resilience come together. It’s not about waiting for someone else to fix what’s broken. It’s about sharing tools, knowledge, and strategies that help us take action now, in ways that make sense for our own lives and communities.
If this resonates with you, consider reading this for practical next steps:
Self-Organization is a Threat to Centralized Control
The reason powerful systems fight self-organization is simple: they can’t regulate it, and they can’t profit from it.
Governments want compliance because it makes governance easier. Corporations want dependency because it keeps profits predictable. The more people rely on centralized systems, the more fragile their position becomes when those systems fail.
We saw this during the early pandemic years, when supply chains collapsed, stores ran out of essential goods, and people realized just how dependent they were on fragile global logistics. But in those same years, we also saw communities step up. Neighbors delivered groceries to each other when major retailers couldn’t keep up. Local food co-ops grew in response to shortages. People re-learned old skills—gardening, food preservation, DIY repairs—not as hobbies, but as necessary acts of self-sufficiency.
That is self-organization in action.
It’s Not About Going Off-Grid
When people hear “self-sufficiency,” they sometimes imagine homesteading in the woods, disconnected from society. But self-organization isn’t about isolation—it’s about interdependence on better systems.
A well-organized local network is more resilient than an individual trying to do everything alone. A neighborhood tool library saves more resources than each household buying their own equipment. A cooperative childcare exchange provides better support than a single exhausted parent.
Resilience isn’t about withdrawing from society. It’s about creating systems that make life more sustainable, adaptable, and fair.
The Future Belongs to the Builders
If history has taught us anything, it’s that top-down systems are fragile. They hold power only as long as people accept their authority. When viable alternatives exist—when people realize they don’t need to participate in centralized control structures—those structures start to lose their grip.
At every step, power didn’t shift because people asked for it to change. It shifted because people built something else.
This is the path forward. We don’t wait for permission. We don’t need validation from centralized authorities. We create the networks, tools, and communities that will outlast them.
So the question isn’t whether resistance is possible. The question is: What will you build?
Self-organize. That’s the real resistance.
And if you’ve got a good idea for building a better future, share it. The more we create, the stronger we become.
If this article resonated with you consider reading these articles for practical steps to take the off-ramp to a better future.
7 Steps to Quietly Exit a System That Wants You Dependent
If you’ve ever thought, “This can’t be it,” you’re right.
This is the way! We don’t have to dismantle the existing systems. Just build new ones that make them irrelevant! That’s what we’re all about!
For BioHarmony, that’s OpenSourcing Everything and building OpenSource SolarPunk Regenerative Communities.
This is what southern Mexico does. We didn’t have the disruptions during the pandemic like happened in the US because the supply chains are decentralized and neighbors and villages are interdependent. Now to figure out how to do this in Florida…