Prout Research Institute (original) (raw)

[caption id="attachment_2421" align="alignright" width="199"] Proutist Universal, 2002[/caption]By Saul Escobedo

More than ten years ago, someone recommended a book to me: After Capitalism: Prout's Vision for a New World by Dada Maheshvarananda. The book was written in English, a language which I didn’t know too well, but after thumbing through it, I decided to buy it.

The term “cooperative” in Monterrey, Mexico where I live, means a small convenience store at a public school where students can purchase primarily junk food if their parents send them off without a home-made lunch. Sometimes the word is also used to mean a pyramid scheme or something similarly dishonorable that no one should trust.

Until that moment I was a firm believer that the capitalist system represented the pinnacle of civilization. Suddenly “cooperativism” appeared to me as a viable alternative movement, upholding the values I’ve always embraced, including the wellbeing of every individual as well as of the entire community.

[caption id="attachment_2745" align="alignright" width="750"] From left to right, Front row: Jesus Medina, Nivia Clavijo Cruz, Asha (Araceli Collazo) and Rafa Cantú. Back row: Alberto Barrera, Saul Escobedo, Francisco Rios, Luz Elena Góngora, Isabel Cristina Reséndiz Briseño, Mateo Rangel.[/caption]