No sacred founder
Authorship never grants authority over another person's life.
03 / Charter principles
The governance is part of the promise.
The test is not whether good leaders can operate the system. It is whether bad leaders can be prevented from abusing it.
The premise
Community without freedom creates control.
Stronger community concentrates more of what matters in one place. That makes explicit rights, divided authority, independent oversight and a credible exit path non-negotiable.
Power made legible
Every essential system should be understandable.
The same principle applies to governance: authority is visible, divided, documented and open to challenge.
Member rights
Rights are not rewards for good standing.
- 01
Private beliefs, finances, property and living space
- 02
Outside relationships, travel, media and professional advice
- 03
Transparent compensation, budgets and conflicts of interest
- 04
Independent medical, legal and psychological care
- 05
Criticism, governance participation and protected reporting
- 06
A practical departure path without retaliation or collective punishment
Member responsibilities
Rights are protected. Contribution is real.
Belonging is demonstrated through constructive participation, not declarations of loyalty.
- 01
Contribute fairly without allowing contribution to become a loyalty test
- 02
Respect privacy, autonomy, difference and outside relationships
- 03
Meet written work, housing, safety and stewardship obligations
- 04
Disclose conflicts and avoid using community systems for personal control
- 05
Address disagreement honestly without humiliation or factional punishment
- 06
Protect truthful reporting even when it is uncomfortable for the institution
Ten safeguards
Power needs architecture.
No permanent emergency powers
Any exceptional power is narrow, documented, reviewed and expires automatically.
No control of private relationships
Partners, families, friendships and reproductive decisions remain personal.
No forced severance
Criticism from family or friends is never grounds for isolation.
No surrender of identity
The organization never holds passports, bank access, personal devices or credentials.
No confession culture
Private history is not a currency for belonging or advancement.
No retaliation for departure
Leaving is not betrayal. Former members remain free to disagree publicly.
No unpaid dependency
Substantial work has written duties, hours, compensation and a departure process.
No single point of control
Housing, work, health, discipline and finance sit under separate accountable authority.
Independent oversight
External reviewers can examine finances, rights complaints and leadership conduct.
The founder covenant
The founder is the first systems designer, not a prophet.
I will not confuse authorship with ownership of other people's lives.
I will not treat criticism of me as criticism of the mission.
I will not use housing, work, health or belonging to compel loyalty.
I will submit to the charter I helped create.
I will develop successors rather than dependents.
I will accept that the project may evolve beyond my preferences.
Separation of power
No one office controls an entire life.
Full members decide constitutional questions, major commitments and elected leadership.
Term-limited representatives guide ordinary policy and community priorities.
Qualified people operate finance, health, energy, infrastructure and commercial businesses.
External voices review conflicts, complaints, emergency powers and member rights.
Conflict and appeal
Disagreement is expected. Domination is not.
The path becomes more independent as seriousness, power imbalance and consequence increase.
- 01
Direct conversation
Used only when safe, appropriate and not distorted by a serious power imbalance.
- 02
Facilitation
A neutral person helps the parties clarify needs, facts and possible repair.
- 03
Formal mediation
A structured process seeks agreement without compelling reconciliation.
- 04
Written review
Allegations, evidence, response and reasons become part of an accountable record.
- 05
Independent decision
Serious misconduct and complaints against leaders leave the ordinary social chain.
- 06
Appeal
A separate reviewer examines process, proportionality and material error where permitted.
Consultation draft / v0.2
Read the proposed operating rules.
The draft translates these principles into entities, voting, founder sunset, emergency limits, exit, amendment and oversight. It remains non-binding and open to professional review.
Next
Meet the founding proposition