Access Aug.-Sept. 1982 RAIN Page 9 5 V t' Bioregions PROUT, Special Issue, Summer 1981,16 pp., 58 cents, from; Proutist Universal 228 S. 46th St. Philadelphia, PA 19139 For the past few years, members of the PROUT movement have been talking with people around the United States to develop an understanding of American regions. The result is a map that reflects the psychic geography of current America as well as any I have seen. Published in a special issue of PROUT, the map "shows the areas we have selected as most desirable for producing populist movements," according to the Proutists. "Each area has some common sentiment around which people may unite." For example, the CaUfomia regions are based on peoples's desires to control their water supplies. The Upper and Lower Rio Grande regions are based on strong Hispanic and Native American influence, the Delta region on a preponderance of African peoples. PROUT (Progressive Utilization Theory) is an integration of decentralism, cooperative economics and spiritual humanism. The F^outists seek to build cooperative regional societies self-sufficient in basic necessities. They call these societies "Samajas." A Samaja should guarantee each member a basic level of physical support so people can pursue spiritual development, according to PROUT. Proutists look to the results of past revolutions and conclude that spiritual growth beyond the craving for pwwer is necessary to create a truly free and fulfilling society. PROUT, which appears to have its roots in India, signifies an interesting merger of various political and philosophical currents. While some of its proposals seem needlessly technocratic ("maximum use of natural resources," "progressively increasing standard of living,") the overall approach of integrating spiritual growth with regional decentralizaton offers a valuable contribution to the movement for a new world. — Patrick Mazza People of the Earth c/o Friends of the Earth 1045 Sansome Street San Francisco, CA 94111 Violation of the land rights, sovereignty and cultural integrity of traditional peoples is a worldwide concern. Both the Sami of northern Norway and the Kalinga SAMAJAS OF THE UNITED STATES VAUET cH£5AP£Ake L6WER NEW £NC>UINh UDSON VAUEY 50UTH£I?N FlDRlDA
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