Applying this indigenous worldview in the Western world would give primacy to the collective and solve some problems that are a result of Western development model, such as transportation.
Prioritizing public transportation and limiting the production of private cars would reduce pollution levels, save natural resources, and lead to a redefinition of the automotive industry and a reconfiguration of road plans; it would help level the balance of payments between wealthy countries and developing ones, freeing up funds for investments more consistent with good living life, such as health and education. It would also reduce noise, making cities more inviting.
Similarly, the communal structure that has allowed the survival of indigenous peoples can be applied in the design of community neighborhoods.
According to Javier Alvarado, head of the National Confederation of Ecuadorian Neighborhoods, or CONBADE, “government programs should look at the neighborhoods’ ability to provide goods, like food and clothing for nearby schools, to delegate management of resources such as water, and to implement community market systems.”
CONBADE has a national proposal for the creation of community governments in urban slums, which would encourage investment in social programs through coordination between local officials and neighborhood representatives.
In terms of technological development, by linking it to benefit the human being, this will prevent the accumulation of power and capital that is based on knowledge appropriation and hijacking.
“Knowledge is collective and access to it is free. The idea of patent registration is alien to the indigenous world, particularly since it involves the appropriation of something that belongs to the group,” said Assemblyman Yantalema.
These and other practical applications to life in our society involve a shift in mindset, because Sumak Kauwsay — rather than an economic model — is a proposed cultural transformation. It means rethinking the ways of survival and once again embracing the communal model as a life principle.
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