by Dr. David Fialk, Editor / Publisher

A month ago, I announced a Jarocho concert by the band Soledad, at the San Miguel Playhouse. The person who sent me the event information, José Luis Mendoza Aubert, included with it his worries about the ticket sales. So, I made an extra effort to promote the concert.

As usual, I made an event announcement, but then I also linked to that page as an article (actually two articles, English and Spanish) from my magazine. And then, I started announcing the event a week earlier than I would normally.

I gave the event this special treatment, because I am a nice guy, because I'm working hard to make my San Miguel Sunday Magazine a literary publication worthy of San Miguel, because the text and videos justified its publication as an article, and because of who sent me the event info.

You could write a book about everything that José Luis Mendoza Aubert, a much-loved member of our community, has done for San Miguel: judge of Guanajuato International Film Festival for eight years, Director of Art and Culture of the Public Library for 15 years, member of the board of directors of El Sindicato...

A week ago, José Luis wrote me again, informing me that the show had been a success, thanking me for my help with that, announcing that the band has another show at the Playhouse (Tuesday, February 21, see below) and, as he had done with the first concert, asking me to attend: "nos gustaría que nos acompañaras al concierto."

Very willing to help, I suggested that the success of Soledad's second concert would, again, be best ensured by publishing another article. José Luis agreed to write it. Then, I brought up my consuming passion.

"Monomania", a word I first came across in Moby Dick, is used to describe Ahab's obsession with the white whale. My monomania is Lokkal, my local, grassroots, public utility, internet platform that by building community and strengthening the local economy will transform the planet town by town, city by city: "You may call me a dreamer..."

My chat with José Luis continued (here translated into English):

DD: Please take 2 minutes to read Lokkal's mission www.lokkal.com/mission
[15 minutes pass]
JL: Many thanks David. I read it. It perfectly describes your platform. Moreover, I believe that in an agile manner you are filling a niche in promoting events in and around San Miguel.
DD: Thanks. And all cities need this niche filled. Lokkal can be a world movement; localism.
JL: Yes. It's agile and aesthetic...
DD: ...and organic, intuitive, grassroots.
JL: Exactly!
DD: Then help me please. I don't need you to work daily. I need your counsel and position in the community, for you to join as an editor, or the Spanish editor, and to attract authors/collaborators. You already have it. You are already in the know. You just have to focus your knowledge and cultural richness in Lokkal. It's not work (not much). It's an attitude.
JL: It sounds good to me. Let's talk to clarify things. Yes, I can help. Fill me in.

Two days later at noon, we were having lunch at SolTribe Cuisine, the vegan restaurant on Mercado Sano's third floor. I'm bartering publicity for food with them. My favorite meal there, so far, is the polenta, a brunch item served until 1:00.

I've written describing the pleasure I experienced speaking about Lokkal a couple of month ago with two tech entrepreneurs, friends of my daughter, who were visiting SMA. With them, at last, I had an audience, listeners who were not digitally illiterate civilians. These guys understood the technology, the marketplace and Lokkal's innovative placement in it as a local community network, local internet. Facebook is already passé, but you can imagine me as Mark Zuckerberg, but just for San Miguel, and giving all of the profits to the community.

With José Luis I was speaking with another professional, someone who intimately understands San Miguel's cultural scene, all of it. When I mentioned the pressing need for a quality, comprehensive cultural publication he concurred. Here at last, as with the techies, was an expert. And, again, as with the techies, we were in agreement.

There, over lunch (José Luis got the empañadas), we discovered that, with our emphasis on inclusivity, we were also philosophically in accord. José Luis told me that during his 15-year tenure as Director of Art and Culture at the Biblioteca, he never turned away anyone asking for performance space. A smile never far from his lips, a friendly, up-spirited soul, he declared, "Once you let your ego get involved, failure is guaranteed."

I lamented the hyper-individualism that is so much in vogue, personal feelings becoming the measure and judge of reality. I told him that I had been focusing on the community so long and so intensely, that I felt "inside-out", valuing community over my personal well-being. He understood and agreed when I asserted the superiority of communitarianism, of collective well-being, over personal accomplishment:

"Someone creates art that expresses their personal vision, and sells it; bravo. Someone publishes a book and other people read it; very good. Someone acquires a personal fortune; there is a magic to that. But after, in addition to, and beyond all that there is belonging, creating community.

"Building a house for someone, putting someone through university, feeding or paying someone's medical expenses are all noble. But these are all person to person. Lokkal: Building Community, Strengthening the Local Economy, works on a different scale, works for everyone, floats all boats.

"Permaculture catches the water, instead of letting it flow off the land, raising the local water table, turning dry land into an oasis. So Lokkal keeps wealth circulating locally, catching the money that would normally be syphoned off by external interests, extracted by global businesses."

Lunch was delicious, the food, of course, but especially my conversation with José Luis. José Luis has already begun working for Lokkal (here is his first literary piece; English and Spanish) and Lokkal is already working for José Luis (see his second article on Jarocho; Spanish and English).

***

Join José Luis and me in fleshing out Lokkal. Join Lokkal (click the Start button in the header) and upload content, even only photos you take around town. Write to me at the email below to discuss the project or to contribute content for an article. Click the Paypal donate button below to make a different kind of contribution.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

If you were going to introduce a world-changing technology, San Miguel would be a good place to start.

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Dr. David presents Lokkal, the social network, the prettiest, most-efficient way to see San Miguel online. Our Wall shows it all. Join and add your point of view.

Discover Lokkal:
Watch the two-minute video below.
Then, just below that, scroll down SMA's Community Wall.
Intro / Mission

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