The following is a rough introductory essay on the Comprachicos: a decentralized activist collective founded in 2018 that aims to guard the psychological well-being and developmental potential of humanity while simultaneously working to lessen the grip of ignorance, greed and nihilism on the modern world so that meaning, self-awareness and emotional intelligence may flourish among our population as never before.

In all of human history, emotional intelligence and self-awareness have never been viewed as a priority. This is somewhat understandable, since psychology is relatively new as a field, and we are still waking up, slowly but surely, to our emotional needs on such an analytical level; though our collective neglect of the abstract dimensions of our existence has come with devastating effects for our development as a species and to this I would attribute the vast majority of the suffering which we endure as a population. As I often iterate: healthier people make healthier decisions; and I am convinced that if only we could increase the emotional intelligence and self-awareness of our population by even a tenth percentile that the overall effect on our society would be dramatic—and positively so. Though while we’ve no shortage of individuals and organizations protesting human rights and environmental degradation, we are hard-pressed to find any such groups actively fighting for our psychological, emotional and spiritual health with the same degree of fervor (and doing so from a purely humanitarian angle in the absence of ties to any religious group or ideology).

It is in reaction to this absence that Comprachicos was formed—the name itself being a Spanish neologism which means ‘child-buyers’ and refers to a pseudo-mythical collective of drifters within The Man Who Laughs—a book (and later, a film) by author Victor Hugo—which bought, sold and oftentimes modified children. While the insinuations of the comprachicos were a bit insidious within the context of said story, I ascribe a more positive meaning to the term, as in ‘buying back’ the children from the ills of the age; whereas ‘children’ refers not to literal youth, or not exclusively so, but to a vulnerable and defenseless population in need of guidance. And I am regretful to think that this can be said of most individuals, since it is not an issue that is magically overcome with age but persists interminably until being dealt with, and our modern population has not been equipped to deal with such matters—a population stunted by betrayal and misinformation at the hands of its failed leaders.

Our sphere isn’t lacking in suitable leaders, and it certainly isn’t lacking in caring, capable individuals, despite how it can often seem. It is simply the case that the persons best equipped to lead and protect us often eschew the responsibility altogether—not out of contempt, but out of basic self-preservation. Indeed, those who harbor high levels of self-awareness and empathy will often eschew politics altogether, choosing instead to take part in more healing and expressive paths, namely the arts and humanities, which are not so taxing. This has undoubtedly contributed to an imbalance in our society and the message which it projects, leading to the underrepresentation of empathy and self-awareness among business and politics and other major areas of influence.

One of our primary goals in Comprachicos is to mobilize these ‘outlier’ and ‘inactive’ populations through various means of incentivization so that all such positions of influence may be taken up and reimagined by a more caring kind. Once achieving the appropriate platform, we will then use our position to steer the population toward healthier standards of being—standards decided not by our members and their whims but via a consensus of psychological and biological knowledge—along with attempts to shift the values and associations of the population to where these ideals of health and awareness have become more desirable to the general public.

We therefore differ considerably from your standard protesters and revolutionaries, with our participating members making up a more cerebral demographic which variously includes artists, philosophers, psychologists, teachers, outsiders, eleanthropes, apostates, mystics and other fringe types who are asked to approach the problems of our society via a more analytical and strategic route rather than via rowdy protests and ineffectual pleas in considering the long-term over the immediate. Our methods, also, differ substantially from what is commonplace, with our aspiring to attack the problem at its root, excising the offending elements and replacing them with new values and paradigms that shall benefit the ability of mankind to properly care for itself and this world.

We do not seek to send more people to the voting booths on Election Day, nor do we intend to rally before the courts with our radical propositions, for we have not come to seek the permission of the powers that be—those who sit calloused and deafened by neurotic greed—but to supplant our failed leaders and fill the offices of the world with those who will prioritize the health and well-being of our species while seeing to it that emotional intelligence and self-awareness are prioritized and normalized within a society that has come to favor and romanticize that which harms itself (and in doing so has lost touch with itself in purpose and potential). We seek to shift the archetypes, definitions and associations of society via an array of complex campaigns meant to bring about healthier attitudes while rewriting the collective understanding of leadership, progress and human potential withal to reflect a modern landscape. On the individual level, such proclamations would seem grandiose, yet you would be foolish to underestimate the value of an organized effort undertaken by a large number of adamant and well-informed individuals who, rather than acting on emotion and impulse, opt to draw from the combined arsenals of psychology and the military to bring about a new paradigm.

The term ‘humilitarianism’ (‘humanitarian’ + ‘military’) has often been used in lieu of ‘activism’ when referencing our approach, emphasizing the vigilance of our attitude while also distancing ourselves from the more reckless and misfocused forms of protest which seldom amount to anything apart from functioning as a sort of social identity. After all, this isn’t a plea. This isn’t a petition. This is a global takeover. And no amount of fear-fueled opposition and mindless barbarism will be able to bring down a force which operates on lucid intelligence and selfless compassion.

Our employment of military symbolism should not be taken as an endorsement of violent aggression but as an extended metaphor used to emphasize assertiveness and strategic organization as such that is often seen associated with military forces. Otherwise, we do not practice or condone violence in the achievement of our desired aims, believing that cruel and dishonest means invariably give way to dishonest ends. And for all the aggression and urgency that our message contains, we differentiate ourselves from the overabundance of harmful, compartmentalizing ideologies within our modern world by our adherence to the belief that all life shares a common enemy in ignorance. Thus, we regard our battle not as one of ‘good versus evil’ but ‘knowledge versus ignorance’, and this seemingly simple detail has had a tremendous impact in shaping our uniquely methodological approach, since we do not operate through fear-based tactics, nor do we seek to pin the blame on individuals and institutions, who are viewed by us as victims all the same. Our collective therefore approaches modern society as it would a nursery, knowing all behaviors to be a reflection of the guidance (or lack thereof) which one has known. And should blame be passed, then let it be passed only to those of us who fail to act on our understanding.

Comprachicos, as an entity, does not align itself with any particular political party or ideology and is established upon a more holistic position which accepts that all things must be understood within the context of the whole and measured, above all, in accordance with their effect on the health of our humanity—not only within the present moment but in the years to come. Of course that isn’t to say that our ideals won’t sometimes match up with existing positions, though any such similarities will result not from allegiance to some party or dogma but from our allegiance to mankind and our will to consider the healthiest, most sustainable options. This is and will always be the yardstick whereagainst we measure all sense of progress and success, for that which does not advance our humanity on the level of awareness, understanding and empathy is not to be considered progress but a distraction—and all distraction must be considered detrimental in this life which demands of us our focused participation.

As a decentralized effort, we operate in the absence of a formal membership system, leaving Comprachicos open to all who identify with the ideals herein set forth and resolving most decisions via democratic means, within and among divisions. A ‘division’—which refers to a localized chapter of the Comprachicos collective—may be started by anyone at all who feels that they have something meaningful to contribute to this goal of preserving and advancing the psychological well-being and spiritual integrity of our still-young species. Operations and campaigns will vary across divisions, although the bulk of our efforts will filter through the channels of entertainment, politics and academia since it is primarily via these avenues that the masses are supplied with all concept of themselves and our world. Through these operations we will attempt to dissolve all discrepant structures, values and paradigms which are not serving our humanity and see them replaced with new structures, values and paradigms that manage to nurture the empathy and awareness within the population at large. This is to be achieved via an array of strategic means which vary in complexity and will constitute a significant investment. Therefore, those looking for instant gratification may be better off looking elsewhere, because we at Comprachicos are playing the long game, so to speak, for it is that which will result in the lasting and thoroughgoing impact on our sphere that we are after. For example, one of the more complex ideas with which we are working as a collective is our attempts to remodel, or update the schooling system to better reflect modern advances in knowledge and technology—especially with regard to the psycho-emotional needs of the population. More than simply seeking to update the curriculum, we are attempting to stretch the educational model in a way that is liable to resolve such seemingly varied problems as adult loneliness, homelessness and political extremism while also integrating aspects of therapy into daily life.

A unique and prominent element of our approach is the integration of mythopoeia (myth-making) and RPG-like narrative structures as a means to concretize the abstract circumstances and ideals with which we have to work so as to improve our grasp thereon—hence the strong visual aesthetic associated with our collective. Myth may thus be viewed as a primary means by which Comprachicos will develop and communicate among its parts and with the masses. More than a philosophy, our collective aims to branch out and become a veritable multimedia network drawing upon a variety of interactive and avant-garde means through which we seek to instate Comprachicos and its ideals as a new social archetype existing within the collective psyche: a socially-conscious and collectively-constructed mythology drawing upon the input of all participants.

Overall, we wish to see Comprachicos act as a veritable beacon; a banner under which creative and caring individuals may gather and carry out collective attempts to mend the damage that has been done to our world through ignorance and greed and to give way to a healthier standard through carefully shifting the paradigm of the sphere. And I have no doubt that, with sufficient participation, an organized effort of this sort can alter our trajectory and give way to higher standards of existence: a society in which we are not existing in a perpetual mode of survival and defense and may actually devote our attention to the likes of creativity and growth. We aren’t here to tell you who to be and what to desire. We aren’t here to influence your position on truth and happiness, but to ensure that the pursuit of truth and happiness is a viable pursuit and not but another evocation of self-serving delusions. Think of Comprachicos as cultivators of the earth, as our purpose is not to decide on what grows but to ensure that true growth is possible and this comes via careful maintenance of environmental conditions. It won’t be without its difficulties, yet when the same task is being undertaken by countless others as part of a global operation it will undoubtedly alter our experience, especially by dissolving the overwhelming sense of futility that comes from feeling ourselves alone in our struggle against ignorance. And if we should fail to succeed in our aim it will not be the fault of those who oppose us, but those who perceive the faults in our modern world and do nothing, convinced that it is not their battle to fight.

That concludes my summary, although I do hope that you will continue reading if these ideas are of any interest to you, since I will be diving deep into the psychosocial mechanics at play and how to go about addressing them from within a system that resists change and disparages awareness.