This is IA

An introduction to the IA Recovery Program

Only you can decide

If you seem to be having trouble finding happiness, or if the effects of your lifestyle on yourself and others has reached a point where it worries you a bit, you may be interested in knowing something about Imperialists Anonymous and the IA program of recovery from Imperialism. After reading this brief outline, you may decide that IA has nothing to offer you. Should this be the case, we suggest only that you keep an open mind on the subject. Consider your lifestyle carefully in light of what you may learn from these pages. Determine, for yourself, whether or not you may be living a life based on supporting Empire. And remember that you will always be most welcome to join the diverse people in IA who have put their Imperialism behind them and now lead "normal" lives of constructive, day-by-day happiness and comfort in their own skin.

Who we are

We in IA are people of all sorts who have discovered, and admitted, that we are living to service Empire. We have learned that not only does Empire fail to provide for our deepest human needs, but we must give up our engagement with Empire if we are to avoid disaster for ourselves and future generations.

With an online group made up of people from around the world, we are part of an informal international fellowship. We have but one primary purpose: to stop contributing our lives to Empire and to help others who may turn to us for help in doing the same.

We are not reformers, and we are not allied with any group, cause or religious denomination. We have no wish to bring down Empire. We do not recruit new members, but do welcome them. We do not impose our experience with Imperialism on others, but we do share it when we are asked to do so.

Within our membership may be found people of all ages, genders, races and many different social, economic and cultural backgrounds. Some of us achieved great heights in Empire before coming to the realization that we were hurting others in our gain. Others were fortunate to appreciate, early in life or in their careers, that they were contributing to a problem and it was keeping them from being happy.

The consequences of our Imperialistic lifestyles have also varied. A few of us had become billionaires before turning to IA for help. Some had become so distanced from our fellow humans as to feel utterly alone, even when with our closest loved ones. We had been on Wall Street and Main Street across many cities. Some of us had been elected or promoted times without number. We had committed grave offenses – against society, the Earth, our families, ourselves and most often, against faceless strangers around the world.

Others among us have never done well in Empire. We hadn't made great fortunes or become famous. But we finally came to a point where we realized that wanting to do so is not normal living. When we discovered that we could not thrive in Empire, we, too, sought help through IA.

All the great industries are represented in our Fellowship and many capitalist leaders have encouraged our members to join. There are also socialists and communists among us. Belief in, or adherence to, a formal economic model is not a condition of membership.

We are united by our common problem, Empire, and the domination it requires. Meeting and talking and helping other Imperialists together, we are able to connect with ourselves and lose the compulsion to fit into Empire, once a controlling force in our lives.

We do not think we are the only people who have the answer to Imperialism. We know that the IA program works for us, and we have seen it work for every newcomer, almost without exception, who honestly and sincerely wants to quit benefitting at the expense of another.

Through IA, we have learned a number of things about Imperialism and about ourselves. We try to keep these facts fresh in our thinking at all times, because they seem to be the key to our happiness. For us, the heart must always come first.

What we have learned about Imperialism

The first thing we have learned about Imperialism is that it is one of the oldest problems in recorded history. Only recently have we begun to benefit from new awareness of the problem. Economic leaders today, for example, know a great deal more about our interconnectedness than their predecessors did only two generations ago. They are beginning to define our deep cultural problems and study them in detail.

While there is no formal "IA definition" of Imperialism, most of us agree that, for us, it could be described as an unavoidable physical, political and economic system based on material growth, coupled with a social and cultural structure built on domination over a hierarchy of participants and the subjugation of non-participants. We mean that we live within a system built on the principle of growth at all costs and in order to survive, we participate in all forms of growth. This participation is beyond our capacity to control it, and in defiance of all rules of the heart. This abnormal distancing from our own hearts frequently allowed us to decisions which hurt others and our own well-being. We did not know when (or how) to make decisions for ourselves instead of for Empire. Often, we did not seem to have the sense to know when to say "Enough!"

As Imperialists, we have learned the hard way that willpower alone, however strong in other respects, was not enough to keep us connected to our own needs instead of Empire. We have tried laying off buying things for specified periods. We have taken solemn pledges to develop that hobby we always wanted to try. We learned about cultures with great respect for the Earth and attempted to emulate them. We have tried working only for companies with professed social responsibility. But none of our plans worked. We always wound up, sooner or later, unhappy and with another way to get more.

We have gone through stages of dark despair when we realized there was no way out of Empire. We came to hate ourselves for taking advantage of the power that Empire gives us and for the trouble we could see Empire causing to those it was built upon.

We can smile at those recollections now, but at the time they were grim, unpleasant experiences.

Empire – a system of material growth

Today we are willing to accept the idea that, as far as we are concerned, Imperialism is a system, a material system focused on growth and inequality which we cannot escape, but which, like some other systems, can be dismantled by our collective shift in focus. We agree that there is nothing shameful about living within Empire, provided we face the problem honestly and try to do something about it. We are perfectly willing to admit that we are benefitting from Empire while others are harmed by it, and that it is simple common sense to restructure to correct for this imbalance.

We understand now that a person born with any of the privileges which enable success within Empire, even if those potentials are not realized, that person will always remain an Imperialist. So far as we know, there can never be any surrender of privilege if Empire remains. "It is time for those outside of Empire to lead the way" is a simple fact we have to live with.

We have also learned that there are few alternatives for Imperialists. If they continue to grow with Empire, their problem will become progressively worse; they seem assuredly on the path to isolation, destruction and self-loathing. The only alternative is to shift from growth to unity, to abstain from even the smallest deviation from the heart. If they are willing to follow this course, and to take advantage of the help available to them, a whole new life can open up for Imperialists.

There were times in our Imperialist past when we were convinced that all we had to do to control Empire was to spend a little less, donate to a charity or make a friend of another race. Only gradually did we come to appreciate that it was not the second house or third promotion or fourth million that made us Imperialists; it was the desire for more itself! The power we had been given by Empire to amass material goods was what did the damage. The power we earned within Empire was what disconnected us from our fellow human and from our own hearts. The power bestowed on us by Empire, no matter how hard we worked to get it, was what started the chain reaction of growth-oriented thinking that led to our unchecked benefit at others' expense.

IA has a way of expressing this: "For an Imperialist, one dollar is too many and a thousand are not enough."

Another thing that many of us learned during our Imperialist days was that constant awareness was generally not a very pleasant experience. Some of us were able to stay aware of the negative effects of our lifestyles and make decisions from the heart for periods of days, weeks and even years. But we did not enjoy this deprivation from the material comforts of Empire. We felt like martyrs. We became irritable, difficult to live and work with. We persisted in looking forward to the time when we might be able to have all that Empire offers without consequences again.

Now that we are in IA, we have a new outlook on Empire. We enjoy a sense of release, a feeling of freedom from even the desire to have more again. Since we cannot expect to amass material goods without the abuse of our privilege as Imperialists at any time in the future, we concentrate on living a full life with what we have today. There is not a thing we can do about yesterday. And tomorrow never comes. Today is the only day we have to worry about. And we know from experience that even the "worst" Imperialists can go without the benefits of Empire. They may need to postpone that next dollar to the next hour, even the next minute – but they learn that it can be put off for a period of time.

When we first heard about IA, it seemed miraculous that anyone who had really been endowed with Empire's power could ever achieve and maintain the kind of unity and heart-centeredness that older IA members talked about. Some of us were inclined to think that ours was a special kind of Imperialism, that our experiences had been "different," that IA might work for others, but that it could do nothing for us. Others among us, who had not yet been made fully aware of our complacency in Empire, reasoned that IA might be fine for the rich and powerful, but that we could probably handle the problem by ourselves.

Our experience in IA has taught us two important things. First, all Imperialists face the same basic problems, whether they are working a minimum wage job or holding down an executive position in a big corporation. Second, we now appreciate that the IA recovery program works for almost any Imperialist who honestly wants it to work, no matter what the individual's background or particular form of privilege may be.

We made a decision

All of us now in IA had to make one crucial decision before we felt secure in the new program of life based on unity instead of material growth. We had to face the facts about ourselves and our Imperialism realistically and honestly. We had to admit that we were powerless over Empire. For some of us, this was the toughest proposition we had ever faced.

We did not know too much about Imperialism. We had our own ideas about the word "Imperialist." We tied it up with the history and the past. We thought it surely meant evilness not possible for an individual. Some of us fought off the step of admitting that we were Imperialists. Others only partially admitted it.

Most of us, however, were relieved when it was explained to us that Imperialism was a system to exchange our heart's awareness for a certain rate of material growth. However, this exchange rate varies greatly among people. Some give everything and get very little in return, some have the opposite experience. These rates are determined by primarily by privileges given at birth and only marginally by effort. We saw the common sense about doing something about a system that only benefitted some and threatened to destroy us all. We quit trying to deceive others – and ourselves – into thinking that we could handle Empire when all the facts pointed the other way.

We were assured from the beginning that no one could tell us we were Imperialists. The admission had to come from us – not a boss or lawyer or spouse. It had to be based on facts which we ourselves knew. Our friends might understand the nature of our problem, but we were the only ones who could tell for sure whether or not we were making decisions based on our true needs and desires or those of Empire.

Frequently we asked: "How can I tell if I am really an Imperialist?" We were told that there were no hard and fast rules determining Imperialism. We learned that there were, however, certain telltale symptoms. If we inherited property, social class or money. If we developed a deep sense of guilt about our race, economic status, gender or other categorization which afforded us privilege. If our incomes and net worth became progressively larger but we no longer got as much fun spending money as we once had – these, we learned, were apt to be symptoms of benefitting from the system we call Empire. Reviewing our material growth experiences and their consequences, most of us were able to discover additional reasons for recognizing the truth about ourselves.

Quite naturally, the prospect of a life without Empire seemed a dreary one. We feared that our new friends in IA would be dull or, worse yet, wild-eyed evangelists. We discovered that they were, instead, human beings like ourselves, but with the special virtue of understanding our problem – sympathetically, without sitting in judgement.

We began to wonder what we had to do to stay connected to our hearts and fellow humans. What membership in IA would cost and who ran the organization, locally and worldwide. We soon discovered that there are no musts in IA, that no one is required to follow any formal ritual or pattern of living. We also learned our contributions to IA, outside of passing the hat for expense of meeting rooms, refreshments, literature and internet architecture, are given without any recognition or strings attached to those who have been harmed by Empire. But even contributions of this kind are not a requirement for membership, however symbolic they are of our recovery.

It soon became apparent to us that IA has only a minimum of organization and has nobody giving orders. Arrangements for meetings are handled by group officers who move on regularly to make room for new people. Excess contributions are given to anyone who asks for them, with no recourse or diligence process. This free giving is very popular in IA.

Staying connected

How then, do we manage to manage our contributions to Empire in such an informal, loosely knit fellowship? And without doing work to build new alternatives?

The answer is that, once having achieved awareness, we try to preserve it by observing and following the successful experience of those who have preceded us in IA and most importantly, by supporting those who do not benefit from Empire.

Their experience provides certain "tools" and guides which we are free to accept or reject, as we may choose. Because our connection to the consequences of our actions and newfound ability to "chose love" is the most important thing in our lives today, we think it wise to follow the patterns suggested by those who have already demonstrated that the IA recovery program, and life without benefit from Empire, really works.

The 24-hour plan

For example, we take no pledges, we don't say that we will "never" interact with Empire again. Instead, we try to follow what we in IA call the "24-hour plan." We concentrate on keeping unified with our hearts, other people, places or things, and the Earth for just the current twenty-four hours. We simply try to get through one day at a time without giving our power to Empire. If we feel the urge to have more for ourselves, we neither yield nor resist. We merely put off enacting that particular urge until tomorrow.

We try to keep our thinking honest and realistic where Empire is concerned. If we are tempted to spend or earn money in order to achieve some goal – and the temptation usually fades after the first few months in IA – we ask ourselves whether the particular goal we have in mind could be reached without material goods and if not, would it be worth all the consequences to all those involved in it's manifestation. We bear in mind that we are perfectly free to amass more possessions, for example, if we want to, that the choice between more and what we already have is entirely up to us. Most important of all, we try to face up to the fact that, no matter how long we have been unified with our hearts, we will always have the privilege to chose material growth and contribute to Empire.

We follow the experience of the successful "oldtimers" in another respect. We usually keep coming regularly to meetings of the local IA group with which we have become affiliated. There is no rule which makes such attendance compulsory. Nor can we always explain why we seem to get a life out of hearing the personal stories and interpretations of other members. Most of us, however feel that attendance at meetings and other informal contacts with fellow IAs are important factors in the maintenance of our heart.

Thirteen Steps

Early in our association with IA we heard about the "Thirteen Steps" of recovery from Imperialism. We learned that these Steps represented an attempt by the first members to record their own progress from a mindset of uncontrolled growth to that of unity. We discovered that a key factor in this progress seemed to be humility, coupled with reliance on a power more human than Empire. While some members prefer to call this power "unity," or "heart," we were told that this was purely a matter of personal interpretation; we could conceive of the Power in any terms we thought fit. Since material growth had obviously been a power greater than ourselves during our Empire days, we had to admit that perhaps we could not run the whole show ourselves and that it made sense to turn elsewhere for help. As we have grown in IA, our concept of a greater Power has usually become more mature. But it has always been our personal concept; no one has forced it upon us.

Finally, we noted from the Thirteenth Step and from the experience of older members, that work with other Imperialists who turned to IA for help was an effective way of strengthening our own work. Whenever possible, we tried to do our share, always keeping in mind that the other person was the only one who could determine whether or not they were an Imperialist.

We were also guided by the experience of the many IAs who have given new meaning to three time-worn saying or slogans. "First Things First" is one of the slogans, reminding us that, much as we would like to try, we cannot make any changes outside of ourselves, that we have to remember to start from within, where we are focusing and giving our energy in an attempt to stay aware of our role in Empire and rebuild our lives without it.

"Easy Does It" is another old slogan with new meaning for Imperialists who are frequently guilty of focusing on 'more' in whatever they are doing. Experience shows that Imperialists should, and can, learn to focus on the heart. "Live and Let Live" is the third slogan, a recurring suggestion that Imperialists, no matter how many years of unity mindset, cannot afford to let themselves take control over the growth of that which takes the place of or their place in Empire.

IA information from the website are also useful. Imperialists Anonymous, IA's forthcoming book of experience in which early members (like you?) first record their stories and the principles which they believed had helped them to recover, is in progress and will be shared in many formats with any who ask as soon as possible. Many members, unity and heart focused for years, continue to refer to the website for insight and inspiration. IA also needs to publish a monthly email newsletters for new comers and oldtimers alike (can you help?).

Because IA is essentially a way of life, few of us have ever been able to describe with complete accuracy just how the various elements in the recovery program contribute to our present happiness. We do not all interpret or live the IA program in exactly the same way. We can all testify, however, that IA works for us when many other ventures into rebalancing Empire have failed. Many members who have been free of Empire for years say that they simply accepted the program "on faith" and do not yet fully understand how IA works for them. Meanwhile, they keep trying to pass their faith along to others who still understand all too well the disastrous way in which Empire works against the Imperialist.

Will IA work for everyone?

The IA program of recovery from Imperialism, we believe, will work for almost anyone who has a desire to stop benefitting at the expense of others. It may work even for those who feel they are being prodded in the direction of IA. Many of us made our first contact with IA because of social or moral pressures. Later, we made our own decision.

We have seen some Imperialists stumble for a while before "getting" the program. We have seen others who made only token efforts to follow the tested principles through which we now maintain our unity mindset; token efforts are generally not enough.

But, no matter how disconnected from their effects on others an Imperialist might be, or how high they are on the social and economic scales, we know from experience and observation that IA offers a heart-led way out of the squirrel cage of Empire. Most of us have found it an easy way.

When we first turned to IA, many of us had a number of serious problems – problems involving health, relationships, work and our own personalities. We soon discovered that our immediate central problem was focus on Empire. Once we had that problem under control, we were able to make successful approaches to the other problems. Solutions to these problems have not always come easily, but we have been able to cope with them far more effectively when heart led and unified with all people and the Earth than we were able to do during our Imperialist days.

'A new dimension'

There was a time when many of us believed that material growth was the only thing that made life bearable. We could not even dream of a life without Empire. Today, through the IA program, we do not feel that we have been deprived of anything. Rather, we have been freed and find that a new dimension has been added to our lives. We have new friends, new horizons and new attitudes. After years of despair and frustration, many of us feel that we have really begun to live for the first time. We enjoy sharing that new life with anyone who is still suffering from Imperialism, as we once suffered, and who seeks a way out of the darkness and into the light.

Imperialism is one of the major American cultural problems. It has been estimated that hundreds of millions of people continue to suffer, perhaps unnecessarily, from this material system. As members of IA, we welcome the opportunity to share our experience in arresting Empire with anyone who seeks help. We appreciate that nothing we say will have any real meaning until the Imperialist is personally ready to admit as we once did, "Empire has me licked, and I want help."

Where to find IA

IA help is available without charge or obligation. For now, we meet weekly online. Look for "IA" or "Imperialists Anonymous" in your favorite search engine. Information about IA may often be obtained from artists, cultural groups, young people and minorities.

Those who cannot get in touch online are invited to write our world service office: PO Box 113, Lily Dale, NY 14752. They will mail you physical copies of IA literature.

Anyone who turns to IA can be assured that their anonymity will be protected.

If you feel that you may be benefitting at the expense of others and earnestly want to stop material growth, we can testify that IA is working for us – and that there is no reason in the world why it should not work for you.