Dawn of the Cantons

On the shores of Lake Superior, the New World begins.

The Upper Peninsula is not like other places. As one travels northwards, somewhere not far north of Wausau it is clear that one has now passed into a frontier. The breeze in the air is cold and clear, and originates in the vast expanse of the inland sea of Lake Superior. In recent months, I have been increasingly involved in practical efforts to advance and strengthen parallel society here. These efforts involve starting an organization for young Catholics at my own church in the remote regions of the Upper Peninsula, as well as attempting to increase contact with other such organizations in neighboring counties. This experience has led me to form several new ideas which I believe would form good articles for Tom Swift. To this end, Tom Swift will gain a new section which I predict will be of particular interest to Catholics. Here I hope to outline what hopefully becomes the early history of one of the New Cantons.

After some conversations with professors and students at my local university, I learned that the industrial capacity of the Upper Peninsula is far greater than anything I had imagined. Not only is there a factory for manufacturing circuit boards, there are even facilities for fabricating semiconductor wafers. Thus the Keeweenaw Peninsula contains all processes necessary to manufacture modern electronics. While these operations are currently supported by a combination of government contracts and academic research, they make this place an overlooked inventor’s paradise. Therefore, it is now clear that this region contains the necessary economic foundations for a Canton.

As mentioned previously, I define a Canton as an economically interconnected unit with a shared cultural basis. The cultural foundations for this mode of independent development are fairly strong here. The Mennonites and Apostolic Lutherans in the region have largely solved the problems of life in a remote region by developing parallel societies, both of which maintain there own economic and social institutions. They operate fully independent school systems. The Mennonites largely specialize in egg farming, where as the Apostolics largely operate contracting businesses and small industrial enterprises. The Mennonites also maintain a community fund to help new farmers get established, thereby aiding migration from more established settlements in Wisconsin. Perhaps even more critically for their future prospects, both groups take a very hard stance against digital involution. Catholic society in this region is struggling to survive, largely because it offers few social institutions for young people. While the Catholic schools of the region do currently ban smartphones, little organized action has otherwise been taken against digital involution. Furthermore, Catholics have made few attempts to develop business and agriculture independent from the monoculture. As a result, the newer generations frequently leave never to return. What infrastructure for the young does exist is almost entirely designed for students at the local university, who typically originate from elsewhere and go on to careers in larger cities. For this reason I plan to organize the small young adult groups which have emerged in recent years in various parishes into something that supports societal independence.

From these efforts, I have learned that inhabitants of small towns rarely travel to neighboring communities. They only travel to regional centers such as Wausau or Green Bay. I have come to believe that this radial societal pattern is responsible for the deep hollowing out of the American hinterlands. I can personally attest to the validity of the views of A. M. Hickman having largely followed his prescription for success. The average young American can achieve financial independence in a huge number of different small towns in out of the way places. While this approach can certainly appeal to many young men disillusioned with the current state of our civilization, many women will understandably be dubious about taking such steps. This problem can be solved only by building strong parallel institutions.

While I certainly expect this material to be of interest to Catholics, I am also planning it as a discussion of the general form of societies, and an inquiry into the factors leading to their success or failure. Any reader attempting to build institutions outside of the monoculture should find this content advantageous. Hence, this material should be relevant to anyone with a broad interest in the history of mankind. Some content regarding science and faith will also reside here, particularly regarding the Catholic response to digital involution. There will also be an examination of the differences between Celtic and Mediterranean Catholic societies during the Dark Ages, and how cultural developments during this period lead to the birth of Medieval civilization.

The path to the New Cantons can now be seen with greater clarity. Many traditional societies have largely begun to develop along the path outlined in For a Future Worth Living In. While these have so far demonstrated an impressive capability for economic independence, neither group provides education beyond high school, and hence are unlikely to create the institutions necessary for advanced intellectual development. In order to develop advanced academic institutions, moderate cultures such as Catholics will have to start settling these regions in an organized way. These institutions will have to be adapted to lower population densities, and may take novel forms , almost certianly comprising a combination of remote and traditional instruction. They who are willing to take advantage of the advanced technology available in these regions forgotten for nearly a century could very well become founders of the next Heroic Age of Invention. Indeed, in the face of unraveling supply chains and mounting urban chaos, the settlement of the North and the formation of New Cantons may soon become far more appealing.