There is no benefit in destroying another human being or holding down their potentials. In fact mankind has stripped itself of progress, strength and prosperity by subduing their fellow humans. The rational approach is to nurture healthy relationships, healthy conduct and to reap the fruits of a multitude of amazing minds and skills. The rational approach is to rethink the irrational narratives of power and dominance, of winning and controlling, of conquering and oppressing.
©Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/3, shaping, where do we go from here & decisions
Highlights
Work in progress – book 3, shaping
‘You’ve never been a fighter!’ Alice countered bitterly. ‘And don’t tell me to face reality. Reality is that humans are entangled in a mess of damaging narratives. Reality is that humans screw each other and their habitat. Reality is also that our project can help to untangle the mess, can help to test new ideas, new narratives. This way we won’t just survive on a suffocating planet, we’d get a chance to live and to restore our habitat. I will not give up on humanity.’
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/3, shaping
The third part of book 3 is full of defiant fighting spirit, even though or maybe because, the characters have to face quite a few tough situations and decisions.
You can check the dailies for more snippets >
There’s another extract from book 3/3 and the prelude for book 4/1 on the explorer page >
Also recommendable is the snippet which is published on The end of all wars website about a tree, age, sunshine and attacks >
‘They don’t have anything that could count as art, except an old Rover. And no one knows whether that was put there by an artist or by mistake—’
‘—who is one of the greatest artists,’ Jack interrupted with a chuckle.
‘Who is?’
‘The honourable By Mistake.’
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/3, shaping
‘What’s more fun than to take a good look at the world and say: “OK, this sucks. Let’s try again.” I mean our project proposes a huge adventure: reshaping the world.’
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/2, shaping
Out now
book 3/2, shaping
entanglements & silences
In the second part of book 3, personal entanglements take centre stage. It is a textbook case of what happens if we can’t, for whichever reasons, talk with each other openly.
While the main fallout is tragic, some rediscover ‘how intense touching can be, and how the body soaks it up like it’s the best honey in the world.’
Meanwhile the teams complete their final draft for the town, and there is a wonderful chapter with Alice, Andy and chickens. Mind you, Daria bursts the bubble, but Raiden has the idea that gets them back on track – with chickens. And yes, this exploration is of particular interest for US citizens.
Silence is a recurring theme. Sometimes threatening, other times pleasant and sometimes deadly.
The New Year passes, the teams begin to return, but no offer for town site. That’s when a big question begins to loom above all their heads: Where do we go from here?
Like all easy town books, this, too, offers ample inspiration for rethinking and reshaping our lives, our communities, our towns, our world – for all of us.
And instead of reproducing what already failed us, this series explores untrodden paths and is driven by curiosity and a desire to find visions which actually serve us as humanity and as planet.
e-book
282 pages, 90k words
ISBN 978-3-9821289-8-6
Contents
entanglements
11/12 November – Decisions
Consequences & entanglements
26/27 November – A dance and a fall
More entanglements, sex and physicality, a dance and a fall
2 December – A night shift
concentration, body sensations, the town plans, experiments, chickens and millions of eggs
And then there was silence
14-16 December – And then there was silence
last days, photo sessions, parents, a winter party, departures, silence
24 December
Christmas Eve, travelling, family, racism, expectations, coping with Christmas, closed doors, homelessness, grief, many glimpses into many stories
28 December – At the piano
There was silence and it felt like kicking, candles, songs, surprises
6 January – A new year
A cliff, Oh, oh, oh, testing, punching, a talk and others, a win and ambiguity, tourism and new worlds around every corner
‘I admit I was a bit sceptical about building a single town. It sounded like one of these prestigious projects that are just for a select few and have no connection to the real world—’ Mika chuckled, seeing Alice’s raised eyebrows. ‘I know. The real world doesn’t exist. Everything around us is invented. Except the ingenious natural world. Which reminds me: Could it be that humanity simply went through puberty over the last millennia, and that’s why humans rejected nature’s perfections and had to do everything better than their original parent?’
Alice laughed. ‘That’s a thought!’
Mika grinned. ‘What I wanted to say is, a single town felt cheesy, but a whole network of towns, towns in different countries, each with their own focus and purpose, each a piece of unique art, each perfect for their kinds of people, each a breathing, living organism which keeps evolving — now, that’s something I could talk about for weeks.’
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/2, shaping
About the author
If we tell people what is what, then What will always remain What and never evolve.
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/1, shaping
I am an explorer who loves to pick up any What and give it a good spin in my playground: the easy town story.
I am a creator who loves to dig deeper and who creates visions of ideas we can test, ideas with the potential of giving us the kind of boosts that allow us to evolve and thrive.
I am Charlie Alice Raya, born in 1972, in the then divided city of Berlin.
Find out more here: About Charlie Alice Raya
‘I’d like us to get to the point where we can fully embrace that: Yes, I am a human and the people around me are my fellow humans — all of them.’
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/2, shaping
Find inspiration
book 3/1, shaping
The first day alone is packed with encounters of all colours and vibes, allowing the reader to dive straight into the heart of the town project and also into the hearts of some of the main characters.
book 3, shaping
Buy the complete book 3, shaping. Receive book 3/1, shaping, and book 3/2, now, and pre-order book 3/3 in one go.
Go all in books 1-3
Buy all published easy town books: book 1, beginning, book 2, travelling and book 3/1, shaping, and book 3/2, now, and pre-order book 3/3, which will be published in spring 2025.
‘Being at this project is like being on a different planet. It’s like being inhibited because so much is unfamiliar. But at the same time much is inspiring. I feel free in new ways because the mind broadens, and overlooked colours, motions, sounds are added to my horizon. And while the project opens many doors, it never demands that we throw away what we know, what is ours. It asks us to connect what we know with what we find. It asks us to explore and ultimately to decide which parts to keep and which parts to use to create something new.’
© Charlie Alice Raya, book 3/2, shaping
get in touch
If you’d like to join a project, if you’d like to make a contribution, if you have a suggestion, if you’d like to support the projects, if you have any questions or concerns, please, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Presently, I read all emails personally. Write to: contact@charlie-alice-raya.org
This websites still has some gaps and I will continue to fill them over the next weeks and months.
You can also find me on Bluesky: @charliealiceraya.bsky.social
plus The playbook for change: @playbookforchange.bsky.social
and Views from around the universe: @universe-views.bsky.social
