Smart Fools, Forks and Network States.

Having been to a Zuzalu hub before, I thought I’d seen it all, until Zuitzerland.
Zuitzerland was by far the most eye-opening experiment I’ve witnessed. I could try to describe everything that happened, but honestly, a single blog won’t do it justice, not even a book would. The conversations, the connections, the sense of possibility , the ambitions, they all deserve a post of their own, and maybe I’ll write that next.
For now, here’s the piece that stuck with me: what happens when people rethink how we govern ourselves?

A Fool Wakes Up

In Swahili, there’s a saying: “Mjinga aki herevuka, mwerevu yu mashakani.” Roughly translates : “When the fool gets wise, the clever one is in trouble.”
This proverb has been echoing in my head since I left the snowy slopes of Flims-Laax-Falera. As global literacy grows, especially across Africa and the so-called developing world, the gap between the “clever” rulers and the “foolish” masses shrinks. The old trick of hoarding power through ignorance is dying out, slowly but surely.
You don’t need an advanced degree to see how redundant some forms of representative politics have become. When people can talk, organize, and transact directly with technology removing middlemen, the question becomes: Why do we still need gatekeepers to speak for us? Often, they don't resonate with the voices of the masses.

When the Masses Learn, the Empire Wobbles

There’s a debate about whether global IQs are rising or falling (Flynn Effect this, meta-analysis that). But honestly? Who cares about test scores when what’s exploding is functional literacy , the ability to read, write, reason, coordinate and buy the dip. That’s what matters, especially buying the dip (This is not financial advise).
The more people wake up, the stranger it feels that power, wealth, and the monopoly on force stay stuck in centralized hands of the few, over the majority. More often, in the grip of an older generation that doesn’t reflect the world’s new realities or struggles and ambitions, especially in Africa where 70%+ of the population is under 35, and the median age of their leaders is 63 years. While digging into this, i stumbled on the word Gerontocracy. I'd heard of autocracy, meritocracy, kakistocracy - add *cracy to anything and there's a chance i know it, including Forktocracy (dibs on that one) : system ruled by forking, where disagreement is freedom . But Gerontocracy is new to me, and its also a sad reality.
When the governed become wise, the governors face a problem, unless they adapt. Which brings me to an idea I can’t shake: forkable governance.

Forkable Governance: Why Should Code Have All the Fun?

Forkable governance is exactly what it sounds like. Take inspiration from open-source software and decentralized tech: when people disagree, they fork.
Bitcoin is a perfect example. Some folks didn’t like the direction BTC was going, so they forked off Bitcoin Cash (BCH) ( I also thought BCH will eventually overtake BTC and become the standard, boy! was i wrong!). Disagreements about transaction fees and scalability didn’t need a revolution or coup. Just a copy, a tweak, and let the world choose what works.
Open-source culture does this every day: people branch ideas, test improvements, compete, merge, or abandon what doesn’t serve. In a world where we can fork code, constitutions, money, why can’t we fork governance too?

Forks Aren’t Always Clean, But They’re Human

Let’s be clear: forking governments isn’t new. Since forever (as far as cultures have existed), traditional African communities have split, borrowed from other communities, adapted, intermarried and straight up just redefined themselves over centuries, we still do that till now.
Let's go more macro, African nations. When colonial rulers packed up and left (or were kicked out), new governments often inherited or installed constitutions eerily similar to their former masters. Not exactly a clean break, more like a forced fork. Over time, they would amend a few laws here and there (patching) and reiterate, some countries, like Kenya, realized the need to really update the operating system. Kenya’s 2010 constitution, was hailed as a huge leap, finally rewriting an old blueprint to reflect real people’s needs, not just the ghost of Empire. It is viewed as very progressive, but it still has some likeness to the original but its more align with our goals as a state.
Copy, adapt, improve: that’s forking. It’s what humans do best. I might actually go as far as mentioning China's fast advancement and industrialization, Kai Fu Lee in his book "AI Super powers" mentions how China began as a copy-paste of technology from the west, then eventually, they have become their own technology innovators. Forking is all around us.

The Incentive Layer: Pay the Rebels

One beautiful thing about forkable governance is that it doesn’t stop at structure, it can build new incentives too.
Imagine a society with a community token or state token that powers participation. But instead of only rewarding the loudest, it actively incentivizes people who champion minority or unconventional ideas. In a healthy system, unpopular ideas get their day in court, because today’s weird thought might be tomorrow’s breakthrough. I bet Nicolaus Copernicus would be so proud.
This flips the usual dynamic on its head. The majority can’t just steamroll everyone; they have to listen, because the system pays people to think differently. The result? A lively, resilient, open-minded culture, not an echo chamber which I'm afraid we are slowly drifting towards one pretty soon.

Peer-to-Peer Power

I’ve seen how this works on a small scale. In startups and open-source projects, people don’t need to elect some boss to speak for them for five years. Roles are clear. Contributions are visible. If someone’s toxic, they get forked, not shot, unless its shots at the club...wooohoo!
Blockchain takes it further: every node has equal power. Participation is open. Decisions are verifiable. Zero-knowledge proofs could make voting safer and freer, especially where secret ballots fail. No vote-buying, no intimidation, just pure, provable choice.

A Constitution Worth Copying

If Zuitzerland, or any other experimental society, were to draft a founding document, it wouldn’t be a 400-page tangle of legalese. It's a true reflection of what future societies can actually be.
It would read more like a clean, open-source license:

1. Treat others as you’d like to be treated.
2. Prioritize the well-being of all life and the planet.
3. Advance humanity through shared knowledge and cooperation.
4. Keep solutions simple for complex problems.
5. Respect the interdependence of communities.

That’s it. A few lines. Clear. Portable. Emotional intelligence built in. Strong enough to shape daily life, flexible enough to evolve.

To Human is to Fork

Policy always trails technology, that’s an old truth. But what if policy stopped chasing and started copying what works? Don’t fight the fork, embrace it (Like Anakin embracing the dark side).
Governance must evolve. The future belongs to systems that are open, participatory, and resilient. Forkable governance gives people the ultimate freedom: the right to walk away and build something better.

If this idea of portable, forkable communities excites you, I highly recommend two great books:
— The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan , — a roadmap for building borderless, digital-first societies.
— Swiss Democracy: Possible Solutions to Conflict in Multicultural Societies — a clear look at how Switzerland’s cantons and direct democracy have made diversity work in practice for centuries.
They’re proof that from the Alps to the cloud, governance can fork, adapt, and flourish, if we let it.

To human is to fork.