[permaculture] conservatism
Lawrence F. London, Jr.
lflj at intrex.net
Fri Feb 15 00:13:39 EST 2008
David Travis wrote:
>
> Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 10:19:21 -0800 (PST)
> From: Dieter Brand
>
>
>>I'm not going to defend consumerism, nor am I adverse to
>>bashing the Monsantos of this World. That is the good fight.
>>Yet, that economic system, with all its imperfections, is all
>>we have got. There are changes ahead with the resources
Dieter is right about this, at least partially, except that that isn''t all we've got.
On one level its a fixed global economy, on the other hand there are vast untapped resources
within the global network of local economies. This is the other part of "all we've got" which
has been largely undeveloped underutilized.
>>of this planet being as limited as they are. The system will
>>stay stable as long as it has enough flexibility to adapt to
>>the changes needed. And if you look into history or at other
>>cultural spheres you are unlikely to find other models that
>>provide more flexibility.
>
>
> I'm always amazed -- and I'm speaking generally about many of my fellow permaculturists here --
> at how the so many of the same people who think we can radically and creatively alter the way we eat, drink,
> live, work, and relate to the Earth are often paradoxically willing to throw up their hands at politics and economics,
> making oddly definitive claims about how capitalism, corporatism, or any other aspect of business-as-usual is "just the way it is"
> or "all that we've got" or "here to stay". It's really interesting (and at times frustrating) to see such extremely conservative
> notions finding widespread acceptance among an otherwise farsighted and "big picture"-oriented movement.
> - David
So what would suggest they do? What do you see as the "next step" they should take. They clearly see the issues at hand
but don't want to deal with them or think they can't and just say they they don't want to rock the boat or disturb the
status quo for fear of losing what they've got (the "that's all we've got" argument).
I see this as a collective and collaborative effort, to each his own, distribution of effort according to akill and
talent and resources they have access to and as time permits. A watched pot never boils. There seems to ba a common
interest (at least here in the US) in seeing change happen. I hear about the very rich/very poor/vanishing middle class
problem. With the election coming up this is a top priority issue.
> at how the so many of the same people who think we can radically and creatively alter the way we eat, drink,
> live, work, and relate to the Earth are often paradoxically willing to throw up their hands at politics and economics,
So, again, what would you suggest they do?
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