[permaculture] Movement thinking (was Designing a, Movement)
Lee Flier
leeflier at comcast.net
Sat Aug 21 12:04:43 EDT 2010
Perfectly stated, Toby.
On 8/21/2010 1:21 AM, Toby Hemenway wrote:
> I can't make the distinction between teaching for institutions or individuals that you and others can. I cannot think of an individual or institution that I would refuse to teach a PDC to, with the exception of straight out hate groups, which the army is emphatically not. Overall, I don' t think a corporation or military can be made any worse for learning permaculture, and I think I personally am engaging in Earth and people care when I teach them, even if their own mission isn't. Institutions like corporations are way ahead of us in thinking up clever ways to screw up the world; we won't make them better at that. But by being exposed to the ecological and ethical basis of permaculture, individuals in the organization will be transformed, and perhaps even the organization itself. I've seen it happen. One at a time; that's how I do it. If that's outside your ethical framework; so be it.
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> ...
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> Re my remark, "who else would be arguing about working with the army," I think you underestimate the compassion and tolerance that many people have for those who have harmed them. My friends who are vets speak of how well they are treated when they return to the countries where they killed people. If you asked those relatives of millions of dead if they would want the attacking army to be taught a system grounded in ethics and ecological wisdom, I bet many would say yes.
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> We do agree on much. I am glad that you (Kevin) started this thread. It's helped me clarify my dislike of the idea of permaculture as a movement, something I hadn't articulated. And it's helped me grasp that I would teach almost anyone, but wouldn't do design work for everyone.
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> Toby
> http://patternliteracy.com
>
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