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  • From: John Wages <jwages@earthlink.net>
  • To: "permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] THE MOVEMENT...EVOLVING
  • Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2018 20:45:11 -0700 (GMT-07:00)

The theme of the November issue of Permaculture Design is The Ethics of
Permaculture. If anyone here has something to say, we'd welcome your
contribution. What is our motivation? Why do we do what we do? What are the
ethics that compel us to design lasting (hopefully) structures and to
critique the existing invisible structures? What is this "perma" in
permaculture, when we know that nothing truly lasts? What happened to Bill
Mollison's visions for a better financial system (Permaculture Credit
Union... how many of us joined and supported it?) and political system (Can
anyone say "Green Party?"). Right livelihood. Choices. Urban/suburban/rural.
Why are some of us active in the political arena, while others have written
that off as a waste of time? What about personal care and health... do our
ethics inform our personal choices? When in Rome... what can we do? What are
our limits? We're no good to anyone if we burn out. Relationship choices.
Family choices. Is homeschooling an ethical choice? How do we relate to
popular culture? If we move onto our own 5 acres and focus our energies
there, what about the people who have no resources to do so? How do we deal
with privilege? I see this issue as having more to say about the 2nd and 3rd
ethics. Today is Earth Day. I think we know what Care for Earth means and why
it's important. Why is it so hard to get Care for People and Share the
Surplus/Limit Consumption? Does ego have something to do with it?

On my way to the Bay Area, Gwen and I visited Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico and
met some great people there. We learned a lot about the history of the
Southwest. I saw a billboard, "One in Five Children are Hungry." Now, here I
am in Silicon Valley, where I passed a sign this morning for Sea Salt
Therapy. Well, I'm sure breathing salty air is good for you (I always feel
rejuvenated after spending a few hours on the beach! Mental note: get to the
beach!). But what about the people who cannot afford good food and a place to
live, much less special therapies? Tupelo to Zuni to Silicon Valley—as if my
eyes needed any more opening!

And what is this thing called "happiness," as in the Pursuit of Happiness.
Perhaps Jefferson was a stoic at heart. There's room for a discussion of
contentment and real happiness in the Ethics issue.

One more thing: we've always offered these free Events listings and the
Directory on our website. Recently, we've become aware that many (many) of
the Directory listings are out of date (wrong website, non-current mailing
address, etc.). If anyone has a permaculture-oriented business that you'd
like us to list, please send us some info.: what you do, your contact info.,
etc. If you've been listed in the Directory in the past, please take a look
at the current listing. Let us know if we should delete or update it. As for
the Events listings, take advantage of them! We offer paid ads, of course,
but the Events listings are free. Thanks.

John

John Wages
Publisher, Permaculture Design magazine
www.PermacultureDesignMagazine.com


-----Original Message-----
>From: Scott Pittman <scott@permaculture.org>
>Sent: Apr 21, 2018 8:38 AM
>To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
>Subject: Re: [permaculture] THE MOVEMENT...EVOLVING
>
>
>
>I think this can be "a" step, "the next big step" not hardly.  I don't
>have much faith in "Transition Town" they don't seem to have much
>traction in the U.S.A.  Too much focus on process and too little on
>action seems the most common complaint.
>
>I also have given up on the IPC; I have flogged "invisible structures"
>through four IPC's with my Elephant in the Room sessions and have been
>met with scorn, approbation, and lack of interest.  The genome seems to
>be configured to capitalism in most humans and I see that greed trumps
>(that word again) "care". Without a major focus on ethics permaculture
>is mired in the swamp of "herbal spirals" and "swales" and I, frankly,
>am bored to tears with both subjects.
>
>What brought me to permaculture was the ethics, principals and invisible
>structures; all the rest was "technique".  Seems we have lost our focus
>and are slipping back into the same old paradigm we were fighting to
>overcome.  The core of permaculture  is "care" and care translates into
>love in most cultures.  Love has been at the core of virtually every
>spiritual tradition since the maternalistic societies of the middle east
>and as such have endured the ravages of time, though much diminished by
>religiosity
>a "carrot/stick" pedagogy.
>
>Where that leaves me is to continue thinking my way through how to
>escape the mire of the current paradigm ( and certainly Trump is a huge
>harbinger of this paradigm) without violence, and lies.  I am still
>puzzling my way through my book "Dharma of Permaculture", but it is not
>an easy task.  I am also trying to maintain so faith in the divine
>nature of man, though I often want to sink into the nihilistic "fuck it".
>
>Scott Pittman
>Permaculture Institute
>
>On 4/20/2018 10:50 AM, Steve Hart wrote:
>> This event could be the next big step ?
>>
>> https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/transition-together-an-international-symposium-on-the-need-for-societal-transitions-and-systems-level-change/2018/02/19
>>
>> ​I assume there will be many UK Permies in attendance and also sure we all
>> look fwd to the summaries and ongoing steps. Finally it seems many of our
>> "Invisible Structures" are coming out of the closet. Perhaps the reality
>> and truth behind all the ghosts and smoking mirrors will be exposed to to
>> allow us to better interpret where we have come from and how our societies
>> have been conditioned, to then move forward. Hopefully we can evolve this
>> thread through IPCs​
>>
>>
>> *Steve Hart*
>> *Ecology Architect​. *
>> Designer, Teacher, Builder of Ecologically Sustainable Resilient
>> Environments, through Urban Design, Architecture, Landscape Architecture
>> and Systems Ecology.​
>> Skype: tipenemanawa
>> Phone: +64 220 75 62 11
>>
>>
>>
>> The Permaculture International College
>> www.permaculture <http://www.permaculturecollege.eu>education.com
>> https://permaculturecollege.academia.edu/SteveHart
>> permaculture mailing list
>> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
>> subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
>
>--
>Best regards, Scott Pittman Director Permaculture Institute
>permaculture mailing list
>permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
>subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info:
>https://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture




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