permaculture

[YankeePerm@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/27/97 2:55:10 PM, loren@wombat.net (Loren Davidson)
wrote:

>Silly me.  And here I thought this list was for distributing information on
>Permaculture methods, not just so that you can give us "incentives"
>(translation: advertising) to pay you money for the stuff.
>
>With an attitude like that, I have absolutely *no* incentive to receive
>instruction directly from you, as I've had enough instruction via role model
>of condescending, egotistical, "One Right True And Only Way" behavior to
>last me this lifetime.
>
>Are you here to share your surplus, or are you just here to harvest?
>
>(Apologies to the rest of the list...but this has really been bugging me
>lately.  Does anyone else have thoughts on what type of example a
>Permaculture designer/instructor should set by the way s/he lives their
life?)
>
>Loren
>--
Not silly you, arrogant you.  I have only so much time and I have put a lot
of it and money too into carefully worded articles in print.  I give away a
great deal of time and effort but you and better get it straight quick that I
don't owe you anything.  When you have paid your due to be a permaculture
instructor, then you set your own example.  If you give away 10 percent of
what I do, I wager it will be a hundred times more than you do now.  Back
off.

I don't want students who think that everything should be shared while they
have produced nothing to share.  There is a balance between giving and
receiving, as I recently posted.  You offer nothing but chastise someone who
has given a lot and then says, well in this case I'd rather you get it this
way.  I should be able to make a living at permaculture, but as it happens, I
take no salary, put everything back into the work, and then Cynthia, my wife
puts in some of what she earns to make up the difference.  And that sure in
hell isn't surplus--we have other good and pressing uses for that money.
 That's our choice, of course, and no one owes us anything.  And I don't owe
anyone my efforts when I should be stringing more fence for grazing so my
animals have a proper rotation and enough food and the answers to questions
are in other places that I have created to serve than need.

What I am sick of on the net is people who think that the Earth is their
private welfare state and that everyone with anything owes it to them. I will
decide what and when and where to give and it won't be to you if I can help
it.

For Mother Earth, Dan Hemenway, Yankee Permaculture Publications (since
1982), Elfin Permaculture workshops, lectures, Permaculture Design Courses,
consulting and permaculture designs (since 1981), and now correspondence
permaculture training by email. Copyright, 1996, Dan & Cynthia Hemenway, P.O.
Box 2052, Ocala FL 34478 USA  YankeePerm@aol.com  

We don't have time to rush.