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permaculture - RE: Advanced Permaculture Apprenticeship Opportunities

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Subject: permaculture

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  • From: "Eugene F. Monaco" <EFMonaco@compuserve.com>
  • To: "permaculture" <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Advanced Permaculture Apprenticeship Opportunities
  • Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 09:07:38 -0500


Methinks the whole concept of wilderness needs to evolve. Ever since the
Great Forgetting there was a split in thinking that says, us here, nature
there; and I suppose for good reason. "Civilization" has been at odds with
nature since the advent of totalitarian agriculture 10,000 years ago.
Mollisonian permaculture started as a way to create sustainable human
settlements because Mollison realized that totalitarian agriculture was
(still is) the worst form of cancer on the earth. However, with not much
"wilderness" left to speak of, nor the skills to live there even if it did
exist, and too many people even if they had the skills to live there,
Mollison developed this practical approach (permaculture) which is a
transitional strategy for most students. Transitional, because after two
weeks of mind expansion, folks are suddenly proclaimed to have evolved to a
new standard which makes them "designers".

Truth is that the PDC is a first step in a long journey; you still need to
develop skills, then pass them on to the younger generations, which takes
the rest of your life. Permaculture is sometimes looked on as the ultimate
way to homestead; and it is, if homesteading is what you're all about,
again a holdover of the old ways of thinking. We'll conquer and carve a
civilization out of that dirty wilderness.

Does a deer know where its habit ends and the wilderness begins? Does a
mouse, or a rabbit? How about kudzu, or a beechnut tree?

It's true that some, if not many, permaculture developments are started by
a small group that is fed up with the civilization and wants to create
something better. Needing the lessons taught by the forest they naturally
go there away from the city and start to experiment. Lacking the skills to
live in the forest they frequently import their modified western
civilization to their location and create what looks like a homestead.
It's their process. With their expanded consciousness they will learn many
new lessons as they learn to communicate with the mice people who want to
share their house, and the deer people who want to share their vegetable
garden.

Mollison warns against this Type I error of improving on the wilderness.
Mankind's role in the wilderness is to enter it and become the Caretaker
(or giver). To do this we first need to understand her; that's the Zone 5
experience you miss if you destroy the wilderness to do your evolving
permaculture homestead. Much better to take a place at the edge, or a
small burnt-out farm field, and make your mistakes there.

So much to learn.

Gene Monaco
writing from Atlanta


>Maybe you're taking it a bit too literally. Maybe all that is meant is a
homestead in
the bush, not literally 'wilderness'.
...Russ Grayson

Permaculture West wrote:

> > >...your basic "Permaculture homestead cut out of the
> > >wilderness" type system.
> >
> > Anyone besides me find anything disturbing about the above?
> >
> > John Schinnerer
>
> Why does the phrase "poignant sarcasm" come to mind?
><





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