permaculture

["John Schinnerer" <john@eco-living.net>]

Aloha,

> From my point of view having started as an environmentalist then turning
> to become a family therapist...I'd say just by judging by your title of
> a whole systems design you might approach issues from a whole systems
> perspective with regards to any given individual.

Indeed, I do.
IMO there is little use for blaming and finger-pointing in whole systems
design (including the permaculture manifestation of it).  It never gets me
what I want - that is, it does not help create alternatives to existing
systems that I do not like.

> There are a myriad of factors that lead to the creation of environment
> disrespecting perspectives.  From a whole systems approach, politicians
> and corporations have contributed to the cycle.

And so have/do citizens, by being passive and/or seeing themselves as victims.
 Blaming is an enabling behavior for passivity and victimhood, regardless of
who's doing it.

Ghandi didn't catalyze the British departure from colonial power in India by
blaming or being a victim.  He was a pacifist, but not a passivist.
The masses of people who joined him didn't get what they wanted by sitting
around whinging and moaning about how badly they were being treated.  They
designed, and they took action on their own behalf.

It appears that not enough of "us" are willing to do that at present, so the
existing systems continue for now.

> ...they afflict attitudes through policy, disrespecting
> people as workers and through disrespecting communities that work to
> protect themselves from its polluting corporate members.

They may diss me, but that doesn't mean I have to diss myself.
There *is* a lack of training available in not dissing oneself, however.  We
tend to teach the opposite (dissing oneself, that is) in our culture - and we
also focus heavily on teaching dissing others.

> Sending jobs overseas, fast track, NAFTA, etc., doesn't help communities
> and that sure was the work of politicians and corporations.  I think you
> ignore the big picture!  Whole communities haven fallen apart and the
> next thing we have are the oppressed/depressed people left behind.  How
> do you think they feel?  I'm not excusing the poor acts of individuals,
> though it may sound that way, I want to point out that the only thing
> that has been trickling down from many a failed economic rationale is
> want and anger.
>
> I cannot believe what I have learned reading up on US farm history and
> the breaking of the small farmer at the hands of the corporate
> agribusiness/central banks for political reasons as well as monetary
> gain; just look at all those interlocking directorates.  It still occurs
> today!



John Schinnerer - MA, Whole Systems Design
------------------------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
People - Place - Learning - Integration
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net