permaculture

[Scott Pittman <pci@permaculture-inst.org>]

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Subject:
> Re: [permaculture] It's free on the web/ was question about 
> PCDcourseprices
> From:
> <neotern-1@yahoo.com>
> Date:
> Tue, 14 Sep 2004 08:19:31 -0500 (CDT)
> To:
> permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
>
> To:
> permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
>
>
> <>Why should they be compensated for their time? Time is
> the only thing you have in this live, and it came for
> free...
>
> It's another way of seeing things, I guess, very
> difficult for us "developed" people. Breaking the
> circle of this eternal compensation/reward, of doing
> something FOR something else. More like Fukuoka
> maybe...
>
> And about compensation for authors:
> "The signature implies ownership of language and ideas
> by the person signing, thus posing as the genius who
> supposedly originated these ideas. This would be
> acceptable if all who deserved credit got their due;
> however, such crediting is impossible, since it would
> be an infinite regress. Consequently, that which is
> most feared occurs: the labor of many is stolen,
> smuggled in under the authority of the signature of
> the supposed author. This allows the author (or even
> worse: his heirs) to collect rewards for the work of
> others."
> (quote from people who don't mind being credited or
> not)


Seems to be several different philosophical approaches to "saving the 
world", and in my opinion we need them all.

There are those who think the way to go is to go back to the land and by 
example and sharing change will come, and others will follow suit.  This 
approach is very similar to the approach I used in the 60's when I moved 
to the Ozarks with forty other of societies drop outs.  We were all 
wounded from civil rights battles, and Vietnam battles, and decided that 
we would change society by living productive, healthy lives and opt out 
of Eisenhower's "military industrial complex".

Unfortunately  few of us had the  construction, agricultural,  or  
social skills to be very effective within our own chosen community, let 
alone the community at large.  It was a tribute to the Arkies of those 
mountains that they accepted us and our used clothes, long hair, soy 
flatulence and poverty.  We were able to survive this self imposed exile 
a little over two years, and then slowly scattered across the country to 
find our way in a culture that seemed totally foreign, and narcissistic.

Since that time most of us have been busy developing the skills that we 
lacked on our first attempt, and developing a deeper understanding of  
our dysfunctional culture.  Not surprizingly most of us
are still activists, and still raising our voice at injustice, and 
inhumanity, some of us are even in positions of influence in various 
city, county, state, and federal positions.  A large percent of us have 
decided that the destructive behaviour of our fellow citizens is 
overwhelming  the  earth's ability to sustain itself, and that we can't 
effectively create the changes necessary through building one farm at a 
time, and one small community at a time.  The house is on fire, and a 
four bucket brigade is too little too late. 

Those of us who chose permaculture as a path to  positive change have 
struggled for years, (20 years in my case), with the problem of reaching 
critical mass, in terms of numbers of people, to change direction.  Many 
of us chose to teach permaculture, some to design, some to go into city 
planning, and some to grow healthy food.  All of us are equally with 
integrity and considerable sacrifice devoted to creating a place for 
seven generations hence.  If you want to create a Permaculture Credit 
Union you have to present yourself to financial regulators in a way that 
they listen to your ideas rather than boggling mainstream minds with 
ones eclectic dress or ideas.  Nothing wrong with eclectic, except when 
it gets in the way of ones intentions.

I"d rather be teaching pc in the land grant colleges around the country 
where there are hundreds of young minds thirsting for alternatives 
rather than teaching eight students in someones living room, but I am 
and will continue to teach those eight students until other venues 
present themselves.  I would love to retire to my garden, and shop to 
grow and build my dreams, and, by the way, I could make a better living 
than teaching pc, but as I said the house is on fire.

So welcome those of you who want to give it away, and to those of you 
who choose to work in the mainstream as our Trojan Horse warriors with 
morgage payments- there is way too much to do to cast aspersions, or to 
distrust each other.  Ah HoH!

Scott