permaculture

["Michael Kramer" <MKramer@hawaii.rr.com>]

As a decentralized movement, permaculture is a movement that survives 
primarily on trust, because it is not controlled by anyone or any 
organization, at least not in the States. People pay for the design course 
experience and, upon graduation, they earn the right to call themselves 
permaculturists and use this term in their work or life.  The money people 
pay is for this right, and that's it. The courses may vary in teachers, 
content, style and depth, but they are introductory so they are not meant to 
be an identical catch-all; nor are they designed to give everyone all the 
tools and strategies they need to apply permaculture in all its facets. 
Rather, the courses give people a lens through which they can look at how 
they will design their lives and gives some sample strategies. But it is the 
design process, not the stories or web of facts impacted, that makes a 
permaculture course unique. And this has value as a body of knowledge, which 
is why people feel like paying for it.

No one asks for a course grad's certificate because this is unimportant. What 
matters is that people are on the path to mastery, doing the work in whatever 
way they wish, and anyone who applies what they experience in a Basic Design 
Course is practicing permaculture.  Certainly there are people out there who 
come to a design course with a lot of knowledge, and others with very little. 
We don't judge people based on this diversity, we appreciate it, and when 
people leave a course, we appreciate that they will at least know what 
permaculture means; how they appply it is up to them, and the more approaches 
the better as long as the integrity of the design process is upheld.  There 
is little need to police this process, centralize it, or assess certain 
people as walking their talk more than others.  We're a guild, after all, 
each of us fixing different nutrients in the sociocultural system called 
humanity. Not everyone wants to grow their own food or live on $2000 annual 
income. Some teach, some write, some organize, some work the land, some 
build, some run for office, some deal with finances, some start businesses, 
etc. If we judge each other, we do not focus on the true potential of the 
system, and we likely alienate ourselves from all those who do not think as 
we do. We need to be bridge-builders, folks, and reach out to where people 
they are at, not judge them harshly. People out there are willing to pay for 
this awakening, and we're the people to wake 'em up.  

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Michael Kramer
Natural Investment Services
P.O. Box 390595
Keauhou, HI 96739

www.NaturalInvesting.com
808-331-0910
Toll-free: 888-779-1500

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
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