permaculture

["GlobalCirclenet" <webmaster@globalcircle.net>]

I'd like those following this thread to look more closely at what's being
claimed for PC workshops. Consider this: 
>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. 

That's saying that people do not have a "right to call themselves
permaculturists" unless they pay whatever workshops are charging. That they
literally buy that "right" with money. Yet they don't have to qualify for
certification by mastering any body of knowledge, by passing any exam, or
by successfully completing any internship to demonstrate competence in the
field of permaculture. Hmmm.

It's saying that people who don't pay for workshops don't know as much
about it as those who do pay the money - and even those who actually
practice permaculture can't call themselves permaculturalists, while anyone
who pays their money can, whether they ever put it into practice or not, or
regardless of how little they may know or gain from a workshop. What's
going on here?

The issue is not about some of us being against workshops or against paying
anything for them. The problem is people who find a valuable new field of
knowledge, and try to put a fence around it and charge admission. That
fence consists of exaggerated claims for the workshop "experience" and for
the value of certification. It consists of convincing others that they have
special knowledge and that people who actually practice permaculture
somewhere out in the sticks just don't count. They aren't part of the in
crowd who paid to get in. 

Drag out your hip boots folks, it's getting deep.

paul@largocreekfarms.com
http://medicinehill.net
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 9/15/2004 at 9:03 PM Michael Kramer wrote:

>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.  
>
>-----
>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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