permaculture

["Jara" <jara@otenet.gr>]

Sean,

This is brilliant ! You have put into words here what I have been trying to 
express a whole lifetime ! Thanks a lot ! Where did you get the Rhizome 
Culture concept from ?

Andrew.

> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2006 14:27:02 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Sean Maley <semaley@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] Response to "Prepare for disaster"
> To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Message-ID: <20060617212702.41320.qmail@web52807.mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> --- scakya@lobo.net wrote:
> > Great piece Harold,
> >    As one who is linked closely to East coast traders and behind the 
> > scene
> > folks in DC, know you are on the right track-you've hit a bulls eye in 
> > fact.
> > But, instead of fear, knowledge of how to and what to is important for
> > survival in uncertain times.
>
> Working in the financial mines today, there is absolutely no talk about 
> gold.  In fact, they have
> been investing in oil with the thought that big oil exploits peak oil 
> paranoia and there is a race
> to sit on the remaining oil reserves (diamond industry thinking).  The 
> talk about real estate
> investments has subsided.  Some have bought property where they go on ski 
> vacations, but this
> seems to be a practical matter.
>
> When reading about economic theory, I tend to find demonizing and trash 
> talk to be tiresome.  I
> shouldn't have to read for hours before getting to a meaningful premise. 
> The economic system is a
> pyramid scheme, based upon controlling the means of production.  For a 
> simple demonstration on how
> this works, play the monopoly game.  If you can control Park Place and 
> Boardwalk before another
> player can control one of the lesser monopolies, you tend to win the game 
> more easily.  Monopoly
> is based upon Henry George economic theory.  Getting bogged down in this 
> gold and paper theory
> misses the bubble bust cycle that predates even gold currency in ancient 
> times.  Besides, gold
> isn't very nutritious, too soft to make shelter, and too heavy for making 
> good clothing (useless).
>
> With or without gold, oil, or the US government, there will always be 
> poverty, so long as the
> pyramid scheme continues.  Yes, all those starving people really are 
> starving, but no it isn't
> because food is in short supply, just that a man with a gun guards the 
> food unless the starving
> submit to the hierarchy.  This mirrors the most ancient of "history" that 
> we know:  most work for
> a few privileged, and well-fed, aristocrats.  To escape the hierarchy, we 
> must counter it with
> it's opposite, called a rhizome.  In doing this, we must remember our 
> current hierarchy context
> and maintain a shield for our rhizome.  Establishing a church or emulating 
> the top of the pyramid,
> business structures, accomplishes a form of a shield.  Fundamental to all 
> of this involves holding
> land within the hierarchy context, which is sufficient to "make a living".
>
> Hierarchy causes us to loose trust in our friends and neighbors, which is 
> reflected in the gold
> collapse theory and identifies gold theory as intrinsically hierarchy 
> culture.  In our rhizome
> culture, we seek collaboration and cooperation towards "making a living 
> together".  The hierarchy
> culture collapses when sufficient labor can't be found.
>
>  Wealth => Land, Labor, Improvement
>
> Hierarchy:
>
> Everyone starts the hierarchy game with equal holdings, but not everyone 
> can own Wall Street, so
> those with less useful land get stuck in a dilemma of working for the man 
> or starving.
>
> Rhizome:
> Everyone starts with the assumption of "making a living" with available 
> land.  If the land is
> insufficient where you are, you must find land that can support you or 
> improve the land where you
> live (permaculture?).  Our monkeysphere limits us to groups of 150 members 
> "making a living
> together", called tribes, so land holdings vary in size according to the 
> ability to support life.
> Labor isn't a matter of producing wealth for the landholder, but rather 
> for supporting yourself
> and your tribe.
>
> The transition:
>  1. Establish a tribe (make a living together).
>  2. Set goals to purchase land/shelter transitioning from hierarchy
>  3. Establish your range/territory
>  4. Improve your land
>  5. Keep enough hierarchy business to pay the taxes
>  6. be sociable with your neighbors
>  7. Share your surpluses to help other tribes