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  • From: Cory Brennan <cory8570@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] on an ethics of Mr Pittman (and the US military)
  • Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:29:41 -0700 (PDT)

Kathyann,

I hear you. When I teach permaculture in places like Haiti and Pine Ridge, I
take it upon myself to address the issues you bring up with those I share
knowledge with (and would do the same with the military). Permaculture
includes a number of fundamental truths about how living systems work which
transcend politics. These truths, when used, change systems. Period. Any
system, moved toward a more sustainable model, will become more sustainable.
One can then move it even closer to that ideal. Etc. It is easier to reform
or even dismantle an army that has a little bit of consciousness than one
that has none. Right?

It is easier for grass roots activists to implement solutions that are more
resistent to oppression when they understand the natural laws of how that
works, right?

I worked as a human rights activist for years before permaculture and felt
like I was beating my head against the wall on certain issues inherent in
sexual and child slavery, abuse of women, disenfranchisement of minority men,
etc. But permaculture offers local solutions to those issues that can be
implemented with existing resources, and this opened doors for me so that I
felt "unsolvable" issues could be much more easily solved. Believe me, plenty
of other people see this as well - villages can plan to counteract any
non-sustainable bureaucratic nonsense that comes down from some "enforced"
plan of permaculture from larger authorities if they understand the
principles. On the other hand, sometimes large organizations have been able
to transform ecosystems for the better much faster than local populations
might (like the Loess Plateau in China - I would have designed that one
differently, but it is an improvement over what it was, and local populations
now have more resources and knowledge to evolve their own systems).

Cory

--- On Wed, 8/11/10, Kathyann <knat@sprintmail.com> wrote:

> From: Kathyann <knat@sprintmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] on an ethics of Mr Pittman (and the US military)
> To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 7:12 AM
> On 8/11/2010 9:33 AM, Cory Brennan
> wrote:
> > The thing that Nicholas and others are missing the
> boat on completely is that permaculture, as a design
> science, TRANSFORMS SYSTEMS.  Which means that if
> permaculture were truly applied to the US military, it would
> transform it into something completely different. It would
> no longer exist as it exists right now.
> I don't think they are missing that, but addressing a
> concern that "permaculture methods" forced as a formula
> (which is traditionally how our military has structured
> their actions) can have an unfortunate effect of inoculating
> the populous against the ideas behind the methods. There is
> much experience in the invasion by religious missionaries
> into cultures to draw that concern. I, too, think we need to
> give credit to the recipients to discern and acknowledge the
> next view will be a combination of what is offered, what is
> given, what is utilized, and what is self-generated.
> In this forum, we think of design including the knowledge
> of the people who live with an area as permaculture. Design
> from afar, imposed on an area, no matter how benevolent the
> overlord, is unduly influenced by antibody reaction. So a
> "method" introduction with techniques rather than design
> empowerment seems not only limited but prone to
> misunderstanding.
> Goals of reestablishment are at odds. Within a culture
> still without peak oil lifeview is not the same as postpeak
> US. The US has depleted our supplies and if their citizenry
> rebuild in our likeness they will, in a few short years, be
> settled to consume rather than export their supply and we
> will not have had time to retool without oil.
> I think it is a fine ideal that we structure our help in
> rebuilding to be a model of globally appropriate scale (if
> we ourselves are similarly required to that model.) Yet, the
> question remains, can one who has come into an area to force
> a change, ever actually make the change or is the system too
> caught up in fighting the invasion to heal with the invader
> still present. Permaculture does give rise to an interesting
> thought of forced symbiosis. Hard to picture the US military
> being aware enough for accepting the compromises necessary.
> But it would be interesting. Tree grafters have ideas?
> (scuse me if I don't call on the gene-splicers right now.)
>
> Kathyann
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