Subject: Re: [permaculture] Movement thinking (was Designing a Movement)
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:16:17 -0400
On 8/16/2010 6:28 PM, rafter sass wrote:
Permaculture is a design approach and a movement at the very same time - if
you use
a recognizable definition of movement. (I guess I'm camping in both of your
camps.)
I would agree with this, and I think Toby does too. I think what Toby
may be getting at is that we don't need to take any kind of top-down
approach to the social movement aspect of permaculture (not that
permaculturists shouldn't get involved with more direct social action if
they're inclined, but it shouldn't be part of any teaching agenda). I
think that permaculture is more effective as a movement when we simply
teach and apply it as a design system, wherever and whenever we can, and
the very act of doing this changes the participants. I think this is a
more effective route to the kinds of changes we would like to see as
permaculturists, because healing the earth requires so many participants
from every walk of life, some of whom are now are "enemies." I think
that sometimes people don't trust the inherent wisdom of the design
principles and their ability to transform people from within.
Let me ask you this: the military exists and is doing a lot of things
that we don't like. White supremacist groups exist and are doing a lot
of things that we don't like. They aren't going to change or go away
just because we tell them to. What would you propose that a
permaculturist do about these things? And exactly what good does
refusing to teach them permaculture do?