Beyond activism, into doing
posted by Chris Watkins | January 20, 2010
- Login or register to post comments
- Print this page
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Propeller
Reddit
Magnoliacom
Newsvine
Furl
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
IcerocketLobbying for change, demanding change. We need to do it, and I'm grateful for those that lead the way.
But personally I'm more attracted to the practical. (Confession: I'm a water engineer.)
We know what Copenhagen demonstrated: that climate change is caused by hot air emitted by our so-called leaders. So if we want change, then to borrow from the Hopi, "We are the ones we have been waiting for."
I believe that knowledge empowers, and that's why I put my energy into Appropedia, working with the community to create a comprehensive, structured resource of solutions. Climate change, poverty, oil dependency, quality of life - all the crises we face can be solved by putting our heads together, sharing our solutions and acting/.
But this is the struggle: although the Appropedia community has put together over 3000 pages of open knowledge, designs and solutions, it's backed by a tiny non-profit with no paid staff. And it's competing for attention against highly paid advertisers, fluffy social networks (not including Evolver in that one!) and greenwashers.
If this were my own blog I'd have a call to action. But since this is Evolver - I'll just ask - what do you think?
Comments
With all due respect...
— Jan 20, 2010
What would i think? I agree that practicality is vital. Evolver appears little focused on practical living issues. The 'civilized' cultures ignore mounting-implications of highly-developed materialism and the questions of sustainability. Attitudes may perk up a little, when agricultural-aquifers are more noticeably emptied and noticeably effect markets. New bandages will patch over immediate shortcomings. Carbon industries will rally for more control, promising bigger and bigger solutions for all problems. Like extracting air moisture for supplemental water supplies.Ignoring the destruction of harmonious ecosystems.
Actually i am personally doubtful that the concept of 'permaculture' or that comprehensive-harmony will ever dominate scholarship or industry. It appears that selective biases always hold forth. Appropedia and Wikipedia are both interesting, but inevitably, biases seem to develop and grow there too. No blame can be laid for free-contributions provided, but it may simply ask too much for complete un-biasing, to evolve there. The wider, free style internet holds more hope in my eye. Hope upheld by free-styled creativity and practicality both. Besides, it is so hard to design say one water policy to work in all climates. Or to design one appropriate tech, seemingly for all climates. Varied cultures also demand individuation. Nevertheless, providing freely available designs, freely accessable, is to be commended, IMO.
verifiable practicality...
— Jan 22, 2010
I would agree with artgineer that practicality is vital.
But it seems that what that thought does for me and what it does for him are 2 different things. I do not want to put words in his mouth, but to say that it is doubtful alternative concepts like permaculture will ever be dominant because people are naturally biased seems to be cynical.
I do not have a 'favorite' green technology. I do not have a 'favorite' social construct. I have no degrees in engineering or conceptual designs for community born out of some academic theory. I do not believe that any one system born out of a solution to serve one another is going to become dominant in our world.
I agree however with that thought Chris expresses, 'we are the change we are waiting for'.
I do not see that it makes sense anymore to believe in centralized industry, or government, or banking. It is clear that all of these aspects of our world are a product of imagination. The people in government, finance and industry at the highest levels obviously imagine themselves to be one thing. Their fans obviously imagine they are another. The media obviously imagines that as long as they are interesting they will talk about them.
But the practical reality of people is that what they are told and sold vs what they experience, differs from all of that. So.... I think, practically speaking, people who are engaged and sincere and willing to be personally responsible are going to think globally and act locally. What will matter in the final analysis, is what works, who is in harmony with their own circumstances, environmentally as well as in relationship to others.
I believe that all of these manufactured crisis will fade away as people simply discontinue giving these larger multi-national and bureaucratic power-trading systems their energy and attention.
If a politician is speaking in a desert, is he making any noise?
I think we, the people should act as if that is where the politicians are, somewhere out there in the desert, preening with one another. That would then mean, I believe, we could all just go out there and 'do the right thing'.
I think we can just go ahead and start doing that now, as Chris suggests.
Peace
Steve
