04 December 2010

Spinning out of Control

Spinning, spinning, spinning. The world goes round and round. Around the sun we go, day and night, tides and currents continue on their faithful paths. And around and around the people go, faithful to our daily routines, birth to death, nation to nation, city to city, neighbour to neighbour, lover to lover, mother to child. We spin until we're dizzy.

We, in the West, are so dizzy and off balance we can't clearly see what is right before our eyes. Nature has a natural spin, a flow that is balanced. Night has day, tides come in and out, summer has winter. People however do not have balance. We consume and make waste but we do not consume our waste. We take from nature but we do not give back. We share with our neighbours but not with others. We break but we do not repair.

So, we need to stop spinning in one direction for a while. We need to pause, regain some balance, and either reverse spin or continue on at a slower pace. What am I trying to say? All actions have consequences and to date we are not taking the responsibility to account for our actions. In society we have to examine our actions both by our intentions and the ramifications of our actions. No plan should go ahead without a researched analysis and plan to manage the consequences. Example of no balance? Easy, BP, Afghanistan, Iraq, colonialism...shall I go on...?

How to slow down spinning? Well, think about when you spin around too fast, the first thing you notice...other than the pleasure...is a blurred view of the surroundings. But you keep going because it's fun. And then you start to notice that you're feeling off balance so you decide to stop...and whammo! You are stumbling around, bumping into things. Kids love it, Adults...not so much.

What is my point? We've been having a lot of fun in our post-industrialized society learning new ways to make our lives better and easier but we've started to notice that our view of the world may be a bit skewed. We've not been able to see the people on the sidelines who are not spinning, the disappearing plants and food and animals. So now we're at the point where we not only need to but want to stop spinning. Wow, is it ever going to mess us up. We should expect to be so dizzy and off-kilter that we have to sit down.

Uh-oh. Sit down? What does that mean? So that someone else can spin? That's a scary thought; we want to spin. We've been happily spinning so long. What might the view be like from a seated position? We've surely been there before, a long time ago. But what fun is there in sitting? Well, for starters, we can see more clearly and maybe we can talk to someone else who has been sitting down for a while watching, quietly observing us spin so happily.

In the Western world, we have to stop. Just stop. What might life be like if we lived like the majority of the world? I'm guessing most of us don't want to live that way. So, what if we all got up out of our seats together in a big circle and slowly start to spin together, smile for each other instead of for ourselves. We won't be dizzy but we will have a lot more fun and so will everyone else.

I have no ideas where this spinning thought came from. I had intended to write about the complexity within each of us and how to find a way to connect our own individuality to the complexity of global citizenry and sustainability. Maybe I'm not ready to write about complexity yet. Maybe it comes from the Mindfulness in Leadership retreat I attended yesterday with the Authentic Leadership institute (ALIA) led by Alan Stone. Maybe it was something someone said to me last night. I did have a vision of each of us as our own planet, with our own orbit and gravitiational pull towards one another. But we're so complex...we tend to spin on our own axis. Ya...I need to think about it a bit more. Maybe next blog.

03 October 2010

A Cause for Celebrity

I should be going to bed, it's late but I can't. My mind won't let me. I'm feeling a bit distraught at the moment...let me explain.

I love David Suzuki. He's been an inspiration to me for decades. In the early nineties I became a fan when I saw him on the bus to UBC when I was going to class. I thought "Yep, he's legit. Walking the talk." Tonight I had a chance to hear him talk at Dalhousie. I brought my daughter and his book to sign. I was so excited and thrilled that my young daughter would have a chance to hear this Canadian icon.

He was great...passionate, articulate, informative and wise. But I left the auditorium feeling sad. He's just a man, in his 70's now, probably slowing down a bit...not that you could tell from his talk. He's just a man.

He's dedicated his life to a cause that I am greatly concerned about and I fully support him and his Foundation. But...he's just a man.

I came home and turned on the TV for a sec to watch the news. The Abbey Lane show was on and to my great pleasure, the Killers were performing. My lucky day! Not so much. I watched them and that same feeling of sadness came over me. They're just a band, a bunch of guys playing instruments. Just ordinary people.

It dawned on me that I'm saddened by celebrity. What harm is being done by celebrity? We know the media attention that can come from it. People may listen more, give more money, buy more books. But then what? Does my sincere admiration for Suzuki lessen my admiration for others who are not celebrities. Would I recognize a photo of David Orr, Thomas Berry, Paul Hawken, Lester Brown or E.O. Wilson? No, of course not. But I admire them and their words. Does the fact that Suzuki is a celebrity diminish my admiration for him after seeing him in the flesh? Yes, unfortunately, it does.

Why? It might be because he's getting older now and we'll be looking out for the next Suzuki, the next leader to take us into the future. But there can't be another Suzuki can there? We can't depend on these leaders to lead us. We need to lead ourselves and learn from the wisdom of others who have taken the time to dedicate their lives for the betterment of all of us, not for celebrity status.

No, I am not saying that Suzuki sought fame, not at all. What I am saying is that celebrity has a dirty little tinge to it, it rubs the shine off the true brilliance of the person.

No one will be the next Suzuki so where does that leave us? Where are we without our reliable, constant and true leaders who will tell us what we need to know and believe?

Suzuki talked about our fatalistic inclination to worship the economy and how dangerous it is to put economy before ecology. Truer words were never spoken. But, we idolize him...he's our beacon, our voice, our leader. When he is gone, so will be his light and I fear we will be soon groping around in the dark.

27 April 2010

Sustainable Future

So...I'm on this sustainable future work team for the college academic plan and we've been challenged with the question of how to best prepare the current and next generation of learners with the skills, aptitudes and attitudes they will need to help shape an environmentally sustainable future for the Province. It's an interesting opportunity.

First we have to agree upon the term 'sustainability'. It's generally agreed that, like the unfortunate watering down of the term 'green', the corporate adoption of the term is now muddling the understanding of 'sustainability'. In corporate circles, it's been adopted to indicate longevity of a business or used to position oneself against the competition. It's less about society and the environment and more about economics...the economics of survival.

I've been using the term 'restorative' for a while now because I think it better reflects the rise of societal and environmental activism around the world; the heightened awareness of eco-degradation; the increasing desire for a simpler way of life to offset the incredibly fast pace of a materialistic industrialized western society...one that's on track to engulf billions of individuals around the globe. Restorative means to restore and make stronger. We can use our technologies and knowledge to not only replenish a weakened environment but to also enhance our environment with inclusive and innovative practices and policies. We can make our world a better place by committing to global equity, gender equality, eliminating warfare, engaging in peaceful religious and ethnic collaborations. We can restore the health of our environment and we can make our world a much better place to live.

That being said, sustainability is not a 'term' that can be defined because sustainability is not a thing, it is alive, just as any organism is alive. Organizations are living entities too, they evolve and grow and repair themselves like we do; it is not that people are the heart of an organization, rather it should be understood that the organization is in the heart of the people. How I see an organization is how it is communicated to me through the people that represent that organization. I am my organization, it is not me. I have my own soul which I use to express my connection with the organization's soul. If I do not relate well with the soul or expression of the organization it will be reflected in my relationship with the broader community.

So...back to the question 'how to best prepare the current and next generation of learners with the skills, aptitudes and attitudes they will need to help shape an environmentally sustainable future for the Province?"

I think when we think about our own relationships with other entities as life forms, we start to see them as not forms of hierarchy or power but as systems. We can better relate to systems because we ourselves are systems. How more natural is it to identify with our commonalities than to distinguish what makes us different...or weaker, or more powerful? it is intriguing to identify our strengths and similarities with others to see how we can be stronger. But in the western world, we don't do that. We look for ways to compete, survive, surpass, overcome, achieve, accumulate, advance and acquire. This means that we look for ways to stand apart from others, to be different, to gain respect. But, this is not a healthy sense of individuality and self-awareness. This is a sense of conformity and acquiescence. We survive and succeed by fitting into a mold predetermined by centuries of patriarchal, industrial rule.

Again...back to the question 'how to best prepare the current and next generation of learners with the skills, aptitudes and attitudes they will need to help shape an environmentally sustainable future for the Province?"

We now have a discourse on sustainability and a systems thinking approach to sustainability. What we have achieved is the breaking down of stereotypes and predetermined notions about sustainability and organizations. So now we must continue to break down barriers.

In a school, the most obvious barriers are: barriers to entrance, barriers between disciplines, barriers between gender, ethnicity, power, ability, access and language; barriers between student and faculty, faculty and administration, barriers between pedagogy and cultural understanding (evaluation, delivery, practice of the learning), barriers between institutions and industry; physical barriers between people in offices, cubicles, classrooms and single desks.

One way we could begin to prepare the current and next generation of learners with the skills, aptitudes and attitudes they will need is to remove barriers. Life does not draw a line in the sand between biology and poetry or math and art. One flows into the other naturally. In schools we've organized knowledge into neat and tidy piles of sand, each pile representing all things related to a particular discipline. How can that be? How can you draw without understanding angles? How can you visualize depth without art? They're inseparable yet we have moved them apart into different disciplines. Why is biology or ecology not taught to business students? Isn't it in the best interest of all business students to expose them to the realities of natural systems?

Let's agree that the removal of barriers, all barriers in an organization, will provide the access and exposure students need to develop an understanding of their world, local, national, regional and international. Great, but what will they do with their knowledge. Will they act on it? Does being informed equate with being engaged? Does empathy equate with compassion? No, in both cases, it doesn't.

A second way we could begin to prepare the current and next generation of learners with the skills, aptitudes and attitudes they will need to help shape an environmentally sustainable future for the Province is to engage them in their learning, in the process of becoming a citizen. All curriculum should include opportunities for students to apply their learning in a sustainable application; volunteerism, assignments, journaling, service learning, projects in the community, etc. Learning is important but so is the application of the learning and finding relevance or a personal connection to the learning. When we are able to make the connections between what we learn and the world, we grow. When we are able to change our environment based on our learning, we develop new understanding and skill.

The process we need is basically dialogue and deliberate action. But we're still missing something important. I call it taking down the exit sign.

When students enter school, secondary or post-secondary, it is a temporary task with a well trampled path laid out before them. Yawn. This linear path always has an exit sign symbolizing the end of your learning...now time to join the real world and get a job. I think this is totally wrong. Sure, it is a fine fit for the industrial age when assembly lines were the latest and greatest but this is no longer the industrial age, that 200 year adventure has gotten us into a heck of a mess. No, now we're in an information revolution and what I hope is the age of restoration. It would be enormously helpful if students entered the world of education as if it were a community that grew around you and sheltered you. instead of visualizing a path with a start and finish line, try to imagine a village with a town centre and surrounding neighbourhoods with their own specialities. A students should start in the middle of the community where most of the support is located and have the opportunity to explore the different neighbourhoods to learn and grow as individuals. Likewise, we should see this village as a manifestation of ourselves, with our soul in the centre encircled by life experiences and learning and adaptations. As we replenish the soul with our lives, we find our purpose and are better able to serve others. In the school centre students can replenish their learning through dialogue and sharing and recognition.

What was that question again...how to best prepare the current and next generation of learners with the skills, aptitudes and attitudes they will need to help shape an environmentally sustainable future for the Province. My answer would be to remove barriers, infuse sustainability learning and the application of that learning, and grow an inclusive soul-seeking community of learners.

12 April 2010

Life's Not Fair

Sometimes procrastination for me means I get to blog. Yes, a blog is a therapeutic tool that comes in handy when avoiding other work. On to the therapy.

I've been reading a lot about fairness lately, especially through the lens of ecofeminism ecology. It is striking what we value and what we don't value. In our patriarchal capitalist market-driven society we value production and power. Find it, make it, profit from it...find more, make more, earn more, spend more...on and on and on. We think about life as a 'thing', something to be consumed. It got me to thinking of what it would be like to live in a world where we valued the opposite of 'things'.

Imagine...a society where the highest value is placed on families raising children. In this world, parents earn a living by working in the community, helping other families, and raising their children to be good citizens; who are indeed the most valuable products of society. Teachers are highly valued because they are responsible for shaping the minds of children...the future leaders. Producers of goods and materials to mobilize and entertain families play a supportive role in this society and to acknowledge the value for what they do, the governing bodies would provide a monthly stipend to cover their costs (a sum determined by the government).

People know where their food comes from and they know how to grow some of their food, how to repair materials, and how to live comfortably. Mentors are highly regarded in society and sought out as leaders. This society values wisdom, not titles. This society values people, not things. This society understands how to live with nature, not to profit from it. Housework is valued as a skill, as are the skills of cooks, nurses, artists, farmers and tradespeople. Men and women are paid equally and recognized equally under law.

Even in dreaming of this world I have a hard time shaking the concept of money from my head. It is not easy to imagine a world where money is not the driving force, albeit an illusion of power. It is quite a crippling thing really, this money we so value and spend most of our lives trying to accumulate and spend. What would it be like to have a world without money...or without debt?

About fairness: I often hear the phrase 'well, the world is not fair' and it makes me angry. The phrase is so passively-aggressive that I find it frightening. What does it mean really? Since the world is not fair and we can't do anything about it, it's OK to be unfair? Exploiting other parts of the globe is OK because 'the world is not fair'? Bupkis!

If we could just retract that statement from everything we do we'd be left with a sense of responsibility for once. If it doesn't seem fair, either don't do it or find a better way to do it that is fair. Seems simple enough. But we don't take the time or effort because 'the world isn't fair'. Could it be that the 'developed' world is not concerned about millions of starving, sick and dying people in the low-income world because, well...'life's just like that, be glad you were born here and not there'? Now that India and China are developing, the Western world is crying foul because it's not fair, there are too many of them and they will make our energy and production costs skyrocket. Boo hoo...I guess life's not fair.

03 April 2010

What Does Reading Do?

I read and read and read. I read about injustices all over the world, in the South Pacific, Indonesia, Central and South America and so on. I read about displaced populations, gender and poverty discrimination, hate, degradation, destruction and starvation. But, I also read about heroic acts, bravery, pride, determination, protests, confidence and strength.

And I read on...

Now I sit here typing this entry wondering what I am to do? Who am I? I read about many terrible things that are going on around the world and I want to cry. I want to cry because it is so horrible, because I am part of the problem, because I don't know what to do. I just read.

But it's not enough! I'm not content. What good am I if all I do is read? Do I not have any power to act? Let's see...

I don't have any real power here in Canada. I'm one of millions in the 'developed' part of the world. I work, have children, own my own home, have leisure time and plenty of time to read. I do what I can at a very small level regarding the environment. I plant trees, reduce paper waste, promote environmental awareness, raise funds for hospices and orphanages in South America and Zambia, live simply (or try to) and so on. Woopdeedoo. I don't deserve a pat on the back which I often get, I deserve a slap in the face. Well, maybe not a slap...

I know I can do more. But what? Should I go back to school for more education? What would that do? Should I sell my house and move to another part of the world to help? What can I do? I'm stumped. Should I write about what's going on in the world or about my own self-imposed oppression?

Listen to me...I can't, I don't...what a wimp. So, what to do? I can keep on reading and hope that someday I'll get some guts. Where does the fear come from? Am I afraid of change? Failure? My own inadequacies?

These are difficult questions to answer. I'm as good as the next person, maybe not as educated, powerful or rich. And to be honest, I don't understand why the world is as unfair as it is, why I get to live a comfortable life while others suffer, why I feel paralyzed to act.

So I'm not well educated (relative to what exactly I don't know), powerful (according to whom) or rich (compared to whom exactly). In my eyes, I should see myself as very educated because I am aware of what's going on and feel a need to act. I should feel powerful because I am strong and lucky and determined. I should feel rich, not because I earn and spend more than the majority of the world but because I have a family, a home, good health and a strong support network.

So, I have nothing to stop me. What next?

29 March 2010

Infinite Possibilities, Finite World

We live in a world of infinite possibilities but we have finite resource. Something has to give.

I just came back from a "radical simplicity" weekend retreat with Jim Merkel. We spend a lot of time trying to quiet the mind...easier said than done. The location was beautiful, the weather was cold, we spent all day in dialogue and evenings by the fire. We observed Earth Hour and didn't really notice because we were socializing by candlelight and firelight...and what a bright moon that night.

Back to the point of this entry: usually when I think about sustainability I think about the world, what's fair, what's right, what can be done, etc. I think big and broad, not so much small and focused. This weekend I've had a chance to shake off some loose branches, refresh and regroup. I've learned to try to internalize my ideas...not that that was the intention of the retreat, but it's what I learned. I have to look at my life a lot closer. I have to sit down and go over all the nuts and bolts of my finances, my own consumption patterns, my goals. Although I'm a big thinker, I have to get a handle on where I am and what I am doing so I can quiet my mind.

I think doing this, going through this self-analysis will help me to release some stress and bring clarity to my life. Honestly, financial calculations are the last thing I want to do, I hate them with a passion. But...yes but...

Merkel has some good models to follow, and I will try them out. Here's what I think is going on...I'm consuming about 20 acres/pp with my current lifestyle and my goal is to consume less than 10 acres/pp. Yes indeed, it will be a radical simplification of my life...and my family's life.

And, I am going to give myself a break. I'm not going to beat myself up about not been the greenest of green; about having a less than successful garden last year; about an insane need to have that shirt in the window that would look perfect on me; about drooling over the iPhone and agonizing over the fact that my current cell phone works just fine.

I've learned a new way to think about sustainability. I'm changing my verb from 'perfect' to 'practice'. For example, I will practice change, not perfect change. I will practice gardening, not perfect it. Over time, I'll learn more, experiment and gradually will do better. I will try and accept failure for what it really is, success in progress.

25 March 2010

The Jetsons

OK, so I'm reading Radical Simplicity by Jim Merkel right now, and quickly. I'm going to Merkel's retreat tomorrow for the weekend and I'm crash course reading his book. So far so good, it's a good read and he takes into account a lot of different perspectives; very positive. However, I can't shake an image from my head. Ergo this blog entry, so I can clear my head and get back to the book.

Here's the image that is imprinted on my brain:

I think I mentioned in an earlier entry the notion that in our urbanized high-income part of the world it seems like we could be living in spaceships. Given our disconnect with the natural world, we're as in tune and in touch with the planet as much as an astronaut in space would be...well...with less of a big-picture view (chuckle :-).

And that thought made me wonder about the imagery I was shown when I was a kid - to envision the future. You know what? I was given the Jetsons.

Sure, I also watched other animations such as Hercules and the Flintstones but these cartoons weren't intended to be a snapshot of the future for a kid in the 70's, the Jetsons was just that. The Jetsons was a fantastical look at what family life might be like in the future, with flying space pods, robots and space cities. Looking back I think how true it really might be. Notice how 'spaceship' the Jetsons lifestyle is portrayed? What condition is the planet in? Can they breathe the air in their sealed off house and car pods? Where are the plants and trees?

I copied this from Wikipedia about the Jetsons:

Daily life is characterized as being comically leisurely because of the incredible sophistication and number of labor saving devices, which occasionally break down with humorous results. George's work day consists of pressing a single computer button. Despite this, characters often complain of exhausting hard labor and difficulties of living with the remaining inconveniences.

And earlier in the week I watched a video about cognitive surplus by a great presenter, Clay Shirky who likened the social pacifier of this age to the sitcom. Brilliant.

So, what's cognitive surplus got to do with the Jetsons? Expectations. Somehow I think that this futuristic world of ease fueled by technology, where the globe is our playground, is the expectation of the future...of progress. I'm not sure why. Could it be that spaceship living is the desired future? Could further removal from the environment be seen as a sign of progress by the 'developed world'?

This is scary. Now, I'm just starting to get my head around this and of course I'm talking about a cartoon so it's not realistic. But, the danger of thinking that 'progress' means a life of ease and luxury is that it also means more destruction, more greed, more suffering. So instead of losing the cognitive surplus to further mind-numbing pacifiers, let's explore ways to get back to work. If development means more pacification, it's time to ween and wean.

Back to my book...

01 March 2010

Resolve

There are many things I cannot control, but I can control my resolve.

27 February 2010

The Hopscotch Plan

I routinely enter a title to every blog entry when I start to write. And, routinely I end up changing the title because what I start writing about inevitably changes as the sentences add up.

So, today I am starting without a title, as it should be. However, I do have a topic in mind but I can't get my head around it yet. Which to me means it's worth exploring further.

I've been reading a lot about the environment and I've learned a lot from the various perspectives of many different authors such as David Orr, Paul Hawken, Thomas Berry, Lester Brown, David Suzuki, etc. And I learn something new every time. I've also attended seminars and courses on sustainability which have been equally valuable in a different-kind-of-learning way. What I have now, so it seems to me, is a lot of paint and brushes and a blank canvas. What am I to do now?

In the past I've been pretty quick to act. I think it's a personality style/choice since I am a very impatient person who prefers trial by error than to wait for a plan. And, I have to say, it is effective as opposed to the ineffectiveness of so many talkers who do nothing; we need doers taking up the slack.

However, I just finished a course with Natural Step (Sustainability for Leaders) which presented a backcasting method to sustainability planning. Yes, it is just another word for strategic planning but that in it self is the genius of it. Let me explain.

I think that, for the most part, people who are active in sustainability initiatives are doers by nature; you know, the ones who just can't sit back and let things deteriorate any further. Doers, by nature, aren't necessarily the best planners because of the time it takes to methodically plan actions, which feels a lot like a waste of time.

I would include myself into that group and can refer to a lot if activities I am pursing at the moment without any real plan or vision. So I attended this course not really knowing what to expect from the Natural Step. If they had advertised strategic planing for sustainability I would have run for the hills, but they did not. They advertised a backcasting-ABCD model. I was intrigued and signed up. They're clever.

Now, I can appreciate the importance of strategic planning and I've seen how it works but it is so not my cup of tea. I'm not saying that the Natural Step tricked me, quite the opposite. I'm saying that Natural Step engaged me in a process that was strategic planning without making it feel like strategic planning.

All in all, the course gave me a new perspective in which I now feel inclined to sit and think about my vision, goals and plans of action. You see, what I am doing now is making change but it's not leading towards anything specific. How can I truly bring about change when I haven't identified what it is exactly that I want to change?

Sure, I have lots of ideas swimming around my head, mostly about sustainable living, reasonable needs, indigenous wisdom, biodiversity, verbal botanies, ESD, ecofeminism, global citizenship, and so on. But, what does all this mean to me? How can I make these ideas come to life? How do they all connect? What is my role?



Natural Step put together a good framework in backcasting which I think is valuable. I liken it to playing hopscotch:



Step 1: Know where you're starting from...and what tools, allies and influencers you have on your team.
Step 2: Create your vision and make sure everyone agrees and can see it.
Step 3: Together, lay out your steps that will lead to your vision, with some flexibility built in as well as opportunities to assess along the way.
Step 4: Start playing the game, one step at a time, going forward and maintaining focus on the goal; enjoying and celebrating every step along the way.

















I also really appreciated the reminder of universal basic needs and to take them into consideration when goal setting. I hadn't thought about idleness as a basic human need but I can see how it is part of the quality of life.

So, where to from here? I don't have an answer yet. "For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done forever." Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

21 February 2010

Statistics

The parable of the streetlight. Do you know the one about the drunk looking for his keys under the streetlight? That's what I think of statistics and scorecards. Is it better to look where it's easy to see lots of information with the slight chance of discovering answers, or is it better to search in unknown areas which are more mysterious and risky and more likely to deliver answers? Just because you calculated an answer based on easily-accessed data that's been interpreted and passed through an organizational filter, doesn't mean the answer is accurate.

Not everything can be analyzed with numbers. Yes, it is true that numbers don't lie but it is also true that numbers are used to justify or produce lies. Be careful.

20 February 2010

Why Do We Need Proof?

In the Western world, where science rules, we demand proof of everything, except the Divine. Or, is that really true? I think we do seek proof in religion through rewards and punishment. Is it not true that people of faith often look upon fortune, luck, destruction, and chaos as divine intervention? Are these not the proof we need to abide by the rules of the various good books?

We've relied upon the burden of proof for many decades, centuries even. In science, law, business and education we rate, analyze, score, record and survey the heck our of everything in the never ending elusive search of progress, the ultimate proof of success.

Where has our fixation on proof led us? Down a rabbit hole. Our mathematical, scientific thinking capacity is relatively immature in the long history of humankind, a mere infant to the evolution of our unconscious reasoning; yet we interpret our world through facts and figures. We manufacture our world.

Let's look at this through the analogy of math. As we developed into a 'modern' society (the industrial world) we learned how to add and subtract. We added (created, populated, grew, nurtured, developed, invented, produced) and subtracted (destroyed, warred, enslaved, imprisoned). Then, as we continued to develop, we learned how to multiply and divide. We multiplied (mono crop culture, assembly lines, economies of scale, mega-cities, nuclear proliferation) and divided (nuclear fission, quantum chemistry, astrophysics, cosmology). We've divided, sub-divided, categorized, classified, organized, drawn arbitrary boundaries, built walls and dividers and compartmentalized our world.

So, now that we've added, subtracted, multiplied and divided our world, what next? How long will we continue to endeavor to formulate and equate a world that is not designed to be equated?

We need to get out of this rabbit hole. We don't understand our world. Science and metrics can't explain everything. I don't know if we understand even 1/4 of our world. On the upside, we should be smart enough now to know what we ought not to do. (sigh, we don't have a good track record of learning from our mistakes).

Think about this for a moment. A Historian Lewis Mumford once wrote about the industrializing society, "In such grim conditions, the meaning of life becomes less important that the means of life." I think relying too heavily on science and metrics has led us to where we are now because we're blinded, we can't see our world any other way. When we think about who we are, we define ourselves by nationalities, cultures, religions, territories, clans, families, loyalties, languages, professions, classifications, job descriptions, salaries, property, schedules, etc. Given the demands we've placed on ourselves to multiply and divide at an ever increasing rate, how can we get off this course of self-destruction?

Try to imagine writing an accounting exam and an art history exam at the same time. It won't be easy. It will take conscious effort to shift back and forth from linear thinking to risky creative interpretation, but we have to make this change and we have the ability to do it. We just lack awareness and will. I think the first step is to recognize our compulsion to organize our world. The next step is to start to look at our environment and each other through a different lens; as a collective, interconnected web of life in which we are reliant on the success of all parts of nature, including those which can be proven and those which cannot.

05 February 2010

Harness the Power

From time to time this world provides us with some powerful experiences that make us feel good. These special experiences are the ones that make us feel relieved and at home with ourselves! Why is this? Well, we tend to withhold our ideas and thoughts in our heads if we feel uncomfortable. However, when we think we're in a safe environment and feel comfortable enough, we will express ourselves. But until we feel secure enough, it gives us great pleasure to hear the thoughts we've been protecting in the words of others; it's very comforting, liberating and empowering. For example, think about a time you may have tried speaking in a second language...in a classroom environment...what about on the street in public? Do you see the difference? What if someone was there to help you and to walk with you? Would you want to try harder or shy away? Would you learn more?

I had the pleasure of attending a learning seminar (a 300 person seminar) on Mi'kmaq Ecological Knowledge yesterday; a full day of interesting learning from Canadians: Mi'kmaq, Glooscap and Mi'kmaq Elders, Government reps, University Chairs and Industry. I was struck by the presentations of Mi'kmaq Elder Albert Marshall, Elder Lawrence Wells and Kerry Prosper. They were so passionate, sincere and spoke with such clarity and honesty...I was riveted.

Now, why did I feel at home? I felt that I could breathe out, that someone was speaking out loud what needs to be said...and not being shy or apologetic about it. A while back I posted a blog begging for voices of clarity to make themselves heard and at last I heard you. Thank you.

About 20 years ago someone once said to me "2% of the population doesn't tell the rest of the population what to do". That has been in my head for 2 decades and I've been struggling with it, wondering why I was so bothered by it. It didn't ring true to me. Sure, I got the message, majority rules. But, it never settled well with me. I'm beginning to understand why now. There is more than one truth. In Western eyes, we see or are taught to see the world in one way, a scientific way: Black is black, white is white, what goes up must come down. Nowhere are we taught to think otherwise. But, sometimes black is not black and white is not white; and often lessons are not learned. Why can't 2% of the population warn the others of their wrong doings? Why can we accept 2% of the population, the ruling elite, controlling everything? When is it OK to be listened to...when you represent over 10% of the population...25%?

I think it's amazing that the indigenous peoples of this country were able to maintain their culture at all against such narrow-minded societal and political forces. Wow, just amazing. Marginalized, ignored, debased, divided, isolated...treated as second-class. What hardship to endure. And yet, after all this the Elders still want to teach us; still think we can learn. Can we?

Here are some profound ideas from the seminar:
  • Mi'kmaq believe that they are related to everything: animals, plants, earth, rocks, etc... If you live on a piece of land long enough and you live and die on that land, you become a part of that environment. A part of your ancestors are caught up in the life cycles on earth, in rocks, water, trees, animals, etc. - a spiritual connection. We are a living part of creation because life in creation is a circle. (Kerry Prosper)
  • All cultures once had the same relationship with earth but we have developed at different speeds and rates. (Kerry Prosper)
  • In the West there is a lot of knowledge written down and transferred - and there is a lot of junk and junk in ownership (Kerry Prosper)
  • Sometimes we are asked to prove certain things, even spiritual, sometimes legends can be proven and some not - if proven it is acknowledged. Sometimes you just have to believe, not seek proof; have faith in everything that's here, in people, and have faith that we will begin learning to do the right thing (Kerry Prosper)
  • Indigenous teachings cannot always be explained in words - you have to experience it first-hand. (Kerry Prosper)
  • Without routine acts of respect for our resources we lose respect for them. By having ceremonies and showing respect for nature we never lose the respect, it is important to always reconnect. (Kerry Prosper)
  • We are all indigenous to a land somewhere and we all have a responsibility to our relations, the life forces. (Kerry Prosper)
  • How are science and traditional knowledge similar: both are based on observation of the natural world, both are pattern-based knowledge, both are an exchange of stories as the foundation of any kind of relationship; both acknowledge that science is dynamic - it changes and is not carved in stone (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
  • Etuaptmumk: two-eyed seeing. The first explorers relied heavily on the indigenous and today there is still a great need for spirituality to be nursed. There is a heavy onus on the Indigenous to make sure the language survives (Elder Albert Marshall)
  • Two-eyed seeing concept: I only have a small part of the knowledge and to survive in the environment I need other people to help remind me how I am interconnected and interdependent. (Elder Albert Marshall)
  • It is not enough to go through life with one perspective - how can one learn, how can one be cognitive of a changing world? We must embrace all the tools we have. (Elder Albert Marshall)
  • I am not only physical, I am spiritual and prepared to extend that feeling to all living things both physical and spiritual. Everything alive is both physical and spiritual. Modern science sees objects but our language teaches us to see subjects. (Elder Albert Marshall)
  • Take the accomplishments of the white man's way further by blending it with the wisdom from ancestors. (Elder Albert Marshall)
  • Netukulimk: sustaining ourselves. A rich concept - a reminder of where our responsibilities are; an understanding that needs to be integrated to speak for the species who cannot speak because they are not in human form. (Elder Albert Marshall)
  • Two-eyed seeing does not belong in any particular discipline, it is about life... (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
  • Benefits of two-eyed seeing; community capacity, knowledge inclusivity (capacity growing not capacity building), empowerment. (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
  • Education systems are not well equipped to take the time to learn. (I love this one) (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
  • Once separated from the natural world, there is profound risk. (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
  • Indigenous validation is through the elders - the knowledge of elders must always be used. (Elder Albert Marshall)
  • Western science wants to figure out nature to be more expedient in the manipulation of it. (Love this one too!) (Elder Albert Marshall)
  • Indigenous people abide by earths laws- if she is healthy than I and my family will always be healthy. See nature for what it is. (Elder Albert Marshall)
  • There is need to reverse the pattern of universities who produce students who are experts in exploitation. (Elder Albert Marshall)

Want to learn more:

05 January 2010

Spaceships and Space Stations

I've been reading Thomas Berry and can't get his words out of my head. In 'The Great Work' he talks about the role of humans in the universe...as being one of, not masters of our world. This is the mind-shift required to bring about change for a better future. Heck, any future. He talks about creativity and that's where he hooked me. His description of the balance between discipline and wildness where creativity can flourish is brilliant. he likens the creativity a.k.a. life on earth to a perfect balance of wildness and discipline. Mars...too disciplined. Venus...too wild. He really got me to think about humans on earth, how we behave, how we squash creativity in our increasingly disciplined environment lacking any real balance. We kill creativity in elementary school, in college, at work and in our heavily regulated government systems. We lack balance and in the end we will destroy ourselves.

Berry also talks about the incessant drive of humans, our constant hunger to consume and own the earth's resources as if we have the ultimate right to consume all that surrounds us, with no regard to other living species on the planet. We have no right to assume that the earth is here for our exploitation. We humans are as valuable to this planet as any other tree or fish. Less actually because we will be the ultimate destroyers of this planet, not the tree nor the fish who adhere to the natural limits of nature.

Anyhow, Berry talks about how we humans need to have it all and more, setting our sights on non-earthly domains like space. As if humans ever really left the planet. Impossible. They left the earth surface on a machine built from material from earth, breathing air from earth, eating food from earth. No human has ever truly left the planet.

All this got me thinking...is that how we live on the surface of earth? Are we astronauts on our own planet? Think about it. In the western world, we have severed our ties with the natural world living in cities surrounded by concrete, plastic and steel. We don't know where our food comes from, we live as our surroundings dictate. We shuttle back and forth between cities or 'space stations' with little regard or notice of the earth that we rely on for our lives. Isn't that crazy? We rely heavily on the earth like astronauts do in space; but we don't notice our severed ties with the natural world like they do; it's more obvious when your hundreds of miles above the planet. Ask anyone, where does their food come from...their water...their clothes...their housing materials and furniture...their plants? Do they know or are they reliant on a higher body to supply all their goodies? We humans are a silly and egotistical bunch assuming that we can live like this. I feel sick about it.

Well, no time like the present. Berry talks about the impending 'ecozoic' era. This will require a complete mind shift and awakening in education, business, government and science. A bit of a tall order for such a silly bunch.