Comments on: We are the World leaders! http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/2009/12/24/we-are-the-world-leaders/ Permaculture solutions for a sustainable world Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:15:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: aranya http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/2009/12/24/we-are-the-world-leaders/comment-page-1/#comment-51 aranya Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:34:36 +0000 http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/?p=391#comment-51 Yes indeed, Gandhi encouraged just this kind of action and ultimately won India's independence from the British. Spinning their own thread and making their own cloth, making their own salt; these were simple actions performed by individuals en-masse that changed the destiny of a nation. Yes indeed, Gandhi encouraged just this kind of action and ultimately won India’s independence from the British. Spinning their own thread and making their own cloth, making their own salt; these were simple actions performed by individuals en-masse that changed the destiny of a nation.

]]> By: Gary Finch http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/2009/12/24/we-are-the-world-leaders/comment-page-1/#comment-50 Gary Finch Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:16:57 +0000 http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/?p=391#comment-50 Hi, our biggest limiting factor is the propaganda system we live in that tells us that we dont have power and that we are too small to make a significant difference. This coupled with the teaching that, yes there are problems, there may be solutions but isn't life too short to look into the causes when we could be enjoying life, after all "...we're worth it" Noam Chomsky reports that he gets many letters from people in the developed world asking what they can do, whereas from the developing world he only gets letters from people telling him what the ARE doing. Satish Kumar is constantly advising people to bake bread, Thich Naht Hanh advise to breathe consciously, Aranya tells us to plant a tree - I tell people these things and am advised that this is all very well but how will that help? this is the propganda system at work, if we cant make the big grand gesture that will affect the millions what is the point? It doesn't occur to people that doing these things is being advised because they are precisely what has given these wise people the grounding to begin and carry on with the work in a way that is non harmful and beneficial to both themselves and the world around them - to say yes to one thing is effectively saying no to everything else - practising permaculture is a very effective way of defeating the propaganda system embedded in our consciousness - the only time we have is NOW Hi, our biggest limiting factor is the propaganda system we live in that tells us that we dont have power and that we are too small to make a significant difference. This coupled with the teaching that, yes there are problems, there may be solutions but isn’t life too short to look into the causes when we could be enjoying life, after all “…we’re worth it” Noam Chomsky reports that he gets many letters from people in the developed world asking what they can do, whereas from the developing world he only gets letters from people telling him what the ARE doing. Satish Kumar is constantly advising people to bake bread, Thich Naht Hanh advise to breathe consciously, Aranya tells us to plant a tree – I tell people these things and am advised that this is all very well but how will that help? this is the propganda system at work, if we cant make the big grand gesture that will affect the millions what is the point? It doesn’t occur to people that doing these things is being advised because they are precisely what has given these wise people the grounding to begin and carry on with the work in a way that is non harmful and beneficial to both themselves and the world around them – to say yes to one thing is effectively saying no to everything else – practising permaculture is a very effective way of defeating the propaganda system embedded in our consciousness – the only time we have is NOW

]]> By: aranya http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/2009/12/24/we-are-the-world-leaders/comment-page-1/#comment-25 aranya Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:09:00 +0000 http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/?p=391#comment-25 Thanks Simon, We are indeed the ones, we just need to remember the power we have in our individual choices, that every time we buy something we are taking a vote for that thing to be in our World. Have a great 2010! Aranya Thanks Simon,

We are indeed the ones, we just need to remember the power we have in our individual choices, that every time we buy something we are taking a vote for that thing to be in our World.

Have a great 2010!

Aranya

]]> By: Simon Allard http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/2009/12/24/we-are-the-world-leaders/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Simon Allard Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:26:27 +0000 http://www.abundantfuture.co.uk/?p=391#comment-23 Another timely post, Aranya. I am reminded of Alice Walker's book, "We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For". Walker tells us that, <i>"We are the ones we have been waiting for because we are able to to see what is happening with a much greater awareness than our parents or grandparents, our ancestors, could see. This does not mean we believe, having seen the greater truth of how all oppression is connected, how pervasive and unrelenting, that we can 'fix' things. But some of us are not content to have a gap in opportunity and income that drives a wedge between rich and poor, causing the rich to become ever more callous and complacent and the poor to become ever more wretched and humiliated. Not willing to ignore starving and brutalized children. Not willing to let women be stoned or mutilated without protest. Not willing to stand quietly by as farmers, and plants are engineered to self-destruct...We have wanted all our lives to know that Earth, who has somehow obtained human beings as her custodians, was also capable of creating humans who could minister to her needs, and the needs of her creation. WE ARE THE ONES."</i> There are clearly many challenges to living in our modern world. That means there are also a great many opportunities for us to grow as human beings...and I mean both as individuals and as a species as a whole. As our awareness of some of the things that are happening in the world grows, so does our responsibility to contribute to making the world a better place. Thanks again Aranya for the reminder that we can make a positive difference by even the smallest of actions. And that the right time to start doing it is NOW. Another timely post, Aranya. I am reminded of Alice Walker’s book, “We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For”.

Walker tells us that, “We are the ones we have been waiting for because we are able to to see what is happening with a much greater awareness than our parents or grandparents, our ancestors, could see. This does not mean we believe, having seen the greater truth of how all oppression is connected, how pervasive and unrelenting, that we can ‘fix’ things. But some of us are not content to have a gap in opportunity and income that drives a wedge between rich and poor, causing the rich to become ever more callous and complacent and the poor to become ever more wretched and humiliated. Not willing to ignore starving and brutalized children. Not willing to let women be stoned or mutilated without protest. Not willing to stand quietly by as farmers, and plants are engineered to self-destruct…We have wanted all our lives to know that Earth, who has somehow obtained human beings as her custodians, was also capable of creating humans who could minister to her needs, and the needs of her creation. WE ARE THE ONES.”

There are clearly many challenges to living in our modern world. That means there are also a great many opportunities for us to grow as human beings…and I mean both as individuals and as a species as a whole.

As our awareness of some of the things that are happening in the world grows, so does our responsibility to contribute to making the world a better place.

Thanks again Aranya for the reminder that we can make a positive difference by even the smallest of actions. And that the right time to start doing it is NOW.

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