Hi,
You can use any of my words you want. They are little suited to the praise you deserve.
Let me elaborate on the impactful effects of permaculture training.
Even though I was a person who in my youth traveled all over the world for bio-dynamic efforts, I never had a clear perspective of how bad off the world was and how we are looking at the end of every non-renewable resource we have. Little bio-dynamic communities think they are “above” the travails of the world. We were convinced that everyone else needed to come see the “right” way to reclaim mother earth by eating our bio-dynamic produce and smelling our sweet compost piles. I shoveled tons of manure, never thinking that perhaps some people might choose to use no compost. This type of concept was not possible for me until I got a “new perspective” on all the different options available. Our “parochial bio-dynamic” groups were pulling away from modern culture, not integrating with it. Ethnocentricism abounds in groups like this. We were an exclusive club that looked down our noses at those below us. We were sure that some of those “non-bio-dynamic” people just didn’t have the “ripened karma” for knowing the truth that Dr. Steiner has given his true followers. In fact, 30 years ago when I was an “expert” in bio-dynamics, there were only a handful of us who knew how to make the compost “preps” in the entire world. We could never understand how the “movement” was ever going to impact the world on a large enough scale to make any difference. We also focused so much attention on the “magic” of bio-dynamics that we forgot to integrate what farmers and gardeners have been doing since the beginning of agriculture.
Permaculture is so much more than growing food. It asks the bigger questions – what is food, water, wind, soil, shelter, animals and Mother Earth and how can we serve Her with the same natural laws She uses to serve us. Where does each of these components fit into the whole of natural order. And permaculture shows us that once we reconsider our place in nature, we can take every good thing we know from everyone successfully creating self-sustaining environments from all over the world, and from ancient times to breaking news – and incorporate it in the bigger question of how are we going to work with nature in the future. And not the distant future either- right now in every deed you do and in every thought you have. Are we breaking natural laws to tame Nature? Are we bending her to our selfish wills that are ignoring future generations? Are we committing the seven deadly sins foisted on nature with a vengance, while most people blame it on some unnamed “them.” Permaculture training shocked me into knowing that I am the “them.” I have thousands of choices a day that could honor Nature and make humans the “paragon of animals” instead of the “quintessence of dust.” I am guilty of the sins of pride, ignorance, greed, and sloth when it comes to taking responsibility for even my own actions in Nature. I blame the culture of materialism, or the government, or corporate interests – all of which can’t be called on the phone nor live in the house next to me. It never crossed my mind to set an example in my own back yard and then live in harmony and sustainability with the resources I have available to me. This is radical, this is revolutionary. Paradise can be regained – by each individual. This is difficult to pass off as another training to slowly forget. Not a single day has gone by since the training that I haven’t shared ideas from the training with others and shocked them into some sense of mutual responsibility for Nature. I have already started to transform my yard from a childrens’ playground, to a childrens’ paradise of Nature; all inspired by the training. When Seth was allowed to re-enter paradise by God – he picked the fruit from the Tree of Life and took three seeds from it. he exited paradise and took the three seeds to the coffin of Adam, his father. Seth placed the three seeds in Adam’s mouth. Adam’s head then radiated light, warmth and nourishment to all around it. When Noah went into the ark, he took Adam’s coffin and Adam’s head gave all the light, warmth, and nourishment they needed for the 40 days of the deluge. Again, three seeds saved the world. You and Wayne are like two of those seeds and I guess Bill Mollison might be the third. The seeds you are planting, are saving the world. And those seeds don’t even need soil!!
gotta go
thanks
doug