Are we being too soft?

Kia ora Daryl

 

I strongly suggest you (and the author of this piece) rewatch the Matrix trilogy. If you can't sit through the 2 sequals, at least reaquaint yourself with the excellent original film, because it illustrates exactly the position those of us who have faced the existential void of [insert prefered phrase here] find ourselves in. Some popular phrases include peak oil/ climate change/ overshoot/ global corporate/ new world order/ leviathan/ industrial society but at root they all describe the same planet-wide problem - a fundamental disconnect between the world *as it is*, and the worlds people believe they live in. This brings us back to the Matrix, which serves as a tidy analogy for any of the aforementioned understandings of the failing system we find ourselves enmired in.

 

We, the family of live (human and non-human) are being tapped as a source of energy for a system that is pursuing its own survival, without regard to the consequences for us. Yet, we have been fed such a rich overload of contradictory bullshit, that we believe we are free, that we choose to live this way, that we have been presented with alternatives, and rejected them. The fact is that what are presented as alternatives to industrial 'progress' amount to a range of nightmares, from the Victorian myth of the "nasty, brutish and short" life of a prehistoric hunter-gatherer, to the Cold War caricature of Soviet Socialism. The mainstream ideas machine never presents us with alternatives which would be better than living "in the Matrix", so why would we not 'choose' to remain in the power plant? Having chosen to ally ourselves with this system, we will fight to the death to defend it.

 

My point is we can't change people's worldview by overloading them with more information, or freaking them out of their complacency. I think the most powerful message is simply that there is, and has been for some time, a better way to use human ingenuity, technology and labour to give us a better quality of life than we have now (not necessarily a greater quantity of stuff, but how much stuff can anyone actually use in a lifetime). The fact that is would also solve most, if not all, of the problems of [insert phrase here] is a bonus!

No I wouldn't come to a workshop titled Surviving the Next Decade", and nor would I run one.

Personally I think thats the best way to turn people off. The classic response when confronted by something that threatens you is "fight or flight" i.e Survivalist gun nuts or to wrap your self in the cosy bubble of denial that so many do.

  What attracted me to Transition Towns is  Rob Hopkins pointing out that environmental movement has got the psychology of change all wrong.  
Instead of painting bleak and negative pictures of what we don't want the world to be, we should be using positive affirmation and descibing how much better and more functional the world will be through the implementation of a transition strategy.  
I run a household sustainability program for a community organisation. We run a series of workshops where we teach people how to collect the rainwater of their roof, how to grow a small vegetable garden and how to fertilise that garden, using bokashi and wormfarming that is fed from their kitchen scraps.  

These workshops cost us almost nothing (about $25 a pop when averaged out) because we utilise many waste materials that would normally be discarded such as food grade barrels and buckets and other cheap resources that are available in the community. All we ask of the host is to invite 5 to 10 friends, neighbours or whanau to attend but they have to host all 3 workshops, 1 to 2 weeks apart.

 

In the last two months we have run 15 workshops at resident's homes. In total we have had 98 adults and about 40 kids attend. I have another 15 workshop pre booked for the next two months. By the end of June we will have run workshops at 16 different homes.

 

The interesting part is that we are engaging many people from lower socio/economic groups that traditionally are very difficult to make contact with when promoting sustainability. We have so many people interested signing up to be a Host  that I simply do not have the time available to cater for them all, and we now have a sizeable waiting list.

 

I believe these workshops are being taken up for several reasons. Firstly  we take the workshop to the people at a time and place that is convienient for them, rather than having the people come to the workshops. We offer positive solutions,  we pitch them as a way to save money, look after the environment and a way to get to know your neighbors. I think the fact  there is the opportunity to get something for nothing plays a big part as well. Most people are initially interested in the vegetable garden but by linking in the rain barrels and the bokashi, wormfarming and composting in with that vegetable garden, their awareness grows over the 3 sessions.  

 

But more importantly the social barriers get broken down. There are now two streets I am working with who want to collectively get together to put in to buy more garden beds, they are telling their friends and neighbours, new faces are coming to the workshops, they are composting their food scraps rather than just "binning" them. They are starting to see waste as a resource. They are finding that salad from the garden tastes better than from a plastic bag. They are realising small changes in their lives can reduce their impacts but also save them money.

 

We may not be addressing every challenge that we face in a post petroleum/climate change world but one of the fundamental principles of Permaculture is "Use slow and steady solutions". Over time I am hoping that we can engage further by working with the groups on things like energy in the home, hot water cylinder wrapping and on transport issues by looking at trip planning and car pooling.

 

The workshop are fun, they are sociable and people learn. At no time do I emphasise the dire state of things, what I focus on is the positive and the benefits of doing these things and that is why I believe we are invited back time and again.

  Cheers Richard

I am not going to take a stance to this thread, because I agree with both sides. Such is the social paradox of the energy transition dilemma we are heading at breakneck speed for systemic failure across multiple levels, yet the approach this TT movement favours is the "slow and steady" solutions you refer to above, Richard.

Richard comments above about having a positive response from lower socio-economic groups are particularly interesting. Has anyone experienced a strong response from upper socio-economic 'classes'? Because it seems as though, funnily enough, it is the wealthy that stand to lose the most in a collapse situation (to use a monetary sense of 'Have/Have not' - you can't eat money and you certainly can't buy instant vege patches).

How do you shake those stuck in the current societal mode of debt and 9-5 slavery? I think Daryl, you raise a valid point - it may not be so radical to contemplate quitting the day-job. Does softly softly even register with your everyday kiwi/zombie? Given the false security of having a regular income, even an average one?

I am a student only recently enlightened to the reality of an imminent energy crisis. It is hard to stay positive, but it is nice to find out I am not alone and it helps being blessed with a family home and a backyard. Yet, the pressures of finding a job, avoiding large debt (student loan aside), and recognising that I lack fundamental life skills (which require considerable investment of time to acquire) are beginning to weigh heavily. Job/false security versus self-sufficiency/relative poverty?

Just some thoughts for you all. I am convinced that we must remain positive, but not about the soft and steady approach. It is obviously a political issue this, because we certainly don't lack the resources or knowledge to do something about it. How do you speak truth to power when it is faceless and asleep at the wheel?

Cheers
Bailey