As I wind down my days in New Zealand I am figuring out ways to make the most of time. Two days ago was spent in a community called Rainbow Valley - essential an almost self sustaininbg community of about 12 families, they have been their 35 years in one of the most pictureseque and well preserved natural vallies I have ever been in. The forest surrounding them is tropic. I will make my own knife next week as a souviener.
Ironically a lot of of my time down time has been spent preparing for my Australian experience- I leave for the big down under in 7 days time. After much begrugging of the Wwoof experience I think I will continue to participate in the program for another couple of weeks and hopefully begin to learn more about permaculture at the Permaculture Research Institute. I am eager to learn about this concept as I think it will become an increasingly vital part of our communites in the next couple of decades.
How am I doing? I am continuing to strive to be in the present, focusing my energy and I am beginning to establish a heatlhty relationship with my ego. I am excited to read a book that just came out titled - Ego: The Fall of the Twin Towers and the Rise of an Enlightened Humanity. It speaks to a lot of what I have been feeling about our communities and the menatality of our current/future generation. I do have hope in the future and in mankinds' ability to have compasion and empathy towards each other. I think IT and Web 2.0 will help us get to a more sustainable place by helping us become more efficienct - utilizing resources/wastes better and by collaborating on more localcentric ideas). Speaking of local centric I our food supply is going to be a big part of this change (it is more economic and of course healthy and sustainable for us humans and our dear Mother). My current determination is to see how I can make a living and to fit into this changing world by doing something I am passionate about (still working on this). I think everyone should follow the Occupy Wall Street movement and if you get a chance think deeply about what it means for our society and how we each (within our own spheres of influence) can work to diminish electronic money, outsourcing, and over sized corporations, as well as an over abundance of credit. This is not an effort to resign our current responsibilities but to act towards a vision of a better future. If not to act then at least this movement is getting people to talk about it. I think it is a very historic moment.
Have you heard of "But Will the Planet Notice?" An economist wrote it and Graham is using it in his class. Evidently the answer is, yes, but yet last year we the planet had the worst green house gas emissions ever. For as smart as we are and knowledgeable, we as a race are not motivated to take action. Our little universe in Boulder tries, but when I take my 18 mile trek to work, there's no evidence, really. Sounds like NZ is really progressive.
ReplyDeleteHope your trip to Australia is wonderful. Just be careful. It's said there are more critters in the land down under that can kill you than just about anywhere else. I've heard it described as a thin veil of modernity cloaking a wild energy that lives just beneath the surface. Should be right up your alley.
Love your blog!
Aunt Andie