STRATEGIES FOR
AN ALTERNATIVE NATION

He who denlres bur me not. breeds pesrllenoe.
lvwlllern Bhke, Proverbs n/ l-lelll

me head does ndr ask {or {lowers whfle me belly
lacke flee
llndien ymverb)

14.1
INTRODUCTION

The pregrnanr and prnrneel .pprnnen rd rne mzln body
bl rnrs wmk lnrgely ornrn rererenee ro «noee vrsrons or
belrels dammit]: as sprrieual or rnysnral, nor beennse
rnese in nor a nonnal pan 0! lnnnan expcriemer bur
because llrey are anived er I: a resull ol long
ronremplellon or lnrense rnyolyernenr wrrn lne
rnyeredee rlrel elerrully snrronnd us. We my ”dream"
undmmnding. bnr ll rs somellnng we ennnor demand,
define, or reden ro mhers, rl Is [or ad. or us ro develop

There are llnngr dul nobody else all lrelp ns wrln,
bnl .n a book wrrreen lo nelp people make real-1e
deerslons, lo bnrld new lendsenpes, lo regenerale
damaged loresre, Ind in lrgnlen onr load on emn, rne
presenr need Is lor deer-rm prnrnml appronenes

ln rlne preeedrng rnaprers, well-med and commons
sense reennrenee and srrelegies ol earrlr resmmmn
have been deeenbed and llgnred, All of rlns (am lo
nenpnr ll we, as a people, eonnnne In mm: m arrns
and desrnrerron, m pennrr lend abuse, and ro [all |n
raelrle lne sorrel and polureal nnpedlrnenrs In
reelerrnrng deserlilred and abused lands. nr eyen rn
pmvzm rne porsonlng ol land Thus, llne lollbwrng
seeuons grve slrolegres lor enange m rlre soeral and
eeonornrr areas or rdelery. Thaw slralegres may, .n leer,
be ol rnere asilihllcl re real (hinge rlrdn lne skius or
land nunegernenl, lor sonery has rar rnnre comperenr
lenner. and engrneere llran re lrrs exnrcal bankers or

506

lawyers whose work relares ro enrrng or pwvellllns
lnor ,nsr rreannglsorral and enyrronrnenrol problems.

rlrsr we musl learn rn grow, bulld, and rnnnege
nnnrrnl sysrenrs lor lnrrnnn and earn. needs. and men
rearlr orners m dn so ln rnrs way, we (all build n global,
rnrerdependenr, and ronpererrye body 0! people
mvnlved rn erlneal land nnd resnn - use, wnose
roeernng rs lunndcd ml researell bu also locally
avaxhbk everywhere, and lneelly dernnnslraole rn
nrany rlnousands ol’ small enrerprlses (overlng lne
wnole range or human endeavours, lrorn prrnrary
prodnelron lo quaternary sysrern rndnagerne rorn
dnrneslre nnrrirron and «dnnrny lo e global network or
srnell lrnaneral syslerns Such work rs rrrgenr,
nnporranr, and neeessary, and we rannol lave ir ro llre
wnnns ol governmenl (Alway: snnn-rerrnl or rndnslry
as we know rr eoday

We knuw haw ro solve every lood, elenn energy, end
sensrble snelrer problern rn eyery ellrnare; we have
already invented and lesred erery necessary rernnrqne
and leennreal deyree, and have aeeees ln all me
brnloerenl rnarenel nu! weeonld ever n2

nre ndgre realrry L5 mar yery lew snsrrrnanlesyslerns
are desrgned or applred by (horse whn nold power, .nd
me reason lor rlns rs obyrous and snnple- to ler people
arrange their own lood, energy, and slreller rs lo lose
eeonnrnre and polrrreal eonlrol dyer llnern We should
rease ro look (0 power Slvumn's, hlmrdllfil syslerns,
or governmenrs re lnelp ns, and devrse wdys lo lnelp
ourselves

Thus, me my rnsr srraregres we need ore rlrose unar
pnr our own noose In order and dr llne sarne nrne do
nor grye eredrbrlrly |0 dlsranr pnwerrccnhcd or
unellrredl sysrenu. ln nnr presenr lrseel or mnrwyAnm
world, are pnmary responsibrlny rndl we need ro lelre
energe or ls onr weelrlr, wnrrn is nu: prodnel nl our
sweat and our regron, nor represenlable by yelrreless
enneney

nrere rs no need lo stress rlrer we are .nrperreel