memex/0_inbox/books/PDM/Bill Mollison - Permaculture A Designer's Manual text/554.txt

wow-non IN COMMUNITY
No group an aehiere financial iellerelianre oveinighi,
bui wirrnn 54 years or a deiermined siari. a
rooperaiwe group using iheir creariye ralenrs ean
sureeed in making a living lor iliemselyes and building
up a sirong buslmsi seeior in iheir eornrnuniry. Any
peison ran reel a sense ol soeial cohesion and group
splni in sueh a suuanon, The danger polni oi "going
under" is pasr, and now ii is rune iu ihinlr ol
diyersily g and di nyesimenr belore ihr group geis
ioo amueni, or ioo big Al some poini, rherelore, a
dzclsion musi be iaken lo lake some posirlye arr-ion
land avoid iheiaie olalfluenrei.

i To hand nvzr ro oiner some inmmHIming bur
superfluous iln lhe exisiing groupl enierprise. and so
reduce inrerne

2. To eriend aid and senrires in areas in desperare
need. sueh as ihose eirperieneing real poyeny, naniral
raiasirephe. ar medical insulnnenry

Many groups piu oll sueh serious. bui ii is lseirer io
slari ihem lai niodesi kveli) vary early in rhe whole
proress There are many erhieal groups and indi-
vidluls whoregularly riihe war ul iheir gross lneorne |o
surh endeavours. Mosi ol us do noi have large
appeiiies, we wish only io have a shelrer, enough lood,
some small luxunzj, money io travel, and rnends
Here are rnodesl needs in achieve, beyond ihem lies
adrennire in helping orhers gei on a roan looong.1he
only real securiry in me is a seeuie soeieiy a! .nier.
dependeni people, ihus ihe only valid "deienre" is aid
as orners

Any village group ean help oihers beeorne rnore
sellerelianr and sin sound nianagerneni adyiee io new
groups Fiscal nunageraeni, like energy managemem,
also needs social l'rllr'nonmmml, and rilrirol areounong.
Money is ol no use us ends are disoueriye io soeieiy,
lile lonns. or values

Cooperadye groups, mmmun' es, Issocuhuns, and
shared wmk groups rail in pan io loresee and is plan
lor evoluhon. Am rnoie iragioally, io edurare «heir
rhildren in ihe basies ol ylllage sysiemi. li any
rnielligeni. hard-working and eshieal group pool some
iesourees and like only a l r li ng wage, ihen ihey
innsi amass spare capihl in nine.

 

 

 

As and when independeni villages do aehieiie an
ideniiiy, an eihie, ind urury, beneru-ial mmzdiuns can
be made ranging lrom radio and land links ro bulh
purehase, irade, and share ia ies, so ihai roasial,
urban, and, ii-opieal, and primarily rural yulages ran
across and share ihe resuurees or oihers on an
agreedaipon lease, hire, or enehange basis

Village eoaliiions ean lurid and aperaie larger
sysiems such as murual rnveaimeni runds lor special
purposes, engage in manuiariuring on a reasonable
scale, and exchange skills and soaregies At preseni,
lew villages have ihe inliial sound legal, hnannal, and
renal seruenires ro ariueve ihis.

There is no reason why a village eeuld nol own and
operare a bear, lruzks. or park animals |o laeiliiaie

 

530

rrade, why a mounrain or urban village rould noi
purehase and manage a lomhill larrn lor lurid
produriion, and why an inland Village reuld noi
Iii-am pan oi a eoasi deyeloprneni, as many Villages
already do in lndia ialnng ihe Gangesl where iowns
and regions own pilgrim houses lor yoyogers, All ihose
sir-.iegirs enneh village or iegional lile, and give arress
re a wider world, ihis is parrieularly imperiani luv
ehlldren and young people

1410

EFFECTIVE WORKING GROUPS AND
RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

in any human group cndaavnur, iheio are prieiiral and
eileeiiye, or impraeiieal and .nellnrrne, wars lo
manage a complex sysiem lrnpraerieal, lnisirarrng, and
rimHunsnmmg sysiems are ihose governed \w large
boards, assemblies. or groups lseyen or more pvopm
1heae 'mtellngs': have a charrpersnn, agendas,
proposals, voles, or use eonrensus, and ran go on ior
hours Coneensus, in pariirular, is an endless and
poiniless allair, wiih eoe n or ihe olien sileni in
rnruhrreni abslainer by a Vurllt‘nms minuri Thus,
decisions reaehed by boards. parliamenis, and
eoneensus groups eiiner oppress some indnriduals
ivoiesi or are veiped by disscnien ln eiiher ease, we
have lyranny ola maiunry ur ryranny ol a nunnnry, and
a greai deal or lrusirairon and wasied iirne

The way io abolish sueh sysiems is m hnhr one
rneeiing where ihe sole agenda is in vole ni abolish
decision meningsilhls is usually earned unamr
mously‘iand anorher where a rnneensus is rearhed io
abolish roneensus-rhis loo shouldn‘i like lnne Whai
do we pin in place olsueh impedimenis in drlmn’

in every group. rhere is worlr in da This wnyk needs
in be sei our eleiarly, as ions or rarlo Tasks iall inlu iwn
earegonesi ihoac w ich are ersniive, produeiive, or
conarrueriye, hence pleasing, and ihnse whirh are
basieally mainienanee ldornesiie, onire, and garden
woriri. oi rhe rusi eaiegory. we seek volunireis lo rake
up «he inks, and illhey eorne lrirward, we ALLOI‘ ihar
lash io rhom, agreeing on a iirneiable and siages or
eooipleiion. of me serond eaiegory, we ROSTER people
io do the work. laying oui a worhsluei and a iusnally
weekly or rnonrhlyi mien

wherever no volunieeis appear lor any lask. inen ihe
groop as a whole erinorbuies a iirhe in pay lnr ihe rash
io be carried our by . eonrrarior (as in many irade
iashsi; ihus all wuxk gels done one way or anoiher

An essenoal snaiegy lor rapid and flexible adion rs
io limir rhe number ol people responsible lor any one
area cl aerion or lask some ideal number is beiween
one and ihree rndiiriduals, who inarirge lrldqlmdmfly.
on who may worlr in a general plan and srhedule io or
in wiih pine-s, Cornpleoon dares are ser and noiihed as
all people, and some lonn ol repori, diary, or plan is
made piiblie or rinnuied