memex/0_inbox/in/books/PDM/Bill Mollison - Permaculture A Designer's Manual text/531.txt

people, Ill/ms in an imperlerl world; ~Do nol idyus|
your Vision iullly is al laull” lgiaiirol, so'lhal many
s|n|z§ir§ glvlll here are slirllng poinls ralher lllan
endpoinls. However. iiiere is so mueh damage in
erosyslems—hense so mudl reliabiliralive work lo
dyfllil we will be employed in good works ior a low
generaliors in rome in several generalions lii we are
allowed lius lime) we may have achieved a lruly iree
world oi inlernalional ainnilles, bul we always slarr
where we are.

in lhis rhapler, llierelore, l will lry lo sel nul lire
eurrenrly snuvssful oseial slralegies lhal enablea srnall
gm}; ora region lo derine pmblrms and to solve lliom
locally,

14.2

ETHICAL BASIS OF AN
ALTERNATIVE NATION

A people wilnoul an asked-upon rommon basil lo
lheir aelions is neiliier a eoromunily nor a nadon, A
people will. a common elhir is a nalion erEver lirey
live Thus, rhe plare oi nabilalion is serondary m a
shared belioi in lire eslablishrnenl oi an harmonious
world mmmululy lusl as we ran selecl a global range
ol planls ior a garden, we ran selerl irorn all L-xum
slhies and belieis lhose elornems inal we see lo be
suslainable. uselul, and beneliclal in lile and in our
rommurury il would appear lhal

- Snslalnablc sucxelles emphasise rile dunes and
rrspoiisrhrliirrs almplr- lu rialare cqnil lo lliuse oi people
lo people. nor any rode relalos eoually lo alhcl
lileiornu and elemenls ol landseape To rondurr oneseli
only in mm; oi response lo oilier people gives a
polenlial lo evade resporuilrilily iru damage iniliered
on «he lanai resouree base, and mus ulornalely lo olhers,

Beneiieial behaviour involves managmg nalural
syslerris ior lheir own. and our, lonselerm oerieiil, nm
loi our irnrneduile and eirploilalive personal pa‘ roe
Ameriron lndians (In‘qums nalionl iranie llns as a
"sevenlil gencxahrm‘ ronrepr lilal our derisions w
are rarried our in lerrns oi lheir benelu or disadr
vanlage lo our dtscendanls in seven generallmls‘ lame
labour loll years ahead) Thu helps Explain why we
always lound lribally managed lands lo be rirli in
nalural liie resources, and why we have mnnaszd lo
rum much oi lire mum we inheriled.

- As people. we need lo adopl an sliiir ol ugh!
inlrirliooi, ior ii we bend our labour and skills lo work
lhal is deslruslive, we are lire desnoyers We lay wasle
lo our lives in proponion lo lire way in which lire
syslems we supporl lay waslr lo l
Allhnugh soc-shes ior sorrol responsi
lorrninp, we need io eapand lhe eoneepl lo roeuii rind
ennironrneniai responsibilily, and lo rreale our own
financial and ernploymenl slralegjrs in arose areas. We
should nol be passive workers ror eslablisned
desoueove syslerns, bul rallier we can be inveslors in

 

  

iris We eannol proiess or reach one elnir, and live
anolhen wiuurul damage lo ourselves and to mull
iesourees,

- We musl always sludy and learn as pan oi a inirl
lnlrgmled syslrrn /Illmrwvvk. conululls oi how our
knowledge and relioru penneale au syslems ll is in llle
lugmmlillg ol knowlzdge inlo unrelalad disrrplinea
lhal we ean plead Ignorance oi elieelsi bul we are
always responsible ior lire dislanl elleds oi our anions,
and in im should work ior loreseen benelrls

- We need |o develop runserorr wrlrrlts, wiln uiis
conservalion achieved by (I05: anenrion lo recycllng,
lire avo dense oi wasle. and lo very durable
kdlmloglts so lhal lheir um is pmlonged similarly. ii
is unwise to abandon salislarlory older iorms oi
leehnology even ii we inslall improved lorrns and
proeesaes; nor berause we develop a new windmill ior
eleelrleily, we should nol allow a dependable older
grim mill lo nnk inlo disrepair, beeause we ran use a
iorage Dun/96m, ii dmsifl mean we should lose lire
skill lo use a seyllie on aleep slopes,

rain oi belnr ronaervadve is lo mneenlrale on dr-
seinprrip ii mastic of small. INN-manlxtd lull dy'ullw‘
syslrrns, surh modesl sysiems are unlikely lo eause
widespread uphuvfls or ro be aubrecr lo exlernal or
unelirualronnol,

. Mnmng in llle is losl by sit-inn; ailrr sums and
iulure pin :il 5 pained and realised by nellori lowards
a roounon ideal, in servmg ihe whole aeeordinr in our
physreal, mullil, eduealional, and reveialionarv
lundersundiny rapaeroes. ii is never enough lo mean
well ("lair words planl iir. rabbages-lralher, ii is
nerrssary lo ensure lhal ll xtls done,

. Secunly ran be iound in the renunciation of
ownership river people. money. and real asseis,
inseeunry and unhappiness arises as a iesull oi Drying
lo gain, keep or promel lhal whlch olhers need ior
periods ol legiooiale aeeess A Lending library enables
people lo help llieoselves lo miormaliorr a locked-lip
book eollerlion is uselul only us lhe person who owns
it

- ii an moral and responsible eorninunily eon
eslablish a durable, dependable, and wa§|erlme
resouree base, lhen leisure orne llirne lo explrss our
imlnndilal raparroesl beeomes a plenl-llul rasourre. We
will have gained nine lrir lile. While leisureoinevrlably
available ior enriollinenl oi eullural llie, and lo an
ealenl ior malion, zmphasis on speelalor reerealion
is iu§| anolher way in wasle lhe zlrne gained, we liien
see lire prollssionalisaoon oi ans, 509nm, spon, and
evenedueanon as speaalors replaee aelors

We should lhereiore resolve is 53m dine lo evolve
ever more effenwa ways lo aasial ayrlerns or people. ll
is ordy when olhers feel serure lhal we need iiol guard
our environrrvsnls, so dial llie very besl preparalion ior
seeuriry is lo leach olhers lire anaiegras, erhies, and
prarlicss ol resouree nulugunenl, and lo ealend aid
and eduuoon wherever possrble

 

i do nol, in my liislime, or lhal oi rny :hlldun’s

507