Transition Culture

yeah, Rob. It’s real different here. TI in the US will have to grapple with a lot of cultural differences.

As a fellow American, I am well aware of the arrogant wastefulness of our society. But I am hopeful that the election of Obama signifies a critical mass has been reached and the tides will turn. Very cliche, but true all the same.

PS “Is there a wilful resistance – the American way of life is non negotiable? Just in the size of the cars and the whole way life is organised, and resorts like the one we were staying pointed in that direction. It’s prepared to carry on regardless until it can’t.”

That’s not it, really. The problem is not willfull resistance, it is abysmal ignorance. Most American’s don’t understand the problems we face and they don’t want to know. Because we do have so much invested in sprawling cities with their miles and miles of suburbs, and in unsustainable life-styles, we are guaranteed a difficult transition — our infrastructure is all wrong. So it is easier to stick your head in the sand and pretend that everything is all right. That won’t be possible much longer! My biggest concern is the number of people with guns — I don’t know how we get around that one!

I spent my 19th year traveling the states (1994) following the Dead and going to Gatherings. I was taught, by some amazing people, a lot about the true spirit of giving, community, compassion and living lightly.

i have non doubt that as much as many people in the states are a massive part of the problem, there’s another portion of the population that will be an equally significant driving force in the solutions and i don’t mean Obama level solutions, i’m thinking ground up stuff.

Thank you Naresh and Sophy for making the time for a stop in Los Angeles in your busy world tour. Your Training has given such a boost to our L.A. efforts!

About Transitioning cities of this magnitude, we have put our explorations and contemplations online so that others might share in the journey: http://envirochangemakers.org/TLA/TransitionCities.htm

Living in the UK but being American, and having voted for Obama, I feel he is frequently reminding people of what they can achieve in community building and resilience, only using slightly different words.

I am encouraged by the urban gardens movement, the traditional women’s craft and handwork movements; also Sandor Katz’s Wild Fermentation work, etc.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that Obama would solve our problems for us. What I was trying to say is that the number of Americans who are willing to change the status quo seems to have reached a critical mass. I used Obama’s election as a measuring stick. But I think it is more than that — since the election, the tone of discourse has changed. Science and intelligence and pragmatism have a renewed popularity which I find quite reassuring.

This is an awesome website. Thank you for sharing.

LA built for the car? Sounds like Basingstoke…

PS “Is there a wilful resistance – the American way of life is non negotiable?” Sophy

What Obama meant by “not apologizing for our lifestyle” ? Does it also include the overconsumption and materialistic over ambition ?

I wonder, like Linda S if this is not part & parcel of the American culture, for which American are proud of, as it represents for many the success ??? Besides, material success has been promoted for generation in USA, isn’t it ?

We can see the same here in SA, which wants to copy so much USA. The fact is, as Linsa S. says that the majority in USA doesn’t not seems to know nor wanting to compare their extravagant lifestyle and the plight of poor countries.

Moreover the information is not readily available to the ones who are not really looking for it.

They seem to live in a “new world” burble, which they believe is the way it should be as they know little more.

I have also followed the Sierra club campaign for Obama and not once I read that they promote a decrease in any consumption, be energy or others.
They promote Renewable Energy but the latter should produce the same amount of energy than traditional sources. This is quite unrealistic and
certainly unsustainable.

I am not 100% sure at all of what I am writing. This a view from an European living far away in South Africa.

It also certainly exist many exceptions, as Shane mentioned which could, with a good leadership make people reflect on these issues.

But this may turn to be a very long process or will require a little revolution. I believe that old habits and values die hard. Yes “the critical mass” exist for changes .. but to what extend is the question. Window dressing will not help much for the reversal of global worming.

At the contrary. many in African and developing countries will not have too much difficulties to switch to low carbon lifestyle as their traditional life does not depend so much on fossil fuel beside wood, charcoal and public transport.

Regards PL

The problem here in the US may be the lack of imagination. People have gotten used to their luxuries/conveniences and just can’t fathom being without them.

The other thing I find is that the more “progress” we’ve made, the more it separates us from each other, in a classist kind of way. I’m a big advocate for mass transit here in Minneapolis. When I’ve talked to relatives about it, they respond that they don’t want to commute with “those people” who ride the bus/rail. (You know how they are.) I’m amazed that it’s 2009, and this attitude is still rearing its ugly head. Not just in the south either.

One day, on our light rail, I talked with a woman who had traveled here from LA. She marveled at our train, said their transit advocates were having such a hard time making progress in a town where the car industries (Goodyear, Mobil, etc.) had paid lots of bucks to keep LA a car town.

Here’s something to chew on–a link to an interesting article about imagination and (lack of) change in the US …

The Death and Life of American Imagination
http://www.secretsofthecity.com/magazine/reporting/features/death-and-life-american-imagination

Is the global economic system still allowing for “thinking out of the box” and apply its imagination in a real world. Probably not on purpose but because the system becameso globally standardised and static and many are born in it.

Thinking out of it becomes “strange” marginalised”. Some like in Transition Culture try but it is not being easy as it goes in many place against the main current.

Moreover the fact that the system only runs when consumption increases,people are swept into a whirlpool of “metro, boulot, dodo” which leaves little room to “wander around” and become imaginative. Also, most of studies specialise people to “fit in”. Almost gone “general knowledge” studies which permitted people to make up broad vision, integrated inventions.

Monopolies, specially in developed countries leave increasingly less room for individuals, outsiders. Many become numbers in companies, which always increase their sizes for fighting forced competition and umbers do not think.

I believe that this is compounded by the fact that we increasingly leave in a virtual world, out of touch with nature and real life.Water just come out of the tap, electricity out of the plug, speed out of the wheel… That’s it. Why questioning as everything runs, at least in developed countries. In that sense, developing countries may have an advantage as, in there many still live a real life in nature and apply their imagination to survive.

Specially children in developed countries grow outside of nature with a computer in their hand at a very early age. Not knowing the real life through nature make them fantasize it through video games and so for. Harry Poter is very successful as it respond to a need to build up a world, which is out of touch with the reality and which is strong. Many adult also like it and that is scary.

Real reflection and changes may require a revolution. And this could be kicked by a strong reaction of nature. Who knows ?

Regards Pl

Is the global economic system still allowing for “thinking out of the box” and apply its imagination in a real world. Probably not on purpose but because the system became so globally standardised and static and many are born in it.

Thinking out of it becomes “strange” marginalised”. Some like in Transition Culture try but it is not being easy as it goes in many place against the main current.

Moreover the fact that the system only runs when consumption increases,people are swept into a whirlpool of “metro, boulot, dodo” which leaves little room to “wander around” and become imaginative. Also, most of studies specialise people to “fit in”. Almost gone “general knowledge” studies which permitted people to make up broad visions and integrated inventions.

Monopolies, specially in developed countries leave increasingly less room for individuals, outsiders. Many become numbers in companies, which always increase their sizes for fighting forced competition and umbers do not think.

I believe that this is compounded by the fact that we increasingly leave in a virtual world, out of touch with nature and real life.Water just come out of the tap, electricity out of the plug, speed out of the wheel… That’s it. Why questioning as everything runs, at least in developed countries. In that sense, developing countries may have an advantage as, in there many still live a real life in nature and apply their imagination to survive.

Specially children in developed countries grow outside of nature with a computer in their hand at a very early age. Not knowing the real life through nature make them fantasize it through video games and so for. Harry Poter is very successful as it responds to a need to build up a world for which nature is not the blue print, out of touch with the reality and which is easy and strong. Many adults also like it and that is scary as we were meant to be part and parcel of nature, protecting instead of destroying it

Real reflection and changes in the present context may require a revolution. And this could be kicked by a strong reaction of nature. Hopefully this will not happen too late for us and nature. Who knows ?

Regards PL

Re: Guns
A band I once toured with were in an LA recording studio, we took a break and walked to a nearby off-license. When we got back to the studio people were staring at a TV…turned out the same off-license we’d just got our beers from a few minutes earlier was now on the news, broadcast live, police-cameras-action. I recall someone being shot dead. It did feel quite odd.

Now for the positive bit:
There was a really great farmers market near the Farmers Daughter motel in LA, close to a CNN building- i think?…people used to park their big cars in a big car park nearby ; )
The market had a wonderful feeling to it and lovely food.
Has anyone here heard of it, uses it or has the name of it?…or even, does the market still exist?

More on the positive side — the following describes an urban homestead in the greater Los Angeles area:

quote:
At Path to Freedom, the Dervaes family has steadily transformed their ordinary city lot in Pasadena, California, into an integral urban homestead. And, along the way, they are striving to become earth stewards, taking care of the precious gift we all have been given.

These eco-pioneers regard their 1/5 acre urban homestead as a sustainable living resource center where they are setting out to live by example while also inspiring others to “just do it!”

Their objective is to live as sustainably and self-sufficiently as possible in an urban environment in harmony with nature and each other, while also inspiring others to “think globally, act locally.” Their homestead supports four adults, who live and work full time on a 66’ x 132’ city lot (1/5 acre).

The yard has over 350 varieties of edible and useful plants. The homestead’s productive 1/10 acre organic garden now grows over 6,000 pounds (3 tons) of produce annually. This provides fresh vegetables and fruit for the family’s vegetarian diet and a source of income.

The family operates a viable and lucrative home business, Dervaes Gardens, that supplies area restaurants and caterers with salad mix, edible flowers, heirloom variety tomatoes and other in-season vegetables. The income earned from produce sales offsets operating expenses and is invested in appropriate technologies, such as solar panels, energy efficient appliances, and biodiesel processor, to further decrease our homestead’s reliance on the earth’s non-renewable resources. endquote

So it can be done!! More information at http://www.pathtofreedom.com/

As for Harry Potter, I just couldn’t let that one go! True, the world of HP is fantasy — magic wands and flying broomsticks, but those are just the trappings. The real story of Harry Potter is all about character — friendship that is tested and sometimes stretched to the limit, personal integrity in the face of adversity, determination and courage. And Harry is nothing if not resilient!

(please delete the previous post – I kept finding typos!)

There is more to the Dervaes family story than the glowing blogs and virally spreading commentaries about their great experiment. I would caution anyone about placing any heroes on pedestals. We have a great deal of painful, soul-searching introspection to engage in about the paradigms we bring with us into the Transition movement with us. I will risk drawing your anger, negativity, and criticism because if nothing else, the presence of controversy will hopefully distill into clarity the need to examine the true source of any anger provoked. For a little bit of background reading, I suggest conducting a Google search on Jules Dervaes.

One can strive to treat the Earth well and do the right thing as far as ecological sustainability is concerned, but if someone isn’t treating the ones closest to him or her well and relationships within the family unit are not respectful and healthy, something is definitely imbalanced. Social and environmental justice are inextricably linked. The social experiment the Path to Freedom project represents is not holistically sustainable as something that can be replicated elsewhere as a template because it is not socially just or authentically loving. Jeremy Dervaes left the homestead in 2004 for valid reasons that I will not divulge. I suggest that readers bear in mind that abuse and self-serving manipulation is often rationalized by religious extremism of all stripes and colors. What goes on behind closed doors in that family does not diminish their accomplishments but it does mean that caution is in order when considering a group’s or an organization’s cumulative internal and external social dynamics. Abuse in all of its forms is not a permissible value or a behavior that we should turn a blind eye to and deny because the effects of abuse inevitably radiate beyond the family unit or personal relationship context.

There are two paradigms evident in the world – Power Over and Internal Power, or what I call Power Through. For parallels in thought, I suggest Power vs. Force by David Hawkins, Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft, any of Patricia Evans’ books on verbal abuse, and Columbus and Other Cannibals by Native American professor Jack D. Forbes. I am sure there are other titles but I have not read them yet. Power Over is predicated upon domination, use of brute force, and control whereas collaboration and cooperation are characteristics of power that is grounded in connection to a source that is larger than one’s egoic self. Whether the scale is interpersonal or international, Power Over manifests as abuse and violence.

Here in the United States – and I’ll posit that this is also true in other industrialized countries that comprise the so-called “first world” – we live in a culture that is highly tolerant of abuse in all its myriad forms. Although domestic abuse is horrifying in its senselessness, it is a malignant outgrowth of the more prevalent, but hidden, verbal, emotional, and psychological forms of abuse, which are often more damaging because the non-physical abuse destroys the abused person from the inside out. Contrary to popular myth, abusers do not inflict harm because of mental illness or because they too were victims of abuse. Abuse is never deserved; abusers abuse because they can and because no one holds them accountable for their highly damaging behavior. Abuse breaches the surface of public consciousness when it surfaces in a salacious story about incest or culminates in murder. Domestic violence will not subside unless and until the violence that is abuse is no longer tolerated socially or interpersonally. Abuse is about control and domination and is rooted in self-serving values and attitudes of entitlement. Most abusers feel utterly entitled to behaving as they do and merely cracking down with more punitive laws or extensive punishments on the tiny fraction who are caught in the legal system will not stem the tide of domestic abuse victims. The vast majority of physical abusers are never caught, let alone prosecuted; they simply move on to new victims.

From a national administration’s perspective, what are the social messages that can be transmitted through policy that clearly communicate that abuse is no longer socially acceptable? What are the steps that we may take as individuals, families, and communities to expose such life-withering conduct to light and hold abusers accountable without humiliating them while protecting victims from further attacks?

As for how the Dervaes’ family did what they’ve done so far, it was a process. It has taken years for them to get things off the ground and although many people may wish that there’s a “recipe” to be adopted to get things off the ground quickly, the truth of the matter is that what the Dervaes’ have done means that urban homesteads need to be established all over the world in cities – it is the “shot heard ’round the world.” Every homestead will be different and the relationships that each of those homestead develop with local businesses and restaurants will differ. Each urban homestead must occupy its own social and economic niche, just as a species in ecology has its own niche. The important message that really comes out of the Dervaes’ experiment is to have faith in the groundedness of sustainability ideas and to make consistent progress, regardless of what your neighbors might say or do.

Incidentally, thanks to Naresh’s comment about water usage in the town of Borrego Springs in the desert southeast of Los Angeles, I was inspired to provide a link about where Southern CA’s water comes from for any who may be curious. (If you are living in S CA, this info needs to become common knowledge as readily accessible as nursery school rhymes and as prevalent as celebrity culture gossip.):
http://aquafornia.com/where-does-southern-californias-water-come-from

Linda S said, “The problem is not willful resistance, it is abysmal ignorance. Most American’s don’t understand the problems we face and they don’t want to know.”

Not wanting to know sounds to me like not only willful resistance but willful abysmally ignorant resistance…like people are dedicated to remaining ignorant (often the attitude of those who already “know” that everything’s fine). Let’s hope the unfolding crisis loosens that mindset and helps broaden people’s perspectives.

WST, thank you for your thoughtful response. After an admittedly short Google search, I was neither able to confirm nor deny your allegations of control and abuse, but your points are well-taken regardless. I am convinced that for humanity to survive the coming changes, we must come to understand that all life is a web and that what happens to one happens to all. With the new paradigm, partnership will naturally replace exploitation, cooperation will replace conquest and control, and abuse will be absurd.

It seems there are several things we can learn from the Dervaes family — that with hard work and perseverance, homesteading on even a small piece of land is possible, that powering down can be done, and that we should be very selective in what we take from any model — be it Victorian times or an urban homestead.

RE: Guns
for Linda S.

It is called WILLFUL IGNORANCE, and Americans are PROUD of it! There is no place in the world that there are more people PROUD TO BE STUPID than in America. What worries me is that there are so many Americans who fear WORDS before GUNS, as if WORDS or TRUTH alone have the power to KILL – so, holy cow, start loading the guns. Jesus, these guys are arming themselves to shoot and kill unarmed Forest Rangers and environmentists, for crying out loud. And true to Cheney’s MO, they blame the victims.

Though Progressives as a rule do not carry guns, own too many guns or promote gun uses or solutions, the reactionaries, libertarians and republicans want to reserve the right to shoot us all if in the end they fail to convert us to their fascism. You think that we left any remnants of civility back in the Old World.

The only reason they would be compelled to arm all stems back to McCarthyism. We need to shake that one for good. Then, the arrogance and stupidity. Thankfully they are becoming more and more irrelevant by the day.

If there be any cultural difference, it stems from our sense of entitlement – which must have greatly stemmed from the Cold War. The Cold War was an addiction for narcissists who needed to feel superior.

Dear Linda, to the best of my knowledge you will not find any Internet content connecting abuse directly with the Dervaes family, nor will you find anything written by Jeremy about his family. What I know came through direct intuitive experience and someone close to me who knows Jeremy firsthand. Through an online search you will find that Jules Dervaes has a connection to the Worldwide Church of God, which adheres to fundamentalist Christian tenets of conduct and belief.

For whatever else can be said or written about fundamentalism of any religious stripe, if it involves hierarchical domination, it is antithetical to a paradigm of cooperation and mutuality.

The new paradigm of cooperation will not supplant the paradigm of domination and control without in depth soul searching, self-honesty, work, and a willingness to invite transformation. We are all parts of a whole, which in turn is greater than the sum of its parts. Those who conceive of the world in a paradigm of domination and control are the expression of the part of Us that feels no connection greater than its own obeisance to ego and the demands of its needs – that part of us that feels weak, small, separate, and afraid. Out of a loss of connection to Source, Power Over becomes the means of mastery over weakness and fear, or so the illusion says. Abuse is the shadow puppet play of the psyche of the abuser as projected onto the abused and as such, abuse will continue to exist and proliferate so long as we think it exists outside of and separate from us. Those who abuse are just as likely to be found in the peace or Transition movements as in the boardrooms of corporations. Abuse will only become absurd when the allure of Power Over ceases to appeal to those who feel that they can achieve power no other way than to take it from the being or beings closest to them. For that to occur, healing and reconnection are in order. – Wendy

Sandi: “It is called WILLFUL IGNORANCE, and Americans are PROUD of it! There is no place in the world that there are more people PROUD TO BE STUPID than in America.”

That’s quite a generalization, but I certainly hear you. I believe that people who we see as willfully ignorant are very fearful people who are stuck in panic mode. Their brain doesn’t allow them to “go there” outside the box, because it might shatter their entire worldview.

Many of our politicians certainly exploit this fear … most notably the entire criminally insane Bush administration. They should be run off the planet.

I’ve been fascinated by the new brain/psychological studies that keep coming out, as told in this story in Psychology Today:

The Ideological Animal
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20061222-000001.xml

As I read more from George Lakoff about political linguistics, I find more evidence that liberals and conservatives are wired differently. The challenge is for our leaders (and for all of us who “get it”) to completely change the discourse–to convince by finding common ground and using language that makes them look at things from a different perspective that jibes with their values and doesn’t inflame their fears. I do this a lot myself in conversations with conservatives I know, and it’s amazingly effective to help folks overcome these fears.

What this amounts to is undoing the brainwash that conservatives started unleashing on us in the ’80s, using their very carefully crafted language of fear. (See Gingrich’s “Language: a Key Mechanism of Control”. As former speaker, he distributed this to thousands of local Republican candidates throughout the U.S., and they effectively changed the language to further their diabolical ends.)