Resolve

There are many things I cannot control, but I can control my resolve.

The Hopscotch Plan

I routinely enter a title to every blog entry when I start to write. And, routinely I end up changing the title because what I start writing about inevitably changes as the sentences add up.

So, today I am starting without a title, as it should be. However, I do have a topic in mind but I can't get my head around it yet. Which to me means it's worth exploring further.

I've been reading a lot about the environment and I've learned a lot from the various perspectives of many different authors such as David Orr, Paul Hawken, Thomas Berry, Lester Brown, David Suzuki, etc. And I learn something new every time. I've also attended seminars and courses on sustainability which have been equally valuable in a different-kind-of-learning way. What I have now, so it seems to me, is a lot of paint and brushes and a blank canvas. What am I to do now?

In the past I've been pretty quick to act. I think it's a personality style/choice since I am a very impatient person who prefers trial by error than to wait for a plan. And, I have to say, it is effective as opposed to the ineffectiveness of so many talkers who do nothing; we need doers taking up the slack.

However, I just finished a course with Natural Step (Sustainability for Leaders) which presented a backcasting method to sustainability planning. Yes, it is just another word for strategic planning but that in it self is the genius of it. Let me explain.

I think that, for the most part, people who are active in sustainability initiatives are doers by nature; you know, the ones who just can't sit back and let things deteriorate any further. Doers, by nature, aren't necessarily the best planners because of the time it takes to methodically plan actions, which feels a lot like a waste of time.

I would include myself into that group and can refer to a lot if activities I am pursing at the moment without any real plan or vision. So I attended this course not really knowing what to expect from the Natural Step. If they had advertised strategic planing for sustainability I would have run for the hills, but they did not. They advertised a backcasting-ABCD model. I was intrigued and signed up. They're clever.

Now, I can appreciate the importance of strategic planning and I've seen how it works but it is so not my cup of tea. I'm not saying that the Natural Step tricked me, quite the opposite. I'm saying that Natural Step engaged me in a process that was strategic planning without making it feel like strategic planning.

All in all, the course gave me a new perspective in which I now feel inclined to sit and think about my vision, goals and plans of action. You see, what I am doing now is making change but it's not leading towards anything specific. How can I truly bring about change when I haven't identified what it is exactly that I want to change?

Sure, I have lots of ideas swimming around my head, mostly about sustainable living, reasonable needs, indigenous wisdom, biodiversity, verbal botanies, ESD, ecofeminism, global citizenship, and so on. But, what does all this mean to me? How can I make these ideas come to life? How do they all connect? What is my role?



Natural Step put together a good framework in backcasting which I think is valuable. I liken it to playing hopscotch:



Step 1: Know where you're starting from...and what tools, allies and influencers you have on your team.
Step 2: Create your vision and make sure everyone agrees and can see it.
Step 3: Together, lay out your steps that will lead to your vision, with some flexibility built in as well as opportunities to assess along the way.
Step 4: Start playing the game, one step at a time, going forward and maintaining focus on the goal; enjoying and celebrating every step along the way.

















I also really appreciated the reminder of universal basic needs and to take them into consideration when goal setting. I hadn't thought about idleness as a basic human need but I can see how it is part of the quality of life.

So, where to from here? I don't have an answer yet. "For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done forever." Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

Statistics

The parable of the streetlight. Do you know the one about the drunk looking for his keys under the streetlight? That's what I think of statistics and scorecards. Is it better to look where it's easy to see lots of information with the slight chance of discovering answers, or is it better to search in unknown areas which are more mysterious and risky and more likely to deliver answers? Just because you calculated an answer based on easily-accessed data that's been interpreted and passed through an organizational filter, doesn't mean the answer is accurate.

Not everything can be analyzed with numbers. Yes, it is true that numbers don't lie but it is also true that numbers are used to justify or produce lies. Be careful.

Why Do We Need Proof?

In the Western world, where science rules, we demand proof of everything, except the Divine. Or, is that really true? I think we do seek proof in religion through rewards and punishment. Is it not true that people of faith often look upon fortune, luck, destruction, and chaos as divine intervention? Are these not the proof we need to abide by the rules of the various good books?

We've relied upon the burden of proof for many decades, centuries even. In science, law, business and education we rate, analyze, score, record and survey the heck our of everything in the never ending elusive search of progress, the ultimate proof of success.

Where has our fixation on proof led us? Down a rabbit hole. Our mathematical, scientific thinking capacity is relatively immature in the long history of humankind, a mere infant to the evolution of our unconscious reasoning; yet we interpret our world through facts and figures. We manufacture our world.

Let's look at this through the analogy of math. As we developed into a 'modern' society (the industrial world) we learned how to add and subtract. We added (created, populated, grew, nurtured, developed, invented, produced) and subtracted (destroyed, warred, enslaved, imprisoned). Then, as we continued to develop, we learned how to multiply and divide. We multiplied (mono crop culture, assembly lines, economies of scale, mega-cities, nuclear proliferation) and divided (nuclear fission, quantum chemistry, astrophysics, cosmology). We've divided, sub-divided, categorized, classified, organized, drawn arbitrary boundaries, built walls and dividers and compartmentalized our world.

So, now that we've added, subtracted, multiplied and divided our world, what next? How long will we continue to endeavor to formulate and equate a world that is not designed to be equated?

We need to get out of this rabbit hole. We don't understand our world. Science and metrics can't explain everything. I don't know if we understand even 1/4 of our world. On the upside, we should be smart enough now to know what we ought not to do. (sigh, we don't have a good track record of learning from our mistakes).

Think about this for a moment. A Historian Lewis Mumford once wrote about the industrializing society, "In such grim conditions, the meaning of life becomes less important that the means of life." I think relying too heavily on science and metrics has led us to where we are now because we're blinded, we can't see our world any other way. When we think about who we are, we define ourselves by nationalities, cultures, religions, territories, clans, families, loyalties, languages, professions, classifications, job descriptions, salaries, property, schedules, etc. Given the demands we've placed on ourselves to multiply and divide at an ever increasing rate, how can we get off this course of self-destruction?

Try to imagine writing an accounting exam and an art history exam at the same time. It won't be easy. It will take conscious effort to shift back and forth from linear thinking to risky creative interpretation, but we have to make this change and we have the ability to do it. We just lack awareness and will. I think the first step is to recognize our compulsion to organize our world. The next step is to start to look at our environment and each other through a different lens; as a collective, interconnected web of life in which we are reliant on the success of all parts of nature, including those which can be proven and those which cannot.

Harness the Power

From time to time this world provides us with some powerful experiences that make us feel good. These special experiences are the ones that make us feel relieved and at home with ourselves! Why is this? Well, we tend to withhold our ideas and thoughts in our heads if we feel uncomfortable. However, when we think we're in a safe environment and feel comfortable enough, we will express ourselves. But until we feel secure enough, it gives us great pleasure to hear the thoughts we've been protecting in the words of others; it's very comforting, liberating and empowering. For example, think about a time you may have tried speaking in a second language...in a classroom environment...what about on the street in public? Do you see the difference? What if someone was there to help you and to walk with you? Would you want to try harder or shy away? Would you learn more?

I had the pleasure of attending a learning seminar (a 300 person seminar) on Mi'kmaq Ecological Knowledge yesterday; a full day of interesting learning from Canadians: Mi'kmaq, Glooscap and Mi'kmaq Elders, Government reps, University Chairs and Industry. I was struck by the presentations of Mi'kmaq Elder Albert Marshall, Elder Lawrence Wells and Kerry Prosper. They were so passionate, sincere and spoke with such clarity and honesty...I was riveted.

Now, why did I feel at home? I felt that I could breathe out, that someone was speaking out loud what needs to be said...and not being shy or apologetic about it. A while back I posted a blog begging for voices of clarity to make themselves heard and at last I heard you. Thank you.

About 20 years ago someone once said to me "2% of the population doesn't tell the rest of the population what to do". That has been in my head for 2 decades and I've been struggling with it, wondering why I was so bothered by it. It didn't ring true to me. Sure, I got the message, majority rules. But, it never settled well with me. I'm beginning to understand why now. There is more than one truth. In Western eyes, we see or are taught to see the world in one way, a scientific way: Black is black, white is white, what goes up must come down. Nowhere are we taught to think otherwise. But, sometimes black is not black and white is not white; and often lessons are not learned. Why can't 2% of the population warn the others of their wrong doings? Why can we accept 2% of the population, the ruling elite, controlling everything? When is it OK to be listened to...when you represent over 10% of the population...25%?

I think it's amazing that the indigenous peoples of this country were able to maintain their culture at all against such narrow-minded societal and political forces. Wow, just amazing. Marginalized, ignored, debased, divided, isolated...treated as second-class. What hardship to endure. And yet, after all this the Elders still want to teach us; still think we can learn. Can we?

Here are some profound ideas from the seminar:

• Mi'kmaq believe that they are related to everything: animals, plants, earth, rocks, etc... If you live on a piece of land long enough and you live and die on that land, you become a part of that environment. A part of your ancestors are caught up in the life cycles on earth, in rocks, water, trees, animals, etc. - a spiritual connection. We are a living part of creation because life in creation is a circle. (Kerry Prosper)
• All cultures once had the same relationship with earth but we have developed at different speeds and rates. (Kerry Prosper)
• In the West there is a lot of knowledge written down and transferred - and there is a lot of junk and junk in ownership (Kerry Prosper)
• Sometimes we are asked to prove certain things, even spiritual, sometimes legends can be proven and some not - if proven it is acknowledged. Sometimes you just have to believe, not seek proof; have faith in everything that's here, in people, and have faith that we will begin learning to do the right thing (Kerry Prosper)
• Indigenous teachings cannot always be explained in words - you have to experience it first-hand. (Kerry Prosper)
• Without routine acts of respect for our resources we lose respect for them. By having ceremonies and showing respect for nature we never lose the respect, it is important to always reconnect. (Kerry Prosper)
• We are all indigenous to a land somewhere and we all have a responsibility to our relations, the life forces. (Kerry Prosper)
• How are science and traditional knowledge similar: both are based on observation of the natural world, both are pattern-based knowledge, both are an exchange of stories as the foundation of any kind of relationship; both acknowledge that science is dynamic - it changes and is not carved in stone (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
• Etuaptmumk: two-eyed seeing. The first explorers relied heavily on the indigenous and today there is still a great need for spirituality to be nursed. There is a heavy onus on the Indigenous to make sure the language survives (Elder Albert Marshall)
• Two-eyed seeing concept: I only have a small part of the knowledge and to survive in the environment I need other people to help remind me how I am interconnected and interdependent. (Elder Albert Marshall)
• It is not enough to go through life with one perspective - how can one learn, how can one be cognitive of a changing world? We must embrace all the tools we have. (Elder Albert Marshall)
• I am not only physical, I am spiritual and prepared to extend that feeling to all living things both physical and spiritual. Everything alive is both physical and spiritual. Modern science sees objects but our language teaches us to see subjects. (Elder Albert Marshall)
• Take the accomplishments of the white man's way further by blending it with the wisdom from ancestors. (Elder Albert Marshall)
• Netukulimk: sustaining ourselves. A rich concept - a reminder of where our responsibilities are; an understanding that needs to be integrated to speak for the species who cannot speak because they are not in human form. (Elder Albert Marshall)
• Two-eyed seeing does not belong in any particular discipline, it is about life... (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
• Benefits of two-eyed seeing; community capacity, knowledge inclusivity (capacity growing not capacity building), empowerment. (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
• Education systems are not well equipped to take the time to learn. (I love this one) (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
• Once separated from the natural world, there is profound risk. (Dr. Cheryl Bartlett)
• Indigenous validation is through the elders - the knowledge of elders must always be used. (Elder Albert Marshall)
• Western science wants to figure out nature to be more expedient in the manipulation of it. (Love this one too!) (Elder Albert Marshall)
• Indigenous people abide by earths laws- if she is healthy than I and my family will always be healthy. See nature for what it is. (Elder Albert Marshall)
• There is need to reverse the pattern of universities who produce students who are experts in exploitation. (Elder Albert Marshall)

Want to learn more:

• Book: A Fair Country
• Video: Muin and the Seven Bird Hunters

Spaceships and Space Stations

I've been reading Thomas Berry and can't get his words out of my head. In 'The Great Work' he talks about the role of humans in the universe...as being one of, not masters of our world. This is the mind-shift required to bring about change for a better future. Heck, any future. He talks about creativity and that's where he hooked me. His description of the balance between discipline and wildness where creativity can flourish is brilliant. he likens the creativity a.k.a. life on earth to a perfect balance of wildness and discipline. Mars...too disciplined. Venus...too wild. He really got me to think about humans on earth, how we behave, how we squash creativity in our increasingly disciplined environment lacking any real balance. We kill creativity in elementary school, in college, at work and in our heavily regulated government systems. We lack balance and in the end we will destroy ourselves.

Berry also talks about the incessant drive of humans, our constant hunger to consume and own the earth's resources as if we have the ultimate right to consume all that surrounds us, with no regard to other living species on the planet. We have no right to assume that the earth is here for our exploitation. We humans are as valuable to this planet as any other tree or fish. Less actually because we will be the ultimate destroyers of this planet, not the tree nor the fish who adhere to the natural limits of nature.

Anyhow, Berry talks about how we humans need to have it all and more, setting our sights on non-earthly domains like space. As if humans ever really left the planet. Impossible. They left the earth surface on a machine built from material from earth, breathing air from earth, eating food from earth. No human has ever truly left the planet.

All this got me thinking...is that how we live on the surface of earth? Are we astronauts on our own planet? Think about it. In the western world, we have severed our ties with the natural world living in cities surrounded by concrete, plastic and steel. We don't know where our food comes from, we live as our surroundings dictate. We shuttle back and forth between cities or 'space stations' with little regard or notice of the earth that we rely on for our lives. Isn't that crazy? We rely heavily on the earth like astronauts do in space; but we don't notice our severed ties with the natural world like they do; it's more obvious when your hundreds of miles above the planet. Ask anyone, where does their food come from...their water...their clothes...their housing materials and furniture...their plants? Do they know or are they reliant on a higher body to supply all their goodies? We humans are a silly and egotistical bunch assuming that we can live like this. I feel sick about it.

Well, no time like the present. Berry talks about the impending 'ecozoic' era. This will require a complete mind shift and awakening in education, business, government and science. A bit of a tall order for such a silly bunch.

The Age of Restoration

I've been away for a while. Not that I haven't been blogging. I went to Kathmandu for a few weeks and created a separate blog to record that trip. You can check it out here: http://halifax-to-kathmandu.blogspot.com/

Now, to the point of this entry: climate change. Oooh this is not a popular phrase. It's over-used, abused, mistreated, capitalized, enlarged and made bold in advertisements and on billboards. Yes, it's almost synonymous with doomsday...almost. But wait a minute! Why is talking about climate change so unpopular? Well, you know that the powers that be, who have an invested interest in there NOT being a climate change crisis, are doing all they can to make 'climate change' a bad word. Are we all that naive? I don't think so, but once media gets into the mix, it's a nightmare.

My point. Climate change is a wake up call. Is it doomsday? No, of course not. We are living in the 'age of restoration', a period of an awakening, where we're waking up to the realities and looking for solutions, innovations, fresh ideas and new ways of thinking. We are identifying with our similarities as opposed to our differences. We are seeking collaborations instead of retreating behind trenches. As a Shaman from Greenland (Angaangaq) stated, we need to melt the ice in the heart of man.

Now is the time to celebrate life, the earth, nature and all mankind. We have to protect that which feeds us, supports us, nourishes us and keeps us alive. We need to celebrate diversity, innovation, community, etc.

I'm inspired by the climate change argument. People are talking about it, thinking about our environment; corporations are being forced, by public opinion, to change their ways. Yes, we are in a dire situation and we have to change our ways now or maybe doomsday will be the reality. My argument is that we shouldn't be getting all depressed and bummed about the situation. Rather, we should be taking on the challenge to change. We should be energized by our new awareness. This is the time to come together and do the right thing. I'm completely engaged in the process and can feel the energy in others who get involved. This new growth of positive energy is infectious and soon we all will be funneling our attentions towards sustainable development and lifestyles.

For all those out there who are in denial about the current state of the world, put down your armour. Now is not the time to get defensive. We are in the age of restoration. As history dictates, enlightenment precedes change...it's hard to stop a moving train.

How does one germinate an idea?

The germination process of a seed embryo is fascinating...an incredible connection between genetics and the environment. There are many varieties of seeds in a wide variety of shapes, all designed to interact with their environment. Depending on the harshness of the environment, for example, the thickness of a particular seed coat will prevent early germination and waits for external triggers. Others are receptive to light, others to moisture. The diversity is spectacular. Seeds need to be motivated to germinate. Some seeds must germinate within a certain amount of time or they will die. Other seeds can survive for thousands of years.

Seeing an image of a seed got me thinking about 'ideas'. Isn't an idea no more than a seed waiting to germinate? Given the right environmental conditions and timing, an idea will develop. Under harsh conditions, an idea might not develop and it could die or remain dormant until the time is right.

If this is true, and every idea is unique, then how do we know what the ideal environment will be that will trigger germination? Can we predict the success of an idea based on the likelihood of an ideal environment? Can we trick a idea into germination by altering the environment? Aha! Yes we can.

In gardening, seeds are often tricked into action by refrigerating the seeds for a while before planting them making them believe Spring has arrived. Can we too create a 'false' environment for our ideas? Absolutely. Take the media as an example, or propaganda. Are these not prime examples of creating 'false environments'?

Going back to the concept of idea as seed, let's explore the germination of an idea in an institution, an educational institution. The idea stemming from the President's office needs to be triggered by external stimulus, i.e. the economy. To germinate an idea to penetrate the surface of the institution, a.k.a. the front line or the students, there has to be a transcription of the ideas, a learning that is passed on from one level of the institution to the next, from the highest level of accountability (the President's office) to the most important level with the biggest impact, the faculty.

There needs to be a vehicle, a motivating force, to trigger the internal germination of an idea, an energy source to fuel the germination of an idea. In this scenario, the institution has to have cross-disciplinary units to see an idea from germination to full growth.

I would call this process 'seeding ideas'. But what about grassroots ideas that grow from unstructured beginnings, wild and free? How do these ideas take root without first being germinated from a seed?

I used the institution seed-idea as an example because, well, I work in an education institution. But this is not to say that only hierarchical structures generate ideas. No, far from it. Going back to the understanding of environmental triggers, there are many more diverse scenarios to consider, cultural, regional and environmental. Triggers are going off all over the world, and from these we often hear about people's "ah-ha" moments when an idea suddenly makes sense and makes its way to the surface.

My point? Simple. Ideas are seeds that can be either falsely germinated or allowed to germinate naturally in environments that will let you know when the time is right. Forced ideas with bad timing will not survive and some ideas, if not germinated quickly, will die. Some ideas however have the patience to wait; and skins strong enough to withstand the harshness of the environment.

Ideas need to be triggered into action. So how do you activiate an idea? Make sure the environment is right. How? Read, follow the news, travel, listen and reflect. You may not grow a field of flowers the first time your idea sprouts but eventually, roots will form and your idea will be passed on.

Service Learning

What makes an idea take flight? What is it that causes a random thought or idea turn into something tangible? I don't know why it happens, it just does. Does it matter how or why it happens? No, not really. What matters is that it does happen.

Recently I've had the pleasure of experiencing the impact of small deeds turning into big deeds. It was fast and unexpected. I found these little African AIDS angels in a little boutique in Halifax and within 2 weeks, I bought and sold 300 of them raising $1500 for kids with AIDS or orphaned by AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. Now, a group of Students are getting together to make the Angels as a service learning project at the College.

I'm glad the small act turned into something special for others and can't wait to see how far it can go. The funny thing is that I never expected it. Why? Is it a lack of faith in people? Perhaps. But I learned a valuable lesson. Never doubt the power of one and never underestimate the kindness of others.

It's been a good lesson. It has renewed my faith in people. If I never make or sell another AIDS angel again, a spark has been lit and that is more than I ever expected.

What we need are more small acts. Around the world thousands of people are doing what seem to be small acts of kindness not knowing how they impact the lives of others. These acts require no rewards, no awards, no status, no fee. These acts occur simply because they're the right thing to do.

Now, back to the question of what makes an idea turn into an act. I think that it has to be something to do with allowing yourself to be open to new ideas, keeping an open mind and being willing to try new things...step into the unknown. I'm not talking about jumping off a cliff, just trying something new without knowing what will happen down the road. Some ideas will be good, some will be not so good. But so what? Doing nothing leads to nothing.

I will try to keep an open mind and be open to new ideas as they appear. No longer will I worry about success and failure. The world is a wonderfully surprising and fascinating place. It looks like it will be a very good year.

OMG...I just realized this is an example of Stimergy...cool!

Its High Time Someone Spoke Up!

Egad, where does the time go? It's been some time since my last entry. No apologies, I've been busy.

I don't have a settled mind as of late. It's not that I'm unhappy or angry, just wondering what is happening in this world? I sincerely think we've all lost our minds. I don't know what else to think.

I watch the news, read magazines and newspapers, browse online and read often. The information is out there in bucket loads. We are very informed. So why, oh why, oh why are we such morons? Why are we so destructive with our tangible world yet so lackadaisical with our intangible world. The intangibles we avoid: politics, religion, government, racism. We "talk "about these issues, sure, we talk a lot. But we don't do anything, not really. When it comes to tearing down trees however, and polluting water, we seem to be ready for action 24/7. When we need to take on the government, we get lazy and wait for action.

What in the world is going on? Why is it so hard? Why can't we do more than talk? I'm not daft, I know it's easier to talk than walk the talk. Yes, that's easy to say. But if we can't walk the talk, maybe we should just shut up and let the real 'doers' do the talking.

I'm flabbergasted by politicians who yammer on and on about topics they know absolutely nothing about, except for what they read in the briefing note. These are our voices? Seriously? We're doomed.

I want to hear from the people who know what they're talking about, who have objective opinions and are not swayed by greed or selfishness. If you exist, I can't hear you through all the noise. The media is hugely to blame for this. What did Brittney do today? I don't care. Where is the pot hole in NB that is so big you can fit a chicken in it? I don't care. What is Hillary wearing? I DON'T CARE!

Phew, I needed to vent. Where are you, the voices of clarity, knowledge and sincerity? I know you're out there. Make yourself known please. There are people out here who need to hear from you.