From markh@ora.com Sun Sep 26 12:31:24 1993 Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1993 16:56:59 -0700 From: Mark Harrington CREATING THE NEXT....MYTH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND NEW CULTURES Statement of Purpose: The World is at a cross-roads! The Industrial Revolution has erroded the very earth from beneath it's crumbling foundation. The architecture, (belief systems, lifestyles, technologies, economics, social structure etc..) of the developed world are crumbling, surpassing it's limits to growth. The current path of development is absolutely non sustainable. Many developing countries have been coerced or seduced into following this same dead end path. They are often two-fold losers. On the one hand they often trade their traditional values, wisdom and experience for "modern development". On the other hand, few if any, will achieve a fraction of the affluence of their "mentors". Indeed, most will experience a diminished sense of self, culture, and environment, as they take the non sustainable path North. "Development", as life in a sustainable world, will of necessity be very different from our current experience. Sustainable development is the process of cultures moving toward a global community, where diversity and co-evolution are cherished assets. A biosphere in which the collective-all are co-participants. This will require new relationships of respect and cooperation with all-life; both human and non human, animate and inanimate, for life in it's totality is interconnected. The Ecozoic era is waking. It is essential that humanity aquire new conceptual landscapes, navigational tools, and modes of being. Intercultural and biospheric relationships are in metamorphosis, a new context is growing. We live in a time of great portent! Will we take the next evolutionary step? Or continue as we are... histories echo resounds, reminding us of the consequence of continued disequillibrium. We need to re-evaluate and gain deeper knowledge of the multi-cultural realms of science, myth economics, time, anthropology, lifestyles, agriculture, technology, religion etc. We need to understand and flow with the common tides which wash upon their shores. We need to draw upon the experience and genius of all cultures, in order to create a greater vision, a deeper "wisdom", and the multidimensional landscapes of possibility, which a sustainable world requires. I envision a computer conference where mythical meetings are commonplace! A multi-cultural exploratorium, where participants converge to meet on new plateau's of partnership, understanding, and co-creation. Where cultural seeds, tools and ideas are freely shared and our collective humanity is deepened from the experience. Discussions will range from practical and specific ideas for integrating daily living, to wild philosophical voyages in future possible worlds. We are the modern myth-makers and visionaries! Take Communion... INTRODUCTION FOR DISCUSSION Sustainable Development is a process. As a prerequisite a non sustainable culture must first become aware that it's values, activities and relationships are out of balance with itself and the biosphere. During this initial period of introspection a culture (as an individual or communtiy) becomes self critical and takes inventory of it's excesses and abuses, belief systems, attributes and traditions. This critique includes all aspects of a culture (eg. social, theophilosophical, scientific, environmental, economic and technical tec..) Through this introspection a culture can realize the full costs, limitations suffering and constrains of non-sustainable activities, policies and lifestyles. Cultural participants (individuals, organizations, groups, governments) will come to a point where they decide whether to proceed with their current faltering path, or they will stand up, take the reigns of change and create new developmental paths which are life honouring. Development which serves to deepen our humanity, and nurture the biosphere. A sustainable world must acknowledge the inter-relatedness and interdependence of all cultures with the biosphere. In a sustainable world new relationships will be forged. These new partnerships of possibility are currently being born. Much of our dillema has sourced from "development" which has been largely parasitic and egocentric in nature. This has led to inter-human and environmental exploitation and degradation of life in it's entirety. These relationships must now be transformed to relationships of cooperation and partnership. Sustainability means that 8% of the worlds population will not be able to continue using 30% of the worlds resources as the US currently does. Sustainability requires that humans cannot exceed the carrying capacity of the local bioregion. Sustainability will require a very different mind set from the status quo. Sustainability is the path by which human cultures strive for cooperation and partnership amongst themselves and all constituents of the biosphere. This will require a rediscovery of an earth (or pangaean) based ethos, where all life is sacred. Including plant, mineral, bacteria, virus etc. Dis-ease will be understood as a process by which an imbalanced individual, society or ecosystem, is called to in-tegrity, wholeness and harmony with the larger forces of life. The current trend of near-sighted development will of necessity be transformed. The emerging ethos will favor activity and relationships which move toward cooperation, acceptance of all cultures and religions, permancence and sustainabiltiy over current trends of egocentrism, racism, indulgence, exploitation and greed. Economics will have a much different context, it will reflect the true costs of human activity, up front, and will express the interdependence between individual and societal/global success. The rigid and frenetic march of imperial culture (ego), characterized by dominance, dependency and crucifixion; into a dance of celebration for life in it's diversity and cooperation. Values and perspectives awill be melded in new synergistic partnerships of possibility. Technology will also have a very different face in a sustainable world. It will be created out of humanities genius and attributes not out of it's current context; with baser craving and shadow often often the design parameter goals. Technology cannot continue it's "falling leaf" (or trickle down) rationale for development, (such as NASA space program immense fiancial subsidy, rationalized because of the useful technologies which may fall out as by-products) Technologies blinding race for speed and time efficiency as it's ultimate self-serving priorities. Temporal values will be significantly different in a sustainable culture. We have less time, are farther from the now, and are less satisfied with our temporal experience with each passing day. In a sustainable society artificial "consumer needs" will not be manufactured! Partnerships will be created between diverse disciplines, organizations and cultures, to create technology which deepens our collective humanity and nurtures the biosphere. While these limited examples may seem utopian, they are sketches of the possible. I have attempted to paint a glimpse of "A GREAT LANDSCAPE" OF POSSIBILITY HERE, we are in need of much collaboration, embellishing, detail work and temporal space to continue her completion. Your partnership is essential and welcome. In Sustenance... -- Mark Harrington email: markh@ora.com phone: (H) 707-526-0867 (W) 707-576-2434