Permaculture is . . . thinking in reverse

http://www.permacultureplanet.com
Jonathan Reed won second place in AARP's U@50 video contest. Contestants were asked to create 2-minute video describing their vision of the future; what life would be like by the time they turned 50. Reed was inspired by the Argentinian political adverstisement "The Truth".

Here is the text. Read it and then read it again in reverse.
Lost Generation by Jonathan Reed
I am part of a lost generation
and I refuse to believe that
I can change the world
I realize this may be a shock but
"Happiness comes from within."
is a lie, and
"Money will make me happy."
So in 30 years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
I tell you this
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
This is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
30 years from now, I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making
In the future
Environmental destruction will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.
And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it .

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• permaculture
• lost generation
• jonathan reed
• peak oil
• 2012
• solutions
• community
• sustainability

[blackkkladder]

Nice. The speaker is very vibrant and there is clear defiance in her voice. The idea is very noble and has enermous appeal. In my city and my kind of work, Permaculture is not applicable. We spend almost 11 hours daily on work-- almost 2 hours traveling, 8 hours work(9--5), +- 1 hour. There is not much space to grow food or keep animals. Unless you have a decent yard and flexible hours of work, city is not a place for self sufficincy.

[permascience]

@blackkkladder Thanks for the comments, perhaps another way to look at it, is whether or not cities and un-sustainable employment are applicable in Permaculture, the answer would be, probably not. Although there are many fine examples of functional urban Permaculture in cities around the world, theres no doubt they require time and space. So what's the alternative, if Permaculture is not applicable, I guess we're stuck with our current greed fueled, war profiteering, eco-destructo culture?

[blackkkladder]

Family and community are integral elements of permaculture. When I discuss such possibilities of switching towards a simple life of self sufficiency and lesser dependence on the external resources, my family is very interested in it but don't know how it's possible.

[tanyageyer1]

@blackkkladder i suggest u take time to look at all the examples of urban permaculture here on you tube and I believe you will be inspired. keep in mind Jesus Christ said in his sermon on the mount: (Matthew 6:22-34) I am sure God's righteousness does not include working and commuting a total of 11 hours a day, he wanted us to (Gen 1:28)

[davidwendelrobinson]

Awesome. 

[hananokuni2580]

@blackkkladder I often see in our current civilization a disconnection from nature and so a lack of knowledge of just what makes our current lifestyle possible. As with all civilizations in history, food, water, and shelter are inexorably fundamental.

If you live in the city and have even a postage-stamp yard, it is still possible to raise enough food to meet the greater part of your nutritional requirements. The trick is to use the vertical as well as the horizontal space when planting.

[wukeduo]

@blackkkladder obviously, working for the promise of food and shelter (that's what money basically is) is a model that only benefits those who gain either of the above through the work received. In order to become self-sufficient one has to somehow boostrap the alternative lifestyle in parallel to the current situation. This is a major inconvenience bordering on the impossible for people absorbed by the city lifestyle (myself included). That's something I wish my ancestors had prepared for me.

[ThePadrinhu]

amazing!!

[cyphi1]

Beautiful.

[woringersteve]

that was cool