OP1b-Intoduction and Inspiration

Introduction

This document is intended to be a guiding outline which I will follow and/or modify as my learning pathway emerges and unseen opportunities may come up. It is a flexible structure that holds many ideas that inspire me to work and consciously learn from my experiences. I will outline my long term goals and visions for myself and for the larger circles that form my world, and relate how my specific projects will bring me and my world closer to those visions. I will outline some of the projects I would like to focus on this year, what I hope my efforts will lead to for next year and where all this might lead far down the road.

Visions

Global – I envision a world of small-scale, interconnected hubs of local self-sufficiency. People realize their amazing potentials for cultivating peace and abundance, value themselves, their community and the ecosystems in which they are integrated. On larger scales I have visions of cities that have closed loop systems, providing food and recycling waste through living systems. People learn about the Earth and our place in the universe (so far as we can tell) and stop trying to control and dominate each other and the natural cycles. No more burning of fossil fuels.

Personal – in the really big picture, or, at my deepest conscious levels, I feel my life is about learning and exploring as well as loving and sharing the intricate beauty. I am moved by an impulse to not only do as little harm as possible, but also to heal damaged landscapes and communities human and otherwise. Another goal is to live off-grid in a mostly or working-towards self-sufficient community in a beautiful bright house that fills me with inspiration, and live in a beautiful and productive food forest/ecosystem. “Career” wise, I am directing my life towards being skilled in permaculture design, high-quality clothing, artistic expression, mushroom farming, natural building and probably some other things too.

Some diverse inspirations/impulses from an email to my mother, September 2011

...” -help people feel their complete intertwindness with creation (the earth/universe through time)

-improve biodiversity in cities

-make cities more sustainable through food production

-help farmers be net positive influences on their surroundings by understanding their intertwindness

-encourage the healthy regional development and sovereignty (food and otherwise)

-teach/demonstrate a respect and love for life

- help low income families/people meet their food needs by small space gardening, window boxes, community gardens, nutrition education, etc.

-connect people to the smaller and larger communities of interspecies relationships

-connect needs to providers locally

-co-create beautiful, lively green spaces for everything to enjoy

-rehabilitate damaged land in and out of cities by bio/mycoremediation and community involvement

-have lots of parties with awesome food, art, people music ETC ETC “...

That is the big idealistic vision. Now let's get more specific!