Question 3: How do humans need to adapt to survive the changes predicted for this century?
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Once a year Conversation Cafes and co-hosts organize a week when everyone, everywhere is invited to sit down in small groups to consider together the most important questions in the world today. We live in challenging and complex times. No one knows THE answer, but everyone holds a piece of the answer. You can say your piece during Conversation Week. We, and the world, will be all listening.Read the Blog!
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- Question 1: How can we best prepare our children for the future?
- Question 2: What does sustainability look like to you? How do we get there?
- Question 3: How do humans need to adapt to survive the changes predicted for this century?
- Question 4: How do we shift from “Me” to “We” on both the local and global levels?
- Question 5: How can you, as Gandhi said, be the change that you want to see in the world?
- Question 6: What kind of economic structures can best support a shift to sustainable living?
- Question 7: How should we re-invent the political process so that people feel that they have a voice?
- Question 8: What kind of leadership does the world need now?
- Question 9: How can we balance our personal needs with the most pressing needs of our community and the larger world?
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Isn’t this a bit too like question one? Education has to be the key, and that will spread.
(UK)
Yes, it is a bit like education. We will adapt or loose our humanity. It is at the same time a choice and a responsibility. It is also an adventure. Clinton or Obama? We have a choice. Did the Russian have a choice with Putin? Abuses of power, abuses of process, lack of transparency are an ocean
in which it will be hard to swim but it could be look as fun not to drown, a chalange worth to live for.
Athens Ohio USA
Hello:
As with everything it is all interconnected but I see the two questions addressing things from slightly different perspectives. I prepared my children for the future and they are now quite able to ride out any storm. They are grown now and are creating ripples in their own communities regarding sustainability and preparedness. So I agree that educating our children, preparing our children, and going after the intergenerational approach to change is a solid one…only it is taking too long. There has definitely been a shift in this last generation and I am thankful but our tanker of beuracracy and local government, consumer programming, etc., also needs to shift. I have been working at this for a long long time and now it appears the time has come.
We have chosen this question because it addresses the macro level of society more directly. How do humans need to adapt, how does our community need to adapt, etc. Educating our children is one component within the larger whole, and yes, a very very important one, but we have the responsibility, in my opinion, to build a more robust and resilient infrastructure for them.
We are piggy backing with the Ohio Spring Severe Weather week and inviting our EMA director and other mitigation, preparedness, and response community partners to the conversation. We are also inviting our political leaders and those running for office. I hope they will show interest in what the people have to say as they pull up a seat as just another citizen at the table.
I also agree that it is a choice, a responsibility, and an adventure. The Hopi elders say:
“… create your community. Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for the leader. This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly. Know the river has its destination. The Elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. See who is in there with you and celebrate….”
This conversation cafe offers us great potential to aide those who feel alone and suffering, it also offers great potential to inform, empower, and mobilize our community while letting our community leaders know we are ready to take steps to adapt to survive the changes ahead. These are indeed interesting time and a challenge worth living for!
Thanks! I look forward to hearing from others who are exploring this question in their homes and communities. kj
Kathy writes “It is taking too long to educate our children well” Then we could look how to go faster. Blaming the decision of the past will not get that result.
When my daughter was in high school I went to visit her teacher. He was complaining that too many of the student were dyslexic. I explained that a majority of children develop their visual cortex before developing their hearing system and that some of important brain cell once trained to see were unavailable to be of any use to analyze sound. A tree upside down is looking as a tree, a word back to front on the contrary change meaning. This could explain and lead to better teaching method. The teacher looked down at me as if I was nut. I resisted though to complain about such a bad school. When it became clear thet this teacher would not listen, I looked for other ways.
Organizing schools so the staff become better listeners is possible. Should we implement this as a community project? One thing is appearing to be sure, if we do, we better deal by giving the school staff room for dignity, we better start by listening to them… which is neither obeying their orders nor being cynical about their resistance.
Athens Ohio
Hi, I am glad to read the dialogue but I would like to respectfully clarify that I never said “It is taking too long to educate our children well”. I do not think that there should be any time delineation when it comes to educating our children well, each child learns at their own pace and in their own style.
In my comment about “it” taking too long, I was referring to the intergenerational approach to social change. I taught my kids well, you may have taught your kids well, others have also taught their kids well and now we have a group of young adults who understand how to be good responsible caring people, how to live simply, conserve resources, work toward sustainability, etc., but what about the rest of society?
These young adults are doing phenomenal things but they also need our help. We can not place this mess soley on the shoulders of the generations coming behind us no matter how well we educate them. We each need to face the possible realities, start adapting to a different mode of life and we need our current leadership to step up to the plate.
This exchange is helping me to prepare for the conversation. It appears we have jumped into a discussion about adapting to survive predicted changes but we have not clarified what predicated changes we are talking about. What changes are you predicting?
We are seeing global climate changes and all the potential affects it may have, electromagnetic poles shifts, growing populations, diminishing resources including water, environmental degradation and desertification, peak oil issues with major impacts on food transportation and packaging, increasing global and local conflicts, pandemic flu & other infectious disease outbreaks, lack of food, shelter, clothing, health care, education, etc.
We live in an economically impoverished area in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Things are getting really tough around here and we have every reason in the world to think things are going to get harder. Some have said our situation should be a warning indicator for the rest of the country.
So although educating our children is definitely a priority, we are also looking at how basic needs like food, water, shelter, health are going to be met and what we are going to do as the weather events intensify and/or worse case scenarios unfold. The time is now to take our heads out of the sand.
We are talking about raw survival around here, neighborhood and business networking, and strengthening our community infrastructure to better handle any emergencies that may arise. The white knight with the cavalry isn’t going to show up on our horizon. We are talking about mitigation, preparedness, response, and adapting our systems to survive the changes that are predicted for this century while creating a good place with less suffering for our young ones.
And, in this way, it was a toss up for us between choosing this question and the one about sustainability.
Thank you, Kathy, for responding to my post. I got it. I mean I got your intent about social progress being too slow while facing so many imminent dangers. I follow you with lot of interest when you describe all that is wrong in to day society. I agree with you. Though I want more than survival. I want a real life and not just for me. I want to have fun when I work. I want to receive recognition when I succeed. I want to be loved in return when my love is offered. And I want to deserve all this, discovering at each minute how clever I was in my getting it. I want to look good. And in the same time I know that life is a roller coster, with plenty of up and down. And I know that this is not only like that for me it the same for every one. What are the choices that are going to guarantee us success? Forget it. No sooner you would think you know that the world would send you a new chalange .
My mother is 95. She is alive, healthy and happy. Social services unthinkable in her childhood is attentive to her need. She told me of her own mother who started as a farm hand working for a religious convent. Life was much harder 150 year ago. We had progress. But is this progress sustainable? In my opinion it will not be sustainable if we drift back to a world of have and have not. We need to work together toward more than just meritocracy. Let us call it toward humanism. A world in which every human being has a chance at happyness. War is not going to promote this world, Taking drugs clearly does not either even if drugs sometime are helping us to be healthier. Organizing our economical system might be a good idea worth discussing but can it offer sustainability? Will our organization need to get periodic over all? I think it will.
What is your opinion on this issue? Does this help you to get prepared for our conversation ?
Athens Ohio USA
Hello Boa 4 and all!
I sure hope it is okay that we are carrying on this dialogue in this space. Yes, this dialogue is helping me prepare for our conversation, but I have to chuckle because this is the conversation:) Thank you for asking for my opinion. I have a lot to say, and brevity is not my strong point, but when I enter into the cafe circle as a host I want to focus on listening and encouraging others and will not be getting on any soapbox regarding my own views. This dialogue therefore helps me get some of my thoughts off my chest and I am greatly appreciative.
And, thank you very much for sharing a bit of your life, your thoughts and perspectives. The list of things that you shared, regarding what you want in life, reminded me of Holistic Management decision making where one creates a holisticgoal that contains quality of life statements, forms of production (how you’re going to manifest your QoL, and future resource base (what one wants to experience in the future with regards to people, land, and community). One utilizes a decision making framework while using the holisticgoal as a magnetic north so to speak. This framework ensures one is looking at the big picture while also monitoring for unintended consequences.
It is a tool that helps folks utilize their cleverness to get what they truly want and yes, what we truly want usually ends up being very similar to what everyone else wants…clean air, water, a beautiful environment, fulfilling and meaningful relationships, peace, health, etc. It also helps one see the steps that are necessary to fulfill thier desired quality of life.
Another thing that I like about HM, and similar approaches, is that it is goal oriented, not problem oriented. I may share what I see in terms of the problems we may encounter if we stay on our current path but I choose to look down the other path toward what I want and take steps to get there.
But since it looks like we may not be able to collectively steer this vehicle of humanity down that other path in time to avoid crisis, I also want to do what I can to help reduce the suffering as much as possible.
Anyways, it appears to me that models, frameworks, such as HM are tools that we can use to help us get to where we want to go. Just like the Conversation Cafe method, among others, are tool sto help us get to where we want to go with regards to conversation literacy and democratic dialogue. I like the systems approach, the co-intelligence approach, that encourages us to look around for such available tools and to utilize them in an effort to avoid reinventing the wheel while helping to create a common language between individuals and groups.
HM is a tool to help chart our course and can help us make clear progress toward our goals, one breath, one step, one decision at a time. Sometimes it involves putting our vehicle into low 4WD to stop spinning our wheels in the mud and to pull out of the quagmire, sometimes there are logs across our path and a strategy must be developed to either go around, under, or move them.
But, our children’s future and the survivability of other species on this planet is at stake and there are very determined people who are willing to get really muddy to do their very best to manifest their goals…even if it seems to be taking forever. I give great thanks to all who are tireless in their efforts, dedication, and for there willingness to offer guidance along the way! Thank you, Thank you!
I’ve been practicing Holistic Management for a number of years now, it doesn’t make me an expert just confirms my belief that it is one of the best tools in my belt for creating the life I want in a sustainable manner. HM has its roots in land management and has become crucial for me as I steward the sustainable tree farm here. But, it has also proven extremely beneficial in my life as a whole.
There is a small workbook titled “At Home with Holistic Management” by Ann Adams(http://www.amazon.com/At-home-holistic-management-Creating/dp/0967394104) as well as a heftier text by the founder, Allan Savory, of Holistic Management International.
I mention it here because not only did you outline your desired quality of life statements you also said: “What are the choices that are going to guarantee us success? Forget it. No sooner you would think you know that the world would send you a new chalange”
I don’t want you or anyone else to “forget it”, that’s part of the problem. We can make choices that will guarantee success…it just depends on how one defines success and what one;s expectations are for any given decision. And, I personally think it is best not to make decisions based upon expectations in a system where we have very little control. I recycle because it is what is the right thing for me to do, not because I think it is going to save the world. But, on the other hand, if everyone else also incorporates recycling, and the other 3 Rs in their life, as well as choosing to buy recycled products, it will make a big difference. Should I give up, “forget it”, since I it appears unrealtistic that everyone else is going to make such a change in their own lives?
And, should I “forget it” if I know any choice I make may be altered by the curve balls that the universe and/or the world throws at me? I’m into resilient and robust systems of management and operation…I’m stepping up to the plate and if I strike out or get nailed by the ball, I’ll simply go back to the dugout to reflect on what I might do to score a home run the next time. Plus, if you know that challenges and up and downs are part of the game, if you know that disasters are disasters no matter how well prepared you are…do you just forget it? I think not.
We’re in the midst of evolution here, this game is an adventure of historic and grave consequences. And, did you not say, it makes life worth living? I think so. It’s thrilling and exciting and I hope I live long enough to see us make it through to the other side.
So I mention HM because I think it’s a great tool for these times. It takes change, curve balls, etc., into account by pre-identifying and monitoring for possible unintended consequences and changes in situation every step of the way. The ups and down, the challenges, all become part of the journey and with a map in hand, one can negotiate the terrain better with greater balance with all the interconnected systems at play.
It’s great that your mother is still with you, ah what we could all learn from her! Yes, indeed life was much harder 150 yrs ago but we, at least in America, have taken our addiction to life being easy way too far in my opinion. I think we can use our technology and advancements to find a balance. I live off-grid, no public utilities, my life may seem harder to some but it is the life I want to live (www.broadwellhill.org). I give thanks for every drop of water, a hot shower knocks my socks off, my electrical usage fluctuates with the availability of sun, and my humanure composting brings me great fullfillment. These lifestyle adaptations help me fulfill my quality of life in which I desire a comfortable lifestyle that allows me to feel more in balance with the rest of the world, appreciative, and interconnected with all life around me. Is it harder than a fast paced lifestyle, desires and wants that necessitate driving to work every day, eating at fast food restaurants, taking for granted the blessed supply of water, taking for granted the food in the grocery stores, the electricity coming from coal fired powered plants in this area? I don’t think so. My desired quality of life includes slowing down, simplifying, getting physical exercise, gardening, storing food, being aware of the seasons, rainfall, solar insolation, the cycles of the earth.
Progress. That’s an interesting concept. I would have to ask what you think of when you refer to progress. It is possible that we may need to redefine or at least clarify our definitions and desires related to progress.
Progress to me would include bridging the gap between haves and have nots, manifesting our heritage of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all”. I am involved with a team, pursuing sustainability through the window of business, and when we worked together to develop our collective holisticgoal it came down to “we simply want life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all”. And, we identified forms of production that would help us move toward that quality of life, sustain our future resource base, with evaluation processes toward improvement while identifying possible unintended consequences, monitoring for them, and taking prompt action to adjust.
“Organizing our economical system might be a good idea worth discussing but can it offer sustainability?”
I believe it is indeed a very good topic for discussion but given the fact that many people believe our current approach is dysfunctional, unhealthy, unbalanced it is going to take a willingness to drop pre-programmed concepts and look at things in a different way. We can’t continue to approach things as separate silos, the social and environmental components also need to be incorporated if we want it to be sustainable.
it is my understanding that the GNP (gross national product) measurement was never intended to be used in the way it is now. There is a movement toward implementing happiness as a standard of measurement, the GNH (gross national happiness). The US is ranked very low on this scale. Where are our priorities? I want you to have fun at work, I want you to earn a living wage, I want everyone to have access to these things and other basics…but it is going to require that we all shift our perspectives.
There are movements referred to as “localization”, “radical simplification”, and other such terms. We are developing local systems of exchange, bartering, etc., in this area that we hope will offer our area the potential to thrive even if the economic system at large collapses. Other communities and areas are doing the same thing. But, it all comes down to each of us identifying what we need vs what we want, what we truly need and what we truly want. Are we interested in living more in balance with the realities of diminished resources, growing populations, etc., while caring for each other and adapting to survive the changes ahead?
American’s are consuming more resources, squandering one might say, at the expense of our sisters, brothers, and other life on this planet. We are up against a very successful consumer programming campaign and many now seem to think they have a right to an easy life, to buy whatever they want, to go to a mall and have access to everything. There are folks making money on such an approach but it is most certainly not sustainable and if folks care about their kids they might want to try something different. There is a growing population that ascribes to the 4 Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle and such a shift is absolutely needed in my opinion. (BTW, www.storyofstuff.com is definitely worth checking out!). We simply can’t base our economic system on the current paradigm if we want it to be sustainable.
“Will our organization need to get periodic over all? I think it will.”
I’m not sure if I understand what you mean by “periodic over all” so you may have to expand on this further for me.
Perhaps you meant “periodic overhaul”, like periodic readjustments and reprioritization. If so, then I would agree, more than just market corrections however.
But, perhaps you did mean “periodic over all”, which would mean taking into account the cycles, the recurrence of patterns, etc. And to me, that would mean seeing the bigger picture in order to adapt to various fluctuations, being prepared for the up and downs and the challenges. There are indeed periodic patterns and one when steps back to look at them, one might see the flow of the river, or if on a graph perhaps a sine wave. Getting that overall pattern to gradually move toward our goals of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness for all is what we’re talking about…which is why I’m a supportive of the gross national happiness means of measurement.
My experiment in simple sustainable living is a great blessing, I am honored to serve as steward on this land, and I am immensely thankful for the rural area in which I live and all the other people and organizations working toward similar goals here. It might all sound like fantasy to some, but it is not and there are other areas like this as well.
But I agree with my sons when they tell me that if I was really dedicated to sustainability I should be living in a city since that is where we really need to manifest sustainable planning and development practices. But, my path is not in the city, it would not meet my quality of life and my calling and vision is here with the hope this land can serve as a learning center and sanctuary for those who are living in city environments. It’s a tough job but somebody’s got to do it:)
But, as I said, I agree with my sons and it seems to me that if folks and leadership within the cities start taking a neighborhood by neighborhood approach, connected with city leadership, that it is possible; Housing complexes with central gathering spaces, gardens, composting,water catchments, porous pavement, LEED type buildings, rail, bike friendly, etc. Thankfully more and more cities are taking this approach so we have models out there but how do we encourage our own city planners and leaders to all move in that direction?
Through listening, speaking up, and having conversations that matter!
Thank you Conversation Cafe!
kj
Wow!
I mostly agree.
If the US administration had spent what the war cost since 2001 on a sustainable energy policy the US would be enjoying a great deal more “security”. If the taxation system in the US was making the second billion in income pay more tax than the first and the third more than the second… see what I mean? We would have less opportunity to be cynical about what is possible when it is merely improbable. No one said it was easy and effortless to take on sustainable policies. I think it is important not to let us being stopped by a believe that other people are stupid. The Texas war gang was not stupid, It was greedy, We were stupid to cause them to be milking us for years. We now must be sure the record show their true score…If they were no pillars of society this must be made public, really public!, so we do not get back to make this mistake again. I surely like a friendly team approach, but it is encouraging to call a cat a cat!
The question here is :”How we should adapt”
When I was a child, it was modernism. The goal was to create an environment where every thing would be possible.
Then we moved toward Post Modernism. Architechs made enviroment where we look good, magestuous.
I would like an environment in which thing are possible and people are looking good but that would be so because it is also true (showing what deserve to be shown) understandable (because we understand why thing are deserving) and indulgent (because we can understand why we could not dot better yet)
Our venue was the Students Union cafe in the University of the Arts in London and our day, Tuesday 25th March. Despite good advance publicity via the colleges’ admin staff we did not get great numbers from the Uni as we were doing this event during the vacation. However, we did get 8 people round the table.. a very high-quality bunch with a rich variety of backgrounds (including the Rector). Most came via our personal invitation to friends, and were positive about the experience. We had picked two questions: ….
“How do humans need to adapt to survive the changes predicted for this century” and “How do we shift from ‘me’ to ‘we’ on both the global and local levels.”
On reflection we could have continued to talk about question 1 for the whole of the three hours as there were many layers to it. We were just getting into the “creative space” when we had to stop. Thoughts raised by the first question included that we need to consider letting go of some of our attachments to things and ways that keep us separated in order to find the freedom of thought to adapt and change. In the second we moved to thinking that we have to find ways of speaking the language of others in order to move from ‘me’ to ‘we’.
My co-host and I are thinking of holding more conversations in the future, it was a great experience… and we both learnt from it, and from the wise people around our table.
Blog posted by: Isabel Carlisle and Peter Birch.