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Your vision for the next 30 years
Tue, 31/07/2012 - 11:47
I have just received a copy of the book 'Thirty-year Plan'. The book presents the essays of 30 writers and thinkers who were asked to name one thing that they think the world needs if humans are 'to live happily, sustainably, redeemably on earth'.
What a great idea. I am wondering if IFFA members feel like taking part in a similar exercise, but more specifically about environmental conservation in Victoria and Australia....
If you would like to take part, please write a short piece on a quality that you think humans need to work on to bring about change for a better world. Or if you like, perhaps write more detail concerning ways that politics, science, philosophy and community may work together to ensure that the natural world is more truly appreciated and cared for.
Examples might include discussion on children's education, community interactions, how bushland can be protected and managed, agriculture and food production, recreation. Perhaps more detail on ecological management policy...whatever you like. Because all reality grows out of planning, imagination and dreams doesn't it?
If this forum topic takes off perhaps we could publish some pieces in Indigenotes. If it doesn't well it was worth a try :)
Contributions can be one from one sentence to several pages.
Karl
Hi Karl,
Thanks for posting this. I read it and had to really think about it for a few days, but then I realised I had come to a realisation the other day that fits right in with this.
While I do have a political leaning, obviously I make a decision when I vote, I realised I sometimes get frustrated when people use political association to judge the ideas of an individual... "so and so belongs to such and such a party, therefore every idea they have must be evil", and so on. I realised that what frustrates me about politics, and sometimes activism is that people often don't listen to the individuals and make judgement based on the merit of their individual ideas. Yes, we live in a representative democracy, where the idea is that you elect those that best reflect your ideals, but should that mean you're then also subject to all their prejudices too? I don't think it should. I crave for a government who is able to look past the next election and truly open up to ideas from the "opposition". Yes, this should ideally happen with our current system, but I feel like it rarely does.
In short, I guess what I'm saying is that I'd like to see political leaders who see their strengths as being able to get the most out of the intellectual resources they have available (regardless of those resources' political associations), rather than having the best answers for everything themselves or within their own associations, because I don't think anyone can claim that.
I bring this up not necessarily because of the current political climate, but because I think its an inherent problem with party politics. I also put this forward as someone who has not studied politics.
So how does this fit into biodiversity or sustainability? I think it is something that effects all facets of our lives and our impacts on the planet.
I would also recommend one other piece of reading - Edward De Bono's "6 Thinking Hats". My colleagues would grown at this, as I've become a little "preachy" about it, but that book really opened up my eyes to the way I think about problems and decision making.
Cheers,
Ben
Ben North