A new idea on how to progress towards ecological sustainability?
Ben Austin | 27.02.2006 17:02 | Culture | Ecology
A recent idea I've had on moving towards ecological sustainability, through what is effectively a (more-)politically radical means; and is one I'm to carry out soon. It is written in an article-type-style - intended for a few eco-publications. I hope it is of interest & inspiration.
A new idea? “Eco-pilgrimage”?
“The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it” - Karl Marx
I’d like to see a new kind of pilgrimage, a new kind of ritual, that can apply even for the non-religious amongst us. I have no catchy name for the idea, perhaps it could be called an “eco-pilgrimage“, or an “Earth Pilgrimage” - something like that.
I am not a religious person; however, recently I have come to notice that secular society has lost some of the beneficent aspects of religion. Contemporary mainstream Western society is an oddity in history from many perspectives; I believe it is unusual in that, unlike religious/pagan societies/cultures, it has very few rituals of note, nor any pilgrimage. Ritual, I believe, is neither inherently purely ‘good’ nor purely ‘bad’ - any one ritual’s effects are determined by a large variety of factors. In some “primitive” societies the transition from adolescence to adulthood is via a ritual involving a solitary period in the wilderness; but what is modern society’s? The first pint? First sexual intercourse? Perhaps the most likely is the first full-time work one takes on; but if that is ‘the’ ‘ritual’, it can hardly be said to be beneficent. The ‘non-religious’ of us do not really have any pilgrimage to undertake - aside from perhaps those Manchester United fans who travel from the other side of the country once year to Old Trafford to see a game. I feel it is unfortunate that pilgrimage has been lost in the attack on religion/spirituality; because it can have enormous psychological, and social, benefits.
It is useless pretending that living against nature instead of with nature is of beneficence in the long-term, or the short-term psychologically; and so I believe a merging of ecological action & ritual/pilgrimage is wise. I loosely define an ‘eco-pilgrimage’ as “a self-organised period of mainly outdoor-work with, and travel between, ecological projects, that lasts no less than six months”. (Not office-environmentalism, but the direct participation with the soil & intricacies of nature - as a means of enhancing one’s ecopsychology). I feel this definition gives space for a wide-range of activities; I do not intend to create an idea with very strict boundaries, as is commonly associated with religion, but instead to give a general framework in which each individual can create their own ‘journey’.
The most obvious way of going about this that I’m aware of is by planning out voluntary placements with WWOOF (WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms), with intentional communities found in directories such as Eurotopia, and with some Permaculture projects. For example a six-month journey may be 4 weeks stay a time in 6 different places, and using trains - or if you’re braver than me, hitch-hiking - to go from one project to the next. Each WWOOF-host is run on the principle that for a few hours work per day you receive free bed & board. Many intentional communities have the same policy. So, the cost of a journey will be determined by the frequency of which you travel. Staying in one place will cost less, but is more likely to result in a far shallower experience of the diversity of the ecological movement. There is a huge range of environments that intentional communities are set in - from Czech meditation centres on the edge of massive areas of untouched wilderness, to the proliferating ecovillage movement in Denmark There are directories for projects in the US - perhaps it is wisest to go there, as the US is so very desperate on the environmental front.
I believe that such a trip contains a good balance of positives for both self and more-than-self. Many people are aware of the environmental crisis of today, and have the will to act, but lack the confidence to start & continue - this is a good way of immersing one’s self into an effective environmentally-active way-of-life. The self-confidence derived from the self-organisation of the journey is of obvious benefit to both individual and society, and the Earth, too. There is a great lament in ‘modern society’ over the effects of alienation - crime, depression, despair - is this not an excellent means of breaking down the boundaries of alienation? The individuals hands and spirit will be immersed in the wider reality of Nature, they will be in co-operation with, instead of isolation from & in competition with, people - with the same collective goal - environmental sustainability and to give back to that which sustains us, instead of economic growth & materialism. It also seems to me to be absurd to think that the psychological health of a person can be sustained if they are not in participation and in perception-with the fundamentals of life - constant change and creation, the interdependence of all things, etc. As well as this, the sense of oppression brought on by urban architecture, cars, pollution, and the like, dissipates when amongst wild-nature - the feeling of restrictive barriers diminishes, and the anger and frustration gently diminishes in the freedom (usually for me, at least). An eco-trip seems to be a wise choice for the alienated, to me.
Along with this is the benefit for society derived from an increased awareness and tolerance of the diversity of people(s), projects, beliefs and ideas. I think an individual is far more likely to become a far more mature individual in the process. Especially seeing as many communities dedicated to ecology in the Eurotopia directory list meditation & other ‘non-egoic’ activities as interests, I feel a person could easily grow exponentially as a result of this kind of journey. Perception of time is also well-known to change when participating with Nature, we sense ourselves “slowing down”, of becoming more aware and appreciative - another way in which an individual will mature in the process, and hopefully let go of some stress. This, to me, all seems to be a far more beneficent way of using a gap year than backpacking around Thailand for a while; it also seems to be ideal for a sabbatical - there is plenty of good advice on the Internet on how to organise career breaks from leading travel/volunteer organisations now.
It is of note that selfish motivations are not likely to get one through any sustained eco-pilgrimage. The facing up to one’s selfishness in the proceedings is of obvious benefit - and one of the original ‘points’ of pilgrimage, in religion. The length and orientation of such a journey also distances itself from merely being “eco-tourism”, with all it’s problems that are being highlighted.
Some people believe it is the idea of a “normal” that is a major cause of problems in our lives. I often find it difficult to imagine a life in which there really is no conception of ‘normal’; I believe that if it is to be realised there has to be a transition phase - a transition phase of increased awareness and maturity - again, is not such a journey a good means to this ‘end‘? If to conduct an ‘eco-pilgrimage’ in one’s life - and more than once is obviously preferable - was to be a “norm”, I feel individuals, communities and the Earth would be much healthier as a result. Indeed central figures in many religions have been strongly affected by the wilderness/nature - Jesus went for 40 days into the wilderness, Buddha achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree after long periods in the wilderness, many Hindu sages spend very large periods of time alone in the wilderness, and Lao Tzu, for what is known of him, appears to have been very similar.
‘Modern society’ did not reach this state instantaneously, but instead has been reached through transitions. We each have the capacity to determine what kind of transition this period is to be, and the only way in which it’s going to become a transition of mindfulness, respect & dedication is by doing it. The only way in which eco-nomadism can become ‘a norm’ is to do it.
Earth, as odd as it seems to the majority of ‘the modern world’, is home; and it is going to readjust soon so that things are going to get very uncomfortable for us, because we have been too disrespectful for too long. The writing about the environmental situation has been on the wall for a long time now, and it says there is no better time than now, and it is your responsibility to act. Like it or not, most of the things that tie one down now are, in effect, utterly irrelevant in comparison to the environmental crisis. Changing the way one acts or thinks is often a difficult process, but never has it been so necessary and never such a fundamental responsibility for each of us to accept. It is truly absurd that we have ‘a norm’ of “Mother’s Day”, in which it is considered acceptable to give a piece of card with a picture of a kitten in a Wellington boot on to the person who went through the excruciating pain of childbirth for us; and yet to not have a norm of giving respect to that which brought them and us into the world in the first place. So take some time out for your own health, physical and emotional, and to give some respect - after all, it’s not going to cost much, and you’ll have died knowing that you lived a fuller life.
I appreciate that the word “pilgrimage” often has a negative stigma attached to it; ultimately I don’t care what you call it, but if anyone has a term that can apply for the less religious amongst us, please say so. If anyone is interested in developing this idea - in creating an archive of ‘eco-pilgrimages’ & of advice on how to go about doing it, for instance, please reply saying so.
Ben Austin
Links:
WWOOF:
http://www.wwoof.org
Eurotopia: http://www.eurotopia.de/englindex.html
Forest Gardens (many in WWOOF)/Agroforestry: http://pfaf.org/ http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/
Intentional Communities / US Communities Directory: http://www.ic.org/
Permaculture Association: http://www.permaculture.org.uk
Sharing Transport: http://www.liftshare.org/ http://www.hitchhikers.org/ http://www.digihitch.com/
Eco-Travel Email Group: http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/ecotravel
Tourism Concern: http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk/
(N.B. WWOOF, Permaculture, Intentional Communities, etc. do not have central aims of promoting “budget travelling”.)
“The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it” - Karl Marx
I’d like to see a new kind of pilgrimage, a new kind of ritual, that can apply even for the non-religious amongst us. I have no catchy name for the idea, perhaps it could be called an “eco-pilgrimage“, or an “Earth Pilgrimage” - something like that.
I am not a religious person; however, recently I have come to notice that secular society has lost some of the beneficent aspects of religion. Contemporary mainstream Western society is an oddity in history from many perspectives; I believe it is unusual in that, unlike religious/pagan societies/cultures, it has very few rituals of note, nor any pilgrimage. Ritual, I believe, is neither inherently purely ‘good’ nor purely ‘bad’ - any one ritual’s effects are determined by a large variety of factors. In some “primitive” societies the transition from adolescence to adulthood is via a ritual involving a solitary period in the wilderness; but what is modern society’s? The first pint? First sexual intercourse? Perhaps the most likely is the first full-time work one takes on; but if that is ‘the’ ‘ritual’, it can hardly be said to be beneficent. The ‘non-religious’ of us do not really have any pilgrimage to undertake - aside from perhaps those Manchester United fans who travel from the other side of the country once year to Old Trafford to see a game. I feel it is unfortunate that pilgrimage has been lost in the attack on religion/spirituality; because it can have enormous psychological, and social, benefits.
It is useless pretending that living against nature instead of with nature is of beneficence in the long-term, or the short-term psychologically; and so I believe a merging of ecological action & ritual/pilgrimage is wise. I loosely define an ‘eco-pilgrimage’ as “a self-organised period of mainly outdoor-work with, and travel between, ecological projects, that lasts no less than six months”. (Not office-environmentalism, but the direct participation with the soil & intricacies of nature - as a means of enhancing one’s ecopsychology). I feel this definition gives space for a wide-range of activities; I do not intend to create an idea with very strict boundaries, as is commonly associated with religion, but instead to give a general framework in which each individual can create their own ‘journey’.
The most obvious way of going about this that I’m aware of is by planning out voluntary placements with WWOOF (WorldWide Opportunities on Organic Farms), with intentional communities found in directories such as Eurotopia, and with some Permaculture projects. For example a six-month journey may be 4 weeks stay a time in 6 different places, and using trains - or if you’re braver than me, hitch-hiking - to go from one project to the next. Each WWOOF-host is run on the principle that for a few hours work per day you receive free bed & board. Many intentional communities have the same policy. So, the cost of a journey will be determined by the frequency of which you travel. Staying in one place will cost less, but is more likely to result in a far shallower experience of the diversity of the ecological movement. There is a huge range of environments that intentional communities are set in - from Czech meditation centres on the edge of massive areas of untouched wilderness, to the proliferating ecovillage movement in Denmark There are directories for projects in the US - perhaps it is wisest to go there, as the US is so very desperate on the environmental front.
I believe that such a trip contains a good balance of positives for both self and more-than-self. Many people are aware of the environmental crisis of today, and have the will to act, but lack the confidence to start & continue - this is a good way of immersing one’s self into an effective environmentally-active way-of-life. The self-confidence derived from the self-organisation of the journey is of obvious benefit to both individual and society, and the Earth, too. There is a great lament in ‘modern society’ over the effects of alienation - crime, depression, despair - is this not an excellent means of breaking down the boundaries of alienation? The individuals hands and spirit will be immersed in the wider reality of Nature, they will be in co-operation with, instead of isolation from & in competition with, people - with the same collective goal - environmental sustainability and to give back to that which sustains us, instead of economic growth & materialism. It also seems to me to be absurd to think that the psychological health of a person can be sustained if they are not in participation and in perception-with the fundamentals of life - constant change and creation, the interdependence of all things, etc. As well as this, the sense of oppression brought on by urban architecture, cars, pollution, and the like, dissipates when amongst wild-nature - the feeling of restrictive barriers diminishes, and the anger and frustration gently diminishes in the freedom (usually for me, at least). An eco-trip seems to be a wise choice for the alienated, to me.
Along with this is the benefit for society derived from an increased awareness and tolerance of the diversity of people(s), projects, beliefs and ideas. I think an individual is far more likely to become a far more mature individual in the process. Especially seeing as many communities dedicated to ecology in the Eurotopia directory list meditation & other ‘non-egoic’ activities as interests, I feel a person could easily grow exponentially as a result of this kind of journey. Perception of time is also well-known to change when participating with Nature, we sense ourselves “slowing down”, of becoming more aware and appreciative - another way in which an individual will mature in the process, and hopefully let go of some stress. This, to me, all seems to be a far more beneficent way of using a gap year than backpacking around Thailand for a while; it also seems to be ideal for a sabbatical - there is plenty of good advice on the Internet on how to organise career breaks from leading travel/volunteer organisations now.
It is of note that selfish motivations are not likely to get one through any sustained eco-pilgrimage. The facing up to one’s selfishness in the proceedings is of obvious benefit - and one of the original ‘points’ of pilgrimage, in religion. The length and orientation of such a journey also distances itself from merely being “eco-tourism”, with all it’s problems that are being highlighted.
Some people believe it is the idea of a “normal” that is a major cause of problems in our lives. I often find it difficult to imagine a life in which there really is no conception of ‘normal’; I believe that if it is to be realised there has to be a transition phase - a transition phase of increased awareness and maturity - again, is not such a journey a good means to this ‘end‘? If to conduct an ‘eco-pilgrimage’ in one’s life - and more than once is obviously preferable - was to be a “norm”, I feel individuals, communities and the Earth would be much healthier as a result. Indeed central figures in many religions have been strongly affected by the wilderness/nature - Jesus went for 40 days into the wilderness, Buddha achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree after long periods in the wilderness, many Hindu sages spend very large periods of time alone in the wilderness, and Lao Tzu, for what is known of him, appears to have been very similar.
‘Modern society’ did not reach this state instantaneously, but instead has been reached through transitions. We each have the capacity to determine what kind of transition this period is to be, and the only way in which it’s going to become a transition of mindfulness, respect & dedication is by doing it. The only way in which eco-nomadism can become ‘a norm’ is to do it.
Earth, as odd as it seems to the majority of ‘the modern world’, is home; and it is going to readjust soon so that things are going to get very uncomfortable for us, because we have been too disrespectful for too long. The writing about the environmental situation has been on the wall for a long time now, and it says there is no better time than now, and it is your responsibility to act. Like it or not, most of the things that tie one down now are, in effect, utterly irrelevant in comparison to the environmental crisis. Changing the way one acts or thinks is often a difficult process, but never has it been so necessary and never such a fundamental responsibility for each of us to accept. It is truly absurd that we have ‘a norm’ of “Mother’s Day”, in which it is considered acceptable to give a piece of card with a picture of a kitten in a Wellington boot on to the person who went through the excruciating pain of childbirth for us; and yet to not have a norm of giving respect to that which brought them and us into the world in the first place. So take some time out for your own health, physical and emotional, and to give some respect - after all, it’s not going to cost much, and you’ll have died knowing that you lived a fuller life.
I appreciate that the word “pilgrimage” often has a negative stigma attached to it; ultimately I don’t care what you call it, but if anyone has a term that can apply for the less religious amongst us, please say so. If anyone is interested in developing this idea - in creating an archive of ‘eco-pilgrimages’ & of advice on how to go about doing it, for instance, please reply saying so.
Ben Austin
Links:
WWOOF:
http://www.wwoof.org Eurotopia:
http://www.eurotopia.de/englindex.html Forest Gardens (many in WWOOF)/Agroforestry:
http://pfaf.org/ http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/ Intentional Communities / US Communities Directory:
http://www.ic.org/ Permaculture Association:
http://www.permaculture.org.uk Sharing Transport:
http://www.liftshare.org/ http://www.hitchhikers.org/ http://www.digihitch.com/ Eco-Travel Email Group:
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/ecotravel Tourism Concern:
http://www.tourismconcern.org.uk/ (N.B. WWOOF, Permaculture, Intentional Communities, etc. do not have central aims of promoting “budget travelling”.)
Ben Austin
e-mail:
ben_austin_85@hotmail.co.uk
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
Shallowness
27.02.2006 21:09
another ben
Shallowness
27.02.2006 21:12
another ben
One way to have a nice pilgrimage
27.02.2006 21:32
see you there
Ian
Ian Fiddies
e-mail:
ian.fiddies@mjv.se
Response to 'shallowness' post
03.03.2006 18:53
I have to say that I can't really see how the idea of an eco-pilgramage could be considered practical for any but the 'time-rich, commitment poor', for example, young people just leaving university for the 'gap year', older, probably retired, financially independent people who's children have now left home etc. But what about the majority of us who are 'time poor and commitment rich'? People with kids, jobs, mortgages, etc, etc?
I'm not knocking the idea of travelling about a bit to see other eco-projects, spend time with other cultures, etc (but watch the carbon-budgets if you expect to retain much credibility... ie, does it make sense for someone in the UK to fly to a permaculture convergence in Brazil for example? How is that 'walking the talk'??), and its always good to visit other places and projects to learn, exchange ideas, create some cultural 'edge', etc.
But at the end of the day my view is that the real sustainable change is made by ordinary people who are grounded where they are, and not always flitting about to where more 'interesting' stuff is happening. I must be incredibly shallow myself, having lived within the same square mile or two for the last 40 years, and beleive me, the temptation to up sticks and move away from this small minded totally Tory town and bugger off to an eco-village in the woods has been overwhelming at times (I had to laugh once though at the person who told me I had 'no commitment' because I wasn't prepared give up my job, drop all my involvemnets in local projects and uproot my family to help this guy set up a 'vegan community project' at the other end of the country on the basis of one phone call!)
Instead I've chosen the rather less glamourous option of staying where I am and working with the opportunities that the environment provides- local campaigning, involvemet with allotment committee, working with local schools, wrking to build a LETS sceme, going through the motions with the local council when they played lip-service to the dead end of Agenda 21, and generally being a part of the community I've always known and (sometimes) understand.
A passage in the original post read;
"Jesus went for 40 days into the wilderness, Buddha achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree after long periods in the wilderness, many Hindu sages spend very large periods of time alone in the wilderness, and Lao Tzu, for what is known of him, appears to have been very similar."
Lets also remember that another Zen Buhddist monk taught that the way to enlightenment is to "Chop wood, carry water". In other words, the road to change lies through the mundane, the unromantic, the necessary hard work and struggle to make a difference.
Cheers!
Graham Burnett
Homepage:
http://www.spiralseed.co.uk
reflections...
04.03.2006 07:27
It appears to have been ignored or forgotten, that the idea is intended as a means to commitment to ecological causes, not as some holiday (an end)! The entire point of the idea is to assist people in gaining the confidence, awareness, courage & inspiration to commit - which would then obviously involve putting down roots into community.
Simply because you may be so confident as to be able to stay in one small area & create new projects etc, doesn't mean that everyone else is. Doing something alternative to the mainstream, and committing to it, isn't as simple for most people as it has been, perhaps, for you, Graham. Some need a greater sense of solidarity, some need time away from the 'norms' to get the motivation & courage together to really commit, etc.
I'm very disappointed with this part of reply: "But at the end of the day my view is that the real sustainable change is made by ordinary people who are grounded where they are, and not always flitting about to where more 'interesting' stuff is happening."
"always flitting about"!? I sincerely don't think you've kept the intention of the idea in mind.
"does it make sense for someone in the UK to fly to a permaculture convergence in Brazil for example" - no. Of course it doesn't! How many obvious points have to be put across in a small space before someone will accept the idea in that space? At what point in the original post is the suggestion of "do mindlessly, un-ecologically" encouraged??
I, too, live in a small-minded totally Tory town; and I have the strongest intentions of returning to make as much as difference as possible, but just in case the point still hasn't sunk in: some people need to acquire the confidence, courage to commit properly - and this is much easier through sustained participation with that which is believed in. We're not all the same as you, Graham! Good on you for doing what you have done, though - it is worthy of admiration & respect.
There is no intention in the original post to encourage a six-month holiday, and then 'retour a normale' - the entire point is to grant those whom, yes, are more likely to be "time-rich(er), commitment-poor(er)", the confidence & courage to plant strong, committed & more-contented roots to make more effective change. If you can do that without volunteering six-months or whatever with other projects, and instead just start from where you are & not give up easily, then bloody good on you. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we were all as able as you.
Ben