Permaculture is often seen as being the solution-oriented holy grail to all the worlds problems. Many people are drawn to it because of its creative and accessible techniques. Although this is great that more and more people are doing positive things, we shouldn’t let the solution blind us from the darkness that lies underneath them.
Irrespective of how radically permaculture we may be, we all are always participating in modernity. To help me explore this within myself I mapped out the intersections between Modern Finlay, Transitioning Finlay and Ecological Finlay. I could then apply the way I am relating to my touchpoints with my ecology through those lenses to see just how I feel about them. For example Modern Finlay buys food at the supermarket with long transport distances and an extractive dominance hierarchy against food producers and the land they grow in. Transition Finlay buys food through the local bulk food co-op which still has distance and wages war on farmers but is a little more direct, practices community and doesn’t kill all the insects (as much). Ecological Finlay grows food on the farm and regenerates the soil. I am all of these Finlays all of the time. By looking into the darkness of my actions and not ignoring them, pretending they aren’t there, I am becoming acquainted with them and I am forcing myself to apply my values.
There is a lot of grief underlying the great predicament of the world collapsing and if we only focus on solutions and techniques then we will end up with a lot of things and aesthetic but not really be addressing the underlying trauma.
Be brave, don’t look away.