All the titles above are from the tabs and drop down menu at the top of the page. These are suggested reading to help fortify your own advocacy for sustainability and social uplift. Did deeper into these topics and research others. Find your paradigm shift niche. Deepen what you already know. Share what you learn with the wider world!
Be The Change. Be An Advocate For Paradigm Shift.
This writing describes different aspects and actions for being an advocate for paradigm shift. This writing is a sort of primer for Be Be The Change - An advocate of paradigm shift.
Transforming our society to sustainability will take many advocates. A paradigm shift lifestyle can be a high value point of departure for becoming an advocate for paradigm shift. A purposeful small footprint lifestyle is great but its even better when the person with that lifestyle shares with others why they made changes to the way they live, what does it look like, what they have learned and what are the benefits for themselves and the wider world. Those are all important stories that can empower others.
And even better yet, is when that person with a small footprint lifestyle learns more social, economic, political, even spiritual aspects of paradigm shift to share with the wider world. There are many books that critique the System and envision a more positive and sustainable society. All those writers have learned from others, they have had their own inspirations and insights. Gratefully, they share what they know with the wider world, perhaps even with you and me.
Advocating for sustainability, uplift and paradigm shift can take as much time in one's life as one chooses. The Primer is intended to be a resource of useful paradigm shift information to share with others and also for the reader to expand on what they read in the Primer. I was not thinking about writing a primer about paradigm shift 25 years ago. The Primer is an outcome of my own learning, thanks to many others who helped in my education. I choose to put a good deal of time and effort into calling for alternatives to the Mainstream.
Everyone has something to add to a growing momentum for paradigm shift. For myself and I imagine with others, too, when you feel like you have something positive and helpful for improving the human condition, you want to share it. For me, that is the Primer.
Paradigm shift lifestyles come into being in their own unique ways but they will have much in common such as modest use of energy and resources in regard to housing, transportation, food choices, recreation and the rest of what makes up a lifestyle. When these citizen/paradigm shift advocates connect with others with the same ideals, they can make common cause to increase the scale of paradigm shift. More and more connections and collaborative actions can become a broad horizontal social movement. More on that Movement in the next chapter.
The graphic below show many attributes of paradigm shift.
Be The Change. Be An Advocate For Paradigm Shift.
This writing describes different aspects and actions for being an advocate for paradigm shift. This writing is a sort of primer for Be Be The Change - An advocate of paradigm shift.
Transforming our society to sustainability will take many advocates. A paradigm shift lifestyle can be a high value point of departure for becoming an advocate for paradigm shift. A purposeful small footprint lifestyle is great but its even better when the person with that lifestyle shares with others why they made changes to the way they live, what does it look like, what they have learned and what are the benefits for themselves and the wider world. Those are all important stories that can empower others.
And even better yet, is when that person with a small footprint lifestyle learns more social, economic, political, even spiritual aspects of paradigm shift to share with the wider world. There are many books that critique the System and envision a more positive and sustainable society. All those writers have learned from others, they have had their own inspirations and insights. Gratefully, they share what they know with the wider world, perhaps even with you and me.
Advocating for sustainability, uplift and paradigm shift can take as much time in one's life as one chooses. The Primer is intended to be a resource of useful paradigm shift information to share with others and also for the reader to expand on what they read in the Primer. I was not thinking about writing a primer about paradigm shift 25 years ago. The Primer is an outcome of my own learning, thanks to many others who helped in my education. I choose to put a good deal of time and effort into calling for alternatives to the Mainstream.
Everyone has something to add to a growing momentum for paradigm shift. For myself and I imagine with others, too, when you feel like you have something positive and helpful for improving the human condition, you want to share it. For me, that is the Primer.
Paradigm shift lifestyles come into being in their own unique ways but they will have much in common such as modest use of energy and resources in regard to housing, transportation, food choices, recreation and the rest of what makes up a lifestyle. When these citizen/paradigm shift advocates connect with others with the same ideals, they can make common cause to increase the scale of paradigm shift. More and more connections and collaborative actions can become a broad horizontal social movement. More on that Movement in the next chapter.
The graphic below show many attributes of paradigm shift.
Advocate The Change
Here are several actions for 'becoming" an advocate for sustainability and uplift.
1] What motivates you? Find your niche[s]
2] Prioritize time and money
3] Self educate, personal experience is best, read, contemplate, learn from others
4] Be the change you want to see, don't be shy
5] Address your own eco footprint, share your experience
6] What kinds of out reach assets do you have
7] Be prepared with your outreach
8] Acknowledge the positive in others
What can motivate us to activate? What motivates you might be your niche. The need for paradigm shift is broad and deep to say the least. This society has a lot of problems and there is a welcome for everyone to help repair them. The problems are social, spiritual, economic, environmental. Take your choice, adopt several.
We are most effective with measured passion and having one's own niche, one's home base of activism. A niche provides us with a point of departure, a context, for advocating paradigm shift. One might connect other problems of the Mainstream culture to one's own niche. Affordable housing, healthy food, transportation, gambling - they are all related because capitalism's primary goal to make money creates many external costs to people and planet - casualties and problems.
Years before taking on the Primer project, before thoughts on deconstructing the myths of capitalism, aspects of paradigm shift and what can paradigm shift look like in real life, my focus of interest was transforming a suburban property - that became suburbanpermaculture.org That was 25 years ago. I found the problems with suburbia was part of a much larger story. That lead me to writing the Primer. A start in one place can lead to a fascinating and meandering adventure of learning.
Activating and advocating depends on people taking the time for putting useful information out to the wider world. An important term used in the primer is “prioritize time and money.” The consumer culture provides many distractions and they are very successful in dis-empowering peoples' capacity to act in their own best interests. Overcoming those distractions, just say no, is a core task of paradigm shift.
What distractions are we willing to exchange for our own self empowerment thru outreach? Pass up the movie for self education? Another angle on self empowerment is liberation. Discovery and self empowerment is the same as self liberation and is richly rewarding. What better cause than being an advocate of social uplift and a healthy planet?
We can enjoy many aspects of paradigm shift in our own lives as soon as we care to. No need to wait. The more people engaged in paradigm shift, the greater the benefits for everyone. Your productive activism can deliver a valuable gift of self realization to others.
Self Educate
Self educate. Find out more about your niche and you will expand and deepen your advocacy. There are books, articles, search on line, connect with others, contemplate. See if you have a “Meetup” group with these kinds of interests where you live. Search “permaculture” where you live and connect with others with similar interests. Everyone can share what they are learning from each other.
I find fascinating information reading the New York Times and other mainstream sources of info that relate to paradigm shift because I am tuned into paradigm shift. For example, one article explains the benefits of subsidized affordable housing in Paris, the other, how the Bruderhof Society deals with technology and their avowed simple living social ideals.
Both articles describe real life approaches to address housing and technology issues. The spark of insight and putting what we learn into a broader context is a great satisfaction and even better when that insight has practical application on behalf of a preferred future. That insight can add to one's own advocacy and effectiveness.
Make It Visible
Being the change. Few impressions are stronger than seeing someone or group being the change they advocate. Words are useful but actually making the changes visible to the wider world is far stronger. Downsizing a lifestyle doesn't mean living in poverty but it does mean making changes that friends will be curious about. Saying no thanks to the game or shopping spree in favor of self educating for making a presentations or volunteering for a good cause is a big move forward in managing our own time and being the change.
Being the change can be fun. Work parties near my house at the Filbert Grove or Rasor Park attract 8 or 10 people and sometimes more. Its fun to meet others while doing something useful and have conversations about whatever people like to talk about. Today's work parties also give us experience making us more ready for a time when work parties will need to be more "necessary.".
Identify Your Communication Assets
One year our neighborhood hosted the Northwest Permaculture Convergence at our neighborhood rec center. You can read about it HERE. The Convergence has been the largest permaculture event of the year in the Pacific Northwest. Essentially, we created a paradigm shift university for the weekend at our neighborhood rec center. Presentations, breakouts, bike site tours, plenary sessions, out door expo, play time. We estimate 700 people participated. Remembering the event still delivers a buzz. It was a suburban permaculture convergence that invited the wider world. Hosting the Convergence was the idea of a single person but that single idea depended on and also empowered dozens of co workers and their work uplifted and educated hundreds of others.
Few of us own a TV station but we still have access to ways of sharing the ideas about a preferred future. If one is new to activism, maybe take on a modest task like a letter to the editor on a topic you are interested in. One might comment on an article like the New York Times on line where space is available for people to share their thoughts. Make a sign for your bike to express why biking is good for people and planet.
What are the occasions you are around other people? What opportunities do you have where sharing something about paradigm shift fits in nicely already? You might even like to broach the idea of paradigm shift in situations where it fits but might not be so comfortable with other people.
All kinds of curriculum for students in college or high school can link to paradigm shift. Sociology, regional planning, law, business, geography, political science. Writing a research paper about paradigm shift could apply to many classes. One can share preferred future ideas with others like a study group, an on line forum, a church social concerns committee or a break at work.
If you are a property owner, one's own property can be a highly visible place to put paradigm shift ideas out to a wider audience. At the same time, transforming a property offers many benefits.
1] It can help build one's own resilience and personal health.
2] It can be a model for others, a story in the media, youtube, blog,,,,
3] It can be a place to show and tell others what suburbia can look like
My own quarter acre suburban property is a great example of what suburbia can become with paradigm shift. Its a powerful example of how a modest home with a substantial amount of imagination and hard work can become permaculture landmark and a comfortable place for 4 people to live, myself included. We all have reduced eco footprints. Thousands of people have visited over the years and many have put what they learned from the visit to my place to good use. I know because many people who have visited my place have told me what they did to their own property after seeing my place.
We all have our own unique assets. We might even recognize a paradigm shift asset we've had for years with an unexpected insight.
Self Calculate
One can learn a great deal about one's own lifestyle, by answering the questions of the “footprint calculator.” A paradigm shift lifestyle will make a much greater impression when we advocate. The calculator asks lifestyle questions about housing, spending money, food choices, transportation and more. All these questions point to behavior we can change in our own lives to actually reduce our eco footprints. We are all a work in progress. We are living the change. Maybe turn one's experience into a blog or articles for publication. That first hand experience gives credibility to our advocacy. What you describe to others can help them move towards sustainability such as explaining how you became vegetarian or started riding a bike.
The calculator can be a great topic for conversations. One might even create or join a mutual assistance group to support each other cutting down on over consumption. You can find the calculator at footprintcalculator.org from the Global Footprint Network.
Here are several actions for 'becoming" an advocate for sustainability and uplift.
1] What motivates you? Find your niche[s]
2] Prioritize time and money
3] Self educate, personal experience is best, read, contemplate, learn from others
4] Be the change you want to see, don't be shy
5] Address your own eco footprint, share your experience
6] What kinds of out reach assets do you have
7] Be prepared with your outreach
8] Acknowledge the positive in others
What can motivate us to activate? What motivates you might be your niche. The need for paradigm shift is broad and deep to say the least. This society has a lot of problems and there is a welcome for everyone to help repair them. The problems are social, spiritual, economic, environmental. Take your choice, adopt several.
We are most effective with measured passion and having one's own niche, one's home base of activism. A niche provides us with a point of departure, a context, for advocating paradigm shift. One might connect other problems of the Mainstream culture to one's own niche. Affordable housing, healthy food, transportation, gambling - they are all related because capitalism's primary goal to make money creates many external costs to people and planet - casualties and problems.
Years before taking on the Primer project, before thoughts on deconstructing the myths of capitalism, aspects of paradigm shift and what can paradigm shift look like in real life, my focus of interest was transforming a suburban property - that became suburbanpermaculture.org That was 25 years ago. I found the problems with suburbia was part of a much larger story. That lead me to writing the Primer. A start in one place can lead to a fascinating and meandering adventure of learning.
Activating and advocating depends on people taking the time for putting useful information out to the wider world. An important term used in the primer is “prioritize time and money.” The consumer culture provides many distractions and they are very successful in dis-empowering peoples' capacity to act in their own best interests. Overcoming those distractions, just say no, is a core task of paradigm shift.
What distractions are we willing to exchange for our own self empowerment thru outreach? Pass up the movie for self education? Another angle on self empowerment is liberation. Discovery and self empowerment is the same as self liberation and is richly rewarding. What better cause than being an advocate of social uplift and a healthy planet?
We can enjoy many aspects of paradigm shift in our own lives as soon as we care to. No need to wait. The more people engaged in paradigm shift, the greater the benefits for everyone. Your productive activism can deliver a valuable gift of self realization to others.
Self Educate
Self educate. Find out more about your niche and you will expand and deepen your advocacy. There are books, articles, search on line, connect with others, contemplate. See if you have a “Meetup” group with these kinds of interests where you live. Search “permaculture” where you live and connect with others with similar interests. Everyone can share what they are learning from each other.
I find fascinating information reading the New York Times and other mainstream sources of info that relate to paradigm shift because I am tuned into paradigm shift. For example, one article explains the benefits of subsidized affordable housing in Paris, the other, how the Bruderhof Society deals with technology and their avowed simple living social ideals.
Both articles describe real life approaches to address housing and technology issues. The spark of insight and putting what we learn into a broader context is a great satisfaction and even better when that insight has practical application on behalf of a preferred future. That insight can add to one's own advocacy and effectiveness.
Make It Visible
Being the change. Few impressions are stronger than seeing someone or group being the change they advocate. Words are useful but actually making the changes visible to the wider world is far stronger. Downsizing a lifestyle doesn't mean living in poverty but it does mean making changes that friends will be curious about. Saying no thanks to the game or shopping spree in favor of self educating for making a presentations or volunteering for a good cause is a big move forward in managing our own time and being the change.
Being the change can be fun. Work parties near my house at the Filbert Grove or Rasor Park attract 8 or 10 people and sometimes more. Its fun to meet others while doing something useful and have conversations about whatever people like to talk about. Today's work parties also give us experience making us more ready for a time when work parties will need to be more "necessary.".
Identify Your Communication Assets
One year our neighborhood hosted the Northwest Permaculture Convergence at our neighborhood rec center. You can read about it HERE. The Convergence has been the largest permaculture event of the year in the Pacific Northwest. Essentially, we created a paradigm shift university for the weekend at our neighborhood rec center. Presentations, breakouts, bike site tours, plenary sessions, out door expo, play time. We estimate 700 people participated. Remembering the event still delivers a buzz. It was a suburban permaculture convergence that invited the wider world. Hosting the Convergence was the idea of a single person but that single idea depended on and also empowered dozens of co workers and their work uplifted and educated hundreds of others.
Few of us own a TV station but we still have access to ways of sharing the ideas about a preferred future. If one is new to activism, maybe take on a modest task like a letter to the editor on a topic you are interested in. One might comment on an article like the New York Times on line where space is available for people to share their thoughts. Make a sign for your bike to express why biking is good for people and planet.
What are the occasions you are around other people? What opportunities do you have where sharing something about paradigm shift fits in nicely already? You might even like to broach the idea of paradigm shift in situations where it fits but might not be so comfortable with other people.
All kinds of curriculum for students in college or high school can link to paradigm shift. Sociology, regional planning, law, business, geography, political science. Writing a research paper about paradigm shift could apply to many classes. One can share preferred future ideas with others like a study group, an on line forum, a church social concerns committee or a break at work.
If you are a property owner, one's own property can be a highly visible place to put paradigm shift ideas out to a wider audience. At the same time, transforming a property offers many benefits.
1] It can help build one's own resilience and personal health.
2] It can be a model for others, a story in the media, youtube, blog,,,,
3] It can be a place to show and tell others what suburbia can look like
My own quarter acre suburban property is a great example of what suburbia can become with paradigm shift. Its a powerful example of how a modest home with a substantial amount of imagination and hard work can become permaculture landmark and a comfortable place for 4 people to live, myself included. We all have reduced eco footprints. Thousands of people have visited over the years and many have put what they learned from the visit to my place to good use. I know because many people who have visited my place have told me what they did to their own property after seeing my place.
We all have our own unique assets. We might even recognize a paradigm shift asset we've had for years with an unexpected insight.
Self Calculate
One can learn a great deal about one's own lifestyle, by answering the questions of the “footprint calculator.” A paradigm shift lifestyle will make a much greater impression when we advocate. The calculator asks lifestyle questions about housing, spending money, food choices, transportation and more. All these questions point to behavior we can change in our own lives to actually reduce our eco footprints. We are all a work in progress. We are living the change. Maybe turn one's experience into a blog or articles for publication. That first hand experience gives credibility to our advocacy. What you describe to others can help them move towards sustainability such as explaining how you became vegetarian or started riding a bike.
The calculator can be a great topic for conversations. One might even create or join a mutual assistance group to support each other cutting down on over consumption. You can find the calculator at footprintcalculator.org from the Global Footprint Network.
Be Nice. Be Encouraging. Acknowledge the Positive.
Simply just being friendly, helpful and courteous to others is a huge part of paradigm shift with no mention of paradigm shift needed. Make the time to be nice, not ingratiating but simply say thank you. Offering personal encouragement is great way to raise the vibe towards a more peaceful and healthy world. Just telling someone thanks for something positive they did reinforces healthy social behavior. Who knows what benefits kind words can lead to.
I had a very nice short chat at the big box check out recently. Turns out the young lady at the register was also into gardens. We ping ponged a bit about growing food and agreed gardens are awesome and ended our chat with a friendly fist bump. A nice social buzz for both of us.
People who have written books that have had impact on many people started somewhere. Its up to us to determine how much of an advocate we want to be but there is room for everyone. Reality check - one should not expect too much thanks for making personal changes or being an advocate. We need to activate, reach out and be positive simply because its the best thing we can do both in the moment and long term. Its good to be good!
Allies and Assets
Allies and assets include any group or opportunity that can help take the ideas of paradigm shift to a wider audience. A church social concerns committee, or all kinds of other venues, could be an asset for discussing sustainability with others. There could be people you know or are involved with who have similar ideas about downsizing, gardening, community service. These people can be allies. When Ravi and Michele moved to their place a block away 25 years ago, their plans to become a center for social change lead to the birth of Dharmalaya. We have been allies ever since, collaborating on many events to advocate permaculture and an uplifted society.
Neighborhood associations and local radio stations can be allies and assets. See further below. A city program to encourage preparedness can help neighbors meet and work together. That program is a big asset and the new friends in the neighborhood can become important allies. Students can create environmental clubs at school that can become assets to take eco footprints ideas out to a wider audience. There are allies and assets all around. Its up to us to identify them, take initiative and create new allies.
The more people making the time, being openly positive, being the change, having coherent and usable ideas to share, reaching out in whatever ways we can, the better. Maybe even pushing oneself to try something new. Paradigm shift depends on people making best use of this edge in history along with their own time and money.
One of the greatest resources we have is to communicate, learn, explore, activate, encourage each other and grow this movement. The better world most people want will not happen by itself. There are lots of distractions but there are many assets and opportunities to make new allies and assets.
A simple concept is the the Virtuous Triangle. See below. Allies and assets can create new actions. New Actions and assets can create new allies. New actions and allies can create new assets. A site tour - an action - can show examples of suburban permaculture - an asset. People on the tour can become new allies after learning more about what paradigm shift can look like.
Simply just being friendly, helpful and courteous to others is a huge part of paradigm shift with no mention of paradigm shift needed. Make the time to be nice, not ingratiating but simply say thank you. Offering personal encouragement is great way to raise the vibe towards a more peaceful and healthy world. Just telling someone thanks for something positive they did reinforces healthy social behavior. Who knows what benefits kind words can lead to.
I had a very nice short chat at the big box check out recently. Turns out the young lady at the register was also into gardens. We ping ponged a bit about growing food and agreed gardens are awesome and ended our chat with a friendly fist bump. A nice social buzz for both of us.
People who have written books that have had impact on many people started somewhere. Its up to us to determine how much of an advocate we want to be but there is room for everyone. Reality check - one should not expect too much thanks for making personal changes or being an advocate. We need to activate, reach out and be positive simply because its the best thing we can do both in the moment and long term. Its good to be good!
Allies and Assets
Allies and assets include any group or opportunity that can help take the ideas of paradigm shift to a wider audience. A church social concerns committee, or all kinds of other venues, could be an asset for discussing sustainability with others. There could be people you know or are involved with who have similar ideas about downsizing, gardening, community service. These people can be allies. When Ravi and Michele moved to their place a block away 25 years ago, their plans to become a center for social change lead to the birth of Dharmalaya. We have been allies ever since, collaborating on many events to advocate permaculture and an uplifted society.
Neighborhood associations and local radio stations can be allies and assets. See further below. A city program to encourage preparedness can help neighbors meet and work together. That program is a big asset and the new friends in the neighborhood can become important allies. Students can create environmental clubs at school that can become assets to take eco footprints ideas out to a wider audience. There are allies and assets all around. Its up to us to identify them, take initiative and create new allies.
The more people making the time, being openly positive, being the change, having coherent and usable ideas to share, reaching out in whatever ways we can, the better. Maybe even pushing oneself to try something new. Paradigm shift depends on people making best use of this edge in history along with their own time and money.
One of the greatest resources we have is to communicate, learn, explore, activate, encourage each other and grow this movement. The better world most people want will not happen by itself. There are lots of distractions but there are many assets and opportunities to make new allies and assets.
A simple concept is the the Virtuous Triangle. See below. Allies and assets can create new actions. New Actions and assets can create new allies. New actions and allies can create new assets. A site tour - an action - can show examples of suburban permaculture - an asset. People on the tour can become new allies after learning more about what paradigm shift can look like.
What influence do we have with any organizations where these ideas and issues might be part of a meeting, a report for a club, a presentation for a class project or a workshop or panel at a conference. Paradigm shift is a perfect topic for a social concerns committee or current event discussion group.
Who do we know who is sympathetic and might feature these ideas in a newsletter, on a website, in a class, blog, a sermon or social media? Suggest these ideas to them.
What media do we have access to? Maybe a radio program? One can start a meet up group specific to paradigm shift. This is a great way to connect and collaborate with others.
Sending an e mail with you tube links to your friends and networks suggesting they check out this primer could be a life changing experience for someone. Tell your friends to check out the Primer.
Action Items
Salon - Invite friends over to have purposeful conversations
Start a paradigm shift interest group
Check to see if you have a neighborhood association, participate
Site tour - Organize a tour of gardens or places that connect
to paradigm shift
Put in a garden
Go veggie or vegan
Transform your property
So what might a paradigm shift lifestyle look like?
HERE is an anecdotal look at my own lifestyle. A good example of moving in the right direction.
Contact Jan Donate/Support The Primer