Article 1440 of alt.sustainable.agriculture:
Path: samba.oit.unc.edu!oit-mail2news-gateway
From: london@sunsite.unc.edu (Larry London)
Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture
Subject: Statement of Purpose (fwd)
Date: 26 Sep 1993 13:14:01 -0400
Organization: sustag-public mailing list
Lines: 129
Sender: daemon@samba.oit.unc.edu
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <Pine.3.05.9309261233.A23775-d100000@calypso>
NNTP-Posting-Host: samba.oit.unc.edu
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1993 04:01:12 -0700
From: Mark Harrington <markh@ora.com>
To: sust-development@twosocks.ces.ncsu.edu
Subject: Statement of Purpose

Salutations Friends,

Welcome, to a GRAND EXPERIMENT!  You are currently subscribed to 
sust(tainable)-development.  Please retain this information for future 
reference.

sust-development is a public e-mail list.  It is designed to be a 
multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary exploratorium.  This discussion
list is open to all persons interested in Global Sustainable Development.
Please feel free to start and contribute to discussions:  The list invites
comments, reviews of books, meeting announcements, personal experiences, 
questions, answers and observations on topics related to this list.  
Don't be shy, feel free to start and contribute to discussions; the
list's value to all subscribers depends on your contributions.  Please
be sensitive to others perspectives and experiences, by the nature of
this forum we are participating with other cultures and individual values.

Please avoid using slang and abbreviations.  They are often very
difficult for our international participants to understand.


PLEASE NOTE!  Use these e-mail addresses as follows:


        TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE TO THE LIST:

Send e-mail to: almanac@twosocks.ces.ncsu
In text of message type: subscribe sust-development
                         -or-
                         unsubscribe sust-development
        

        TO POST ARTICLES TO THE LIST:

Send e-mail to: sust-development@twosocks.ces.ncsu.edu



                SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND NEW CULTURES
                        CREATING THE NEXT...MYTH

Statement of Purpose:

The Ecozoic era is waking!  The Industrial Revolution has erroded the very
earth from beneath it's crumbling foundation.  The architecture of the 
"developed" world is crumbling, surpassing it's limits to growth!  The
current path of "development" is absolutely non sustainable!  In a 
sustainable world 8% of the worlds population will no longer be able to
continue exploiting 30% of the worlds resources, as the US currently does.

Many developing countries have been either coerced or seduced into follow-
ing the smae dead end path.  They are often two-fold losers.  On the one
hand they often lose their traditional values, trading wisdom and exper-
ience for "modern development".  On the other hand, few if any, will achieve 
a fraction of the affluence of their "mentors".  Indeed, most will exper-
ience a diminished sense of self, culture, and environment, as they take
the non-sustainable path North.

"Development", as life in a sustainable world, will of necessity be very
different from our current experience.  Sustainable development is the 
process of cultures co-evolving and creating a new global context of
partnership.  New modes of understanding, respect and understanding of
humanities interaction and relationship with the biosphere: virus, mineral,
plant, animal etc.  For life in it's totality is interconnected and
interdependent!

It is essential that humanity aquire new conceptual landscapes, navigational
tools and modes of being.  Inter-human and biospheric relationships are
in metamorphosis!  We live in an era of great portent!  Will we take the 
next evolutionary step, or continue...as histories echoes resound...
reminding us of the consequences of continued human and environmental
disequillibrium.

We need to re-evaluate and gain deeper understanding of the realms of:
culture, mythology, science, economics, time, anthropology, lifestyles,
agriculture, technology, philosophy and religion etc.  We need to understand 
and experience the common tides which wash between these shores.  We need to
draw upon the experience and genius of all cultures in order to create a
greater vision, harvest a deeper wisdom, and create the new multidimensional
landscapes of possibility which a sustainable world requires.

I envision this as a computer assisted forum where mythical meetings are
commonplace.  A multi-cultural playground where participants converge,
to meet on new plateau's of partnership, understanding and co-creation.
Where multi-cultural insights, inspiration, seeds and tools are freely
share and our collective humanity and common destiny is deepened from the
experience.

Discussions will range from practical and specific ideas for integrating
daily living, to wild philosophical voyages in future possible worlds.
For we are the modern myth-makers and visionaries! TAKE COMMUNION

To more fully engage this experiment I suggest you consider the following:

This is a sacred space!  As you enter or interact with this space create
a multi-hued painting in your mind, which represent that which is holy
to you.  It may be a moss covered stone beside a mountain stream, a mosque,
a synagogue, a chapel, or ?

Your keystrokes are stepping stones which draw you toward a calm and 
peaceful center.  You may have some sacred music, song or mantra which
further guides you on this journey.

What we experience and share in this space is not limited to our past
or our "normal" dimension of experience.  This is a journey of discovery,
creation and communion.  New ideas, modes of thinking and being and tools
of transformation will be forged.  You the sojourner return with these
gifts.  Your return heralds personal and global metamorphosis, conflict
resolution, the return of the sacred, expansive compassion, harmony and
completion.  Foundation stones for a Sustainable World!


-- 
Mark Harrington

email: markh@ora.com
phone: (H) 707-526-0867
       (W) 707-576-2434






