ECONOMIC FUTURE
India Might Lead the Way?
This is a story about poetry, food, and farming. And about economic transitions around the world
My virtual world travels bring me places. And give me memories and angles to write about. Yesterday, it started with very shocking and sad news.
I read the devastating news about the explosion in the capital city of Lebanon, Beirut. And I remembered that I gave a talk this year for an international group, initiated by a professor from Lebanon.
Hearing the news brought me back to this talk. The professors, the students, the hope from Lebanon that there was some light at the end of the dark economic tunnel that is paralyzing the country with hyperinflation.
We talked about the problems and the transition. About the parts that might bring some short term relief. And about a long term vision.
Economic Transition
Here’s the context of the talk I gave.
In part, it’s about Europe, Lebanon, as well as all other continents. And I addressed 4 points of transition for all countries to consider.
- Jobs and Money
- Food Security
- Responsible Business
- Speculation
Will We Be Hungry?
Remembering the talk, a specific memory became very clear in my mind. One Lebanese student asked me: “Are we going to be hungry? Really hungry? And what can we do about that?”
I felt his worry through the virtual lines.
All the way from Beirut to Holland, where I live at the moment.
Beirut has a lot to deal with. After hearing the news today, I reached out to the professor. Hoping he and his students and all their loved ones are okay. But also knowing that even if they are, others in this area will not be…
Many deaths, many wounded, many homeless…
From Beirut to India
I read the story of the Economic Storm of Transition again and again. As if it could help. As if it could heal. I try not to be in doing-mode. What can I do? So, I try to be still and let the thoughts come.
And then I notice that Gurpreet Dhariwal highlighted nearly the whole story. Gurpreet is a poet I admire, writer of My Soul Rants, and I think she comes from India. However, when I tried to find out for sure, I see that she never mentions where she lives.
She must be a world citizen, just like me…
This is a recent poem of hers I enjoyed very much.
And then my brain wanders from Beirut and hunger to India and food. And then to another Indian person, I admire.
Yes, you’ll think it is Mahatma Gandhi. I do admire him a lot but he’s not who I mean. The person I mean is a woman. Vandana Shiva. The woman in the top picture.
Vandana deserves many medals for the work she did on farming transition! Protecting the spices of India against greedy corporates who want to patent nature’s designs. Teaching us all about regenerative agriculture and living within Gaia’s finite boundaries.
I met her once when she attended the Voedsel Anders Conference in the Netherlands. And although I cannot give you that talk, I’ll give you another. A very short, 3-minute video explaining about hunger and about food.
And about the current economic system making food into a weapon of controlling others. Food as a weapon of war…
Her texts have been so clear, so insightful for me that I really hope that the people active in food, such as Tree Langdon ♾️ with her new Illumination Special Project | Urban Food Project, will learn from Vandana. She wrote some great books as well.
Let’s produce our main food locally. In line with nature’s abundance. And it doesn’t always need lots of acres of land. We can grow food in our cities on terra preta, the very fertile soil we can produce ourselves with organic waste. Storing carbon, giving a home to loads of micro-organisms, feeding our plants. And then feeding us all the nutrients we need to live a healthy life.
Hmmm… did I mention that to the Beirut student? I can’t remember…
Closing
The things that are happening in the world are overwhelming. And in the case of the Beirut catastrophe, it’s ironic that the explosion seems to be caused by an ingredient commonly used in agricultural fertilizer.
Explosion. Fertilizer. Hunger. A broken food system.
And food used as a weapon of war.
I don’t know what it all means.
I just took you on a journey through my mind. Feeling for faraway acquaintances, inspired by faraway friends. And sharing some wisdom from a woman I admire for her strength and her wise words.
You can do with this information whatever you want. Be inspired to stop hunger with local, regenerative food production. Toss it away if you think it’s too far away for you to care. Feel for the people in Beirut and send them love. Whatever.
I publish this story in the magazine Activate the Future for a reason. Systemic thinking is all about feeling cycles. Understanding them. Finding ways to align the economy and ecology. We can find solutions for our broken world in line with nature. And we will need many people to take action.
Companies, citizens, artists, poets, and politicians.
In a life of cycles, action can be many things. We can grow our own food, we can shop for local supplies and talk with our local community about making stuff in regenerative ways, we can paint and make music so hearts will open, we can embrace silence and send love to parts of the world where it’s needed…
We can all open our hearts, feel our broken world, and start shifting our minds. We can learn and co-create. Little by little, one step at a time. Supporting each other fiercely on our own unique ways forward.
We will need a mind-shift. From war and control of others to abundance for all. Live and let live. Humans and other species. Diversity rules.
And maybe India can lead the way here. Or Beirut after this catastrophe. Or any other country that listens to its wise people…
And the good news is that due to the virtual possibilities of reaching out to each other, supporting each other across the world, we can empower all of us.
I don’t have all the answers, but I do think about the questions daily. Mind-shift. Empowerment. It might make the change we need…
And, as always, I’m very open to your comments or questions.
If you want to connect, you can find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or my website. Or somewhere in the world being silent. Listening to the flow. And taking action whenever the cycle has spun again…