A New Take on PERMA-Culture

A New Take on PERMA-Culture

 

In one of my Coursera courses (www.coursera.org), there was mention of a book by Martin E. P. Seligman, titled Flourish, A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being.

 

In the book Professor Seligman introduces the concept of PERMA.

 

P = Positive Emotions

E = Engagement

R = Relationships

M = Meaning

A = Achievement

 

From Publishers Weekly

Seligman, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the guru of the "positive psychology" movement, abandons his previous emphasis on happiness, which he now views as simplistic, to examine how individuals might achieve a richer, multilayered goal: a life of well-being. He identifies four factors that can help individuals thrive: positive emotion, engagement with what one is doing, a sense of accomplishment, and good relationships. Those expecting a guide on how to achieve these goals will be disappointed; Seligman's approach is largely conceptual and empirical, although he has some useful things to say, such as how even soldiers with PTSD can be taught resilience to recover and even grow from their traumas, and how students of all ages can be taught focus, delayed gratification, and GRIT, a combination of drive and perseverance. But Seligman includes too much on the mechanics of conducting his studies. Also, he can be self-congratulatory regarding his own theory, and harsh and reductionist on traditional treatments ("psychology-as-usual—the psychology of victims and negative emotions and alienation and pathology and tragedy"). This is a potentially important book whose impact may be limited by its flaws. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Placing this within the existing framework of conventional Permaculture, this would be Zone 0, the garden within.  As with any garden, the inner being must be tended and nurtured.  I personally believe that if this garden is neglected, all others will suffer.

 

Zone medicine

 

Today’s subject is medical care.  This is a hot topic right now, because costs are going up faster than the rest of the economy.  If we think about this in zone theory, we need to think of small and intermediate solutions to the problem.

 

First aid clinics come to mind.  Many problems are small like colds or flu.  Some are intermediate like large cuts or broken bones.  These could be handled at a first aid clinic, where a doctor is resident, but only called if necessary.  Neighborhood screeners would make a determination whether or not to use a clinic or go to a hospital.

 Childbirth could be managed with midwifery.  Visiting nurses could handle home recovery programs.  In-home care could replace assisted living.  At home hospice is on the rise.

We are beginning to see the emergence of telemedicine, where the patient is monitored with a telephone or internet link.  My wife’s pacemaker is monitored this way.  Unfortunately, there is no standardization and different medical groups are implementing systems incapable of communicating with each other.  This is an area where government intervention would work wonders.

A gray area is also emerging.  People are doing holistic medicine from their homes or on the internet.  These involve naturalistic and herbal remedies, special diets, and physical programs such as yoga or massage.  Some of these people are very knowledgeable, but many are passing on folk remedies and practices that may be dangerous if misused.  Some form of control is needed here.  The internet is populated with both well managed and knowledgeable references and with snake oil salesmen. 

I see the future of medicine as a frontier area that needs both innovation and management. 

What do you think?

 

 

Microcurrencies

When thinking about zones and economic, there is usually a big hurdle.  Our currency is national.  Several groups have tried to create a local currency and associated business loan programs.  This is a tough sell for me.  I’ve read of local currencies, or microcurrencies, but feel that they are mostly feel good efforts, rather than meaningful projects.

 This is is a concept of issuing a local microcurrency to be used in place of the almighty dollar for local business transactions.  The problem that I have with the concept is that they seem tied to the dollar as valuation.  The only useful aspect that I’ve seen is that the issuing agency can make microloans to environmentally sensitive entrepreneurs.  

 

The most nle example that I have found is Berkshares, Inc., a Massachusetts based microcurrency.  www.berkshares.org.  Once again, this operation is not pure, as it relies on local banks to handle the money for them. 

 

Here is how it operates, as I understand it.  An individual can exchange US dollars for Berkshares at the rate of $9.50 US for $10.00 BS.  If they cash out, they get the reciprocal rate.  Merchants who sign on, will take the Berkshare dollars as US dollars.  There is no coinage, so fractions of a dollar are paid is US coinage.

I see this as a 5% loyalty discount being offered by the merchants.  In my area several non-profit organization have arranged for 10% discounts for their members at selected retailers, whenever they show their membership cards.  These include art associations and sewing guilds.  How are Berkshares different?

A proposal has been made that Berkshares be pegged to a basket of local goods in order to insulate the local economy against volatility in the US dollar. This might make Berkshares a truly independent currency, otherwise I don’t get the point. Still, how is the basket of goods valued?  If it is in US dollars, we are back to square one.

I’ve read of barter societies, groups of people that exchange goods and services through an electronic credit system.  Perhaps a microcurrency could be used as a medium of exchange in this type of barter system.  The system would have to be closed and operate in parallel to the US dollar system. 

An advantage to this type of system is that it discourages growth for the sake of growth.  It makes no sense to produce more that your market can consume.  It would also encourage product differentiation, thus reducing direct competition for market share.

In researching this topic I found Creating Sustainable Societies, by John Boik.  This book is available in print from Barnes and Nobel or Amazon $16 or in Kindle format for $7.  You can also download a free PDF version (donation requested) from www.principledsocietiesproject.org.   When I work my way through this book, I will have more to say about this topic.  Expect this several months from now.

I’m asking all readers for input on this or any aspect of economics that follows the permaculture model.

Non agriculture zones

Before I jump into this week’s topic, I want to tell you about an online course that I signed up for, An Introduction to the U.S. Food System: Perspectives from Public Health, offered by Coursera, www.coursera.org. This is a free course that lasts six weeks. It just started, so I think you can still get into it. Based on the first week’s lessons, it looks pretty comprehensive.

OK. Back to the regularly scheduled program.

Permaculture Zones

The basic concept of permaculture was agricultural zones.

Zone 0

The house, or home center. Here permaculture principles would be applied in terms of aiming to reduce energy and water needs, harnessing natural resources such as sunlight, and generally creating a harmonious, sustainable environment in which to live and work. Zone 0 is an informal designation, which is not specifically defined in Bill Mollison's book.

Zone 1

The zone nearest to the house, the location for those elements in the system that require frequent attention, or that need to be visited often, such as salad crops, herb plants, soft fruit like strawberries or raspberries, greenhouse and cold frames, propagation area, worm compost bin for kitchen waste, etc. Raised beds are often used in zone 1 in urban areas.

Zone 2

This area is used for siting perennial plants that require less frequent maintenance, such as occasional weed control or pruning, including currant bushes and orchards, pumpkins, sweet potato, etc. This would also be a good place for beehives, larger scale composting bins, and so on.

Zone 3

The area where main-crops are grown, both for domestic use and for trade purposes. After establishment, care and maintenance required are fairly minimal (provided mulches and similar things are used), such as watering or weed control maybe once a week.

Zone 4

A semi-wild area. This zone is mainly used for forage and collecting wild food as well as production of timber for construction or firewood.

Zone 5

A wilderness area. There is no human intervention in zone 5 apart from the observation of natural ecosystems and cycles.

Copied from Wikipedia

If we do an analogy with our social involvement (this includes politics, charity, etc.) it would be something like this.

Zone 1 – Immediate family

Zone 2 – Neighborhood

Zone 3 – Community (town, borough, township, city)

Zone 4 – County or Parish

Zone 5 – Regional area

Zone 6 – State or Province

Zone 7 – Country

Zone 8 – World

If you have limited resources, take care of things in the above order.

With respect to the environment:

• Plant your own garden, create your own reserves
• Trade surpluses with your neighbors, Help develop community gardens, support community programs and institutions, participate in Earth Day activities
• In Berks County, you can support Hawk Mountain, Nolde Forest, The Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association
• Regionally, get involved with the Penn-Pemaculture group.
• Petition your state legislators to support the programs you think are important, join and participate in the state Sierra Club programs
• Write your Federal Congressman to voice your opinions about social, financial, and environmental programs
• Volunteer for international programs according to your beliefs and your resources.

 But it shouldn’t be limited to environmental issues only. Consider these activities

•  Be creative - paint, write, cook, brew, invent
• Join neighborhood watch
• Support your local library and museums
• Participate in county and state events
• Vote, Write your congressman about your views
• Learn about the world. Keep abreast of the news. Support global activities that you can afford and are consistent with your beliefs.